The 2026 Pick n Pay Gold Cup will be remembered not only as a tournament that took club rugby to new heights but also one which offered a tantalising glimpse into the future of the community game in South Africa. This is the view of long-time Northam Platinum Rhinos coach, Flip de Kock, who watched on as an ambitious plan hatched a decade ago finally came to fruition in Durban last Sunday, when the Limpopo-based mining club lifted the iconic trophy for the first time in their

The Hollywoodbets Dolphins are looking to carry their positive momentum into the Super 8 phase of the YesPlay Pro20 Cup when they host Dafabet Boland at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium on Sunday. The Dolphins enjoyed a largely consistent round-robin campaign, despite suffering two defeats and head coach Quinton Friend believes his side is in a good position as the competition enters a crucial new phase. With the standard expected to rise and a place in the semi-finals up for

WXV Global Series SOUTH AFRICA v IRELAND – ATHLONE STADIUM, CAPE TOWN (3PM) The match will be streamed live on RugbyPass TV where no local broadcaster REFEREE NOTES Jess Ling (Australia) Test debut: 1 May, 2022 – Fiji 14-28 Japan Tests as referee: 10 Jess Ling will take charge of this fixture for the second time, having overseen Ireland’s 40-27 victory at this venue last weekend. This is the third time she will referee South Africa this year after taking charge of their 55-

A continuing partnership between Lithuania’s ISM University of Management and Economics and South African organisations is creating opportunities for senior executives to apply their current studies to real business challenges, exchange international perspectives and contribute to organisational development. Led by Dr Audronė Nakrošienė, Associate Professor and Director of ISM’s Executive MBA programme, the initiative brings Executive MBA participants to South Africa for cons

Rugby's biggest global celebration will showcase the game in all its forms in 2027, with the World Wheelchair Rugby Cup set to take centre stage in Brisbane alongside Men's Rugby World Cup 2027. Rugby's biggest global celebration will showcase the game in all its forms in 2027, with the World Wheelchair Rugby Cup set to take centre stage in Brisbane alongside Men's Rugby World Cup 2027. Taking place from 25-29 October 2027 between the Round of 16 and quarterfinals of Men's Ru

The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) Executive Committee (“EXCO”) has unanimously decided that the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (“AFCON”) will return to taking place every two years. The President of CAF Dr Patrice Motsepe announced at the CAF Strategy Conference in Cabo Verde which was held from 7-9 October 2026, that the CAF EXCO would be re-assessing and reconsidering the decision it took last year, for the AFCON to take place every four years. This reassessment an

Nathan Lyon ended South Africa captain Temba Bavuma’s resistance in the middle as Australia closed Day 3 of the third ICC World Test Championship Test in an advantageous position. With a 40-run lead in the second innings, the Proteas are four wickets down in the second innings at the score of 140. The hosts had mounted an impressive display earlier on Day 3, restricting Australia to 429 after they began the day’s play with six wickets in hand and 330 runs on the board. Josh I

SASCOC Acting President Lwandile Simelane. The South African Sports Confederation, Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SASCOC) announced Durban as South Africa's preferred Host City for the proposed 2036/2040 Olympic and Paralympic Games on Thursday. It is a milestone in the country's ambition to bring the world's greatest sporting celebration to African soil for the first time. Addressing the media, SASCOC Acting President Lwandile Simelane said the ambition rests on a simple

The 10bet Lions take on Scottish outfit Glasgow Warriors in Round 5 of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship on Friday. Kick off at the Scotstoun is at 9.45pm (SAst) Following last week’s stumble against Edinburgh, the Johannesburg side go into Friday’s fixture eager to end off a difficult tour on a high before travelling back to South Africa. Head coach Ivan Rooyen, in his team selection, has opted for a new-look front row which sees SJ Kotze (loosehead), Tiaan Lange (hooker

The Hollywoodbets Sharks take on Munster in their third tour match on Saturday and following their EPCR Challenge Cup win over Lyon and Vodacom United Rugby Championship victory over Cardiff, could pull off a remarkable and enviable record on the road this Saturday. For prop Thomas du Toit coming back to the Sharks after a lengthy stint with Bath in the UK, this is the kind of opportunity he relishes. “My experience has been great coming back, the guys have been very welcomin

