Naqelevuki red card at the London Rugby Sevens

Sireli Naqelevuki, the Fijian flyer is no stranger to bizarre ill disciplined behaviour. Here he punches Steven Yates on the floor at the London Sevens, resulting in a red card.

Referee Stuart Barnes spotted the punch as it happened right in front of him. He took no time in sending off the big Fijian, who was apparently provoked.

"Like any other rugby player, Yates understood it was a spur of the moment thing and accepted Sireli's apology. He actually admitted he was being cheeky and understood why Sireli did what he did during the final," team manager Epeli Lagiloa said.

"In the end they made up and like brothers shared a laugh over the incident. Yates said he had intimidated Sireli and resulted in being punched up," he added.

New Zealand won the match 29-7.


Time: 0:59

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Colin Charvis hit vs Australia

Australia was looking to conjure up with this movement in the final minute or two of their Test against the Welsh a few days ago.

Wallaby replacement Robinson has to stretch for the pass from Rocky Elsom. As a result he gets nailed by the Welsh Flanker, Colin Charvis.

It results in a turnover that the Welsh can't do too much with, unfortunately for them.

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The Springboks bully England 58-10

The Springboks for once followed through with the nations expectations and battered the second rate English side 58-10 on saturday in Bloemfontein with a display of brutal tackling and quality finishing.

The English excluded a lot of their big name players due to the Heineken Cup final a week ago, and on top of that a number of the guys who are in SA came down with illness. That said, the Boks showed a passion and ferocity seldom seen by the men in Green & Gold.

The Boks loose trio smashed the English on numerous occasions and the backline finished off when needed. Bryan Habana once again showed his class in every aspect of his game, with some massive touch finders and two blistering tries, the second of which displayed the mans true commitment and determination.

The Springboks had a second string side over in the UK last year, and the series was tied 1-1. So now the question is, full strength against full strength, who will prevail in the group stages when the two sides meet at the World Cup later this year?

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Australias last gasp win over Wales

After trailing by 17-0, Australia came back to trail by one point with time up. They kept at it though, and through a Stephen Hoiles try came out eventual winners 29 - 23.

Was this a great Welsh performance or are the Aussies on a backward trail after their dismal Super 14 performances? In World Cup year, can they build up to a World Champion contender side? Do the Aussies know themselves which is the best combination, regarding Giteau & Gregan?

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Help needed for a paralysed player please

I wouldn't normally post something on here that isn't a video clip, but this is an exception. On the 5th of May this year, young Kobus Engelbrecht broke his neck (C5&6 vertebra's) in a school rugby match.

The school is across the road from where I (edit: used to) live, so it gave me chills when I first heard about it. The international rugby player Thinus Delport actually attended the same school a few years back.

Kobus is currently totally paralysed from the neck down. On Tuesday the 8th of May he went into surgery to repair the vertebra fracture, the operation was successful in term of the goals that the doctors had. He is currently in a stable condition in the trauma ICU unit of the Milpark hospital in Johannesburg.

His recovery process will be a lengthy and costly one. A trust account has been opened with the help of Hoffmeyr attorneys and is currently under their management. An sms line for donations has been established and we ask your help in this regard. The sms line and trust account is to assist Kobus and his family with the enormous financial obligation of his recovery.

The family is begging for assistance. We would greatly appreciate if you can help.

The sms line functions as follows: You sms Kobus to 39979 if you're in South Africa, and 002739979 if you're elsewhere.

SMS costs R15 (south african Rands, approximately 1.5 EUR) and the amount is paid over to the trust fund.

Trust account detail:
Acc name: Hofmeyr Att.
Ref: Kobus Engelbrecht trust 01882869
Bank: Absa
Branch code: 331155
Acc nr: 01050451484

Rugbydump.com has already donated and we thought we'd just put this story out there in faith and hope that rugby fans from all over come together to help out this young man who's life will surely never be the same again.

thanks for your time
Grant

UPDATE JUNE 2008:
Kobus is in recovery, and doing the best he can, but messages of support are always much appreciated, so thanks to those who have already commented.

The trust fund is no longer in existence from what I understand, but will get an update about that for you asap.

UPDATE MAY 2011:
It's with great shock and sadness that we can now report that Kobus, and his mother, were very tragically murdered in their home by a family member. May they Rest in Peace.

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Joe Rokocoko Tribute

Josevata Taliga "Joe" Rokocoko was born 6 June 1983 in Nadi, Fiji. He migrated to New Zealand with his family at the age of 5, settling in South Auckland, and attending James Cook High School.

