Month: September 2019

The Bulls have continued their impressive start to the season with a win in Johannesburg and the Stormers downed the Sharks in a dour game.

The Sunwolves’ first ever away win, over the Chiefs, was a round highlight. Here is the wrap of all results.

HURRICANES vs BRUMBIES 

A hat-trick from Hurricanes centre Ngani Laumape has relegated the Brumbies to a 43-13 loss on a night where Brumbies captain Christian Lealiifano felt they couldn’t ever really get going.

This was far from the near-seamless effort the Brumbies produced in Canberra last week, with turnovers and basic errors opened the door for a ruthless Hurricanes outfit benefitting from the return of playmaker Beauden Barrett on their home turf.

Victories across the ditch are that much harder to come by and the Hurricanes’ victory was their 23rd from 24 at home, albeit playing a touch north of their usual Wellington Stadium, 14th of 15 against Australian opposition and the 38th win for a New Zealand team against Aussies in New Zealand in 39 matches.

The Brumbies continued to charge on with their attacking approach but two early turnovers lead directly to tries and they found themselves in a 14-point hole early on.

Trailing 19-8 at the break, the Brumbies still had a sniff but a dominant 24-5 second half from the Hurricanes snuffed out any chances for the visitors.

Read the full match report here.

RESULT

Hurricanes 43

Tries: Laumape 3 Coles 2, Blackwell

Cons: Barrett 4, Garden-Bachop

Pens: Barrett

Brumbies 13

Tries: Faingaa, Wright

Pens: Lealiifano

Yellow card: David Pocock (63’)

REBELS vs HIGHLANDERS

Rebels coach Dave Wessels has praised his team’s grit to hold on for their first home win against a New Zealand team in almost four years despite a faltering final quarter that almost cost them the match.

The Rebels survived a late scare from the Highlanders to hold on for a 24-19 win against the Highlanders, their first home win against a New Zealand side since 2015.

Melbourne denied boom Highlanders forward Shannon Frizell a match-levelling try in the dying minutes, the flanker dropping the ball over the line in the 78th minute, with the Rebels hanging on for victory.

After a scorching day where temperatures reached 40C, the Rebels petered out in the final stages of the match.

But it was match smarts, rather than stamina that they lacked, failing to shut the visitors out after an outstanding first 60 minutes in which they weathered the Highlanders’ storm before hitting back to dominate.

“To be able to perform at that intensity under those conditions I thought was pretty special,” Wessels said.

Read the full match report here.

RESULT

Rebels 24

Tries: English 2,  Maddocks, Meakes

Cons: Cooper 2

Highlanders 19

Tries: Frizell, Tokolahi, Hemopo

Cons: Gatland, Banks

CHIEFS vs SUNWOLVES

The Sunwolves pulled off the biggest upset of their brief Super Rugby life with an historic 30-15 victory over the Waikato Chiefs Saturday as the dominant Canterbury Crusaders continued their relentless unbeaten march.

It is the first time the Tokyo-based unit have won an away game and it left the 2012-2013 champions embarrassed as they remain winless after three rounds. 

A year ago, the Chiefs thrashed the Sunwolves 61-10 as the Japanese side went through their first three seasons of Super Rugby with a woeful record and their future in the competition in doubt. 

But they showed signs of progress when they went within a point of upsetting the NSW Waratahs last weekend, and against the Chiefs they stepped up another gear.

They led 23-3 at half-time and held on as the Chiefs tried to rally.

Sunwolves flyhalf Hayden Parker, who converted all three tries and added three penalties, described the victory as “awesome” and a confidence booster. 

“It was really nice to score some good tries in the first half. The second half was pretty ugly and it felt like the game went on forever but the boys 

hung in and I’m proud of the way we stuck it out to the end,” he said.

Chiefs scrum-half Brad Weber said his side could not expect to win making so many errors.

“But you have to take your hat off to the Sunwolves,” he said. “Their speed of ball and the way they were able to break tackles was pretty special and we 

have to take a hard look at ourselves because it was pretty embarrassing.”

RESULT

Tries: Nankivell, Nanai-Seturo

Con: McKenzie

Pen: McKenzie

Sunwolves 30

Tries: Matsuhashi, Helu, van den Heever

Cons: Parker 3

Pens: Parker 3

REDS vs CRUSADERS 

Reds coach Brad Thorn said his side was left to lament time without the ball after simple errors cost any chance of a win against the champion Crusaders.

