Eben Etzebeth, who will extend his record as the most capped Springbok of all time when he earns his 146th Test cap in Baltimore on Saturday, said this match is crucial for the team and that they would give everything for the full 80 minutes to win the series. The Boks are currently two-one up in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, presented by Castle Double Malt, meaning victory this weekend over the All Blacks would seal the trophy for the team, while a defeat would see the series en

World Rugby has confirmed the qualification pathway for rugby sevens at the LA28 Olympic Games, with 12 men’s and 12 women’s teams set to compete for Olympic glory. A total of 24 teams will compete at LA28, with each qualified National Olympic Committee (NOC) able to select a delegation of 12 players per team. As hosts, USA will receive an automatic quota place in both the men’s and women’s competitions. The race for Olympic qualification will begin during the HSBC SVNS 2027

Teams have landed in Hong Kong ahead of the opening round of the three-week WXV Global Series Challenger presented by Mitsubishi Electric at the Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground. Excitement is mounting as Fiji, Hong Kong China, the Netherlands, Samoa, Spain and Brazil prepare to go head-to-head in the three-week WXV Global Series Challenger 2026 tournament at Kai Tak Youth Sports Ground in Hong Kong. The Challenger tournament – part of the evolving WXV Global Series presented by M

Ruben Groenewald. Vodacom Bulls The intensity of the Vodacom Bulls’ training session in Stellenbosch this week ahead of their pre-season friendly against the DHL Stormers on Friday is exactly what young flyhalf Ruben Groenewald was looking for. Having been pulled up to the Vodacom United Rugby Championship squad by coach Johan Ackermann for Friday’s encounter in Paarl at the Faure Street Stadium, Groenewald was given a taste this week of what to expect in this new phase of hi

World Rugby has announced the remaining five modern greats that will join Joel Stransky and Zinzan Brooke in being inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame over the coming months as the class of 2026. Abdelatif Benazzi (France), Jen Crawford (USA), Sue Day (England), Diego Dominguez (Italy) and Rochelle Martin (New Zealand) will take the number of inductees to 182 since the Hall of Fame began in 2006. Joel Stransky (South Africa) and Zinzan Brooke (New Zealand) were the fir

Springbok No 8 Jasper Wiese hoped that the Boks could put up a good performance for the American public when they clash with the All Blacks in Baltimore on Saturday, to showcase what rugby has to offer in the USA, where the 2031 Rugby World Cup will be hosted. The Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series finale takes place at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on Saturday and Wiese said a victory for the Boks – should they pull it through to lift the trophy – would be a

Rugby and Hollywood might seem worlds apart, but several movie stars have a strong connection to the sport. Here’s a look at five stars who have graced both the rugby field and the silver screen. With the All Blacks heading to Baltimore for the final Test of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry against South Africa this weekend, rugby is taking centre stage in the United States once again. And while rugby and Hollywood might seem worlds apart, the sport has some surprising connections to

The race for top honours in the SA Rugby U20 Cup intensified in round six as the Vodacom Bulls U20 and DHL Stormers Bolts both secured valuable away victories over the past weekend to place them at the top of the league standings. The young Bulls produced an impressive attacking display to beat the Toyota Cheetahs U20 45-28 in Bloemfontein, while the Bolts overturned a 10-point half-time deficit to defeat the Leopards U20 in Potchefstroom. The Bulls U20 led 17-14 at half-time

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus on Monday made only two changes to his starting team that defeated the All Blacks in Johannesburg for the Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series decider in Baltimore on Saturday, with Damian Willemse replacing the injured Cheslin Kolbe at fullback, and scrumhalf Morne van den Berg being drafted into the starting team. Given the team’s brave performances in the last two matches to take a 2-1 lead in the four-Test series, the Bok coach

As we conclude the inaugural edition of the Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry on home soil, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to every South African who supported this world class series. Over these past weeks, we once again demonstrated the true spirit of our nation. With guests travelling from all corners of the world to experience this historic event, you showed them the warmth, generosity and unity that define us as a people. Your embrace of our visitors re

