Bismarck's Red Card ERASED!

SANZAR judicial officer Terry Willis from Australia has removed a red card from the disciplinary record of Springbok hooker Bismarck du Plessis.

Du Plessis was issued with a red card after receiving two yellow cards during the Boks' Rugby Championship clash with the All Blacks in Auckland on Saturday.

The yellow cards were issued in the 17th and 42nd minutes of the match at Eden Park, which New Zealand won 29-15.

The judicial hearing was held via teleconference on Monday.

Willis granted an application made by Gerrie Swart who appeared on behalf of Du Plessis, for an expedited hearing. The hearing was originally fixed for the Tuesday. At the hearing, Willis was assisted by former professional player David Croft from Australia.

Submissions were made on behalf of the player and the video footage was reviewed. Willis found that the decision made by referee Romain Poite to issue a yellow card as a result of the tackle by Du Plessis on Dan Carter was wrong, as it was within the laws of the game.

Carter to his credit said he had no problem with the tackle.

SPORT24.CO.ZA

WHAT A REFFING SHAME!

New Zealand 29-15 South Africa

 The worst performance of the day was that of the Referee - sport24.com

JON CARDINELLI - Eden Park

The spectacularly abysmal officiating by French referee Romain Poite destroyed what promised to be one of the great contests.

Can a team be too physically dominant? The Boks may have conceded an early try when All Blacks No 8 Kieran Read barrelled over from close range, but they were by and large the more physical team. At times it was a case of men versus boys, such was the Boks' superiority at the collisions and breakdowns. They also gave the All Blacks scrum a hiding during the initial stages.

Bismarck du Plessis should have been cheered for his tackle on Dan Carter in the 17th minute. Carter had received a hospital pass from his scrumhalf, Aaron Smith, and Du Plessis had lined him up and absolutely flattened him.

It was a fantastic tackle that unfortunately saw Carter leaving the field with a shoulder injury - But unfortunately Poite reached for his pocket and gave Du Plessis his marching orders, citing no arms in the tackle.

It also saw the 47,362-sellout crowd baying for the Springbok's blood as he (DC) trudged to the sideline... - ire.co.ie

It was a shocking call. It looked a good tackle live, and when the big screen at the stadium showed the replay, it was evident that Du Plessis had indeed used his arms as well as his shoulders.

Poite's decision was based on an overwhelming reaction from the partisan New Zealanders in the stands. The crowd wanted Du Plessis off, and Poite obliged. It was gutless, and one would think that Poite will have a lot to answer for when fronting his bosses next week.

The All Blacks scored seven points in the big man's absence. The Boks missed Du Plessis's set-piece presence as well as his muscle at the breakdown. The unstructured contest during this period certainly suited the physically inferior All Blacks.

When Du Plessis returned to the field, the Boks began to regain control. They looked good when they kept the ball and built through the phases. Du Plessis was the Boks' best player, and the Bok loose forwards also ensured that the visitors continued to win the battle at the gainline.

Jean de Villiers read the situation well when he instructed Morné Steyn to kick a penalty to touch. The Boks won the lineout, set the maul, and it was fitting that Du Plessis was the man to finish.

The Boks went to the break trailing 17-10, and yet you got the sense that the momentum was with the visitors. If they could continue to slow down the ball and unleash their powerful runners, the All Blacks would battle to remain in the game.

Poite once again put paid to those ambitions with another farcical call. Du Plessis went into a contact leading with the arm, and when his elbow slipped and hit Liam Messam in the throat, it seemed a genuine accident.

Poite thought otherwise, and proceeded to show Du Plessis a second yellow, and then ultimately a red. He may as well have held up a cardboard sign that read 'Game Over'.

"The All Blacks are already hard to play when you're fifteen, then fourteen ..." JEAN DE VILLIERS

Du Plessis left the field in the 43rd minute, and with him went the Boks' chances of victory. With only 14 men, the Boks were unable to implement their structures and build the pressure. Their priorities quickly shifted from winning the game to keeping the scoreline respectable.

Referees must be brave enough to dish out yellow and red cards, but they have to be warranted. I've never been one to suggest a referee should keep his cards in his pocket for the sake of the contest. If a player deserves to be ejected, show him a card.

As far as refereeing performances go, this one was twice a failure. It robbed the Boks of any chance of ending their 76-year drought at Eden Park, and it also robbed the fans at the stadium and the millions watching around the world of what would have been an absorbing contest between the two best sides on the planet.