He later won a scholarship to Saint Kentigern College, where he was a member of the 2001 National Secondary Schools team. After an outstanding career with New Zealand international sides at under-16, under-19, and under-21 level, he started playing Super 12 rugby for the Blues in 2003.

Rokocoko is known for his speed and strength which has accounted for his incredible try strike rate. He is a specialist left-winger but has occasionally played on the right wing for New Zealand to accommodate another left-wing specialist, Sitiveni Sivivatu.

Rokocoko made his first appearance for the All Blacks on 14 June 2003 against England. He has so far had a high strike rate for the All Blacks, scoring 25 tries in his first 20 tests, and breaking the All Blacks single-season record for test tries previously shared by Lomu and Christian Cullen

At such a young age, he is already a legend of the game who has loads more to offer in the upcoming years. Enjoy this fantastic tribute compilation.


Time: 10:45

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Super 14 Final - winning try by Bryan Habana

A minute or two into the game, Bulls winger Bryan Habana was lucky not to get sin-binned for a dangerous tackle on Sharks fullback Percy Montgomery. Ironically enough, the commentators kept saying that now Habana would be "Boo"-ed every time he touched the ball.

It turned out that, nearly 3 minutes into injury time, Habana was on the end of a brilliant Bulls fightback. He dived over just to the right of the sticks, to give Hougaard a relatively easy shot at goal to win.

They needed the conversion to win.

Despite a questionable charge from the Sharks, Hougaard remained calm and slotted it over to win.

Ndungane, vd Westhuyzen, Spies, Hougaard and half-back Adams all were a big part of the multi-phase drive to the try line.

Heart breaker for the Sharks.

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Percy gets up-ended by Habana

This is only a few minutes into the 2007 Super 14 Final, played in the Durban 'Sharktank'. The game itself was fairly scrappy throughout. There were, however, several crunching tackles; some legal, others not.

This is obviously one of the not-so-legal tackles, as Byan Habana clearly takes Percy Montgomery in the air. Should it have been a yellow-card? If it had occured later in the game I think it would have been... But it was very early and the referee, Steve Walsh, didn't want to send anyone to the bin just yet, by the looks of things.

Habana said this about it:
"It must have looked awful from the stands but I never had any intention of hurting Monty. As I went in for the tackle I slipped and could not stop myself."

Interesting note: When Walsh is talking to Matfield and Habana he says there are a "few problems" with the tackle. "Firstly...You took the man out in the air, etc etc." and then he never really finishes with that. He just proceeds to say he wants composure, and then they play on.

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Alternative Rugby Commentary - The Iveco Series

The Alternative rugby commentary is a live audio stream for fans of the All
Blacks. This show started in 2005 for the Lions tour of New Zealand. The
commentator is Jed Thian from the Rugby Roundtable podcast.

This is the second trailer, for the Iveco Test Series. Really funny stuff, check it out.

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Sione Lauaki hands off Richie McCaw

Sione Lauaki runs into All Black & Crusaders skipper Richie McCaw. Listen to how surprised the commentator is when he realizes that it's the All Black Captain who just got shrugged off by Lauaki's huge hand off.

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Tana Umaga huge tackle

Tana Umaga demonstrates to Morgan Turinui why he was one of the greatest ever All Black captains. A hard man through and through, he's a true legend of New Zealand and Hurricanes rugby.

Some average passing in the 2006 Super 14 sets up the Waratahs' Morgon Turinui to be monstered by Umaga, with a flying leap tackle.

"What a hit! Look at this for timing...it's exquisite, and I know it hurts."

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Josh Lewsey hit on Frank Murphy

Wasps won the Heineken Cup Final on Sunday, beating Leicester Tigers 25-9 at Twickenham. This is a fantastic clip, somewhat amusing, from the beginning of the match.

Wasps' Josh Lewsey looks to have targeted Leicester's Frank Murphy with a huge shoulder, despite Shaun Edwards specifically saying before hand that they wouldn't be targeting him.

There didn't appear to be much use of the arms in the tackle, but Lewsey got away with it.

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Alternative Rugby Commentary Teaser

The Alternative rugby commentary is a live audio stream for fans of the All
Blacks. This show started in 2005 for the Lions tour of New Zealand. The
commentator is Jed Thian from the Rugby Roundtable podcast.

This is the first trailer for the 2007 Launch.

To register for the stream visit arcrugby.co.nz and leave an email address.