The Reds lost 22-12 after conceding two tries in the opening 10 minutes and being forced into a backline reshuffle after losing boom colt Jordan Petaia to an ankle injury.

But Queensland showed resolve in refusing to let the margin blow out despite the Crusaders dominating possession and field position for much of the match.

“They jumped out to that lead and that was the second time in a couple of weeks where a lead was put on us and we haven’t fallen to pieces,” Thorn said.

“It was one-way traffic for a while there and some opportunities started to come our way late in that half and in the second half.

Read the full match report here.

RESULT

Tries: Kerevi, Higginbotham

Cons: Hegarty

Yellow cards: Salakaia-Loto (53′)

Crusaders 22

Tries: Ennor, Jordan, Douglas, Taufua

Cons: Mo’unga

STORMERS vsSHARKS

The Stormers edged the Sharks 16-11 in a dour Durban match in which the home team had two players sin-binned and the visitors one.

The Sharks, the only team with a maximum 10 points after two rounds, fell behind after five minutes when full-back Damian Willemse scored an intercept try.

It was a lead the Cape Town outfit never lost and, despite some wayward goal-kicking from usually reliable winger SP Marais, they built a 13-3 half-time advantage.

A try from centre Lukhanyo Am helped the Sharks close the gap to two points, but Marais closed the scoring with his third penalty 14 minutes from time.

Am and hooker Akker van der Merwe were yellow-carded during a constantly-interrupted opening half and Province centre Dan du Plessis got a similar punishment in the second half.

Victorious skipper Siya Kolisi said he was proud at the way Province had fought back after a 40-3 first-round thrashing at the Bulls.

“Nothing was changed after that hiding because that would have signified panic. We trusted our players and tactics,” he said.

Sharks skipper and scrum-half Louis Schreuder was furious after seeing good early-season form evaporate.

“How can you expect to win when two of the team are sin-binned and we concede endless penalties?.”

RESULT

Tries: Am

Pens: R. du Preez 2

Yellow cards: Am (22′), Van der Merwe (38′)

Stormers 16

Tries: Willemse

Pens: Marais 3

Cons: Marais

Yellow cards: D. du Plessis (47′)

LIONS vs BULLS

Captain and fly-half Handre Pollard kicked 20 points as the Bulls beat the Lions 30-12 Saturday — their first Super Rugby victory in Johannesburg since 2012.

Pollard, deputising as skipper for injured lock Lood de Jager, slotted six penalties and a conversion from eight shots at goal.

It took his season tally to 52 points after three rounds, 17 more than second-place Hayden Parker from Japanese outfit the Sunwolves.

Pollard kicked the Bulls into the lead on 14 minutes at Ellis Park, they led 14-0 at the half and sealed victory five minutes from time when full-back Warrick Gelant scored a try.

Victory in Johannesburg lifted the Bulls three places to fourth, three points behind leaders and defending champions the Crusaders from New Zealand.

The Lions, runners-up in the past three Super Rugby finals, slid to 11th after a second successive loss in the southern hemisphere franchise championship.

While Eli Snyman starred as a replacement for De Jager, the Lions struggled without injured captain and No. 8 Warren Whiteley, who was replaced by hooker Malcolm Marx.

“It was a great team effort,” said Pollard, the likeliest Springboks playmaker at the 2019 World Cup in Japan this September.

“I did not expect to win by such a wide margin given the Lions’ record against us at Ellis Park in recent seasons.

“Everyone contributed and I want to give special praise to Eli. He had big shoes to fill as a replacement for Lood and lasted the full 80 minutes.”

RESULT

Tries: Sadie, D. Smith

Con: Jantjies

Bulls 30

Tries: Vermeulen, Gelant

Pen: Pollard 6

Con: Pollard

JAGUARES vs BLUES

Argentina’s Jaguares won a post-siren scrum against the head on their five-metre line to edge the Auckland Blues 23-19 Saturday in a Super Rugby round three thriller. 

Trailing by 11 points with seven minutes remaining, the New Zealanders had got back into contention when flanker Dalton Papalii scored a try that fly-half Otere Black converted.

That cut the gap to four points and opened the possibility of a first win this season for the Blues after losses to the Canterbury Crusaders and the Coastal Sharks.

They laid siege and their hopes heightened when the Argentines were penalised resulting in a five-metre scrum with a Blues put-in at a tense Estadio Jose Amalfitani in Buenos Aires.

