Sports

The Vodacom Bulls and Stormers will bring 20-plus Springboks and old-school tribal edge to a derby where form rarely matters, writes MARK KEOHANE. Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane says Saturday’s Pretoria meeting should mirror January’s brutal Cape Town clash, when the Stormers edged the Bulls 13-8 after the scores were level at 78 minutes. However, at […]

Ireland coach Andy Farrell has recalled an experienced duo to the starting XV for Saturday’s Six Nations clash with Scotland in Dublin. Farrell has opted to start with hooker Dan Sheehan and flank Josh van der Flier. Besides the Triple Crown at stake, both sides also entertain hopes of winning the title, with Ireland trailing

Coach Gregor Townsend says Scotland are focused on ending their Six Nations campaign with a win, and not the title permutations. The Scots head into the final round “Super Saturday” clash as one of three contenders, together with leaders France and third-placed Ireland. Townsend’s men, who face Ireland in Dublin in the early kick-off, need

Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has made three changes to his pack for a potentially title-deciding Six Nations clash against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday. Injuries have forced Townsend into selecting a new second row, with Max Williamson and Grant Gilchrist replacing Gregor Brown and Scott Cummings, both sidelined following last week’s stunning 50-40 win over

The Cheetahs will look to bounce back from their opening SA Cup defeat to Boland when they face the Leopards at Olen Park on Friday evening. The Free Staters have dominated this fixture over the past two seasons. In the inaugural 2024 campaign they recorded a 76-5 win in Potchefstroom, before securing a 69-0 shutout

David Brits insists the Springbok Sevens forwards take just as much pride in winning the dirty battles up front as the backs do in finishing off spectacular tries. The 28-year-old forward has been hard at work with the Blitzboks ahead of the New York Sevens. It’s the sixth and final tournament of the regular 2025-26

Wales coach Steve Tandy has urged his players to “go up another level” against Italy in Cardiff on Saturday as they seek to end a painful losing streak. The Welsh go into Saturday’s last round bottom of the table and on a run of 15 successive defeats in the tournament since beating Italy in March

France coach Fabien Galthié has opted for a sturdier second row against England in their final Six Nations match in Paris on Saturday. Les Bleus are bidding this weekend to back-to-back Six Nations titles for the first time since 2007. Just as he did against Italy and their powerful pack, Galthié has opted for the

Bryan Habana has criticised the ban handed to France flank Oscar Jegou, comparing it to the lengthy suspension previously imposed on Eben Etzebeth. Jegou was banned for four weeks after being cited for making contact with the eye area of Scotland hooker Ewan Ashman during France’s 50-40 Six Nations defeat to Scotland. The incident was

The Super Rugby record for most appearances will have to wait another week following the announcement of the ACT Brumbies’ squad on Thursday. James Slipper is waiting to make his record-breaking 203rd Super Rugby appearance but was left out of the table-topping Brumbies’ squad to face the Fijian Drua this weekend. The 36-year-old Australian prop