The Springbok Women will be without Sanelisiwe Charlie for their final Test of the year, while the team’s co-coaches, Laurian Johannes-Haupt and Franzel September, decided to make a number of tweaks to the starting team to face Ireland at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday. The Test is the second against Ireland in the WXV Global Series, with several changes to the side that came up short 40-27 last weekend. Charlie sustained a serious knee injury at training in the wee

South Africa U19 Women head coach Dinesha Devnarain is looking forward to the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup, taking place in Bangladesh and Nepal from 21 January-6 February 2027, following the recent announcement of the tournament schedule and group-stage opponents. South Africa, who hosted the inaugural edition in 2023 and reached the final in 2025, have been drawn in Group B alongside New Zealand, Samoa and Pakistan, whom they faced in a successful Youth T20 International (

The Vodacom Bulls have made 13 changes to their match-day 23 for Saturday’s final home Vodacom United Rugby Championship fixture of 2026 against the Scarlets at Loftus Versfeld. In all, there are eight changes to the starting XV, with coach Johan Ackermann reshaping the line-up following last week's outing. Having been cleared on a disciplinary charge after being cited this week, regular captain Marcell Coetzee will play off the bench. In the backline, Willie le Roux returns

Hollywoodbets Sharks head coach JP Pietersen. Inpho Photography It’s the team that gave JP Pietersen everything and shaped him for the better as a person. Now he is looking to give back to the Hollywoodbets Sharks as head coach. Pietersen made 197 appearances for the Durban-based side over two spells and it was the launchpad for him winning 70 caps for the Springboks, sharing in the 2007 World Cup triumph. Now the former winger is at the coaching helm at King’s Park and doing

The four South African sides participating in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship will be gearing up for big battles this weekend, as the cross-hemisphere competition heads for a break for the Nations Championship next month. The Vodacom Bulls and DHL Stormers will be looking to make the most of their last home games before the Nations Championship break, while the Hollywoodbets Sharks and 10bet Lions will be determined to finish their overseas legs on a high note against q

Matt Renshaw and Cameron Green scored gritty half-centuries in a 126-run third-wicket partnership to stabilize Australia’s batting order in the deciding fixture of the ICC World Test Championship series against South Africa. Replying to South Africa's first-innings total of 329, the visitors were 184 for 2 before Marco Jansen broke through on Day 2 of the Cape Town Test. The pacer first dismissed Renshaw for a hard-fought 74, which also marked Jansen’s 100th wicket in Test cr

African Collaborations Group (ACG) (www.ACGafrica.com), the leading strategic project origination and collaboration platform focused on the industrialisation of sport in Africa through the origination of bankable sport and entertainment district ecosystems, today announced the appointment of Lee Martin to its Advisory Board. Martin has worked as a Senior Advisor to the Executive Committee of Getty Images, one of the world’s leading visual content companies and the official vi

Scarlets' Gareth Anscombe. Inpho Photography It was 12 years ago this week that Gareth Anscombe first arrived in Wales amid a blaze of publicity. He had come over from New Zealand to join Cardiff having been targeted by Warren Gatland after sharing in the Chiefs’ 2013 Super Rugby title triumph, starting at fullback in the final. The Auckland-born Anscombe had represented the land of his birth at U20s level, starring at flyhalf as the Kiwis won the 2011 Junior World Championsh

Ospreys' Sam Parry. Inpho Photography Sam Parry has joined a very select group by scoring his 50th try for the Ospreys. The Welsh international hooker brought up his half century when he touched down during last Saturday’s 31-14 bonus point victory over Dragons RFC at St Helen’s. That saw him join wing legend Shane Williams (57), fullback Dan Evans (52), scrumhalf Rhys Webb (51) and current winger Keelan Giles (51) in the exclusive 50-club. As the first forward to reach the m

The stakes are rising in the YesPlay Pro20 Cup, with the Catch Prize increasing from R2-million to R3-million as the competition enters the Super 8 stage, where eight teams will battle it out for a place in the semi-finals. WSB Eastern Storm and Garden Route Badgers are the only Division 2 teams to progress to the Super 8 stage, earning the opportunity to test themselves against some of the country’s leading domestic sides. With home fixtures on the horizon, both teams are ca