However, a concerted push by the home side enabled them to secure possession and as the ball was hastily booted into touch, the final whistle sounded.

A dramatic conclusion was fitting as there was nothing to choose between the teams in a contest that could have swung either way on a balmy night in the Argentine capital.

“Congratulations to my team for their outstanding defence throughout the match,” said Jaguares skipper and centre Matias Orlando, deputising for injured Jeronimo de la Fuente.

“We came under a lot of pressure at different stages of each half and our refusal to concede was truly inspirational. I believe we deserved the victoryover very good opponents.”

RESULT

Jaguares 23

Tries: Moyano 2, Montoya

Cons: Diaz Bonilla

Pens: Diaz Bonilla

Blues 19

Tries: Papalii

Cons: Black 

Pens: Black 4

 

Karmichael Hunt has played his last game for the Reds as the Waratahs firm as a potential home for the banished cross-code star.

Discussions between the Reds and Waratahs regarding Hunt’s services in 2019 have begun and RUGBY.com.au can reveal the 32-year-old has not taken part in Queensland’s preseason preparations for the past week.

Brad Thorn’s squad are today headed to the Sunshine Coast for a three day camp and Hunt is not expected to be on the bus north, either.

He remains, officially, a member of Queensland’s Super Rugby squad but will not be at the club come the start of the 2019 Super Rugby season.

It’s understood neither Thorn nor the Reds have changed their train of thought on his exile and will not stand in his way should the talks with the Waratahs come to fruition.

One source told RUGBY.com.au the wheels are now in motion to bring Hunt south and that the main sticking point will be how much of his salary will still be paid by the Reds.

The club entered similar negotiations with the Rebels ahead of Quade Cooper’s move to Melbourne and did the same when James Slipper found a suitor in the Brumbies.

The trio are all on split QRU-Rugby Australia contracts and the Reds are understood to still be paying some part of their salaries.

The same concept will apply with Hunt, who would prove an invaluable addition to a Waratahs squad lacking quality depth in key spine positions.

Tahs coach Daryl Gibson has highlighted his desire to address that lack of depth and given he can play No. 12, 13 and 15, Hunt would be the ideal player to fill the void and allow Wallabies stars Bernard Foley and Kurtley Beale to stay fresh.

“One of the review findings of our own season back in August was we played our best players too much. Of all the Super franchises we used the least number of players,” Gibson said.

“We used 34 players and the Crusaders used 44. So that shows us straight away as a strategy we need to increase the depth of our squad and trust our players can do the job.

“That’s why we are in a situation where Bernard and KB have extremely high minutes. We know we have to manage them better this year.

“It’s trying to get the best out of them and manage them correctly and that’s probably been our biggest learning, in how we do that really well.”

When approached for comment on the matter, a Waratahs spokeswoman offered this response.

“If NSWRU were to consider it we’d need to go through an extensive review process,” the spokeswoman said.

While firm favourites to secure his services the Waratahs are not Hunt’s only remaining option in Australia.

The Brumbies have categorically ruled out any interest in his services but the door at the Rebels remains open, if ever so slightly.

One source said the club had not been approached by either the Reds or Rugby Australia and while Hunt linking up with good mate Cooper once again remains “unlikely” if the call was made, Melbourne would pick up.

There is little – if any – wiggle room in Melbourne’s salary cap but the release of Sefa Naivalu has kept the door for a potential push for Hunt ajar.

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Wallabies hooker Jordan Uelese will have a familar bodyguard on duty when he returns to action for Melbourne on Friday night – his “little” brother Junior.

Returning from an 11-month knee reconstruction rehab, Uelese will line up for Melbourne’s second team, the Rising, in a curtain raiser clash with the Japanese Wolfpack  team at AAMI Park.

The Wolfpack are the “B” team of the Japanese national side and the clash will take place before the Rebels meet the Bulls.

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Uelese, who blew a knee in June last year on the eve of the Ireland series, returned in Sydney club rugby last weekend for Gordon and will partner up with his 18-year-old brother Junior in the Rising front row.

Junior, as pointed out by Uelese, is anything but at 130kg. Oveleni “Junior” Uelese was raised in Melbourne but went to boarding school at Scots College in Wellington, New Zealand – where the Uelese family originate.

Junior Uelese played for the New Zealand Schools Barbarians team at the end of last year but came back to Melbourne and has been training as a development player with the Rebels.

