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of veterans Foley, Chick, Williams and Anderson. The six-foot-three, 258-pound Foley is chasing a third Grey Cup, earning his first with B.C. in 2006.
The closing fortnight of this years Rugby Championship kicks off in Pretoria on Saturday night when a desperate Springboks face the Wallabies at Loftus Versfeld -- a venue where the Australians have never tasted victory. That is some record to overcome and surely a massive confidence boost for the Springboks, yet it is the hosts who find themselves under the pump.Without a win in three Tests and having dropped four of his seven games since taking over, Springboks coach Allister Coetzee has already come in for plenty of criticism -- so much so that there have been calls for Jake White to return in a mentoring role.Coetzees selections in the back-row, halves and back three have all been questioned and the former Stormers boss has responded with recalls in the latter two of those areas in Rudy Paige, Morne Steyn and Patrick Lambie.?Coetzees Wallabies counterpart, Michael Cheika, is no stranger to criticism himself. But the Australian has managed to quiet some of his detractors with back-to-back, if patchy, wins in Brisbane and Perth. Still, the Wallabies will need to improve significantly on their last outing if theyre to trouble the South Africans on their home deck. The 15 minutes of quality, and individual brilliance of Will Genia, from Perth wont be anywhere near enough to get them within striking distance of the Springboks at home -- even with all of the South Africans issues.Team newsRudy Paige is handed his first Test start at scrum-half and he partners the recalled Morne Steyn in the half-backs. Johan Goosen is dropped from the matchday squad with Pat Lambie named at fullback while Willie le Roux is named on the bench.There is no place in the 23 for Elton Jantjies or Faf de Klerk who both started in the Boks defeat against the All Blacks in their last run out.South Africa: Patrick Lambie, Bryan Habana, Jessie Kriel, Juan de Jongh, Francois Hougaard, Morne Steyn,Rudy Paige; Tendai Mtawarira, Adriaan Strauss, Vincent Koch, Eben Etzebeth, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Francois Louw, Teboho Mohoje, Warren WhiteleyReplacements: Bongi Mbonambi, Stephen Kitshoff, Julian Redelinghuys, Lood de Jager, Willem Alberts, Jaco Kriel, Lionel Mapoe, Willie le RouxThe Wallabies will be without David Pocock for the second time this season, and its a situation they must adjust to with the openside set for a one-year sabbatical in 2017. Pococks hand injury has opened the door for Melbourne Rebels back-rower Sean McMahon, the bullocking back-rower rewarded for an impressive showing off the bench a fortnight ago. McMahons promotion is the only change to the Wallabies starting side, with Cheika to confirm his bench on Friday.Australia: Israel Folau, Dane Haylett-Petty, Samu Kerevi, Bernard Foley, Reece Hodge, Quade Cooper, Will Genia, Sean McMahon, Michael Hooper, Dean Mumm, Adam Coleman, Rob Simmons, Sekope Kepu, Stephen Moore (capt), Scott Sio.Replacements:?James Hanson, James Slipper, Tom Robertson, Kane Douglas, Scott Fardy, Nick Phipps, Tevita Kuridrani, Sefanaia Naivalu.Key matchup: Patrick Lambie vs. Israel FolauThe choice of Lambie over Le Roux suggests the Boks will be favouring a kicking game against the Wallabies. Lambie was an option to start at fly-half but he shifts to the 15 shirt to provide a steady hand at the back of the field and a second playmaker option if required.Wallabies fullback Israel Folau, by his own admission, has been underperforming. Up to date its probably been the hardest [period] for me personally, Folau said recently. Having played outside centre for the Waratahs this season, Folau has struggled for impact at No.15 for the Wallabies and even hinted hed prefer to be playing in the front line. Playing at home, and given the pressure theyre under, there is every chance the Springboks will revert to their traditional bash-and-barge game, and will look to pepper the Wallabies back three with high balls. That means Folau could be in for a long night at the back, and will need to be at his best to defuse a Springboks aerial assault.Key stats- The Springboks have hosted Australia at Loftus Versfeld on six previous occasions, winning each of those games, and they havent tasted defeat at the venue against any team since New Zealand visited in 2006 (W7 since).- The Wallabies have the worst discipline in the 2016 Rugby Championship, conceding a tournament-high 53 penalties and three yellow cards.- Michael Hooper has made 10 more tackles (53) than any other player in this years Rugby Championship; he has also won the joint-second most turnovers (6).WeatherPretoria is expecting a warm day with extended sunny periods throughout. There is just a 10 percent chance of rain, giving the players the perfect conditions for rugby.UBET verdict: South Africa $1.65, Australia $2.25 Rugby punters appear to have regained confidence in the Wallabies, who, after two diabolical defeats to the All Blacks, have posted back-to-back Rugby Championship wins. A bruising battle awaits the $2.25 underdogs in Pretoria, but the initial investment suggests Stephen Moore and his men will weather the storm and pile even more pressure on the bumbling Boks.VerdictThe last time the Wallabies were in Pretoria they suffered a comprehensive 31-8 defeat and while the South Africans are enduring one of their toughest periods in recent memory, its hard to see them losing here. Australia have improved over the past few weeks but they are yet to put together a complete half of rugby, let alone 80 minutes, and that will likely bring about their downfall at Loftus. If the Wallabies can however stay with the Boks through to the final quarter, then the pressure of the last few weeks may see the hosts panic - gifting the Wallabies a perfect opportunity to break their Pretoria duck. Still, history tells us its Coetzees men who get the chocolates here.Springboks by five. J. R. Smith Jersey . