World Rugby and Gilbert announced on Monday the unveiling of the official match ball design for the Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 in Australia, alongside confirmation of a landmark extension to their long-standing partnership through to 2033. Under the agreement, Gilbert will remain the Official Ball Supplier for all World Rugby 15s competitions and Rugby World Cups, ensuring that the men’s and women’s tournaments in Australia (2027 & 2029) and the USA (2031 & 2033) will all be

The EPCR Challenge Cup returns this coming weekend for what promises to be a landmark 30th season, with action kicking off from 5 to 7 December. Clubs from France, England, Wales, Georgia, South Africa, Italy and Ireland will begin their pursuit of glory as the road to the 2026 Finals in Bilbao officially begins. The season opener will set the tone in emphatic fashion. On Friday Ulster Rugby host Racing 92 at the Affidea Stadium, as two European powerhouses prepare to bring a

The overnight flight from Dubai to Cape Town was more than enough time for the Blitzboks to reflect on their fifth place finish at the Emirates Dubai 7s tournament and upon arrival in the Mother City this morning, Springbok Sevens sweeper Ricardo Duarttee was ready for another bite at the cherry. That cherry will be the HSBC SVNS Cape Town, the second tournament of the 2026 HSBC SVNS, to be played at DHL Stadium on Saturday and Sunday. “We regrouped on Sunday already after th

Mark Alexander, President of SA Rugby, paid tribute to former Springbok wing Hendrik Jacobus “Hennie” van Zyl, who passed away on Monday morning at the age of 89. At the time of his passing, Van Zyl – who was born on 31 January 1936 near Ventersdorp – was the second oldest living Springbok, after Frik du Preez, who celebrated his 90th birthday on 28 November. Van Zyl, who made his debut against New Zealand in Johannesburg on 5 June 1960 at the age of 24, was a wing with speed

The Springbok Sevens will face Dubai champions New Zealand, as well as Fiji and Great Britain on the opening day of the HSBC SVNS Cape Town on Saturday as the pool draw was confirmed following last weekend’s action in the desert. The first pool match kicks off at 10am on Saturday when the women’s teams of Japan and Canada go head-to-head, and the action will conclude shortly before 8pm. The Blitzboks’ three pool games are scheduled for 12.44pm (Fiji), 4pm (New Zealand) and 7.

The Springboks were congratulated by Mark Alexander, the President of SA Rugby, on Monday for an outstanding 2025 season, which included the successful defence of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship title, as well as a second successive unbeaten Castle Lager Outgoing Tour to Europe. The Boks won 12 out of 14 Tests during the year, equalling the record for the most tries in a season with 81 (set in 2007 in a 17-Test programme) for a record average of 5.78 tries per Test. “On b

The Springbok Women's Sevens ‘A’ side will return from Dubai on Monday more mature, more experienced and with their coach Cecil Afrika, a happy man. The South Africans lost out on any silverware when they were defeated by Brazil in the semi-finals of the International Invitational tournament – which was eventually won by Australia ‘A’ – but they improved game by game, something Afrika was very pleased about afterwards. “We started a bit slow on day one to be honest but as the

It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Springbok Sevens head coach Philip Snyman after the Blitzboks’ fifth-place finish at the Emirates Dubai 7s on Sunday but he admitted that they did not perform to their own expectations. After dropping out of the title race on Saturday, the Blitzboks outplayed Great Britain 34-0 and Spain 21-12 for a strong finish on Sunday at The Sevens and Snyman said that there were some positives from the HSBC SVNS opener, despite their disappointing openin

Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach was thrilled about earning his 50th Test cap in the Boks’ big victory over Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday, which wrapped up their second consecutive unbeaten Castle Lager Outgoing Tour, describing the milestone as a “privilege” and “something I’ll always be grateful for”. It took Reinach more than 11 years to achieve this special career milestone after making his debut in 2014 and the Bok scrumhalf made no secret of

DHL Stormers celebrate first win at Thomond Park. Inpho Photography There is now just one unbeaten team left in the United Rugby Championship with the DHL Stormers having taken the spoils in an epic top-of-of-the-table clash with Munster Rugby. Both teams had won their opening five league matches, so something had to give at Limerick’s Thomond Park. It looked as though Munster were going to capitalise on home advantage when they led 21-6 at half-time after running in three tr