“He has just turned 18 years old. When you are a Pacific Islander player and you are called Junior you know he is the complete opposite,” Jordan Uelese said on Wednesday.

“He is a big 130kg-plus prop and I have never played with him in my life. It will be exciting to back down with him. He is a tight-head prop and I am a hooker, so it will be pretty special for me and my family.

“It will be his first taste, I guess of pro footy.

“He is from Australia but he moved back to go to boarding school, Scots College in Wellington. A big rugby school in Wellington, so he was fortunate I guess to hone his skills there. But he wants to come back home and play for the Rebels and higher honours, so that’s where his heart lies.

“I am happy for him to come back and be in the set-up.

When he finished up with the New Zealand schoolboys he came straight back here and wanted to work with us. He has been around the set-up, Dave has wanted him to learn from the older heads so that’s been great for him, to be exposed to the higher level. He is grateful for the opportunity.”

It’s a big match for both Uelese brothers.

After a painfully slow rehabilitation on a knee and shoulder injuries, Jordan Uelese is a step closer to a return for the Rebels’ Super Rugby side.

Uelese has shed seven kilograms and says he is “in the best shape of my life”. 

Rebels and Wallabies staff have been taking it very slow with Uelese’s return, playing it cautiously so the big hooker can be ready for a finals push and a possible World Cup spot.

“The body is a bit sore. I am a bit banged up. I played 60 minutes up in the Shute Shield for Gordon,” Uelese said.

“It took the first 10-20 minutes of the game to get a feel for the game and catch my breath but it was great to get out there again. I have been in rehab for 11 months now so it was good to get to get back out there.

“The knee is fine, I definitely came out of the game unscathed. Just normal body soreness given I hadn’t played a long time.

“The competition we have here in the hooker spot is great. Anaru (Rangi) and ‘Roachy’ (Hugh Roach) have been playing really well and I am not going to just walk back into the team. I have to prove myself again.”

Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson says flyhalf Bernard Foley needs to shake off the weight of expectation to turn his patchy form around.

NSW’s backline has struggled to click so far this season, a trend admitted by both Kurtley Beale and Israel Folau this week, and Foley is among those short of top gear after the first five rounds.

Foley’s patchy goal kicking has been a reflection of his slow start to the year, with just a 45 per cent return off the tee this season, a drop from his competition-leading 89 per cent conversion rate in 2018.

Gibson said Foley had to shake his own expectations off to return to his best rugby.

“Bernard’s probably working the hardest of any player at the moment on and off the field and he wants to get back to those levels that we expect of an international player,” he said.

“A lot of it is freeing him up a little. He’s carrying a lot of his own expectation around what he should be performing at and really just freeing the mind and letting him going in and playing as a champion player should.”

Gibson has retained all but two of his starting lineup that lost to the Brumbies as they prepare for the Crusaders with Curtis Rona rotated out of the side and Nick Phipps starting over Jake Gordon.

Karmichael Hunt will return to the side off the bench, still recovering from a hamstring injury, with Kurtley Beale staying at 12 and Israel Folau again at fullback.

“Karmichael obviously still recovering from that hamstring, definitely will get game time and that’s a good thing for him he’s recovering reasonably well, well enough to take a place there,” Gibson said.

Michael Wells returns to the 23 after spending six World Series rounds with the Aussie Men’s Sevens while hooker Andrew Tuala is in line to make his debut off the bench with Tatafu Polota-Nau returning to England this week.

The match will be a special one for Gibson, a former Crusaders player and assistant coach, but he said things would be no different after last week’s Christchurch attacks.

“Being a former Crusader, being a Crusaders coach, it’s the game I look forward to the most out of everything in the calendar,” he said.

“We know what we’re in for and being on the other side of that and making sure our team’s well prepared for this contest is a real challenge.

“Obviously going to be a lot of emotion flying around, it’s a huge tragedy that’s occurred in Christchurch and how the players and the people of Christchurch and new Zealand are dealing with that but obviously once the whistle goes I’m sure it’ll be back to business for them.”

The Waratahs take on the Crusaders at the SCG on Saturday March 23 at 7:45pm AEDT, LIVE on FOX SPORTS, Kayo Sports and via RUGBY.com.au RADIO. Buy tickets here.

