Sports

The Crusaders reached the Super Rugby final after fighting back for a nail-biting win over holders the Blues in Christchurch on Friday. The 21-14 victory takes the Crusaders’ record in home playoff games to 31-0 since the competition’s inception. That perfect record had looked at serious risk after a brilliant start from the visiting Blues, […]

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen highlights the quality and confidence of Jake White’s Bulls team chasing silverware in Saturday’s Vodacom URC final at Croke Park. White’s charges have beaten Leinster four times in six URC meetings, including two semi-finals – one famously at the RDS Arena in 2022 – and come into their third final

Two SVNS World Championship-winning Blitzboks have been included in the Springbok Sevens ‘A’ squad for the Rugby Africa Sevens Cup in Mauritius next week. Along with Ricardo Duarttee and Mfundo Ndhlovu, who both scored tries in the victory over Spain in the Los Angeles final last month, head coach Philip Snyman has included two other

Bob Skinstad says South African rugby’s “full-year schedule” could derail the Springboks’ World Cup title defence in 2027. Since leaving Super Rugby and joining the Vodacom URC in 2021, South Africa has straddled both the southern and northern hemisphere seasons, with the Springboks still taking part in the Rugby Championship during the European off-season. Skinstad,

Jake White says a victory for the Bulls in Saturday’s Croke Park final would be a catalyst for SA fans to “buy in” to the Vodacom URC. Speaking ahead of the title clash with Leinster at Croke Park on Saturday, the Bulls director of rugby underlined how a maiden URC title for the Herd could

An injury has delivered a big blow to France’s hopes of beating the Springboks in November, when the teams clash for the first time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Supersized Les Bleus tighthead prop Uini Atonio has been ruled out for up to six months with a hamstring injury, according to AFP. Atonio who

Bath take on Leicester in the Premiership final on Saturday, bidding to be crowned champions of England for the first time since 1996. The West Country side were the dominant force from the 1980s until the mid-1990s before Leicester took charge, becoming champions in four straight seasons around the turn of the century. The clubs

Once tipped as South Africa’s next great scrumhalf, Embrose Papier has the chance to remind Rassie Erasmus of his Test pedigree in the URC final against Leinster, writes MARK KEOHANE. Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane says Saturday’s URC decider in Dublin offers Papier the perfect platform to force his way back into Springbok contention – seven

Rassie Erasmus explains his selection of UCT winger Ntokozo Makhaza for the first Springbok squad of the year. READ: Injury update is sweet and sour for Bok No 8s “I think he’s going to make it one day and if we didn’t try, we would never know.” Rassie Erasmus on the inclusion of Ntokozo Makhaza

Rassie Erasmus has explained the reason for Evan Roos’ initial omission from the 54-man Springbok squad for matches against the Barbarians, Italy and Georgia. The Stormers No 8 was only called up to the squad after Cameron Hanekom suffered a hamstring injury during the Vodacom Bulls’ URC semi-final win against the Sharks at Loftus on