Sports

The Sharks have struck early in the JP Pietersen era, signing a promising Junior Bok who’s already caught Rassie Erasmus’ attention. According to Rapport, Pietersen has secured the services of highly rated Junior Boks hooker Esethu Mnebelele, fighting off strong interest from both the Vodacom Bulls and the Stormers to land one of the country’s […]

A French star has been ruled out of Sunday’s Six Nations match against Italy in Lille. Flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert, who started Les Bleus’ first two games of the tournament, said on social media that “a slight discomfort in my calf forced me to withdraw” fr0m the match.He is expected to be back for the clash

A consortium of more than 10 Free State businessmen has pulled the Cheetahs back from the brink of financial collapse. According to Rapport, before the group’s intervention, the Free State Rugby Union was battling severe financial strain, with debts running into millions. At one stage, the union had to borrow money simply to meet salary

A double World Cup-winning Springbok could spurn lucrative offers from abroad to return to South Africa. According to Rapport, veteran scrumhalf Faf de Klerk is considering continuing his career at the Cheetahs when his contract with Japanese club the Yokohama Canon Eagles expires in June. The 34-year-old has been strongly linked with French Top 14

World Rugby’s London workshop matters more than any match this month, writes MARK KEOHANE. Writing for the Sunday Times, Keohane says five years after powerbrokers spoke of revolution, “nothing fundamental has changed”, with elite players still trapped between overlapping club and international seasons and denied a true off-season. The divide between north and south remains.

The Vodacom Bulls have wasted no time in planning for life after Kurt-Lee Arendse. With the Springbok speedster set to continue his career in Japan later this year, Rapport reveals that Johan Ackermann has moved decisively to secure the services of exciting winger Dylan Maart, effectively snatching the in-form flyer from under the Stormers’ noses.

Scotland continued their bid for the Six Nations Triple Crown as they came from behind to beat Wales in a thrilling game at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday. Gregor Townsend’s side put in a strong second-half showing to pip a feisty Wales side 26-23 to back up last week’s win over England. That win at

Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen praised his side’s character after they delivered a powerful response against the Sharks at Ellis Park. The pride of Joburg outmuscled JP Pietersen’s Sharks 34-22 to bag five vital URC points and inject serious momentum into their campaign. Van Rooyen was first to admit that it was by no means

Hooker Dan Sheehan paid tribute to Ireland’s hunger and belief after they stunned England 42-21 victory away at Twickenham on Saturday. Ireland came into the match with criticism stinging their ears after a humbling 36-14 defeat away to France two weeks ago before an unconvincing 20-13 success at home to Italy last week. But they

Sharks coach JP Pietersen bemoaned a cycle of “one positive and then two negatives” from his side at Ellis Park on Saturday. The visitors slumped to a 34-22 Vodacom URC defeat against the Lions, missing out on the chance to retain their SA Shield title. “It’s pretty poor if you look at our performance,” Pietersen