Sean Jansen scores winning try for Connacht Rugby. Inpho Photography The first United Rugby Championship silverware of the season has been decided with the Fidelity SecureDrive Lions winning the South African Shield. Their trophy triumph was confirmed when their 24-10 victory over the DHL Stormers was followed by the Hollywoodbets Sharks losing 41-12 to the Vodacom Bulls. The Lions won four of their six domestic derbies to finish three points ahead of the Sharks, with the Bul

He prefers warm weather and the sun but for Springbok Sevens playmaker Dewald Human, a return to Vancouver is something he is looking forward to as much as he is to be playing with his regular team members in a competitive HSBC SVNS Series. The 30-year-old will leave Cape Town with the Blitzboks later on Sunday for the first time in 11 months and he admits that he is as excited as he was for his very first trip way back in 2017. “It is great to be back for a number of reasons

The Fidelity Securedrive Lions claimed the SA Shield for the first time in a gripping round of local Vodacom United Rugby Championship derbies on Saturday as they defeated the DHL Stormers in a dramatic match in Johannesburg, while the Vodacom Bulls made a strong statement against the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Pretoria, which saw both Gauteng sides hold onto their spots in the top eight. The Lions stunned the Stormers at Ellis Park as they registered a 24-10 victory despite pla

The Isuzu Bulls Daisies and DHL Western Province retained their unbeaten status in the Pick n Pay Women’s Super League 1 this weekend, while the Golden Lions won their first game of the season but the third round was not kind to the Sanlam Boland Dames, who came up short in Pretoria. The Daisies outplayed Boland with ease in a match that just lasted 48 minutes, before a lightning warning halted play at Loftus Versfeld and the home side 47-8 ahead. Western Province scored a bo

The Stormers were left frustrated as they went down 24-10 against the Lions in their Vodacom URC Origin Round derby in Johannesburg on Saturday. The visitors were held up over the line three times and despite dominating the set-pieces and possession, came away with nothing to show for their efforts. The opening 20 minutes were scoreless as both teams battled to find the killer blow up against some staunch defence. The home side opened the scoring when flank Sibabalwe Mahashe

Round 3 of the FNB Varsity Shield saw FNB WSU stun the UWC Caracals to remain unbeaten while the University of the Witwatersrand delivered a ruthless attacking performance to thrash FNB UKZN at Howard College Stadium. FNB CPUT were equally impressive at home to claiming an emphatic triumph over FNB SPU while FNB Madibaz made it back-to-back wins after defeating their Eastern Cape neighbours FNB UFH at Davidson Stadium. FNB UFH 11-49 FNB Madibaz FNB Madibaz produced a commandi

The Junior Springboks concluded their short tour of Georgia with a 35-5 victory over their hosts on a cold and wet Friday afternoon in Tbilisi, with SA U20 head coach Kevin Foote praising the players’ resilience in the tough conditions. The SA U20s, who won the first game by 35-0 on Sunday, led by 21-0 at the break and scored five tries to one by the Georgian U20s. The tough conditions made handling very difficult, while the South Africans were also guilty of conceding too ma

EPCR, the tournament organiser of the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, has confirmed key dates for the 2026/27 season, with the EPCR Finals Weekend set to take place on Friday 21 and Saturday 22 May in the French sporting capital of Lyon. The Pool Draws will take place on Wednesday 1 July 2026, setting the scene for the Pool Stages that will get underway on Friday 16 October, in a return to an October start. Round 2 will remain in its usual December window. Fren

Springbok Sevens stalwart Impi Visser is back at the helm of the Blitzboks for the HSBC SVNS North American leg, with the regular captain closing in on his 50th world series tournament, while an experienced playmaking trio return with the inclusion of another uncapped player in the squad. The next two world series tournaments are on consecutive weekends in Vancouver (7-8 March) and New York (14-15 March). Whilst the experienced Visser will lead the squad for the final two eve

Global rugby leaders attending World Rugby’s annual Shape of the Game week have committed to driving greater alignment in law and officiating application across competitions, while increasing focus on making the sport clearer and simpler for fans and players alike and generating greater value, together. The clear feedback from stakeholders, including union and competition chief executives, players, coaches, referees, commercial and fan experts, is that the on-field product is