TEAM

IN: Andrew Tuala, Michael Wells, Karmichael Hunt

OUT: Tatafu Polota-Nau, Curtis Rona, Ryan McCauley

Waratahs to face Crusaders

1. Harry Johnson-Holmes

2. Damien Fitzpatrick

3. Sekope Kepu

4. Jed Holloway

5. Rob Simmons

6. Ned Hanigan

7. Michael Hooper

8. Jack Dempsey

9. Nick Phipps

10. Bernard Foley

11. Alex Newsome 

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12. Kurtley Beale

13. Adam Ashley-Cooper

14. Cam Clark

15. Israel Folau

Reserves

16. Andrew Tuala

17. Rory O’Connor

18. Chris Talakai

19. Lachlan Swinton

20. Michael Wells

21. Jake Gordon

22. Mack Mason

23. Karmichael Hunt

It was another topsy turvy weekend of Super Rugby in round nine.

Missed any of the action? All the scores and highlights right here.

CRUSADERS vs HIGHLANDERS

Super Rugby champions the Crusaders have recovered from a halftime deficit for the second-straight week to thrash the Highlanders 43-17, extending their unbeaten run at home to 24 matches.

Ten points down after 12 minutes, the Crusaders ran in six tries on Friday to secure a bonus-point victory.

They stretch their lead in the New Zealand conference to 11 points over the Hurricanes who have a bye.

Starting outside backs Braydon Ennor, David Havili and Sevu Reece all crossed before replacements Mitchell Drummond and Will Jordan added two more tries. Jordan’s five-pointer was his eighth of the season.

The forwards also managed to get in on the act when their pressure forced a penalty try from a five-metre scrum in the 52nd minute, one of three tries in 10 minutes after the break that turned the match decisively in the Crusaders’ favour.

RESULT

Crusaders 43

Tries: Ennor, havili, Penalty, Reece, Drumond, Jordan

Cons: Mounga 3, Hunt

Pens: Mounga

Highlanders 17

Tries: Smith, Ioane

Cons: Ioane, Gatland

Pens: Ioane

REBELS vs STORMERS

A frustrated and disappointed Dave Wessels says the Rebels need an honest examination of how they allowed their intensity to drop to substandard levels if they are to regroup in time to compete with the Waratahs in next weekend’s derby.

The Rebels suffered their first loss in Australia this season, going down 41-24 to the Stormers in a lacklustre showing at AAMI Stadium on Friday night.

An outfit that has taken great pride in the effort it puts into the contest – especially in the contact areas – the Rebels were outgunned by a Stormers side desperate to notch a win before heading home from their four-game Australasian tour.

Read full match report here.

RESULT

Stormers 41

Tries: Nel 2, Leyds, Augustus, de Allende

Cons: du Plessis 2, Josh Stander 3

Pens: Du Plessis, Stander

Rebels 24

Tries: Hodge, Genia, Magnay

Cons: Cooper 3

Pens: Cooper

CHIEFS vs BLUES

The Chiefs have run in five tries to extend their unbeaten run against the Blues to 15 matches after a 33-29 Super Rugby thriller in Hamilton.

The Blues, looking to put together five-straight wins for the first time since 2011, never gave up and the home side had to fight tooth and nail for Saturday’s win after Ma’a Nonu had crossed for his second try in the 78th minute.

Flanker Lachlan Boshier scored two tries for the Chiefs, who also had five-pointers from scrumhalf Brad Weber, hulking winger Ataata Moeakiola and Jesse Parete as they beat New Zealand opponents for the first time this season.

A try from fullback Melani Nanai and the first from evergreen centre Nonu kept the Blues in touch before a brilliant finish in the corner in the 66th minute from winger Rieko Ioane, his eighth try of the season, set up the late drama.

RESULT

Chiefs 33

Tries: Boshier 2, Weber, Moeakiola,  Parete

Cons: McKenzie 4

Blues

Tries: Nonu 2, Nanai, Ioane

Cons: Black 2, Plummer

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Pens: Black

BRUMBIES vs LIONS

Brumbies flanker David Pocock will travel with the side to South Africa on Sunday after their 31-20 win over the Lions on Saturday night.

Pocock, who has been battling a calf injury, was slated to return to Super Rugby this weekend but he fell just short of being named.

Brumbies coach Dan McKellar stopped short of guaranteeing Pocock would return for next weekend’s clash with the Stormers but said the star flanker would be in the mix.

“He’ll be on the plane, I can’t tell you whether he’ll be good for next week,” he said.

Read the full match report here.