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France full field team try vs England 1991

In a Grand Slam decider at Twickenham, Serge Blanco ran the ball from beneath his own posts after a missed penalty from England.

Lafond, Sella and Camberabero brilliantly outmanoeuvred the English defence before Philippe Saint-Andre gathered a pinpoint kick ahead to touch down.

To this day it remains one of the greatest team tries ever seen in international rugby.

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Bryan Habana dumps Mose Tuiali'i

This is one of many beauties from the Super 14 Semi Final between the Bulls & The Crusaders, which the Bulls went on to win.

Huge defence and pin point kicking won the Bulls the match against the normally untouchable men from Christchurch.

Bryan Habana has come out with a number of telling tackles in this seasons competition, making him a much more valuable asset than just an attacking wing. He's shown that offensive defence can win a side a game on the right day.


Time: 0:41

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Rua Tipoki drops Jean De Villiers

You've all seen the top image banner (edit: it was on the old banner, not the current one) on here of Jean De Villiers with a huge gash on his cheek. Now you can see what caused the blood.

Rua Tipoki is no stranger to controversy. He's been banned in the past for a hit on a Force player, and just recently he was allegedly involved in a street brawl after the Crusaders' loss to the Chiefs.

That said, he is a really exciting player to watch, with amazing fast feet. He clearly has fast hands too though.

Watch on the replay, De Villiers runs into him when he doesn't have the ball (to the left of McAlister) and Tipoki smashes him with a closed fist. De Villiers drops to his knees and keels over while Tipoki re-joins the attack to score.

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USA Sevens - HUGE hit effects the try

A big tackle by the States' Todd Clever at the San Diego Sevens sends them on their way to a try after the ball gets jarred loose with the impact.

Apparently Clever made a whole heap of massive hits at the tournament. Impressive stuff.

Update: Vid was down briefly.. back up now though.

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Doug Howlett stamps on Adi Jacobs

This is taken from the first semi-final of the 2007 Super 14, played on Saturday. The Blues, from NZ, took a visit to the Durban 'Shark Tank' in South Africa to face the Sharks.

Doug Howlett's boot unintentionally caught Adi Jacobs in the face, splitting him right open. Gory to say the least.

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Jimmy Gopperth solo effort

Some great skills shown here as the Hurricanes' Jimmy Gopperth chips, then basically dribbles the ball all the way to the line. Great skill and speed shown.

A nice comeback try for him after being out of the number one spot for parts of the season.

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JPR Williams - face stamped

Playing for Bridgend against the All Blacks in 1978, Williams was caught at the bottom of a ruck, where he was stamped on by the opposing prop John Ashworth and had a hole torn in his cheek.

Unfazed, Williams, a trained surgeon, retired from the pitch, stitched up his own injuries, and returned to the field. What a legend.

Adi Jacobs of the Sharks suffered a similar fate this weekend against the Blues, but it was purely accidental as Doug Howlett's foot came down on his face after a tackle. You can view the video of it here.

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Rob Kearney try vs Ospreys

A great individual try by the young up and coming Irish star Rob Kearney of Leinster playing against the Ospreys. He scored two on the night.

Fantastic speed and stepping displayed here, which is one of the reasons why a number of people are tipping him to be a future Irish superstar. He's only 20 now, so has a long way to go but a huge future ahead of him.

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Super14 Plays of the Week - Round 14

So the Super 14 is coming to an end for 2007. We've witnessed an amazingly close tournament this year with many highs and lows. Thankfully, more highs. The South Africans actually came to the party this year, whereas the Aussies' invitation clearly got lost in the mail.

On the eve of the Semis the atmosphere here in Springbok land is buzzing. It's the first time we've hosted a home semi final since Super Rugby's inception, let alone two semi finals. The best part about it is that as close as it was, the top 4 teams seem to have made it through. I do tend to feel for the Cheifs though, as they had some great performances where they lost narrowly by a last minute try or conversion.

So this week's 'Plays of the Week' will probably be the last for the tournament. So sit back, relax, and enjoy. But don't forget to look out for the big man Sione Lauki's massive handoff on the legend Richie McCaw. A true clash of the titans.

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Butch James around the corner pass

Butch shows his class once again with this brilliant show of the ball and pass around the corner, sucking in two defenders and releasing AJ Venter down the wing.

The Boks now have 3 quality flyhalves to choose from for the World Cup. Andre Pretorious, Butch James, and Francois Steyn. Some people say Derick Hougaard even has a shot. Time will tell who cracks the nod.

