Craig Gilroy is set to make his 150th provincial appearance after being named in Ulster's starting XV to play Southern Kings on Saturday (1.00pm GMT). The Guinness PRO14 Round 8 tie, Ulster's first ever competitive fixture on South African soil, will be televised live on BBC2 NI. Gilroy, who scored two tries on his senior debut against Cardiff Blues back in November 2010, has not featured for Les Kiss' side this season after picking up a back injury during pre-season. Chris Henry will … [Read more...] about Gilroy to reach milestone in historic fixture versus Kings
Sport
Clipper Race Yacht Heads for PE with Injured Crewman
CV23, HotelPlanner.com, is diverting to Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in order to drop off round the world crew member, Greg Adams, 59, to enable medical assessment and treatment following a fall below deck resulting in a potential fractured arm as well as a minor cut on his head. Although this medevac is necessary, it is not an emergency. Greg’s health and well-being take priority. Skipper Conall Morrison and the onboard medic crew have been in constant contact with ClipperTelemed+ by PRAXES … [Read more...] about Clipper Race Yacht Heads for PE with Injured Crewman
Kings Loss Brings Injury Concerns
In the wake of the Southern Kings' 43-13 loss to Glasgow Warriors in the GUINNESSPRO14 action on Friday, team doctor Clement Plaatjies reported that there were a number of injury concerns in the camp. Most notable of these was the concussion suffered by debutant flyhalf Martin Du Toit who will now definitely miss the Kings next match against Ulster as a result. "We will follow the normal procedure and monitor his condition and he will only be available for selection again once he has been … [Read more...] about Kings Loss Brings Injury Concerns
The Winner of Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race
Vestas 11th Hour Racing have won Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race, crossing the finish line in the River Tagus in Lisbon, Portugal on Saturday afternoon. It's a tremendous victory for American skipper Charlie Enright and his team, who earn 8 points for their efforts (including a one point 'bonus' for winning the leg). It wasn't easy. The wind shut down on the final approach, and an early morning lead of 34-nautical miles over second-placed MAPFRE was whittled down to 10-miles, with the finish … [Read more...] about The Winner of Leg 1 of the Volvo Ocean Race
Southern Kings team to play Glasgow Warriors
There were instant call-ups for recent signings Martin Du Toit and Mzamo Majola when Southern Kings Head Coach Deon Davids earlier today named his squad to take on Glasgow Warriors in a GUINNESS PRO14 championship clash this weekend. Flyhalf Du Toit is included in the run-on XV whilst Majola takes his place on the bench as replacement prop forward. Other changes made to the team that did duty for the Kings in their last fixture against Benetton sees wing Yaw Penxe return at the expense of … [Read more...] about Southern Kings team to play Glasgow Warriors
6.3 nm Lead for 11th Hour
After 24 hours of tricky sailing through light, fickle breeze the Volvo Ocean Race fleet were today locked in an all-out drag race towards Porto Santo, the first major turning mark in Leg 1. Leaders Vestas 11th Hour Racing are now within 200 nautical miles of the waypoint, a tiny island that forms part of Portugal's Madeira archipelago. At the 1300 UTC position update they had a six-mile jump on second placed MAPFRE, with team Akzonobel a further nine miles back. The three frontrunners … [Read more...] about 6.3 nm Lead for 11th Hour
Light winds block the way
The Volvo Ocean Race fleet was punching into the Atlantic on Tuesday after surviving their first test from the weather gods through the Gibraltar Strait overnight. Vestas 11th Hour Racing still occupy the top spot after a challenging first 50 hours of the opening leg from Alicante, Spain, to Lisbon, Portugal, that has seen them dominate the leaderboard over their six rivals. At one point skipper Charlie Enright's crew stretched out their advantage to more than 27 miles as they were … [Read more...] about Light winds block the way
Southern Kings vs Glasgow Warriors
Southern Kings Head Coach Deon Davids announced his 25-strong squad to make the trip to Europe this week for their GUINESSPRO14 clash with the so-far unbeaten Glasgow Warriors. A notable absentee amongst the travellers is wing Sibusiso Sithole who is likely to be out for a lengthy spell following surgery to a serious knee injury that he sustained in the Kings last fixture against Benetton. Also missing from the backline that did duty against Benetton is flyhalf Pieter-Steyn De Wet whilst … [Read more...] about Southern Kings vs Glasgow Warriors
Pro14 Heads for Kwazakhele
The Southern Kings are planning to take elite international rugby to the community in a ground-breaking move next month. The Kings’ GuinnessPRO14 match against top Irish team Ulster will be hosted at the Wolfson Stadium in Kwazakhele, Port Elizabeth on Saturday, 4 November, with a bumper crowd expected for the new initiative. “Top-class rugby is moving into a new part of the calendar with November fixtures in South Africa and we thought it would be a good opportunity to move into a new … [Read more...] about Pro14 Heads for Kwazakhele
11th Hour Racing grabs the lead
An eventful opening 24 hours in the Volvo Ocean Race has seen skipper Charlie Enright’s Vestas 11th Hour Racing grab the lead as the fleet converge on the Strait of Gibraltar. The Vestas boat, along with team AkzoNobel, were the first to make a break for the Spanish coast as night fell on Sunday evening, where they benefited from favourable conditions and emerged in front of the fleet. “We took the inshore route with good angle and we know we crossed ahead of the fleet when we converged … [Read more...] about 11th Hour Racing grabs the lead
Ocean Racing Series off to a flying start
Africa’s largest family beach event, the aQuellé Ocean Racing Series, has got off to a flying start at Hobie Beach with just under 500 participants taking part on Sunday morning. The Series which is unique to Nelson Mandela Bay, takes place on mostly alternate Sunday mornings throughout the whole of Summer, and on Sunday in near perfect beach weather featured 7 exciting family races which all take place at the same time. Winning the 5km Beach Walk was Taryn Ferreira and Grobbie Grobler … [Read more...] about Ocean Racing Series off to a flying start
Stunning Start to Volvo Ocean Race
Conditions couldn’t have been better for the start in Alicante, Spain on Sunday afternoon. The fleet of seven of the best sailing teams in the world started Leg 1, a 1,450 nautical mile sprint to Lisbon, Portugal in bright sunshine and a 15-20 knot Easterly breeze. The bay off the Alicante sea front was crowded with hundreds of spectator boats, ringing a short inshore race course, before the fleet was free to fly off, downwind, towards Gibraltar. They were treated to some of the most … [Read more...] about Stunning Start to Volvo Ocean Race
50-50 gender split crew from nine different nationalities
Led by the race’s only female skipper, veteran British sailor Dee Caffari MBE, Turn the Tide on Plastic will use on-board data gathering equipment to measure water quality and composition, as well as micro-plastics in some of the world’s remotest oceans. The team is part of the UN Environment’s ‘Clean Seas’ campaign which aims to better understand the issue of plastic pollution in our oceans and inspire people to take action in their day-to-day lives. Since launching in January 2017, Sky … [Read more...] about 50-50 gender split crew from nine different nationalities
Standby for Spectacular Sunday Sailing Start
It's finally here – the official start of the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 takes place on Sunday afternoon at 14:00 local time in Alicante, Spain (12:00 UTC). And after some short course racing off the beachfront of Alicante, the seven crews will depart on the first leg of a 45,000 nautical mile race around the world. The race opens with a sprint (relatively speaking) from Alicante to Lisbon for Leg 1. It's going to be 1,450nm of flat out action, with the teams fighting for every inch as they … [Read more...] about Standby for Spectacular Sunday Sailing Start
The ultimate test in team sport
The ultimate test in team sport, the Volvo Ocean Race, starts on Sunday, when seven of the best sailing teams in the world cross the starting line off Alicante, Spain. The Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 will test the crews on a 45,000 nautical mile race course, through some of the most challenging waters in the world, including more miles in the extremes of the Southern Ocean. On Friday, the seven skippers faced the international media at the opening press conference. Here’s what they said, in … [Read more...] about The ultimate test in team sport
