South Africa to host awesome Quadrangular tournament next year.

[Feicarsinn]

http://www.espnscrum.com/southafrica/rugby/story/174220.html

South Africa have confirmed that they will play host to a quadrangular tournament next year featuring Scotland, Samoa and Italy.The ground-breaking competition, that forms part of the International Rugby Board's tours schedule, will serve as the Springboks' warm-up for their 2013 Rugby Championship campaign.
The tournament, that will incorporate three double headers, will kick off at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on June 8 with the second round of games taking place at Kings Park a week later. The top two sides in the table after the opening two rounds of action will meet in the final at Loftus Versfeld on June 22 with the other two teams set to face off earlier the same day.
The South African Rugby Union has also confirmed the venues for the Springboks' Rugby Championship fixtures for the next three years and also where they will play their two Tests with Wales and another against Scotland in 2014.
The announcement included details of an overhaul of the way that Test matches are run in South Africa. "SARU was the only major union in world rugby that didn't properly own its own Test matches," explained CEO Jurie Roux. "The decision by the Executive Committee now gives ownership to SARU.
"The key benefits will be in allowing us to plough a share of the profits back into all the provincial unions and, that by controlling the ticket office and all commercial activity in the stadium, we will be able to provide an experience for our stakeholders on a par with what we experience when playing overseas.
"This is a major change in how rugby is run and will present challenges," said Roux. "But the major effect is that it has placed Springbok Tests in the ownership of the mother body, for the benefit of all rugby's stakeholders.
"We are taking the Springboks to a new venue in 2013 and have an exciting new competition format for the June Tests - by coincidence against two of our Rugby World Cup opponents of 2015. We have also been able to map out a home fixture schedule for the next three years - something the provinces had also wanted."
Quadrangular tournament:
Saturday, June 8 (Mbombela Stadium): Scotland v Samoa; Springboks v Italy
Saturday, June 15 (Kings Park): Samoa v Italy; South Africa v Scotland
Saturday, June 22 (Loftus Versfeld): Team 3 v Team 4 ; Team 1 v Team 2

That sounds pretty epic. Makes a nice change to the usual end of year tours while giving Italy, Scotland and Samoa some significant matches. Considering that Wales, Ireland, England and Australia will be tied up with the Lions (no offence Scotland, but I don't see more than 3 or 4 Scots touring) it's an excellent idea for some of the remaining top 12 sides.

Samoa in particular should benefit from this. I know they're probably stronger than Italy and Scotland now but it's crucial that they get game time against sides in and around their own ability.

Fair dues boys.

 

[Draggs]

Just saw the SA home fixture to 2015. No TRC matches in Durban in 2013 or 2014!

Anyways, good initiative. Interesting that they don't all play each other, but I suppose this allows two undefeated 'pool' teams.

This should be a great time to try some new boys ahead of TRC. Perhaps we will see the likes of du Toit, Botha (Arno), Jordaan, le Roux. Maybe not the latter two yet, but certainly the former.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Just saw the SA home fixture to 2015. No TRC matches in Durban in 2013 or 2014!

Anyways, good initiative. Interesting that they don't all play each other, but I suppose this allows two undefeated 'pool' teams.

This should be a great time to try some new boys ahead of TRC. Perhaps we will see the likes of du Toit, Botha (Arno), Jordaan, le Roux. Maybe not the latter two yet, but certainly the former.

My thinking is that neither SA nor Samoa will want to give much away before the RWC. Of course they may very well end up playing each other in the last round, but it's far from a certainty.

South Africa should use this as a chance to blood some younger players as you say. Perfect standard of games to introduce some new guys to the international scene.

 

[Draggs]

That being said, Scotland like to tour and mess with people...

Using some young/second choice players will pretty much be a necessity, with the S15 running before and after, and TRC following that.

SA need to look at the following as soon as possible: props (loose and tighthead), eight, scrum half, narrow down standoff, centres (inside and outside), fullback. Everything else is an option, but these are critical. SA-based players should also be preferable.

 

[Aoniu]

Only thing that concerns me what will happen to Pacific Nations Cup? Great in terms of Samoa but what bout the other P.I Nations.

 

[Helmy]

I'm happy to see this. The All Blacks and Wallabies should pay attention.

 

[psychic duck]

I don't understand this tournament format. Surely it would have been simpler for each side to play each other once, rather than an unconfirmed fixtures on the last weekend. How are the fixtures made for the last weekend? It seems a bit odd that Samoa aren't playing South Africa, especially considering they are higher ranked and probably a closer match for than Italy or Scotland.

