United Rugby Championship action returns this weekend following the four week international break. Friday night lights returns to Rodney Parade as Dragons RFC welcome Leinster while Benetton make the trip to Ulster. On Saturday, derby action will see Vodacom Bulls take on the Lions, Zebre Parma host Cardiff Rugby while the only undefeated teams, Munster and DHL Stormers will go head-to-head. Edinburgh Rugby host Ospreys, Hollywoodbets Sharks face Connacht in Galway while Scar

It will be almost four years to the day when a bright-eyed 21-year-old Shilton van Wyk ran onto the pitch at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai, representing the Springbok Sevens for the first time on the international stage. On that day, 30 November 2021, the Saldanha speedster made an immediate impression, scoring a try in each of his first three matches – against Japan, Ireland and Great Britain – and as the saying goes, the rest was history. The Blitzboks won the tournament and

The opportunity to work with world class mentors and coaches in a highly professional and productive environment was a highlight for Springbok Women assistant coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt, who completed the second and final phase of the World Rugby Level 3 Coaching Course earlier this month. Johannes-Haupt became the first woman to successfully complete this highly sought after certification through SA Rugby’s Participation and Development department, a milestone in what has

Springbok scrumhalf Morne van den Berg was adamant on Tuesday that the Boks will not take their challenge against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday lightly and said they expected a massive onslaught from a determined home team in their final game of the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour. Despite Wales being ranked 11th in the world and winning only two of their 10 matches this season, the nippy Bok scrumhalf said they knew what the hosts are capable of after l

The final category of the World Rugby Awards 2025 has been revealed on Tuesday, celebrating the Men’s 15s Dream Team of the Year. This announcement caps off an extraordinary season of international rugby and sets the stage for a new era beginning in 2026, with the launch of the inaugural World Rugby Nations Cup and Nations Championship. Men’s 15s Player of the Year Malcolm Marx is one of six South Africans in the World Rugby Men’s 15s Dream Team at the end of another successf

Six tournament victories out of eight played is no mean feat but for Ryan Oosthuizen, another go at glory at the Emirates Dubai 7s tournament this weekend could not come quick enough. The 2026 HSBC SVNS kicks off this weekend, with The Sevens hosting the opening leg, followed by the HSBC SVNS Cape Town on 6 and 7 December at DHL Stadium (tickets available from Ticketmaster). Upon departure from Cape Town for the season opener, Oosthuizen opted to reflect on the positive exper

Springbok scrum coach Daan Human said he did not believe in the “favourites” tag as the team began their preparations on Monday for their final Test of the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday and said they treated all opposition teams with utmost respect. The Springboks have won 11 out of their 13 Tests so far this season, while Wales have won only two of their 10 games and if Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus’ charges emer

Shiniqwa Lamprecht has been named as captain of the Springbok Women’s Sevens ‘A’ squad, with a distinct developmental feel to it, at the International Invitational tournament of the Emirates Dubai Sevens this weekend. Lamprecht, a Bok Women’s Sevens regular, will lead a side consisting of six members of the recent Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens Cup winners, while Springbok Women 15s representative Faith Tshauke will be amongst those running out at The Sevens Stadium for the firs

A group of 53 girls from 34 high schools in 12 different provincial unions have been invited to SA Rugby’s Under-18 Elite Player Development (EPD) camp for girls, after which the squad will be trimmed down to 26 players that will prepare for two matches against an U18 team from the Netherlands. This ground-breaking development was confirmed by SA Rugby on Monday. The camp will run from 29 November until 6 December at the Delsma Sports Farm in Riebeek Kasteel, after which the

A total of 13 players from the various SA Schools squads named earlier this year have been included in a group of 53 to attend SA Rugby’s U17 Boys Elite Player Development (EPD) camp in the Western Cape. The camp will run from Saturday to 6 December, and will be hosted at at Hoër Landbouskool Boland near Paarl. Diaan Augustyn, Lwandile Mlaba, Jacobus de Villiers, Nathan Aneke, Thabiso Simelane and Lamla Mgedezi all featured for the SA Schools team, while the SA Schools ‘A’ r

