Junior Springbok head coach Kevin Foote paid tribute to his team's resilience, depth and unbreakable bond after South Africa were crowned Junior World Championship winners following a hard-fought victory over France in Tbilisi on Saturday evening. The SA U20s defeated France 16-5 after leading 6-0 at the halfway mark of this enthralling championship decider to successfully defend the title they won last year in Italy. The Junior Boks overcame fierce French resistance in a pul

Yaqeen Ahmed scored 11 points as the Junior Springboks beat the France U20 side 16-5 (half-time 6-0) in the final of the Junior World Championship Tbilisi on Saturday evening to successfully defend their world title. A powerful set-piece display, a flawless goal-kicking performance and a determined defensive showing contributed to the Junior Boks' victory at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium on Saturday night. Kevin Foote's charges became the first South African U20 side in history

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus turned his thoughts to the next assignment against Argentina in two weeks’ time after giving the Springboks a pass mark from a 43-0 (half-time 19-0) victory over Wales in a Nations Championship match in Durban on Saturday. Erasmus said a squad of 26 would be sent to South America while a group of 15 or 16 players remained behind with some coaches to prepare for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry against New Zealand in August and September. “To get 43 poin

The Springboks outplayed Wales 43-0 in their Nations Championship match in Durban on Saturday, scoring seven tries in the process and notching up an 11th consecutive win, while also keeping their clean slate in the new global competition, something that was never in doubt after they held a 19-0 lead at the break, despite not firing on all cylinders. The Boks will be the first to admit that they played in bursts but when they did get it right, it was beautiful to watch. They k

SOUTH AFRICA v WALES @ HOLLYWOODBETS KINGS PARK, DURBAN – KO 5.40PM (SAST) ON SATURDAY REFEREE Andrew Brace (Ireland) Test debut: 10 June 2017 – Canada 0-13 Georgia Tests as referee: 41 Andrew Brace will referee this fixture for the second time, having been in the middle for South Africa’s 52-16 victory in a RWC 2023 warm-up match in Cardiff. South Africa have a W6, L1 record with Brace in the middle, their only defeat coming at the hands of England, 27-26 in the 2021 Autumn

The DHL Stormers XXIII claimed a last-gasp 25-19 win against defending champions Suzuki Griquas in their first-ever Carling Currie Cup match at DHL Stadium on Friday night. It was a grandstand finish as a late try sealed a hard-fought win for the Cape Town side, to make a winning start to their campaign. The Stormers XXIII started with real intent and took an early lead through a penalty converted by captain Jean-Luc du Plessis. The visitors converted their first visit to the

The USA U20 Women delivered a strong first half surge (33-0) to eventually outplay the Junior Springbok Women 47-12 at Markotter Stadium in Stellenbosch on Friday. Five first half tries laid the foundation for the win, although the hosts rallied well in the second half but to be fair, they were never in the game after the first 40 minutes. The two teams will meet again at the same venue next Friday, with the SA coaches highlighting their second half effort in order to boost t

Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick and captain Pieter-Steph du Toit on Friday emphasised that they were preparing for their Nations Championship encounter against Wales in Durban on Saturday with the same seriousness and respect with which they approach all Test matches, and predicted a trying encounter. The Springboks may have a good track record against Wales in recent years but both Stick and Du Toit said previous results were insignificant going into this encounter

Versatile loose forward Nama Xaba has been named captain of the Vodacom Bulls XV, which gets their Carling Currie Cup campaign started on Sunday against Boland in Paarl. The squad enjoyed a productive pre-season under coach Phiwe Nomlomo, who believes he has the manpower capable of mounting a serious title challenge for a title the franchise last won in 2021. There is a welcome return for experienced prop Dylan Smith, out for almost a year due to injury, who is back after mon

Sanlam Boland Kavaliers head coach Hawies Fourie stuck with tried and tested combinations in his backline, while lengthy returns from injury for Ashlon Davids and Gift Dlamini see them get the nod in the match-day 23 for the opening round of the Carling Currie Cup. Davids, who has recovered from a knee injury, last played for the Kavaliers in the 2025 Carling Currie Cup semi-final, while Dlamini sustained a serious leg fracture a few weeks prior, in the second-round encounter

