Sports

South African rugby fans know that matchday is about more than the 80 minutes on the field. It starts with the build-up. Who made the starting XV? How’s the opposition looking? What’s the prediction? Then come the jerseys, the banter and the familiar rush to get everything ready before kick-off. And somewhere between the team […]

The Springboks face Italy, France and Ireland during the northern leg of the Nations Championship. How many of those Tests will they win? The Boks are top of the southern-hemisphere standings after bonus-point home wins against England, Scotland and Wales in July, ahead of the second-placed All Blacks on points difference. Next up for the

The Springboks will host Australia twice next year in a historic meeting between the Wallabies and Rassie Erasmus’ world champions. Rugby Australia confirmed its 2027 international calendar this week, with the second Wallabies-Springboks fixture set to be the 100th Test between the teams, a rivalry stretching back to 1933.  Venues and dates for both matches

Flanker Paul de Villiers says the Springboks have already set their sights on bouncing back to winning ways in the Nations Championship. De Villiers earned his fifth Test cap in last Sunday’s 42-38 defeat by the Wallabies in Perth, but believes it inspired the team even more to come back fighting when the competition resumes

The Nations Championship has unveiled the Hemisphere Shield, which will be awarded to the winners of the finals weekend at Twickenham from 26-28 November. The new trophy will be contested alongside the Nations Championship title, with the results of all six north-south matches in London counting towards the overall hemisphere battle. Seven points will be

Victor Matfield says Rassie Erasmus would have learned a lot from the Springboks’ 42-38 defeat to the Wallabies in Perth. Erasmus made 13 changes to the starting XV that beat the All Blacks in Baltimore to clinch the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, giving fringe several players an opportunity in the one-off Test at Optus Stadium.

Mike Tindall and Jonny May reckon Rassie Erasmus deliberately creates problems for the Springboks, using setbacks to expose weaknesses and build depth for the future. The former England internationals were speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Rugby XTRA podcast after the Springboks’ 42-38 defeat by the Wallabies in Perth on Sunday. They discussed

Former England loose forward Lawrence Dallaglio has been forced to part with his 2003 World Cup winner’s medal and other memorabilia. The 54-year-old, who was declared bankrupt last year, has put the medal from England’s triumph in Australia up for auction with an estimated value of £50,000 to £80,000 (R1.1-million to R1.7-million). Dallaglio started at

A key All Blacks back has been ruled out of the Bledisloe Cup series against the Wallabies, while two heavyweight forwards return to the squad. Ruben Love was omitted from Dave Rennie’s 34-man squad after suffering a foot injury, ruling the flyhalf out of Tests in Auckland on 10 October and Sydney a week later.

Stormers boss John Dobson has revealed flyhalf Jurie Matthee will play no part in Friday night’s fixture in Edinburgh. Matthee hurt his ankle in last week’s URC round-one 29-15 win against Connacht. In a clip posted by Netwerk24 from training in Galway, Dobson said the 25-year-old is back home for treatment with loose forwards Evan