The Vodacom Bulls have acquired the services of prolific flyhalf Kade Wolhuter on a loan basis from the Lions, until June 30, 2026. The 24-year-old, who emerged through the Western Province structures as a junior, had played in Johannesburg since October 2023. “I’m super excited,” said the playmaker, who passed his medicals at Loftus Versfeld last week. “My ambition is to get onto the pitch and start contributing, after which I’d like to have a proper tenure at the union.” Bo

Springbok lock RG Snyman was still in awe of reaching the significant career milestone of earning his 50th Test cap in the team’s 24-13 victory against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday night – his home ground for Irish club Leinster – and said it was an occasion he will always remember. The towering lock became the second player on the November tour to achieve a big career feat, with the other being Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, who played his 100th Test against Fran

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus admitted on Saturday that although the Boks’ performance in their victory against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium was not perfect, they were pleased to break their 13-year winning drought in Dublin. The 24-13 victory marked the Springboks’ fourth win in a row on the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour but Erasmus, his skipper Siya Kolisi, and World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year, Malcolm Marx remained humble and gave credit to Ireland for their fighting

The Springboks maintained their winning streak on the 2025 Castle Lager Outgoing Tour when they outplayed Ireland by 24-13 (half-time 19-7) at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday, in a performance that confirmed their No 1 ranking in the rugby world. The victory – their first in Dublin since 2012 – could not have come in a more commanding fashion, with the Springboks’ power too much for the home side, who paid dearly for their reply to the green and gold onslaught with a

Double Rugby World Cup-winning Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx became the fourth South African to be crowned the World Rugby Men’s 15s Player of the Year on Saturday in a historic occasion for South African rugby, with two Boks winning the award back-to-back for the first time in history. Marx’s teammate and fellow nominee Pieter-Steph du Toit became the first South African to scoop the title for the second time in history last year. The 31-year old hooker, who has been a key f

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and Irish-born assistant coach Felix Jones spoke highly of Ireland on Friday as the teams prepare to battle it out at the Aviva Stadium, with the Bok skipper saying they had to be at their best and use all their opportunities if they want to walk away with the result in Dublin on Saturday. Ireland have won two of their last three matches between the teams, dating back to the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France, while South Africa last won a match in D

Eleven players involved in their season-ending HSBC SVNS World Championship victory in Los Angeles in May will be part of the Springbok Sevens squad for the 2026 HSBC SVNS opener in Dubai next weekend, while Blitzbok head coach Philip Snyman added experienced stalwarts Christie Grobbelaar and Donavan Don to his team. Snyman tweaked his leadership group as well, with Impi Visser taking over the captaincy from Selvyn Davids, who will share vice-captain responsibilities with Zai

Springbok Women head coach Swys de Bruin expressed his satisfaction after a wider training squad completed a first alignment camp for the 2026 season in Stellenbosch on Friday. De Bruin said a number of objectives were met as the Springbok Women look towards the next Women’s Rugby World Cup cycle, while he was impressed with a number of new players invited to the camp. “It was great to see the players again that travelled to the World Cup with us, it was very easy to pick up

IRELAND v SOUTH AFRICA – AVIVA STADIUM, DUBLIN – KO 7.40pm (SAST) Referee Matthew Carley (England) Test debut: 8 March, 2014 – Russia 34-18 Portugal Tests as referee: 48 Matthew Carley will take charge of this fixture for the first time. Ireland have won all four previous matches with the English official in the middle, all of them on home soil with their 17-13 defeat of Scotland in the 2024 Guinness Men’s Six Nations the most recent. The smallest victory margin in the oth

The Toyota Cheetahs will make history in the 2025/26 EPCR Challenge Cup as they prepare for their first-ever encounters against Exeter Chiefs, Racing 92 and Stade Français Paris. The team previously faced Ulster Rugby during their participation in the Guinness PRO14 from 2017 until the competition concluded in 2020. The northern tour begins on Sunday, 7 December, when the Cheetahs meet the Chiefs at Sandy Park Stadium in Exeter, kicking off at 7.30pm (SAST). From there, the t