It might have been of course been preferable for Samoa at home in June against Italy for example, but the financial difficulties of travelling there it is better to have neutral matches rather than no matches at all if nobody wanted to travel to Samoa.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

That being said, Scotland like to tour and mess with people...

Using some young/second choice players will pretty much be a necessity, with the S15 running before and after, and TRC following that.

SA need to look at the following as soon as possible: props (loose and tighthead), eight, scrum half, narrow down standoff, centres (inside and outside), fullback. Everything else is an option, but these are critical. SA-based players should also be preferable.

This is indeed the perfect opportunity for guys like PS du Toit, A Botha, Jordaan etc to get some game time which makes the first half of SR just so much more interesting with guys like Hougaard probably knowing he'll have to show some form to keep his place while Van Zyl, Reinach, Vermaak will want to make it impossible for HM to ignore them.

 

[TRF_heineken]

I don't understand this tournament format. Surely it would have been simpler for each side to play each other once, rather than an unconfirmed fixtures on the last weekend. How are the fixtures made for the last weekend? It seems a bit odd that Samoa aren't playing South Africa, especially considering they are higher ranked and probably a closer match for than Italy or Scotland.

It might have been of course been preferable for Samoa at home in June against Italy for example, but the financial difficulties of travelling there it is better to have neutral matches rather than no matches at all if nobody wanted to travel to Samoa.

But there is a chance of Samoa playing SA. i think they used the ranking system, with SA and Samoa higher ranked than Italy and Scotland... Putting the 2 strongest vs the 2 weakest teams... Usually the better teams will win, which means SA would face Samoa in the 3rd week. Unless something horrible happens, like a tornado in Nelspruit... ya right!!

 

[Draggs]

This is indeed the perfect opportunity for guys like PS du Toit, A Botha, Jordaan etc to get some game time which makes the first half of SR just so much more interesting with guys like Hougaard probably knowing he'll have to show some form to keep his place while Van Zyl, Reinach, Vermaak will want to make it impossible for HM to ignore them.

I've come to realise that I enjoy the 'second' tournaments as much, if not more than the big ones. Currie Cup is possibly my favourite, sometimes surpassing S15 for me. I really like the look of Serfontein, put him with Jordaan for 2015. Taute at fullback, hope Habana and Pietersen make it and continue to improve. Good set of backs there. Plenty of wing forwards, just need to get the front row sorted.

 

[LittleGuy]

Only thing that concerns me what will happen to Pacific Nations Cup? Great in terms of Samoa but what bout the other P.I Nations.

I have no idea whats going on with this tournament, I thought Canada and the USA were supposed to join as well but we are busy with RWCQ against one another, as well Ireland(without thier Lions) is touring North America in June and I believe a Tier Two team is also visiting during that window. The November window isn't available either since the loser of Canada and USA RWCQ will play Uruguay(possibly Chile) in November for America's #2.

I have an odd feeling the six team PNC may not go ahead this year or that it might be a severely diluted tournament featuring mostly domestic or very low level pros.

 

[The big Kangaroo]

I reckon the aru will do a similar thing in the future

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

I hope so because at the moment the ARU is a complete joke compared to the other Tier 1 nations, despite having won the World Cup twice. They don't even have their own RU competition. I know it's the 5th sport in the country but come on... Does it really take that much effort to have a 5 or 6 team competition at the end of the year?

Last year they organize a Test match on a weekday, not even 72 hours after the players took the field for their clubs.

 

[The big Kangaroo]

I hope so because at the moment the ARU is a complete joke compared to the other Tier 1 nations, despite having won the World Cup twice. They don't even have their own RU competition. I know it's the 5th sport in the country but come on... Does it really take that much effort to have a 5 or 6 team competition at the end of the year?

Last year they organize a Test match on a weekday, not even 72 hours after the players took the field for their clubs.

I agree I think both are those things are to do with greed. Although Oneil has done some great things for us such as super rugby expansion and rwc 2003 hopefully a change in CEO will bring the changes that all Aussie rugby fans crave.

They tried and fail with the arc but times have changed now just look at the reds they are now the most popular sporting franchise in Queensland in a very competitive market. I think I have said it before but in 2007 the reds and tahs finished bottom of the ladder so it was an Awful year to try and start a comp. if I was in charge I would run a comp with teams such as the Brisbane Reds Sydney warathas Canberra brumbies and so on why start something from scratch when you all ready have a fan base. My hope is that with lions tour next year the aru will have the profits to try put something together