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Sharks (Super Rugby)
The Sharks (known as the Cell C Sharks as they are their title sponsor) is a South African professional rugby union team based in Durban in KwaZulu Natal. They compete internationally in the United Rugby Championship and Heineken Champions Cup, having competed in the Super Rugby competition until 2020. They are centred on the union, also based in Durban and drawing players from all of KwaZulu-Natal Province. The team plays its home matches at the Hollywoodbets Kings Park Stadium in Durban. In 1993–1995 South Africa was represented in the Super 10 by their three top unions (top three teams from the previous years Currie Cup). Natal (as they were called then) qualified in 1993 and 1994. Natal were runners-up in 1994 after having lost to Queensland 21–10 in the final. In 1996 and 1997 South Africa was represented in the Super 12 by their four top unions rather than franchises, and Natal qualified and competed both years. They have never won the Super Rugby competition, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South African Rugby Union
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) is the governing body for rugby union in South Africa and is affiliated to World Rugby. It was established in 1992 as the South African Rugby Football Union, from the merger of the South African Rugby Board and the non-racial South African Rugby Union (SACOS), and took up its current name in 2005. SARU organises several national teams, most notably the senior national side, the ''Springboks''. History The South African Rugby Board was the rugby union governing body of white South Africans between 1880 and 1992. The governing of white and coloured rugby union was handled separately during South Africa under Apartheid. On 23 March 1992 the non-racial South African Rugby Union and the South African Rugby Board were merged to form the South African Rugby Football Union. The unified body changed its name in 2005 to the current South African Rugby Union. The debacle of the 2003 World Cup saw the Springboks exit in the quarterfinals. Further, S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
KwaZulu Natal
KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is located in the southeast of the country, with a long shoreline on the Indian Ocean and sharing borders with three other provinces and the countries of Mozambique, Eswatini and Lesotho. Its capital is Pietermaritzburg, and its largest city is Durban. It is the second-most populous province in South Africa, with slightly fewer residents than Gauteng. Two areas in KwaZulu-Natal have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the iSimangaliso Wetland Park and the uKhahlamba Drakensberg Park. These areas are extremely scenic as well as important to the surrounding ecosystems. During the 1830s and early 1840s, the northern part of what is now KwaZulu-Natal was established as the Zulu Kingdom while the southern part was, briefly, the Boer Natalia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ben Tapuai
Ben Tapuai (born 19 January 1989) is an Australian professional rugby player for The Sharks, who plays in the United Rugby Championship. Tapuai grew up in Melbourne and is of Samoan heritage. His playing position is centre. Early career In 2005 Tapuai was part of the World Rugby Youth Invitational Tournament in Japan. In 2006 Tapuai was part of the Australian Schoolboys squad that toured Fiji and New Zealand, along with Robert Horne. Both Tapuai and Horne continued in the Schoolboys in 2007, and Tapuai was selected at inside centre (No.12) ahead of fellow Queensland representative James O'Connor. Notably, he played schoolboy rugby with four other players that would go on to play professional rugby, including three other wallabies. His school team mates included James Slipper, Rob Simmons and Luke Morahan. In 2008 Tapuai represented the Australian Under 20s in Japan, and played in the 2008 IRB Junior World Championship in Wales. His Under-20 teammates included Liam Gill a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Australia National Rugby Union Team
The Australia national rugby union team, nicknamed the Wallabies, is the representative national team in the sport of rugby union for the nation of Australia. The team first played at Sydney in 1899, winning their first test match against the touring British Isles team. Australia have competed in all nine Rugby World Cups, winning the final on two occasions and also finishing as runner-up twice. Australia beat England at Twickenham in the final of the 1991 Rugby World Cup and won again in 1999 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff when their opponents in the final were France. The Wallabies also compete annually in The Rugby Championship (formerly the Tri-Nations), along with southern hemisphere counterparts Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa. They have won this championship on four occasions. Australia also plays Test matches against the various rugby-playing nations. More than a dozen former Wallabies players have been inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame. Hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frédéric Michalak
Frédéric Michalak (born 16 October 1982) is a former French rugby union footballer. His early career was spent playing for his hometown team, Toulouse, in the Top 14 and in the Heineken Cup. He moved to South Africa to play for the Sharks in the Super 14 after the 2007 Rugby World Cup, but after just one year with the Sharks he moved back to Toulouse. He has also played over 70 tests for France to date, and is the country's leading Test point scorer, achieving that milestone in 2015. Michalak originally played scrum-half but has played mainly at fly-half. He has appeared in advertisements for companies such as Nike and Levi's. Michalak made his debut for Toulouse in 1998. He was a member of the team that won the French championship in 2001 and the Heineken Cup in 2003 and 2005. Michalak made his first appearance for France against South Africa on 10 November 2001 and became a regular on the French side. He was selected as a member of the squad for the 2003 Rugby World Cup in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
France National Rugby Union Team