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Christian Cullen 100m try vs Italy

The legendary All Black fullback scores this excellent 100m solo effort after getting the ball under his own posts.

The commentators have serious doubts about his chip kick, but he shows them out brilliantly by turning on the gas at the right time.

Just another classic try scored by the great man.

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Blues score a try from a quick lineout - Poor refereeing

This is a controversial incident from the Blues vs Force game. The ball is kicked into touch but the Blues take the quick lineout with another ball, which results in a try. This is against the laws of the game, and the Blues know that.

It's amazing that the ref and his touch judge couldn't see this. In Jonathan Kaplan's defence, he went on what the touch judge, James Lekkie, said he saw.

The Ref and Touch Judge are taking all the flak for this, but I feel that there's a degree of bad sportsmanship involved here also. Ali Williams is the player who catches the other ball and tosses it in. He should never have done so.

Yes, you take what you get, but that doesn't make it right.

Surely the TMO should be allowed to intervene in situations like this. Two weeks in a row we've seen incidents where if the TMO ruling were more flexible, it would make the game smoother, and there wouldn't be cock-ups like this.

Law 19.2 QUICK THROW-IN
(d) For a quick throw-in, the player must use the ball that went into touch. If, after it went to touch and was made dead, another ball is used, or if another person has touched the ball apart from the player throwing it in, then the quick throw-in is disallowed. The same team throws in at the line-out.

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Try Savers & Rib Breakers 4

As per your requests, here is another instalment of the ever popular Try Savers & Rib Breakers compilation series made in conjunction with RD contributor, Graeme Kennedy.

Several clips from this years Super 14 are featured, along with some Lions Tour and NPC tackles. A few International Test hits are thrown in as well.

Enjoy.


Please note: If the video doesn't work in your country, you can view it here
Guerilla Radio by Rage Against the Machine

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Brilliant Bulls try - Heini Adams scores

Needing a fourth try to secure the Bonus Point against The Blues, the Bulls get turnover ball deep in their own half. It takes 3 excellent passes and incredible runs by Jaco vd Westhuizen and Bryan Habana for Heini Adams to score a brilliant try.

Just goes to show what a little confidence can do to a team.

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Anton Leonard gets stiffarmed

The Bulls veteran strongman Anton Leonard gets a stiffarm from his opposite number, Esra Taylor of the Highlanders, to bring him down after he bumps off a defender.

It certainly worked, as Leonard dropped right away. Very well spotted by the ref.

This type of 'accidental' stiffarm is becoming more and more prevalent in rugby. It can be as effective as a punch, but it's easier to hide so more guys get away with it. Not this time though.

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Sonny Bill Williams highlights

This is a brilliant highlights video of rugby league star Sonny Bill Williams, including some great tries and massive hits. Most of the hits would be penalised in Rugby Union, but this is League. A great player with immense strength and presence on the field.

He's had his fair share of off-field controversy though, including being charged with driving drunk, and on another occasion being caught in a compromising position in a toilet cubicle with ironwoman Candice Falzon.

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Super14 Plays of the Week - Round 13

This weeks edition of Plays Of the Week featured some rather comical happenings. Scott Hamilton taking one on the head was definitly worth watching twice, and Mexted's 'Hore' comment also provided a chuckle.

Doug Howlett once again put in a massive hit, this time against the Bulls. In the same match, the bearded Bulls super-sub Jaco van der Westhuizen sparked a fantastic 90 meter try.

For the Hurricanes, Jimmy Goperth scored a quality dribbling try that Barcelona star Lionel Messi would have been proud of.

In Durban the hail came down hard, which had me running for cover. I hadn't planned on getting ice in beer up until then. Hats off to the Sharks & Lions players for continuing the game though, because believe me, it was coming down hard!

This weekend will determine the semi finalists so it should be a real cracker round.

Enjoy the Plays of the Week Round 13 for now though.

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World Record drop goal attempt by Jaco

In the 49-0 thrashing of the Springboks by the Wallabies in the 2006 Tri-Nations, flyhalf Jaco van der Westhuizen of the 'Boks had a shocker of a game.

This was one of many screw-ups from that match that got him dropped by Jake White.

Back home in South Africa he got absolutely ripped to shreds by the public, especially for that squeaky voice of his when shouting at the Ref that it was a dropkick. A moment he'd rather forget no doubt.

Jaco is back in action in the Super 14 however with the Bulls, who're currently competing for a spot in the semis. He's having a good season too, mainly coming on from the bench as an impact player, and sporting a rather impressive beard.

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