The Boks gave everything in the remaining 37 minutes, but they were never going to keep the All Blacks back. They were guilty of some basic errors during this period, but there needs to be an appreciation for the fact that they were operating with 14 men.

Predictably, they tired as the game progressed and the All Blacks piled on the points.

We will have to wait until the next contest at Eden Park to see if this Bok side is good enough to end a long-standing losing streak. The Boks may have won or lost on Saturday, but we will never know, thanks to Poite.

The referee succumbed to the pressure and made a couple of game-ending decisions. They are mistakes that should not go unpunished.

Poite has a lot to answer for.

Rugby Championship standings

New Zealand P4 W4 D0 L0 BP 2 Pts 18

South Africa P4 W3 D0 L1 BP 2 Pts 14

Australia P4 W1 D0 L3 BP 0 Pts 4

Argentina P4 W0 D0 L4 BP 2 Pts 2

Sources:

JON CARDINELLI - Eden Park - www.sarugbymagazine.co.za 
www.sport24.com
BBC Sport
www.rte.ie

Overweight South African allowed to stay in New Zealand

Earlier this year a South African chef by the name of Albert Buitenhuis applied to have his work permit renewed for the 6th year in a row. Albert (50) and his wife Marthie (47) had been living and working in New Zealand since 2007 but what he thought would be a simple documentation renewal landed up becoming a 5 month nightmare when his visa application was denied on the basis that he was overweight!

His story gained worldwide publicity with most saying that the NZ authorities should never have approved his visa application in the first instance if his weight was an issue and many others were commenting on the fact that year after year his application was approved with no issues ever being brought up about his weight.

When the Buitenhuis' arrived in New Zealand in 2007 Alberts weighed a whopping 160kg but at the time of his latest renewal application he was down to 126kg. In an interview in July 2013 Albert said that he understood why a government would want to protect it's taxpayers against high healthcare costs but he said that if they did not want him there he he would have liked to have been told this much sooner.

Albert and Marthie followed the appeal process but without a valid working visa the couple have not been working for 5 months which has obviously resulted in no income. They sold some of their possessions in order to pay for their new application but they could no longer stay in the house they rented. Finally their appeal against the decision was successful and they went to Facebook to break the good news to the world. Their application to stay in NZ had been approved and Albert said he was:

“Relieved, excited, grateful, scared. I can’t describe how many emotions can run through your mind simultaneously.” "I'm not sure where we'll start to pick up the pieces because they're all over the place".

The Cycling Medicine Man

Sizwe Nzima, from Khayelitsha township in Cape Town, has won a Forbes Magazine award for being one of Africa's top young entrepreneurs. The youngster started a new business which is now helping to solve problems faced by people needing to collect medicine from public health facilities. Instead of sick and elderly people having to stand in queues for hours in overcrowded centres, Nzima's Iyeza Express collects chronic medication and delivers them by bicycle to the Khayelitsha residents in their homes.

Collecting medication from a clinic or a hospital dispensary in a South African township is by no means easy. The cost of transport to and from the facility including the hours spent in queues, paying for childcare and loss of pay for missing work are only some of the problems faced by those who collect their medication. The elderly and infirm face a terrible nightmare as they are often physically unfit and find it almost impossible to travel the distances required.

After reading an article about the clinics struggling to cope with patients queuing for hours to collect their medication, he recognized a need and came up with an idea to create a business which could assist the elderly and the infirm as well as those who are too weak to travel or too ill to stand and wait for hours.

“The service encourages people to go to work and stay healthy as they aren't tempted to stop taking their life- saving medication because they have run out,” he says. “What I'm doing is helping to improve people’s quality of life and life expectancy.”

He knew there was a  non-profit charity organisations that collect medicine for bed-ridden and elderly people, but there wasn't a similar service for working people. “I thought to myself that I must do something and that surely there must be a need for a service that would streamline the process,” he explains. “I realised it will also take the load off public health facility workers which would in turn allow them to be able to help others who are in desperate need of attention."

“I used to collect medication for my grandma for three years and experienced first-hand what happens, but it isn't only elderly people who are affected. The majority of people who queue for their medicine are able-bodied and waste time that could have been spent at work. These are people who would happily pay for affordable delivery of their medicine, allowing them to save their sick leave – if they get any – for days when they are really ill,” he says.