RESULT

Brumbies 31

Tries: McCaffrey, Pulu, Kuridrani, Banks, Wright

Cons: Lealiifano 3

Yellow Card: Wright (5’)

Lions 20

Tries: Dyantyi, Jantjies, Mahuza

Cons: Jantjies

Pens: Jantjies

SHARKS vs JAGUARES

Centre Matias Orlando has scored a hat-trick of tries as the Jaguares stunned the Sharks with a comprehensive 51-17 Super Rugby victory at King’s Park.

The Argentine side claimed back-to-back wins on their South Africa tour, and a first-ever success in Durban, to storm back into contention for top spot in the conference as they overwhelmed their hosts by seven tries to two on Saturday.

Flanker Pablo Matera scored two tries, while scrumhalf Tomas Cubelli and wing Matias Moroni also crossed over as the Jaguares proved clinical with ball in hand while also putting up a stout defensive effort to keep their hosts at bay.

The Sharks crushed the Lions last weekend at Ellis Park, but their inconsistency showed again as they were always second best, scoring only the two tries via lock Hyron Andrews and replacement back Aphelele Fassi.

RESULT

Sharks 17

Tries: Andrews, Fassi

Cons: du Preez, Bosch

Pens: du Preez

Jaguares 51

Tries: Orlando 3, Matera 2, Cubelli, Moroni

Cons: Miotti 5

Pens: Miotti 2

BULLS vs REDS

The Reds have been left to lament what might have been after failing to treasure the ball in their 32-17 loss to the Bulls in Pretoria.

Striving for their first win in South Africa since 2015, the Reds came up against a wounded Bulls outfit determined to rebound from a nail-biting home loss to the Jaguares.

And while they opened the scoring through an early penalty goal, there was little other reward for the Reds in the opening half, with the Bulls controlling possession and field position.

Read full match report here.

RESULT

Bulls 32

Tries: Gqoboka, van Staden, Pollard, Liebenberg, Stighling

Cons: Pollard 2

Pens: Pollard

Reds

Tries: Kerevi 2

Cons: Hegarty 2

Pens: Hegarty

Visitors to the Summer Palace during the Mid-Autumn Festival had the chance to appreciate not only breathtaking daytime views but also poetic night scenery, aided by upgraded light settings at the complex of gardens and palaces.

Performances of Peking Opera and Kunqu Opera graced the grounds, and more than 2,000 lamps lit up the lakes to render a touch of grandeur and tranquility. Moreover, blossoming sweet osmanthus enchanted visitors with its delightful fragrance.

A project to upgrade night illumination systems at the Summer Palace began in 2016 and completed in April. The new arrangement of lights helps to enhance the elegance of this site of classic Chinese gardens.

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Yunnan province, a highland situated at a low latitude, was the residence of nomads 800 years ago. They settled there, assimilated with the locals, and left a legacy that now lies at the center of Yunnan cuisine: cheese. The nomads used a unique method involving whey to ferment and ripen milk. Yunnan cheese carries both the inspiration of the nomadic ancestors and the creativity of modern food lovers.

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The second season of Flavorful Origins, another masterpiece by Chinese food documentary director Chen Xiaoqing, the creator of A Bite of China, is now online at Tencent.com.

The season, consisting of 10 episodes, will shine a spotlight on Southwest China’s Yunnan province, a region blessed with abundant sunlight, fresh produce and exotic spices.

Situ Helun enjoys riding his motorbike, wandering through the lanes of Shanghai, the city where he lives. One night, he was on the street, seeing the bustling city filled with neon lights and busy people, which inspired him to hum a melody. After he got home, the singer-songwriter, who is also known as Jonas Seetoh, wrote a song based on the melody within 30 minutes, entitled Carrousel.

The song, written in 2016, was released recently on QQ Music, a mainstream online music service, as part of Situ’s latest album, Searching for the Youth of Sound.

Unlike his earlier jazz work, which gained him a fan base, Situ’s new songs feature pop elements.

Speaking about his work, he said: “Usually we consider jazz as a music genre for the older generation while pop music is for the younger people. But I started with jazz sounds in my early 20s, so now that I am over 30 I want to go back to pop, where I started.”

To support the album, which is scheduled to be released this December, Situ will launch an eight-city tour across the country, kicking off from Hangzhou in Zhejiang province on Sept 21 and ending in Chengdu in Sichuan province on Nov 10.

Situ was born and raised in Guangzhou in Guangdong province in 1988, and studied classical piano from the age of 5.

