Sports

Brendan Venter says only Saracens could make him leave the job he loves as a doctor to return full-time to rugby. The former Springbok centre will step back into the director of rugby role at the English Premiership club later this year, ending a carefully balanced chapter in which he combined elite rugby coaching with […]

Antoine Dupont delivered a reminder of his class as Toulouse tightened their grip on the Top 14 summit with a commanding 59-22 victory over Pau on Saturday night. The France superstar laid on two tries but also spent time in the sin bin as Toulouse ran in nine tries at Stade Ernest Wallon to move

Coach JP Pietersen has singled out Springbok hybrid André Esterhuizen for how he steered the Sharks to victory over the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday night. Esterhuizen was at the centre of the Sharks’ physical dominance and composure under pressure, in the Durban side’s impressive 30-19 victory. “I think Andre’s been leading well,” Pietersen

Former SA U18 and current Ireland U20 loose forward Josh Neill could still play for the Springboks. Cape Town-born Neill, who has an Irish passport, made his first appearance in emerald green against Italy in an U20 Six Nations warm-up match last weekend, scoring two tries. However, under World Rugby Regulation 8.2, playing for a

SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer says the clamour for a unified global season cannot be ignored. SA Rugby is one of the strongest proponents of a calendar that would align competitions and international windows across the northern and southern hemispheres. While the concept has been debated for years, Oberholzer says momentum is finally building. “In

The Sharks have further bolstered their front-row resources with the signing of a Cheetahs prop amid a growing long-term injury list. Injuries to Ruan Dreyer (ACL) and Simphiwe Matanzima (back) have forced the Durban-based side to look to Bloemfontein for cover, with Rapport claiming Cameron Dawson will link up with the Sharks in February. A

The Vodacom Bulls have re-signed one of their former young stars who will add crucial cover to the loose forward and lock positions. According to Rapport, the Pretoria-based side has secured Hanro Liebenberg’s services from English Premiership outfit the Leicester Tigers. The arrival of the 30-year-old will provide crucial cover when Springboks such as Elrigh

Back-to-back comeback wins in Europe have reignited the Bulls’ season and sharpened their URC ambitions, writes MARK KEOHANE. Writing for the Sunday Times, Keohane says the Bulls’ two-point victories in Pau and Edinburgh have transformed a campaign that looked lost just a fortnight ago. After losing seven straight matches across competitions, the Bulls trailed by

Tony Brown is among the Springbok assistant coaches offered contract extensions until the end of the 2031 World Cup. SA Rugby recently extended Rassie Erasmus’ contract through to the global showpiece in the USA, and CEO Rian Oberholzer confirmed talks with assistant coaches are progressing. “The process has started and the offers [to the Bok

A dejected John Dobson rued the Stormers’ ill-discipline and lineout inefficiency in their 30-19 defeat to the Sharks at Cape Town Stadium. Saturday night’s loss was not only the first of the Vodacom URC campaign for the Cape side, but it also demoted them to second on the log, with the Glasgow Warriors now the