The DHL Stormers team to face Ulster in a Vodacom United Rugby Championship encounter at DHL Stadium on Saturday features 10 changes and one positional switch. The Stormers will be looking to make it four consecutive home wins when they face the Irish outfit at 2.45pm on Saturday. Tickets are available from stormers.co.za. Ruhan Nel returns to lead the side from outside centre and will link up in midfield with Jonathan Roche, who has recovered from concussion. Warrick Gelant,

The Sharks have confirmed that the Club and Bongi Mbonambi have mutually agreed to bring his playing contract to an end with immediate effect. The decision follows constructive discussions between both parties and has been reached on amicable terms. Both parties appreciate the support shown by Sharks supporters and the wider rugby community. Sharks CEO Shaun Bryans said: “Bongi is a Rugby World Cup-winning Springbok whose contribution to South African rugby speaks for itself.

Jayden Schaper. The 10th edition of the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open will be a gathering of former champions at Mont Choisy Le Golf this December, with three past winners looking to make history in this Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned event. South Africa’s Jayden Schaper returns as the defending champion following his thrilling victory last year at La Réserve Golf Links, where he chipped in to beat American Ryan Gerard in a play-off. He will be joined by England’

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus on Wednesday named six uncapped players in a 37-man squad for the second leg of the Nations Championship in November, with Yaqeen Ahmed, Sebastian de Klerk, Luan Giliomee, Markus Muller, Riley Norton and Emmanuel Tshituka all earning their first national call-ups for the Boks’ last four Tests of the season. All six players have been involved in the Springbok set-up before. Ahmed, Giliomee, Muller and Tshituka represented the SA ‘A’ team against

An exciting day of cricket unfolded on the opening day of the third and final Test between Australia and South Africa in Cape Town. South Africa had a brilliant start with the bat but the Aussies turned the tide with the ball, courtesy Mitchell Starc's brilliance with the ball to nab a 20th career Test five-for. Australia suffered a setback ahead of the third and final Test against South Africa, with Steve Smith ruled out of the series decider due to a neck injury. Smith had

Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors remain the only unbeaten teams after four rounds, with the Scottish pair separated by a single point at the top of the table. Edinburgh carry a perfect 4-0 record into Treviso, while Glasgow return to Scotstoun after a dramatic comeback win over Benetton. Round 5 also brings two Shield contests: Connacht host Leinster in Galway and Ospreys welcome Cardiff to St Helen's. In South Africa, DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls look to build on top-four st

This festive season the Hollywoodbets Sharks have a trio of Vodacom United Rugby Championship derby matches lined-up at Hollywoodbets Kings Park against the DHL Stormers, Vodacom Bulls and 10bet Lions. After selling-out early bird tickets within 24 hours of sales opening, the Sharks have opened the upper tier stands for Sharksfest at Hollywoodbets Kings Park after phenomenal demand and are tracking to do so for the match against the DHL Stormers as well. With fans snapping up

Connacht Rugby head coach Stuart Lancaster. Inpho Photography Stuart Lancaster knows Leinster Rugby better than most and is well aware of just how tough it is to beat them. But that’s precisely what he will be aiming to do as he guides Connacht Rugby into what he says will be an “amazing occasion” in Galway this weekend. The former England head coach spent seven years working with the players at Leinster, helping them win four league titles and the Champions Cup. Now he’s at

The Springbok Women may not have been mentioned in two significant updates from World Rugby on Monday but with both, a quiet moment of celebration was shared within the team at their training base in Cape Town. That is according to Springbok Women inside centre Shiniqwa Lamprecht after the side completed another solid training session at the University of Cape Town as they prepare to take on Ireland in the WXV Global Series in what will be their final Test of the year. Lampre

Le Roux Conradie. The fourth Forward Faster Invitational Sevens wrapped up on Sunday at Markötter Fields in Stellenbosch, with Stellenbosch Academy of Sport (SAS), Zelby's Perels and False Bay Primary School lifting the Cup. The South African Sevens Men's side played two exhibition matches against Germany on the opening day, showcasing some of the best players in the Sevens format. In the Seniors' competition, SAS beat Voetspore in the Cup division final while Gel Squad finis

