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SA Rugby has announced the Squads for the upcoming Lions Tours games.

No player who has played for SA is selected for the emerging Boks. Looks pretty decent to me. This is a very strong position we find ourselves in when we can select two such sides. Obviously we can only select a certain amount of players and this is a well balanced selection.

There will be a few knobs who will bemoan a few selections, but in my HUMBLE opinion, well done selectors.

SPRINGBOKS

Forwards (14):
John Smit – Sharks (81) – Captain
Victor Matfield – Vodacom Blue Bulls (80) – Vice-Captain
Andries Bekker – Vodacom Western Province (13)
Bakkies Botha – Vodacom Blue Bulls (55)
Schalk Burger – Vodacom Western Province (49)
Deon Carstens – Sharks (7)
Bismarck du Plessis – Sharks (21)
Ryan Kankowski – Sharks (7)
Tendai Mtawarira – Sharks (10)
Chiliboy Ralepelle – Vodacom Blue Bulls (3)
Danie Rossouw – Vodacom Blue Bulls (36)
Juan Smith – Vodacom Cheetahs (54)
Pierre Spies – Vodacom Blue Bulls (19)
Gurthrö Steenkamp – Vodacom Blue Bulls (20)

Backs (14):

Jean de Villiers – Vodacom Western Province (46)
Fourie du Preez – Vodacom Blue Bulls (43)
Jaque Fourie – Xerox Lions (42)
Bryan Habana – Vodacom Blue Bulls (46)
Adi Jacobs – Sharks (21)
Ricky Januarie – Vodacom Western Province (34)
Odwa Ndungane – Sharks (3)
Jongi Nokwe – Vodacom Cheetahs (3)
Wynand Olivier – Vodacom Blue Bulls (21)
Ruan Pienaar – Sharks (27)
JP Pietersen – Sharks (24)
Earl Rose – Xerox Lions (uncapped)
Frans Steyn – Sharks (27)
Morné Steyn – Vodacom Blue Bulls (uncapped)

EMERGING SPRINGBOKS

Forwards (12):
Jacques Botes – Sharks
Jean Deysel – Sharks
Wian du Preez – Vodacom Cheetahs
Werner Kruger – Vodacom Blue Bullsv Patrick Cilliers – Sharks
Tiaan Liebenberg – Vodacom Western Province
Bandisa Maku – Vodacom Blue Bulls
Dewald Potgieter – Vodacom Blue Bulls – Captain
Wilhelm Steenkamp – Vodacom Blue Bulls
Steven Sykes – Sharks
Franco van der Merwe – Xerox Lions
Duane Vermeulen – Vodacom Western Province

Backs (10):

Heini Adams – Vodacom Blue Bulls
Bjorn Basson – GWK Griquas
Burton Francis – Vodacom Blue Bulls
Zane Kirchner – Vodacom Blue Bulls
Louis Ludik – Xerox Lions
Morgan Newman – Vodacom Western Province
Earl Rose – Xerox Lions
Deon van Rensburg – Platinum Leopards
Jano Vermaak – Xerox Lions
Luzuko Vulindlu – Sharks

"High Five x 2!!!!!!!! IS NICE!!!! JZ is coming I flippen LOVE JZ man!!"

President Jacob Zuma will meet with the Bulls team on Friday ahead of the Super 14 final this weekend, his office said.

“He just wants to meet with them and say, ‘good luck’,” said presidency spokesperson Zingaphi Jakuja.

Zuma, who can sing and dance, has denied he will be part of the famous bulls cheerleading troop. You can see him in action here.

He has said he enjoys all sports, including rugby, and is meeting the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld stadium at 14:00.

Contrary to rumours the meeting will not take place in the showers. Apparently Zuma had an incident with a shower when he was younger.

The Bulls are playing against New Zealand’s Chiefs on Saturday, where a capacity 52 000 crowd, few of which expect the visitors to win, will watch the match.

Rumours that tickets have been sold at R2500, which is a lot more than even The British and Irish Lions tickets, abound. That’s hardcore. The bulls are hardcore.

JZ is hardcore.

The Bulls won the Super 14 series in 2007. The entire country is naturally supporting our ‘fully sick boys’ to coin a phrase. The phrase has nothing to do with this…. at all.

As expected, the new South Africa franchise will be officially known as the Southern Kings.

I don’t know the history behind why they’re called this but anyway. I guess there is soemthing ‘ethnic’ behind the reasoning. I personally think they should have gone for a local tribal name or word to describe the team. Southern Kings sounds very ‘English’

The Eastern Cape franchise will launch with a game against the British & Irish Lions in Port Elizabeth on 16 June. Talk about a tough first up encounter!

The Kings squad will be named at a later date, but is set to include a host of Vodacom Cup players as well as players originally hailing from the region. I think they’re onto a hiding second to none.

Former Bulls mentor Heyneke Meyer has been linked to the job.

WP and the Stormers have confirmed Rassie Erasmus, who was being touted as a possible couch, will see out his contract with the Cape union which expires at the end of 2010.

Heyneke Meyer is being lined up as the coach for the new Eastern Cape based South African rugby franchise, the Southern Kings.

Stormers coach Rassie Erasmus had been been linked to the job in however, Meyer’s better coaching record puts him in pole position for the role. The Southern Kings will play their first game on 16 June against the British and Irish Lions.

The Kings will play the tourists in the new Nelson Mandela Bay stadium.

“We hope it will be a strong side that is selected, says Cheeky Watson who heads up the franchise. That is why I asked that Davids(convenor of selectors) should work with Peter de Villiers (Springbok coach).

“If there are players Peter would like to see in action (with an eye towards the Lions series), they can be picked.”

Watson would like to see players with their roots in the Eastern Cape in the side.

“We have to be realistic. Not many of the current players (at SWD, EP and Border) will be picked,” he said.

I love rugby. It kicks ass. I love it even more when we win. I support the Springboks.

I love it when we have big tours like in the Good Old Days. There nothing that excites the fuck outa me more than a chance to give the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa some eyeball time. I’d like nothing more than to see sweet kickass revenge for the 1997 tour we didn’t do so well in. Even then though, we gave them a run for their money, so to expect the Rugby World Cup 2007 Springbok Team to have troubles this time round is a big ask.

Our okes are bigger, faster, stronger, and fuck me, we are playing at home. Well don’t really fuck me but you know what I mean. Last time this happened we witnessed the burgeoning LEGEND Percy Montgomery ‘skopping wange’ (Thats kicking arse cheeks forthe unitiated)

So I’m reading an article about Mark Cueto on iafrica.com and something strikes me. In it Mark Cueto is talking up his teams chances saying ‘if’ that and ‘if’ this etc etc. Bru I’d be a little quieter with the banter ‘if’ I were you.

I thought I’d put together some pics here to illustrate what I’m talking about.

England goes mal

‘If’ only the field was just a teeny little wee bit wider.

Sorry for you - foot in touch disease

Incidentally I heard a rumour that a few months back Cueto, who I must say by all accounts is playing some hot shit rugby right now, was looking to speak to Joost about how to handle the inevitable ‘white line fever’ questions he would get before the Lions tour to South Africa.

Joost was doing an underwear undercover expose at the time and couldn’t be reached. Next time buddy, apparently Joost ain’t allowed to talk to anyone now, something about being set up in a sex tape??

Oh and for fuck sakes PDV, move Steyn to fullback already.