World Cup semi-final re-match confirmed

World Cup semi-final re-match confirmed
21 May 2008, 2:03 pm
By Scrum.com Scrum.com : World Cup semi-final re-match confirmed

The Springboks will play Argentina in a rematch of the Rugby World Cup semi-finals at Ellis Park, Johannesburg on August 9, SA Rugby has confirmed.

The match will form part of rugby’s birthday tribute to former state president Nelson Mandela who celebrates his 90th birthday in July,
“Argentina have confirmed that they will have their strongest possible team available for the match and on that basis we are delighted to announce the fixture,” said Jonathan Stones, managing director of SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd.

“They have secured the release of their top European-based players for the Test and I’m sure will be going all out to beat South Africa for the first time, The new seeding arrangements for the Rugby World Cup mean that every Test result this season will be vital and Argentina will be determined to hold onto their top four ranking.”

The Test underlines South African rugby’s commitment to the development of the Argentinian game. This will be the 13th time the teams have met in 15 years.

The match falls in the middle of the Springboks’ Vodacom Tri-Nations campaign and is the first fixture in a commitment by the SANZAR nations to ultimately incorporate the South American country into their competitions.

Seedings for the 2011 Rugby World Cup will be based on the IRB rankings as at December 1 2008. South Africa are currently ranked No 1 and Argentina No 3.