The DHL Stormers consolidated their spot at the top of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship log after they pulled off a stunning comeback win over Munster in Limerick, the Lions beat the Vodacom Bulls in a Jukskei Derby in Pretoria and the Hollywoodbets Sharks’ struggled continue as they fell to Connacht in Galway. Playing with renewed energy after the international break, the Lions outplayed their Gauteng neighbours by 43-33 at Loftus Versfeld, with only a late flurry of tr

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus lauded his team for a “clinical performance”, paving the way for an emphatic victory against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday, which saw the Boks complete the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour with a clean sweep of victories for the second year in a row. The 73-0 victory marked the Springboks’ 13th out of 15 matches this season for a win record of 86.7% and it also marked the most points scored under Erasmus’ guidance against Wa

The Springbok Sevens team’s love affair with the Emirates Dubai 7s seems to be on the rocks after the 11-time champions crashed out of the play-offs for a second consecutive year with Pool A defeats to Fiji and Argentina of the HSBC SVNS opener on Saturday. The Blitzboks started well by defeating France 15-12 in their opener, but successive defeats to Fiji (28-10) and Argentina (19-14) reduced them to also rans in the new format which clearly does not reward average. They wil

The Springboks finished the 2025 season in style with a 73-0 demolition of Wales in Cardiff, where they pulled away in the second half of the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour Test after leading by 28-0 at the break. With their pack again laying a superb foundation, the Boks simply had too much firepower for the Welsh, and scored 11 tries in the Test. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored two tries and added nine conversions for a personal haul of 28 points but unfortunately Eben Etzebet

The Springbok Women's Sevens ‘A’ built on their good start at the Emirates Dubai 7s on Saturday, maintaining their unbeaten record and qualifying for the International Invitational semi-finals. The South Africans outplayed Poland 19-12 and then drew with Ireland Invitational 17-17 to stay undefeated after two wins on day one. They will meet Brazil at 1pm (SAST) on Sunday in one of the semi-finals, while Australia 'A' and Ireland Invitational will clash in the other. In their

Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick and captain Siya Kolisi said the Boks are determined to finish their season on a high note when they line up against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday, although both stressed that they would not make the mistake of underestimating their hosts. Should the Boks win the match, it will mark the second season in a row that they complete their year-end Castle Lager Outgoing Tour with a clean sweep of wins and even tho

The Springbok Women's Sevens ‘A’ made a good start at the International Invitational tournament, which is part of the Emirates Dubai 7s, winning both their pool matches on Friday. In their first match of the day, the South Africans beat the LV Hammerheads by 12-10 before dismantling Sweden 20-0 in their second clash. They will face Poland and Ireland Invitational on Saturday. It was a slow start against the Hammerheads, with an early yellow card to Leigh Fortuin not helping m

With only one week to go until the opening rounds of the 2025/26 EPCR season, anticipation is reaching fever pitch across Europe and South Africa as players from all 24 Investec Champions Cup clubs looked ahead to the season in London this week. The Investec Champions Cup returns with Round 1 from 5-7 December, with renewed intensity, revived rivalries and world-class talent - and the opening weekend promises to deliver plenty of action from the first whistle. Across both th

Cardiff Rugby's Mason Grady. Inpho Photography Having played just one game in the last year, Mason Grady is straining at the leash to return to action this weekend. He was sidelined for some 10 months after suffering serious ankle damage while on duty for Wales against Fiji in last season’s autumn internationals. Then, on his comeback for Cardiff Rugby in September’s friendly versus Richmond, he sustained a shoulder injury which required further surgery and another lay-off. I

Vodacom United Rugby Championship action returns this week after a month-long international break with the Hollywoodbets Sharks taking on Connacht in Galway, Ireland, on Saturday evening. With the Springboks taking on Wales earlier, the Sharks have had to make do without most of their internationals, although the bench is boosted by the inclusion of Grant Williams who has been released from national duty. There is also a new face, with Suzuki Griquas stalwart George Whitehead