Award-winning on-field rugby action is on the horizon
Carling Black Label brand director Arné Rust said at the team announcement the match was another way the brand is putting the power in the hands of rugby fans to select the players to make up their team.
The Carling Champions Match, arguably the biggest innovation in the rugby space, kicks-off on July 2 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.
This after rugby fans assembled Mzansi’s top tier rugby talent from across the seven unions in the Carling Currie Cup to play in a one-of-a-kind exhibition rugby game between a fan-voted Carling Champion Team that will take on the Azzurri-Italy A.
Carling Black Label brand director Arné Rust said at the team announcement the match was another way the brand was putting the power in the hands of rugby fans to select the players to make up their team.
The fans can also look forward to choosing their captain as well as the man of the match on match day. “Our USSD and Facebook messenger lines will be live on match day for anyone wanting to vote and select the captain and man of the match,” Rust added.
He said taking the game to Gqerbha presented a great opportunity to reward a rugby loving community with a spectacle of a match; the cream of the crop in the Carling Currie Cup that will strut their stuff against the exciting Azzuri.
Hundreds of thousands of votes came in for players of the Vodacom Bulls, Cell C Sharks, Sigma Lions, DHL Western Province, Toyota Cheetahs, Tafel Lager Griquas and the New Nation Pumas.
Players that amassed the most votes in each position will take to the pitch wearing the ‘Black and Gold’ of the Champion Team. Not only did fans decide on the team, but also the coach that will take the reins on matchday.
The team will be led by voted coach and Currie Cup winning coach of the Airlink Pumas, Jimmy Stonehouse.
“The votes have been tallied and that team is finally ready to be revealed; and boy, the team is it one crackerjack of a side, ready to entertain supporters with an enterprising brand of rugby,” Rust told Alex News at the Johannesburg announcement.
The player voted for by the fans are:
Vodacom Bulls scrum-half, Keagan Johannes leads the charge with the most votes, amassing an incredible 14 978 votes, and he is closely followed by team-mate, prop Simphiwe Matanzima, who had 14 655 votes cast for his inclusion.
The rest of the squads includes 15 Clayton Blommetjies (Toyota Cheetahs); 14 Daniel Kasende (Toyota Cheetahs); 13 David Brits (Toyota Cheetahs); 12 Cornal Hendricks (Vodacom Bulls); 11 Angelo Davids (DHL WP); 10 Siya Masuku (Toyota Cheetahs); 9 Keagan Johannes (Vodacom Bulls); 8 Mihlali Mosi (Toyota Cheetahs); 7 Sibusiso Sangweni (Sigma Lions); 6 Nama Xaba (DHL WP); 5 Janko Swanepoel (Vodacom Bulls); 4 Victor Sekekete (Toyota Cheetahs); 3 Robert Hunt (Vodacom Bulls); 2 Marnus van der Merwe (Toyota Cheetahs); and 1 Simphiwe Matanzima (Vodacom Bulls).
Replacements: 16 Dan Jooste (Cell C Sharks); 17 Dewald Maritz (Airlink Pumas); 18 Kwenzo Blose (DHL WP); 19 Shane Kirkwood (Airlink Pumas); 20 Willie Engelbrecht (Airlink Pumas); 21 Embrose Papier (Vodacom Bulls); 22 Tristan Leyds (DHL WP); and 23 Devon Williams (Airlink Pumas).
Additional players: Eduan Swart (Airlink Pumas); Keke Morabe (DHL WP); Andries Fouche (Airlink Pumas); Sanele Nohamba (Sigma Lions); Theo Boshoff (Windhoek Draught Griquas); Robert Ebersohn (Toyota Cheetahs); and Alwayno Visagie (Airlink Pumas).
Beyond the on-field action of the match, attendees can also look forward to being entertained with live performances by NaakMusiq, Heavy K, Marc Anthony Kock, Deon and Michelle Mattheus and Thuba Myeki.
Related articles:
