Rugby In Focus Kankowski to make debut

LONDON – Number eight Ryan Kankowski will make his debut for world champions South Africa in the one-off test against Wales on Saturday.

The 22-year-old replaces injured loose forward Danie Rossouw in a team announced on Wednesday that shows six changes and one positional switch from the side that won the World Cup final against England in Paris last month. Kankowski is the only member of the starting line-up for the match at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium who did not feature in the World Cup squad.The Springboks have a new halfback pairing in Andre Pretorius and Ricky Januarie, with Butch James and Fourie du Preez unavailable.CJ van der Linde replaces retired prop Os du Randt on the loosehead side of the scrum while Jannie du Plessis fills the tighthead position.Ruan Pienaar starts at fullback in place of the injured Percy Montgomery and Johann Muller replaces lock Victor Matfield in the second row.Heinke van der Merwe was included in the match 22 for the first time, with twice-capped flanker Hilton Lobberts on the bench.South Africa: 15-Ruan Pienaar, 14-JP Pietersen, 13-Jaque Fourie, 12-Francois Steyn, 11-Bryan Habana; 10-Andre Pretorius, 9-Ricky Januarie; 8-Ryan Kankowski, 7-Juan Smith, 6-Schalk Burger, 5-Johann Muller, 4-Bakkies Botha, 3-Jannie Du Plessis, 2-John Smit (captain), 1-CJ van der Linde.Replacements: 16-Bismarck du Plessis, 17-Heinke van der Merwe, 18-Albert van den Berg, 19-Hilton Lobberts, 20-Wynand Olivier, 21-Conrad Jantjes, 22-Akona Ndungane.Howlett found guilty SYDNEY – All Blacks winger Doug Howlett has been found guilty of serious misconduct following an incident after the World Cup quarter-final defeat by France last month, the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) said yesterday.Howlett was arrested at a hotel near London’s Heathrow Airport on suspicion of damaging two vehicles.He later issued a videotaped apology to New Zealanders for his behaviour, admitting his embarrassment over what he described as “a little bit of tomfoolery”.”Doug faced intense public scrutiny over his behaviour and has faced up to his actions and made reparations,” All Blacks manager Darren Shand said in an NZRU statement.Howlett, New Zealand’s record try-scorer in his 62 tests, was sanctioned by the NZRU but details were not released.The 29-year-old is due to begin a two-and-a-half year contract with Irish club Munster in January.Sevens Boks ready for title JOHANNESBURG – South Africa Sevens coach Paul Treu is doing all he can to ensure his squad are in the best position to defend their Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens title, including an earlier departure than in previous campaigns to try and facilitate acclimatisation.Treu and his 16 players left for Dubai yesterday to continue their preparation which has included a fortnight in Stellenbosch, giving them an extra five days in the region.”We want to launch a serious assault on the first two tournaments, with the first objective to defend our title successfully in Dubai,” admitted Treu, whose side beat eventual IRB Sevens World Series champions New Zealand 31-12 in last year’s Cup final.Nampa-Reuters and SuperrugbyKankowski is the only member of the starting line-up for the match at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium who did not feature in the World Cup squad.The Springboks have a new halfback pairing in Andre Pretorius and Ricky Januarie, with Butch James and Fourie du Preez unavailable.CJ van der Linde replaces retired prop Os du Randt on the loosehead side of the scrum while Jannie du Plessis fills the tighthead position.Ruan Pienaar starts at fullback in place of the injured Percy Montgomery and Johann Muller replaces lock Victor Matfield in the second row.Heinke van der Merwe was included in the match 22 for the first time, with twice-capped flanker Hilton Lobberts on the bench.South Africa: 15-Ruan Pienaar, 14-JP Pietersen, 13-Jaque Fourie, 12-Francois Steyn, 11-Bryan Habana; 10-Andre Pretorius, 9-Ricky Januarie; 8-Ryan Kankowski, 7-Juan Smith, 6-Schalk Burger, 5-Johann Muller, 4-Bakkies Botha, 3-Jannie Du Plessis, 2-John Smit (captain), 1-CJ van der Linde.Replacements: 16-Bismarck du Plessis, 17-Heinke van der Merwe, 18-Albert van den Berg, 19-Hilton Lobberts, 20-Wynand Olivier, 21-Conrad Jantjes, 22-Akona Ndungane. Howlett found guilty SYDNEY – All Blacks winger Doug Howlett has been found guilty of serious misconduct following an incident after the World Cup quarter-final defeat by France last month, the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) said yesterday.Howlett was arrested at a hotel near London’s Heathrow Airport on suspicion of damaging two vehicles.He later issued a videotaped apology to New Zealanders for his behaviour, admitting his embarrassment over what he described as “a little bit of tomfoolery”.”Doug faced intense public scrutiny over his behaviour and has faced up to his actions and made reparations,” All Blacks manager Darren Shand said in an NZRU statement.Howlett, New Zealand’s record try-scorer in his 62 tests, was sanctioned by the NZRU but details were not released.The 29-year-old is due to begin a two-and-a-half year contract with Irish club Munster in January. Sevens Boks ready for title JOHANNESBURG – South Africa Sevens coach Paul Treu is doing all he can to ensure his squad are in the best position to defend their Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens title, including an earlier departure than in previous campaigns to try and facilitate acclimatisation.Treu and his 16 players left for Dubai yesterday to continue their preparation which has included a fortnight in Stellenbosch, giving them an extra five days in the region.”We want to launch a serious assault on the first two tournaments, with the first objective to defend our title successfully in Dubai,” admitted Treu, whose side beat eventual IRB Sevens World Series champions New Zealand 31-12 in last year’s Cup final.Nampa-Reuters and Superrugby