Mapimpi received a two-week suspension due to his apology and cooperation with the disciplinary process. However, he was involved in a similar incident before. Sharks and Springboks star Makazole Mapimpi will miss three of the Sharks upcoming United Rugby Championship (URC) local derbies after receiving a ban. The 34-year-old winger was involved in a scuffle with Cardiff hooker Efan Daniel during their URC match in Wales on 25 January, which the Sharks won 42–22 to overtake the Welsh side on the table. During the incident, Mapimpi’s hand made contact with Daniel’s eye, sparking widespread criticism on social media and allegations of eye gouging. The URC revealed this week that the act resulted in a disciplinary process during which Mapimpi had accepted he had committed foul play which warranted a red
Category Archives: RUGBY
Feb
Veteran Springbok fullback Willie le Roux is on the verge of signing a new contract at the Bulls. Le Roux was believed to be headed for the exit door at Loftus at the end of the season but coach Jake White has given the clearest indication the player is likely to stay on for another year. Le Roux, 35, who is a two-time World Cup winner and has 98 Springbok caps, will give White options at No 10, where Johan Goosen, Boeta Chamberlain and Jaco van der Walt usually operate. “We didn’t want to resign him but the bottom line is he had an option to leave,” White said as the Bulls prepared for their United Rugby Championship visit to the Stormers at Cape Town Stadium on
Jan
Damian Penaud scored a tournament record six tries as Bordeaux-Begles hammered the Sharks, while Antoine Dupont shone as Toulouse thrashed Leicester in Champions Cup action on Sunday. Wales coach Warren Gatland will no doubt have been an interested, if slightly apprehensive, spectator as the two French teams — packed with the core of the France team — were ruthless in the two matches that came just 12 days before Les Bleus open their Six Nations campaign against the stuttering Welsh in Paris. Penaud’s hatful of tries in the 66-12 victory saw Bordeaux secure top spot in Pool 1 with 20 points from a maximum of 20, and home advantage in the next round in April. Dupont’s France back-up Maxime Lucu, Ugo Boniface, Yoram Moefana and Jacques Nguimbous all added tries
Jan
The loss saw the Stormers drop out of the Champions Cup, and they now face a nervous wait to see if they will be one of the ‘lucky losers’ to drop into the Challenge Cup. The fighting Stormers were heartbreakingly dumped out of the Champions Cup by French giants Racing 92, after the hosts clinched an entertaining 31-22 win in their final pool match at the Paris La Defense Arena in Paris on Saturday night. The Stormers rested a few star players for the match, with Manie Libbok, Deon Fourie and Warrick Gelant left out, with an eye on their huge United Rugby Championship (URC) match against Leinster in Dublin next weekend, and missing that star power may have cost them in the end. With Harlequins picking up a vital
Jan
Wing Ben Loader, prop Sti Sithole and loose forward Evan Roos return to the Stormers squad for their game against Sale Sharks. The Stormers are banking on the return of several stalwarts to beef up their team for their must-win Champions Cup game against English side Sale Sharks at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 3pm). This while lock JD Schickerling is set to reach his 50th cap for the home team. The Stormers are desperate to get off the bottom of pool 4 and keep their hopes of a play-off spot alive. They are so far point-less in the competition after losses to Toulon (24–14) and Harlequins (53–16). During the week, Stormers defence coach Norman Laker said they are at the point where they are treating every match like
Jan
Former Scotland rugby union captain Stuart Hogg has been given a one-year community payback order after he admitted a domestic abuse charge against his estranged wife. The 32-year-old was previously given a five-year non-harassment order and fined £600 after breaching bail conditions. He had admitted shouting and swearing and acting in an abusive manner towards his wife Gillian. Appearing at Selkirk Sheriff Court, he was given a payback order – meaning he will do supervised work in the community – and a non-harassment order was imposed again. Sheriff Peter Paterson told Hogg the sentence was an alternative to custody. The payback order will be reviewed for compliance on 25 March at Jedburgh Sheriff Court, with the former Scotland international required to appear. He made no comment as he left court