I like this score ,58-10

We showed no mercy against a second-string England team, crushing the pommes 58-10 nice.

Percy Montgomery kicked 23 points - a record against England - converting all seven tries and adding three penalties on Saturday. The Bok’s easily surpassed their previous best score against England, a 35-9 victory in 1984 in Johannesburg.

The Springboks jumped to a 27-point lead in the first half, and then didn't score from the 39th minute to the 70th, before scoring four late tries.

England, with only star backs Jonny Wilkinson and captain Jason Robinson available from its first-choice lineup, was hit injuries and a stomach virus in the buildup.
The game left England with even more problems ahead of the second test next week in Pretoria bearing in mind the boks have not played together as a team for six months and are quite rusty just think what they are going to be like in Pretoria.

Bryan Habana scored two tries for South Africa and Burger, Ashwin Willemse, Jean de Villiers, François Steyn, and C. J. van der Linde also touched down, nearly everybody had a pop.

James Simpson-Daniel scored England's lone try. Wilkinson kicked the other points with a conversion and a penalty.

"There's two ways we can respond to this," said Brian Ashton, the England coach. "We can either sulk and feel sorry for ourselves all week or start again on Monday."

I would love to be in Pretoria to see the second game.

Thanks to Glorzifen for posting highlights on youtube.




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England plumbers and decorators on show this saturday

English flyhalf Jonny Wilkinson admitted that he was braced for a punishing tour to South Africa as he joined a severely-depleted England squad.

The squad, which includes five aged world cup winners, also contain seven uncapped players, including six forwards, nicknamed the "plumbers and decorators “in fact the English bookies are giving odds .William Hill rate England as massive underdogs for the first Rugby Union Test against South Africa on Saturday and offer 6/1 for an England victory and 1/12 that the home side are victorious. William Hill is also offering 4/1 that any of England's debutants score a debut try and 5/1 that Andy Farrell scores a try.

"We are going to be hauled out of our comfort zone, but we want to go to South Africa and attack the tour and be positive," said Wilkinson.

"It is about sticking out our chests and being pro-active, rather than just hanging on in there."


Head coach Brian Ashton opted not to select players from Leicester, Wasps or Bath, who all face European finals this weekend, while injuries have sidelined key personnel such as Mike Tindall, Mike Catt and Charlie Hodgson.

The combined effect places added expectancy on players like Wilkinson, whose own injury-plagued career means he has started just three England Tests since the 2003 World Cup final.

England have had a miserable away record with just a solitary victory on the road — against Italy — in 15 months. and now they are whinging about some bug some of the players have got.

The tour will evoke memories of 1998 when an under-strength England squad embarked on a seven-game southern hemisphere expedition in three countries and lost every match. Which was great to watch?



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World Cup 2007 promo video

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Looking good for the World Cup

South Africa rugby is peaking at just the right time just months out from the 2007 World Cup in France.

The South African super 14 teams are actualliny winning games on a week by week basis.
The Coastal Sharks won 10 of their 13 Super 14 games to finish on top of the points table for the first time which is great,
while the Northern Bulls jumped from sixth position to second after beating the Queensland Reds 92-3 last Saturday to also host a play-off game.

What is good news is our teams are winning away from home this could be that New Zealand are resting their players in the super 14 to focus on the world cup.

White said this week the performances away from home by the South African sides was crucial to the Sharks and Bulls ending one-two in the points table.

Former Australia coach and Eddie Jones admitted South Africa are on the march. Jones said: “I think they are the only Test side that can consistently beat the All Blacks, particularly with their rushing style of defence.

“They have a good scrum, an outstanding lineout, blinding pace in (Bryan) Habana, strength and power, even invention in the backs. That’s a force for any opponent to be worried about."


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