Sports

Rassie Erasmus says talk of a Springbok–All Blacks quarter-final at the 2027 World Cup is premature. On Wednesday, New Zealand were drawn in Pool A with Australia, Chile and Hong Kong, while the Boks were placed in Pool B with Italy, Georgia and Romania. If the Boks and All Blacks both top their pools, and […]

Rassie Erasmus says the Springboks’ 2027 World Cup pool is far from the easy ride some assume. On Wednesday, the Boks were drawn in Pool B with Italy, Georgia and Romania. The top two teams in each pool, plus the four best third-placed teams, will reach the round-of-16 knockout stage. “I think Georgia and Romania

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi says while it’s good to know who they’ll face at the 2027 World Cup, their focus is firmly fixed on next year. MORNÉ ESBEN reports. The Boks face the prospect of a first All Blacks tour to South Africa in 30 years as part of the Greatest Rivalry series, which will

Coach Rassie Erasmus says the Springboks’ biggest challenge ahead of the 2027 World Cup will be getting the balance for the 2026 season “absolutely right”. After a dominant 2025, South Africa will go into an unusual 2026 season with one eye keenly focused on the global showpiece in Australia. The Boks face fierce rivals the

The Northampton Saints will be without one of world rugby’s rising stars for their Investec Champions Cup matches against Pau and the Vodacom Bulls. Italian star Edoardo Todaro was handed a two-match suspension for a dangerous aerial challenge in his side’s English Premiership game against Bristol. The 19-year-old saw red card just one minute into

South Africa’s heavyweights are jumping straight into the deep end as the Investec Champions Cup returns this weekend. The action will mostly play out in France, but Loftus is set to host one of the most eagerly-anticipated matches of the round. The Stormers kick things off on Friday night in Bayonne, where they’ll walk into

With the Vodacom Bulls hosting champions Bordeaux Begles on Saturday, here’s a reminder of what happened when the teams last met at Loftus in January 2024. Jake White’s side exploded out of the blocks in the Investec Champions Cup pool match, scoring four first-half tries and racking up a 26-14 lead at the break. Captain

Schalk Burger and Jean de Villiers believe Bok lock Eben Etzebeth would have been better off punching Wales flank Alex Mann during their late scuffle in Cardiff. Etzebeth faces a heavy suspension after being shown a straight red card in the 78th minute of the Springboks’ 73-0 demolition of Wales. The TMO found clear contact

How coaches and captains reacted to the 2027 World Cup draw. POOL A: NEW ZEALAND, AUSTRALIA, CHILE, HONG KONG Joe Schmidt (Australia) “It would immediately excite players, all the fans,” said the 60-year-old New Zealander about the All Blacks potentially playing the Wallabies in the tournament opener. “I think it would be a great way

Jean de Villiers says the Springboks have an “extremely difficult draw” for the 2027 World Cup in Australia. The defending champions were grouped with Italy, Georgia and Romania – a pool many fans immediately labelled a free pass to the playoffs. But De Villiers warned that the real danger only begins once the quarter-finals arrive.