The France national rugby union team () represents France in men's international rugby union and it is administered by the French Rugby Federation. They traditionally play in blue shirts emblazoned with the national emblem of a golden rooster on a red shield, with white shorts and red socks; thus they are commonly referred to as or . The team's home matches are mostly played at the Stade de France in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis. Rugby was introduced to France in 1872 by the British, and on New Years Day 1906, the national side played its first test match – against New Zealand in Paris. France played sporadically against the Home Nations until they joined them to form the Five Nations Championship (now the Six Nations) in 1910. France also competed in the rugby competitions at early Summer Olympics, winning the gold medal in 1900 and two silver medals in the 1920s. The national team came of age during the 1950s and 1960s, winning their first Five Nations title outright ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2019 Rugby World Cup
The 2019 Rugby World Cup was the ninth edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men's rugby union teams. It was hosted in Japan from 20 September to 2 November in 12 venues all across the country. The opening match was played at Ajinomoto Stadium in Chōfu, Tokyo, with the final match being held at International Stadium Yokohama in Yokohama. This was the first time that the tournament had taken place in Asia and outside the traditional Tier 1 rugby nations. The tournament saw the first cancellation of matches at the Rugby World Cup with Typhoon Hagibis (2019), Typhoon Hagibis affecting three matches due to the expected impact on safety that the typhoon would have. South Africa national rugby union team, South Africa beat England national rugby union team, England 32−12 in the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final, final to claim their third title, equalling New Zealand national rugby union team, New Zealand's record. In doing so, South Africa became the fi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bongi Mbonambi
Mbongeni Theo 'Bongi' Mbonambi (born 7 January 1991) is a South African professional rugby union player, He currently plays as a hooker for the United Rugby Championship, URC team and also the South Africa national rugby union team, South Africa national rugby team. His position is Rugby union positions#2. Hooker, hooker and he previously played for the . He made his senior debut during the 2012 Super Rugby season against the Crusaders (rugby union), Crusaders in Pretoria. Mbonambi was a member of the South Africa national under-20 rugby union team, South Africa Under 20 team that competed in the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship. International rugby On 28 May 2016, Mbonambi was included in a 31-man squad for their 2016 mid-year rugby union internationals, three-test match series against a touring team. Mbonambi was named in South Africa's squad for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. South Africa went on to win the tournament, defeating England national rugby union team, England i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eben Etzebeth
Eben Etzebeth (born 29 October 1991) is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for the South Africa national team and Sharks in the United Rugby Championship. His regular playing position is as a number 4 lock. Club career Western Province and Stormers Etzebeth was marked out as a player of huge promise from an early age when playing for Hoërskool Tygerberg in Cape Town and he entered the Western Province youth structures in 2009, featuring in the Under-18 Craven Week tournament. In 2011, his career moved up a gear when he was part of the side which won the Varsity Cup, however injury stalled his progress in the second half of the year and he was unable to play any part in the 2011 Currie Cup. His injury didn't stop him from being named in the Stormers squad for the 2012 Super Rugby season. He recovered from injury in time for the start of the campaign and debuted on 25 February 2012 against the . In total, he made 13 appearances during the sea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lukhanyo Am
Lukhanyo Am (born 28 November 1993) is a South African professional rugby union player for the South Africa national team and the in the United Rugby Championship. His regular positions are centre and wing. Professional career Am played for the Margate-based Gladiators Rugby Academy before he was called into the Under–19 squad that won the 2012 Under-19 Provincial Championship Division B and winning promotion to Division A, making six appearances and scoring three tries. After spending time with Saracens during the off-season as part of an exchange programme in conjunction with the British High Commission, he returned to be included in the Border Bulldogs senior squad for the 2013 Vodacom Cup competition and made his senior debut against defending champions in Paarl. Southern Kings At the start of 2016, Am was one of two Sharks players that joined the ' Super Rugby squad for a trial period as they prepared for the 2016 Super Rugby season. Sharks After a successful spe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Makazole Mapimpi
Makazole Drex Mapimpi (born 26 July 1990) is a South African professional rugby union player for the South Africa national team and the in the United Rugby Championship. He usually plays as a winger and centre. He was part of the winning Springboks of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. He became the first South African to score a try in a World Cup Final. Biography Mapimpi was born and raised in a rural and very poor environment. At the 2019 Rugby World Cup, South African players are invited to provide photos of their family that will be integrated into the flocked numbers on the back of their jersey. On this occasion, Mapimpi is the only one to give only a picture of him. When Rassie Erasmus, the coach, asks him why, he admits having nobody left. His parents, as well as his siblings, all passed away. Career Youth As a child, Mapimpi grew up in the Tsholomnqa village. In 2009, Mapimpi was a member of the team. Border Bulldogs Mapimpi was one of several amateur club play ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
