Sports

South Africa’s contenders are ready to launch into the Champions and Challenge Cup this week – here are some highlights for each team during the 2023-24 campaign. The Sharks were the first SA team to clinch a European cup when they beat Gloucester in the Challenge Cup final at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. In the […]

Vodacom Bulls No 8 Mpilo Gumede won’t play again this year after being suspended a red-card incident during the URC win against Connacht in Galway on Saturday. The Bulls beat Connacht 28-14 in round 7 despite losing Gumede to a red card at the end of the third quarter after referee Mike Adamson sent him

Cheslin Kolbe has been shortlisted for the Autumn Nations Series MVP award after the Springboks went unbeaten in November with wins against Scotland, England and Wales. Four players have been nominated for the ‘Player of the Series’ award, Bok dynamo Kolbe pitted against All Blacks flanker and World Rugby ‘breakthrough player of the year’ Wallace

Loose forward Willie Engelbrecht is relishing the opportunity to make an impact in his milestone DHL Stormers appearance against French giants Toulon on Saturday. The 32-year-old is set to earn his 50th cap for the Cape franchise in the Champions Cup round 1 clash at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. He was a key figure in

Former Springbok captain Bob Skinstad says the All Blacks and Wallabies are suffering the consequences of South Africa’s departure from Super Rugby. South Africa pulled out of a long-time Super Rugby partnership with New Zealand and Australia in 2020 and the Vodacom Bulls, Lions, Sharks and DHL Stormers made their Vodacom URC debut in 2021.

Centre David Kriel says the mood in the Vodacom Bulls camp is at an “all-time high” as the Herd steel themselves for tough conditions against Saracens in London on Saturday. The Bulls kick off their Champions Cup campaign at StoneX Stadium, home of English giants Sarries. Jake White’s charges are riding high after a bonus-point

The Lions are set to roar into the 2024-25 Challenge Cup against Ospreys in Swansea on Sunday without a host of stalwarts. As South Africa’s contenders crack their knuckles on the eve of the third European cup campaigns featuring teams from the Republic, the Lions appear to have put their growing experience of the competition

Scrum coach Julian Redelinghuys says the Lions anticipate a massive onslaught at the set-piece in their opening match of the Challenge Cup against the Ospreys in Swansea on Sunday. Redelinghuys is targeting an improvement against Ospreys at scrum-time after an inconsistent performance by the Lions starting pack in a 17-10 URC loss at Munster last

Veteran Ryan Oosthuizen has been ruled out of the Cape Town Sevens, with coach Philip Snyman adding four players to the Blitzbok squad for this weekend’s showpiece. The team assembled in Cape Town on Tuesday without Oosthuizen, who picked up a concussion in Dubai last week. Snyman will only name a replacement for Oosthuizen, who

Bolstered by Springbok experience, hooker Johan Grobbelaar is fired up for the Vodacom Bulls’ Champions Cup opener against Saracens in London on Saturday. “The biggest thing that I learned with the Boks is studying opposition and preparing for games,” said Grobbelaar, who made the third of his Test appearances in South Africa’s 45-12 victory against