With the CAF Women’s Champions League 2026 edition kicking off on Sunday football fans can now follow the full match schedule of the Competition. The CAF Women’s Champions League will kick-off in Ismaila, in Egypt on 1 November and the Final will be played on 15 November 2026. Eight Clubs have Qualified for the Competition and will be divided into two groups of four. Group A comprises FC Masar (Egypt), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), FUS Rabat (Morocco) and Lekié Football F

The Toyota Cheetahs thank the players leaving the team for their contribution to Free State Rugby and wish them success in the next chapter of their lives and rugby careers. Among those departing is veteran tighthead prop Aranos Coetzee, who has decided to retire from professional rugby. Coetzee reached the remarkable milestone of 150 matches for the Cheetahs earlier this year and will end his career with 169 appearances for the team. Coetzee has been a dependable front-row p

Edinburgh Rugby's Hector Patterson. Inpho Photography Hector Patterson has provided immediate confirmation of just what a coup it has been for Edinburgh Rugby to retain his services. The gifted 21-year-old scrumhalf was reportedly being targeted by English Prem and French Top14 clubs, with the situation complicated by him being qualified for England. But he ended all the speculation last week by signing a contract extension which will keep him at Edinburgh until 2028. He then

The YesPlay Pro20 Cup Super 8s have been confirmed and exciting matchups lie in wait, with eight teams vying for a place in the final four. The eight teams each come into the new stage of the competition carrying the points from their round robin matches against the other three to have qualified from their pool, meaning they will only take on the other four from the opposite pool. DP World Lions have had a near perfect campaign so far having finished top of Pool B and will be

Cardiff Rugby's Scott Sio. Inpho Photography Scott Sio is hoping his move to Cardiff Rugby will help him achieve his dream of playing in a third World Cup. The Sydney-born prop was the first choice loosehead for Australia in the 2015 and 2019 tournaments, starting 10 matches in all, including the 2015 final at Twickenham. Now he is looking to represent Samoa in next year’s World Cup, which ironically enough is being held Down Under. With that in mind, he knows he needs to be

An AI filmmaking programme for African creators opens today in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and South Africa. Applications are live at (https://AkunaLearning.com). Akuna Learning, from The Akuna Group, chaired by Sir Idris Elba, today opened applications for From Script to Screen with AI, a free programme that equips eligible African creators to tell stories on screen leveraging artificial intelligence. Delivered in collaboration with Google and supported by $1-million

As Africa’s oil and gas sector continues to invest in digitalisation and operational resilience, proven industrial automation technologies are becoming increasingly critical to improving safety, efficiency and regulatory compliance. A successful deployment in Nigeria has demonstrated how a partnership between South Africa’s Adroit Technologies (https://AdroitSCADA.com/) and Nigeria-based Aril Technologies (https://ArilTechnologies.com/ ) is helping operators achieve these obj

England captain Harry Kane has won the 2026 Ballon d'Or at the 70th edition of the prestigious awards. The Three Lions striker and joint all-time appearance maker enjoyed a goal-laden season with Bayern Munich and England, scoring 73 times in 65 games – 61 of which came for his club and 12 for his country. He becomes just the fifth Englishman to win the award, after Sir Stanley Matthews (1956), Sir Bobby Charlton (1966), Kevin Keegan (1978 and 1979) and Michael Owen (2001). T

The league phase of the 2026/27 UEFA Women's Champions League continues on Wednesday and Thursday with the third set of matches. Here we preview the action and highlight the key storylines and players to look out for, including Barcelona seeking to maintain the only perfect record and the chasing pack attempting to keep pace. The 18 teams compete over six league phase matchdays, with the top four progressing directly to the quarter-finals and the sides finishing between fifth

The Springbok Women may not have been mentioned in two significant updates from World Rugby on Monday, but with both, a quiet moment of celebration was shared within the team at their training base in Cape Town. In the first update, it was confirmed that South Africa had moved up to ninth spot on the world rankings, their best position ever, a year after they first broke into the top 10. That reflects on the stellar year enjoyed by the team in 2026, with eight wins in 12 Test