He was enrolled to study pop singing at the Guangzhou-based Xinghai Conservatory of Music and became interested in jazz after meeting a French music teacher. Later, he obtained a full scholarship and studied jazz at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in Cardiff from 2011 to 2013, when he performed extensively around the UK.

“Before I studied in UK, I was not sure about my music. But during my stay abroad, I was offered opportunities to perform, which made me confident about my music and encouraged me to experiment with bold ideas,” he said.

Since returning to China, Situ has been based in Shanghai, a city, where jazz has a stable and large fan base. And he gave performances at the JZ Festival, the largest jazz festival in China, and built a fan base on social media.

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More Chinese celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival, a traditional holiday for family get-together, by traveling instead, as data from tourism authorities and travel agencies show.

According to Ctrip.com, China’s major online travel agency, Chinese travelers have booked trips to tourist destinations in 88 countries and regions. The cities of Sanya, Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai and Xi’an were favored domestic destinations, while Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Russia and Indonesia were top outbound destinations.

One fourth of Ctrip’s customers traveled with their beloved ones, 21 percent and 12 percent traveled with their children and parents respectively.

Shanghai, one of the top destinations embraced a huge amount of tourists during the three-day holiday which started Friday.

The city’s 160 main tourist sites received 2.78 million visitors, up 26.6 percent year on year, said the Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the city’s 115 museums had 221,900 visitors during the holiday, up 10 percent year on year. Shanghai Science and Technology Museum welcomed 55,300 visitors, increasing 44.4 year on year.

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Red tourism destinations such as the historic building in Shanghai where the Communist Party of China held its first national congress and Longhua Martyrs’ Memorial also received crowds of visitors.

Booking data from another online travel agency Lvmama.com also show that besides theme parks for parent-child tourists, historical and cultural sites reported larger amount of bookings across the country.

The Mid-Autumn Festival witnessed booming night-time consumption. Lvmama recorded 44 percent expanding of bookings for night-time tours than last year. Night cruises along rivers in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chongqing were among the best sellers.

Celebrations were also held during the festival. Shanghai Tourism Festival welcomed 300,000 audiences for its grand opening parade held on Saturday.

“I feel at home as long as I’m with my family members, no matter where I stay or what I do,” said Shanghai resident Zhou Wei.

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China to build Type 071E amphibious transport dock ship for foreign navy

China will build a Type 071E amphibious transport dock ship for export to Thailand, the largest naval ship the nation will have built for a foreign user.

China State Shipbuilding Corp, a State-owned shipbuilding conglomerate and one of the major suppliers to the Chinese Navy, said last week it had inked an agreement with the Royal Thai Navy on the construction and sale of the Type 071E, adding it was the first time China had sold such a vessel to another country.

Admiral Luechai Ruddit, commander-in-chief of the RTN, and officials from the Chinese government and military took part in a signing ceremony for the deal in Beijing on Sept 9, according to a statement issued by CSSC.

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The company said the deal was a major new accomplishment in the strategic cooperation between the two countries, adding it would substantially deepen collaboration in the arms trade and also help strengthen regional peace and stability.

The shipbuilder did not provide details about the ship’s specifications, or its construction and delivery schedule.

The Type 071E is an export version of the Type 071 landing platform dock deployed by the People’s Liberation Army Navy. There are six Type 071s in service with the PLA Navy, according to military observers following the Navy’s weapons development.

According to information from CSSC, the Type 071 is China’s largest landing craft and boasts advanced weapons systems. It is 210 meters long and 28 meters wide, and has a full-load displacement of 25,000 metric tons. The vessel is capable of sailing more than 18,500 kilometers in a single operation, the company said.

An insider in China’s naval shipbuilding industry, who wished to be identified only as Che, said that compared with the existing Type 071 vessels in the PLA Navy, the export version features better weapons and can carry more helicopters.

The Type 071E amphibious transport dock ship, also classified as a type of landing platform dock, will be the largest naval warship China has built for a foreign country.

After the ship is delivered to the RTN, it will also become the biggest warship in the Southeast Asian nation’s fleet, eclipsing HTMS Chakri Naruebet, the flagship of the RTN and its only aircraft carrier.

The largest naval ship China has exported so far is HTMS Similan, a Type 908 replenishment ship built for the RTN in the 1990s that has a full-load displacement of 22,000 tons. That makes it bigger than HTMS Chakri Naruebet, but it is not classified as a warship.