Sizwe together with his two helpers are social entrepreneurs at heart, and their goals are finding solutions to the problems in their community, and in doing so make a contribution to improving the economy. “We are all about social change and we are coming up with business ideas that can change society, help our community and uplift the economy,” he says. “Business isn't just about making money, but also about bringing about positive change.”

Less overcrowding, better health, more jobs

Not only does his business save his clients time and money but he is now creating much needed employment for young people who know their way around the network of streets in Khayelitsha. Using bicycle's to transport the medication they are able to keep the service affordable and environment-friendly. Sizwe launched the pilot in May this year and the business has now been up and running for only a few months but the response from the local residents has been very positive. Clients pay a small fee of R10 per collection and at the moment there are about 40 clients but he is positive this number will increase as he builds trust within the community. He hopes to take the service to other parts of Cape Town next year but his vision is to expand his business nationally. “For me, this is a national problem and it needs a national solution. The sky is the limit,” he says.

Sizwe was one of 24 finalists selected from over 200 applications, and one of six chosen to receive seed funding from Forbes. “I couldn't believe it. My business was only starting out; while others were going for at least two years already,” he says. Young people have what it takes to be change makers in South Africa and throughout the world by developing economically viable business solutions that can bring about a positive change in society. “Young people should be the innovators. Every young person needs to decide how they are going to use their power for good,” he says.

He believes that young people have what it takes to be change makers in South Africa and the world, by developing economically viable business solutions that can also bring about positive change in society.

Sizwe and his helpers are also involved in setting up other projects - a recycling business and an initiative to educate people about gangsterism. “Making money is good, but you have to give something back. This is also what they taught us at the Academy,” he says.

“I believe young people have the power to change the world, if the youth can understand this, they will stop focusing on things like drugs and crime. We can change the world, make it safer and improve our economy in this way.”

Sources: BBC Worldwide News & New Generation Africa

Springbok Test Match Records at FNB Stadium, Soweto

Ahead of the Springbok's game against Argentina on Saturday, here are some interesting facts about the Boks time at the FNB Stadium

• Most points – 17 by Morné Steyn (1c, 5p) against New Zealand on 21 August, 2010.

• Most tries – one by Schalk Burger against New Zealand on 21 August, 2010 and by Bryan Habana against New Zealand 6 October, 2012.

• Most conversions – one by Morné Steyn against New Zealand on 21 August, 2010 and by Johan Goosen against New Zealand on 6 October 2012.

• Most penalty goals – five by Morné Steyn against New Zealand 21 August, 2010.

• No Springbok has ever scored a drop goal in Tests at this venue.

• The Test match against New Zealand on 21 August, 2010 was attended by a crowd of 94,713. This is the highest official record for a Test match in South Africa.

There have been some last minute changes to the team.

Here is the new line-up:

15. Willie le Roux (GWK Griquas) 3 caps
14 Bjorn Basson (Vodacom Blue Bulls) 9 caps
13 JJ Engelbrecht (Vodacom Blue Bulls) 4 caps
12 Jean de Villiers (DHL Western Province, captain) 87 caps
11 Bryan Habana (Toulon, France) 86 caps
10 Morné Steyn (Stade Francais, France) 45 caps
9 Ruan Pienaar (Ulster, N.Ireland) 66 caps
8 Duane Vermeulen (DHL Western Province) 7 caps
7 Willem Alberts (The Sharks) 21 caps
6 Francois Louw (Bath, England) 19 caps
5 Juandré Kruger (Racing Metro, France) 11 caps
4 Eben Etzebeth (DHL Western Province) 14 caps
3 Jannie du Plessis (The Sharks) 45 caps
2 Adriaan Strauss (Toyota FS Cheetahs) 24 caps
1 Tendai Mtawarira (The Sharks) 44 caps
Replacements 
16 Bismarck du Plessis (The Sharks) 48 caps
17 Gurthrö Steenkamp (Toulouse, France) 40 caps
18 Coenie Oosthuizen (Toyota FS Cheetahs) 4 caps
19 Flip van der Merwe (Vodacom Blue Bulls) 26 caps
20 Siya Kolisi (DHL Western Province) 2 caps
21 Fourie du Preez (Suntory Sungoliath, Japan) 62 caps
22 Pat Lambie (The Sharks) 23 caps
23 Jan Serfontein (Vodacom Blue Bulls) 3 caps

GOOD LUCKS BOYS! WE ARE ALL BEHIND YOU!