Vodacom Bulls coach Johan Ackermann has a simple wish list ahead of Friday’s pre-season derby against archrivals the DHL Stormers in Paarl and top of it is not a scoreline. “It’s not that we want to go out there and damage each other,” Ackermann said, only half joking about a fixture that rarely needs extra needle. “First and foremost, hopefully getting through 80 minutes with no injuries, that would be the top priority.” Beyond survival, Ackermann wants answers. “Second, see

A delighted Rassie Erasmus shrugged off suggestions that his team had clinched a series victory over New Zealand following Saturday’s win at the FNB Stadium in Soweto. The Boks defeated New Zealand 29-24 in front of a fanatic crowd of 86 000 in Johannesburg to take a two-one lead in the series. Hours later, the two sides boarded the same plane to the USA, touching down in Baltimore on Sunday afternoon. Should the Boks win Saturday’s Test at the M&T Bank Stadium, they will cli

Suzuki Griquas and Airlink Pumas will contest the 2026 Carling Currie Cup Premier Division final on Saturday in Kimberley after they won their respective semi-finals against the Fidelity ADT Lions and Toyota Cheetahs respectively on Sunday afternoon. In the first of two Sunday afternoon playoff games, the Griquas delivered a ruthless seven-try masterclass to overpower the Lions 52-12 in their clash in Kimberley. That was followed by a titanic battle in Bloemfontein, where the

A delighted Rassie Erasmus shrugged off suggestions that his team had clinched a series victory over New Zealand following Saturday’s win at the FNB Stadium in Soweto. The 29-24 victory gave the Springboks a 2-1 lead in the Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour, with one Test remaining in Baltimore, USA on Saturday. “I know a lot of people said that this is the series here in South Africa but it is not – we’ve played three games here and we’re one up but the final

The Springboks ended more than a decade of hurt by beating the All Blacks 29-24 (half-time 12-12) at the third attempt at the FNB Stadium in front of an ecstatic crowd of 85 967 to take a 2-1 series lead in the third Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test in Soweto on Saturday. The Boks produced their most compelling rugby of the year as second half tries from Jesse Kriel and Malcolm Marx – to add to first half scores from Kurt-Lee Arendse and a penalty try – plus t

Scoring four tries against the second ranked team in women’s rugby and holding sway for large parts of their Test against the Black Ferns have left the Springbok Women coaches feeling positive about their progress in 2026. Laurian Johannes- Haupt and Franzel September, the team’s co-head coaches, expressed satisfaction with the Bok Women’s performance against the six-time Rugby World Cup champions despite a 52-20 defeat at FNB Stadium on Saturday. “I think we have established

New Zealand’s Black Ferns won their one-off Test against the Springbok Women by 52-20 (half-time 24-10) in windy conditions at the FNB Stadium on Saturday afternoon, underlining their experience and class with a strong performance against a South African team that gave their all but didn’t have enough in their arsenal to topple the Kiwis. While the South Africans preferred route one through the middle, playing with power, the Kiwis’ pace, skills and tactical awareness were si

The Fidelity ADT Lions return to Kimberely on Sunday, this time for a semi-final date with the Suzuki Griquas as the Carling Currie Cup reaches its conclusion with only the final remaining after this weekend’s knockout games. In their last visit to the Diamond City almost a month ago, the Joburgers went down 31-19 in Round 4 of the competition but Sunday presents a different challenge for head coach Mziwakhe Nkosi’s next generation of Lions. “It’s going to require us to roll

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said facing the All Blacks at the FNB Stadium, a stone’s throw from Soweto – which played a big part in shaping the history of South Africa – on Saturday would serve as additional inspiration when the Boks take the field a few hours after the Springbok Women and Black Ferns clash on a momentous day at the same venue. The sides are currently level on one win apiece in the four-Test Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Gre

The Springbok Women are determined to continue with their upward movement into the upper echelons of the women’s game when they take on the Black Ferns of New Zealand in a once-off Test at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg on Saturday. That view was voiced by the team leadership after they completed their preparations for this match – a double header with the Springboks and All Blacks playing later in the afternoon – at St John’s College with the traditional captain’s run. Bok Wome