Sports

France captain Antoine Dupont finds himself in the eye of a salary cap breach storm as the Six Nations champions prepare to face Italy. An article last week in French sports newspaper L’Equipe looked into suspect payments made to scrumhalf Dupont and his Toulouse teammate Anthony Jelonch, which it said could be designed to help […]

Former Italy prop Cherif Traore believes the Azzurri are no longer Six Nations passengers and have what it takes to topple France on Sunday. Italy head to Lille brimming with belief after opening their campaign with a win over Scotland and pushing Ireland all the way on the road, leading at half-time before narrowly falling

A South African-born lock will extend his stay with English champions Bath for another season after putting pen to paper on a new one-year deal. Former Stormers hard man Quinn Roux, 35, has become a key figure in Bath’s engine room, particularly during a second-row injury crisis this season, and his renewal follows new deals

Springbok lock Ruan Nortje will captain the Vodacom Bulls against Boland in Wellington on Friday but there is still no sign of Cameron Hanekom. Nortje leads a 34-man group for the clash at Boland Stadium (5:30pm kick-off), with several frontline Springboks unavailable. Prop Wilco Louw, flyhalf Handre Pollard and winger Kurt-Lee Arendse are completing the

Frans Steyn will spearhead the Cheetahs’ high-performance strategy following the pending departure of CEO Rory Duncan. The Cheetahs announced on Wednesday that Steyn, currently director of rugby, will lead efforts to blend their traditional attacking flair with modern systems designed to compete at the highest level. The focus, according to the Bloemfontein-based union, is on

The Sharks have confirmed their new coaching and high-performance structures. At the centre of it is JP Pietersen, who has been appointed permanent head coach after serving in an interim capacity since John Plumtree stepped down. “This jersey has shaped who I am,” said the former Sharks and Springbok wing. “The Sharks have given me

The Sharks have lost a talented playmaker to Vodacom URC rivals as the flyhalf roster in Durban becomes more and more crowded. The club announced Jean Smith’s departure on Tuesday and his European journey has come full circle. The 23-year-old flyhalf, son of former Springbok and current Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith, will join

Former All Blacks wing John Kirwan has dismissed claims that South Africa’s involvement was not a major benefit to Super Rugby. In a recent podcast interview, Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley said he would not welcome South African teams back into Super Rugby. Asked why, he replied: “If you go back and look at

The Lions could unleash a Springbok loose forward in an unfamiliar role when they host the Sharks at Ellis Park on Saturday. The Vodacom URC resumes with another big South African derby, the Lions hosting the Sharks in the return fixture of their Durban blockbuster in January. Lions assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher has confirmed that

Haashim Pead believes scrumhalf competition at the Lions will bring out the best in him. The Junior Boks star, who was named Player of the Tournament at last year’s World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy, has had to be patient for opportunities at senior level in the Vodacom URC and EPCR Challenge Cup. But when