The Fidelity ADT Lions will kick off their Carling Currie Cup campaign against the Toyota Cheetahs on Sunday at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein, with head coach Mziwakhe Nkosi setting a clear tone for the season ahead: showcasing the next generation of Lions talent. After reaching the final in two consecutive seasons, the men from Jozi will be determined to take the next step this year and go all the way in one of South African rugby’s most historic competitions. Nkosi has nam

The two front runners in the Pick n Pay Women’s Super League 2 will clash in Potchefstroom on Saturday in round three of the competition when the Leopards Women host the Hollywood Foundation Pumas Women at Olën Park, in what promises to be a humdinger of a match. Elsewhere, AVBOB Griquas Women, who had a bye last weekend, will be looking for their first win against Limpopo Blue Bulls Women in Kimberley, while the Valke Women will fancy their chances in Kempton Park against th

Junior Springbok captain Siphosethu Mnebele and flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed have lauded the team’s environment and work ethic on the eve of their Junior World Championship final against France Under-20 on Saturday evening in Tsbilisi. The final – in which the Junior Boks will aim to defend the title they won last year against New Zealand in Italy – kicks off at 6.30pm (SAST) and will be broadcast live on SuperSport. For Mnebelele, the message on the eve of the JWC decider is simple:

The SA Schools 'A' side left it late but managed to edge SA Schools by 34-33 (half-time 7-21) at Grey High School in Gqeberha on Thursday. SA Schools were in charge for large parts of the annual battle, which was staged at the Kolisi Field at Grey High on Thursday. A late fightback by the 'A' side, however secured the second-stringers the narrowest and most dramatic of wins. SA Schools showed their class in the opening quarter, with fullback Ethan van Biljon and hooker Theo B

Nelson Mandela University student Chuma Isaac will lead the Junior Springbok Women into battle on Friday when they take on the USA Eagles Women U20s in Stellenbosch in the first of two matches. The second encounter will be played next Friday, 24 July, also at Paul Roos Gymnasium’s Markötter Stadium. Isaac, who also represented the SA Under-18 Girls last year when they played their Netherlands counterparts in two encounters at the same venue, will lead a match-23 with two capp

The 'A' side delivered a spirited showing in the early stages of the contest and drew first blood after captain Angel Nxasane scored in the fourth minute. While they struggled to live with the SA Schools team at the scrum, they defended well to limit the opposition's scoring chances. The dam wall eventually broke in the 19th minute, after SA Schools centre Jesse Schoeman ran into space and found wing Anothando Mbada on the edge. Flyhalf Mia Kanka slotted the conversion to edg

Junior Springbok coach Kevin Foote has made three changes to the side that defeated England in the Junior World Championship semi-final for Saturday’s final against France in Tbilisi. The decider at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium kicks off at 6.30pm (SAST) and will be broadcast live on SuperSport. It will also mark the first time South Africa and France have met in the final of the global U20 tournament. The Junior Boks produced a commanding second-half display to overcome Englan

Flyhalf Jean-Luc du Plessis will captain the DHL Stormers XXIII as they play their historic first Carling Currie Cup match against Suzuki Griquas at DHL Stadium on Friday night. The experienced playmaker leads a team with a good blend of youth and experience for the opening round clash with the defending champions, which kicks off at 7.05pm on Friday. There are six players in the matchday squad making their first-ever appearance in the competition. Fullback Dylan Miller, wing

The Carling Currie Cup reaches a crossroads this weekend when the Premier Division kicks off, with the defending champion Suzuki Griquas starting their campaign in Cape Town, while four of the six First Division teams fight it out for a spot in the final. The four Premier Division games are scheduled for Friday and Sunday, while the two First Division semi-finals take place on Saturday. SuperSport will broadcast five of these games live. The first kick-off of the weekend is a

Former Junior Springbok lock Ruben van Heerden was still smiling broadly on Thursday about being entrusted by Bok coach Rassie Erasmus to make his Test debut against Wales, and said he could not wait for the occasion. The Test, which is the Boks’ final home match in the inaugural Nations Championship, kicks off at 5.40pm at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban on Saturday. The towering lock, who carved his path from the SA U18 team to the Junior Springboks between 2015 and 2017