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. Len Chappell Jersey . PETERSBURG, Fla. https://www.cheapknicks.com/531x-jamal-crawford-jersey-knicks.html . NBA officials ruled the court unplayable in the Bucks final exhibition game on Oct. 25 because players were slipping, and the game was cancelled midway through the first period. Langston Galloway Jersey . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Kadeem Allen Jersey . Radwanska, making her debut in the Seoul tournament, hit eight aces in a match that lasted 1 hour, 4 minutes at Olympic Park tennis stadium. "It was definitely a very good match -- I was playing really good tennis," Radwanska said.Once again, Ricky Foley is chasing a hometown Grey Cup. The eight-year veteran defensive end is preparing for his first season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders some five months before Regina hosts the 2013 CFL championship game. Foley is very familiar with the challenges associated with winning the trophy at home, accomplishing the feat last year with the Toronto Argonauts. Toronto became the second straight CFL team to win the title as the host city after B.C. did so in 2011. The historic 100th Grey Cup was also special for Foley because family members from nearby Courtice, Ont., were on hand at Rogers Centre. He was named the games top Canadian. "Its really tough to beat because it was the 100th Grey Cup, there wont be another 100th Grey Cup, it was in my hometown with the hometown team and my family and friends were all there," Foley said Monday from the Riders camp in Saskatoon. "And while Im not looking in the past and this is a new chapter, the best thing I could do is add to it and win the Cup here. "That would be on par, for sure." Riders GM Brendan Taman has been busy this off-season, adding free agents Foley, linebacker Renauld Williams, defensive back Dwight Anderson and most recently defensive lineman John Chick. Taman has also acquired kicker Brody McKnight and hired former Hamilton coach George Cortez as offensive co-ordinator. But Tamans biggest move was landing slotback Geroy Simon from B.C. The 14-year veteran, already the leagues all-time receiving yards leader, needs just 29 catches to break Ben Cahoons career mark of 1,017. Hamstring issues limited Simon, 37, to just 54 catches for 700 yards and two TDs last season, the first time in 10 years he didnt crack the 1,000-yard plateau. A healthy Simon would certainly complement a solid receiving corps led by veteran slotback Weston Dressler, who had career highs of 94 catches, 1,206 yards and 13 TDs in 2012. But Foley, currently nursing an injured right oblique muscle, says talk now about Saskatchewan winning the Grey Cup is just that -- talk. "Theres definitely a sense of excitement around here with all the additions that have been made," Foley said. "As a veteran, I know you dont win the Grey Cup on paper and every team made moves in the off-season to put themselves in a position to win it. "But I think its known around the league what this team has done, the guys theyve brought in and what theyre trying to do and ttheyre making that push for the hometown Cup.ddddddddddddquot; Saskatchewan finished third in the West Division last season with an 8-10 record before dropping a 36-30 decision to Calgary in the conference semifinal. Defensively, the Riders were second overall in fewest points and yards allowed before the off-season addition of veterans Foley, Chick, Williams and Anderson. The six-foot-three, 258-pound Foley is chasing a third Grey Cup, earning his first with B.C. in 2006. Foley had a career-best 12 sacks with the Lions in 09 when he was named the CFLs top Canadian. Over three seasons in Toronto, Foley recorded a combined 10 sacks. Last year, he had 35 tackles and three sacks before adding four tackles and a sack in the Grey Cup. But in Toronto defensive co-ordinator Chris Joness scheme, Foley did more than just rush the passer. He was also required to sometimes drop back into pass coverage like an outside linebacker. "It ended up working and we won the Grey Cup so you cant argue with what we were asked to do," Foley said. "But at times it got frustrating because you felt you werent playing as well at linebacker as you were at defensive end. "Im coming here to do what I do best and thats get after the quarterback and be on the line of scrimmage. Thats not to say I wont be dropping back into coverage if its the gameplan for that week because there will be wrinkles in like that. But I think its going to be significantly different to what I did last year." Another difference, too, is the rabid support the Riders receive in Saskatchewan. The franchise averaged more than 32,000 fans per game last year, second only to Edmonton (34,378) while Torontos attendance was under 24,000 per game, second-worst in the CFL. "Argos fans are diehard fans, I think theyre on the same level as diehard Regina fans and can compete with them," Foley said. "The thing here, though, is there are so many diehard fans. I mean, were in Saskatoon and the stands are almost full for every practice ... it has a real NFL feel to it. "To Saskatchewan, this is the NFL whereas in Toronto the people there continue to search for the biggest, best thing. You look at the Blue Jays, they did a great marketing job, they had great off-season signings and there was a lot of hype and big crowds out there and now theyre not doing so well and it falls off and its on to the next hottest thing, whatever is in town." ' ' '