Hooker JJ Kotzé will play his 50th match for the DHL Stormers in the Vodacom URC Origin Round clash with the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday. Following a mid-season break, the Stormers will be back in action, with kick-off at 2.30pm on Saturday at Ellis Park. The 25-year-old Kotzé made his debut against Edinburgh in late 2021 and would go on to start in the Vodacom URC Grand Final that season as the DHL Stormers claimed the inaugural title. He starts alongside props Ntuthuk

The Lions Rugby Company is proud to announce Fidelity SecureDrive as the official team sponsor of the senior rugby team for the remainder of the 2025/26 Vodacom United Rugby Championship season. As part of the partnership, the team will now be known as the Fidelity SecureDrive Lions. The Fidelity SecureDrive logo will appear on the front of the Lions jersey, marking the first appearance of the new branding as the Johannesburg franchise hosts the DHL Stormers at Ellis Park Sta

Cruel as it might sound but come Saturday evening, the race to become the first champion of the rebranded Pick n Pay Women’s Super League 1 could be over for at least three teams after just three rounds of the competition. With only a single round of matches leading into the final, the race to the top two spots on the log already looks fairly settled and defeats to the Border Ladies, Sharks Women and Golden Lions Women will deal their final aspirations a massive blow. All thr

The Vodacom Bulls have shuffled their deck for Saturday’s key Vodacom URC match at Loftus Versfeld against the Hollywoodbets Sharks, introducing several tactical changes to the starting XV compared to the side that faced the Lions last month. The most significant shift occurs in the back three. David Kriel moves from the bench to take over the fullback jersey from Devon Williams. He is joined by a new-look wing pairing with Sebastian de Klerk and Kurt-Lee Arendse starting out

Scott Penny. Inpho Photography As he closes in on his century, try machine Scott Penny will be hoping there are many more appearances for Leinster Rugby to come. The openside flanker is out of contract at the end of the season but is loving his time at the province and his value to the team is readily acknowledged by coach Leo Cullen. Penny will make his 99th appearance for the United Rugby Championship champions when they take on Cardiff Rugby at the Arms Park on Friday nigh

Tom Bowen. Inpho Photography For Tom Bowen, rugby didn’t begin under bright lights or in front of packed stands. It started on a cold, wet Wednesday evening, on a local pitch, surrounded by teammates who were more mates than rivals. “When I think back to where it all started, it was a cold wet Wednesday training on the local rugby pitch,” Bowen says. “Some early childhood memories were made and one which definitely sticks out is winning the cup with Cynon Valley District U11s

Hollywoodbets Sharks wing Edwill van der Merwe admits that his team’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash with the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday is huge in the context of the fight for a top eight finish. “As a team, we’re all disappointed with the result of the game against the Lions and the performance we put out, we know that doesn’t meet our standards, so this week’s preparations have focused collectively on fixing it. “But the week’s prep has been good and we

The pressure on the local Vodacom United Rugby Championship teams will reach new heights this weekend as the competition strikes round 12, and the desperation to be in the top eight, combined with the battle for the SA Shield, set to drive the teams to come out on top in exciting local derbies. The Lions will host the DHL Stormers in Johannesburg at 2.30pm on Saturday, before the Vodacom Bulls take on the Hollywoodbets Sharks in Pretoria at 5pm. Making these matches even more

The official launch of the Nations Championship was the “biggest step forward” for the sport since the advent of professionalism 30 years ago, said Mark Alexander, president of the South African Rugby Union, on Wednesday. The venues for the 42 matches in the 12-nation series – which culminates with a showdown between the best of the south against the best of the north at the Allianz Stadium in London in November – were confirmed this week, underlining a groundbreaking collabo

Vodacom Bulls' Jeandre Rudolph. Inpho Photography He’s been dubbed as something of an unsung hero but Jeandre Rudolph is now starting to get the plaudits he deserves. Less than a year after being on the brink of retirement, the Vodacom Bulls back rower is now firmly established as one of the stand-out performers in the United Rugby Championship. He has won more turnovers than any other player in the competition this season, with his tally of 16 being four more than his neares