Betway SA20 has appointed leading event ticketing platform, Fever, the world’s leading tech platform for discovering culture and live entertainment, as the official ticketing partner for the League. With fans at the heart of the Betway SA20 experience, this appointment brings enterprise-grade ticketing technology and global expertise to the League. Fever will power online and on-site ticket sales and provide dedicated customer support, helping fans buy and manage tickets for

Eight outstanding players from six nations have been shortlisted in recognition of their exceptional performances and impact throughout the international season, reflecting the depth of talent and growing competitiveness of the women's game. The winners of both awards will be revealed this weekend, with trophies presented following the players' final WXV Global Series matches. The announcement also marks the opening of the fan vote for the IRPA Women's 15s Try of the Year 202

Gerald Coetzee is all set to return to the longest format of the game after almost two years, as he replaces Anrich Nortje in the South Africa side for the final match of the ongoing ICC World Test Championship 2025/27 series against Australia. The remainder of the side is the same as the one that featured in the brilliant innings win in Gqeberha. Coetzee made his debut against West Indies at Centurion in February 2023, taking three wickets and last appeared in November 2024,

Telkom will be the new official sponsor of the South African PGA Championship, reinstating one of the most iconic sponsorships in the history of South Africa’s second-oldest professional tournament. This new era of the Telkom PGA Championship will tee off at Country Club Johannesburg from 5-8 November, with a prize fund of R2.5 million and a celebration of a championship that has a list of former champions including Major winners and world number ones such as Gary Player, Ern

The Vodacom Bulls will face the Fidelity ADT Lions in the final of the SA Rugby U20 Cup (Saturday 1.15pm) after they beat the Hollywoodbets Sharks GEN and DHL Stomers Bolts, respectively, in their semi-final clashes over the weekend. The Bulls, who finished top of the regular league season, recorded a convincing 45-12 victory over the Sharks GEN in Pretoria on Saturday, while the Lions booked their spot in the final after defeating the Stormers Bolts 38-18 in Johannesburg on

Branden Grace. South Africa’s Branden Grace has an accomplished career in the game, and now he’s chasing one of the rare achievements in international golf – winning all four of the current Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned tournaments. Grace has already won the three played in South Africa. Now he wants to make a clean sweep of this and add the fourth – the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open – and will make his debut here at Mont Choisy Le Golf from 10-13 December. “I’m

Kimi Antonelli kept his composure to triumph at the United States Grand Prix and take another step towards clinching the Drivers’ Championship, edging out Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen in a strategic race. The Italian’s superb opening lap combined with Verstappen’s poor start to give him an early lead, which he held onto through an inspired one-stop strategy to secure his ninth Grand Prix victory of the season. While many of his rivals stopped twice, Antonelli delivered

Darryn Fortuin nailed a 77th minute long-range penalty to give Northam Platinum Rhinos a nail-biting 22-20 victory over C. Steinweg College Rovers in a nail-biting 2026 Pick n Pay Gold Cup Final at KP3 at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban on Sunday afternoon. Fortuin’s clutch kick handed Rhinos their first national title, a full decade after their 2016 tournament debut ended winless. For Rovers, who staged a great comeback to lead 20-19 with just three minutes left on the cl

Deon Germishuys. Tyrone Winfield/Sunshine Tour For a man who isn’t fond of play-offs, Deon Germishuys certainly looked at home in one as he pulled off an incredible shot to win the Stella Artois Players Championship at Glendower Golf Club on Sunday. Germishuys and Cole Stevens finished regulation play tied for the lead on 19-under par. Stevens led going into the final round, while Germishuys was five shots behind him. Germishuys surged through the field with a final round of

Munster Rugby on the attack against Leinster Rugby in the Aviva Stadium. Inpho Photography Leinster Rugby skipper Dan Sheehan has revealed how it needed a half-time “reality check” to secure a “massive win” over archrivals Munster Rugby at the Aviva Stadium in the URC on Saturday night. Reigning champions Leinster were trailing 13-5 at the break but turned the big Irish interpro derby around to secure a 24-18 bonus point victory in front of a 37 193 crowd in Dublin. Ireland h