Three tries in the final quarter by South Africa decided a pulsating reprise of the 2023’s breathless Rugby World Cup quarter-final with the 14-man Springboks stunning a Stade de France crowd, thirsting for revenge, with a 32-17 (halftime 13-14) victory to celebrate Siya Kolisi’s 100th Test in style. Replacements Andre Esterhuizen and Grant Williams as well as starting flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu added tries to a first half score by Cobus Reinach to record a ninth win i

The SA Under-19 Academy side will take some valuable lessons on board from their 20-12 defeat against France in their first tour match on Saturday, with Junior Springbok captain Riley Norton saying the players will work hard to make a step-up next week. The match was played in front of a passionate crowd of 8 000 spectators in Châteauroux, where the teams were tied 7-7 after a close-fought first half. France pulled away in the second half and ended up scoring two converted tr

The French U19s beat the SA U19 Academy side by 20-12 (half-time 7-7) in their tour opener played in slippery conditions in Châteauroux on Saturday afternoon, with the visitors playing in fits and starts and making too many unforced errors. Things were understandably scrappy in what was essentially the first steps for the Junior Boks’ “Class of 2026”, as the players didn’t have a lot of time together, coming off a short break after the provincial age-group competitions had en

Mark Alexander, the President of SA Rugby, congratulated Springbok captain Siya Kolisi and head coach Rassie Erasmus on their special milestones in green and gold on Saturday evening in Paris. Kolisi will lead South Africa out against France in his 100th Test, joining eight other Springbok centurions, while Erasmus will be in charge as head coach of the Boks in his 50th Test. Alexander congratulated the Bok duo, who have been at the helm during a golden period for SA Rugby, i

Siya Kolisi said on Friday he was thrilled about becoming the ninth player in Springbok history to earn 100 Test caps and while the Bok captain thanked all the role players in his journey to get him to this point, he said a good performance by the team would make it a memorable occasion for him. Kolisi’s big day coincides with another significant milestone in the team, as Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will guide the side in his 50th Test match as head coach. The match at Sta

FRANCE v SOUTH AFRICA – STADE DE FRANCE – KO 10.10pm (SAST) Referee Angus Gardner (Australia) Test debut: 29 November, 2011 – Papua New Guinea 78-3 Vanuatu Tests as referee: 54 Angus Gardner will take charge of this fixture for the second time but first on French soil, having been in the middle for South Africa’s 35-12 victory in Johannesburg in June 2017. France lost their first four Tests with Gardner as referee, a 23-21 win over Argentina at Rugby World Cup 2019 the first

Laurian Johannes-Haupt. Two former Springbok Women’s players, Laurian Johannes-Haupt and Zenay Jordaan, are in line to complete the World Rugby Level 3 Coaching Course next week in Cape Town, where SA Rugby’s Participation and Development Department will be hosting the second phase of the programme for an array of coaches from South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Zambia and Namibia. The first phase was held in November 2024, with this initiative aiming to significantly incr

Junior Springbok captain Riley Norton will lead an exciting-looking SA Under-19 Academy team against France when the two sides clash on Saturday in Châteauroux, approximately three hours’ drive south of Paris. Norton (lock) will captain a side featuring four more players from the Junior Boks’ World Rugby U20 Championship-winning team in the first of two internationals on their European tour. The tour also includes a match against their Irish counterparts next week in Cork. Th

Siya Kolisi will become the ninth Springbok centurion when he leads South Africa out against France at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday, with Bok coach Rassie Erasmus – who will guide the side in his 50th Test as head coach – making six personnel changes to the side that defeated Japan last week. This massive feat for Kolisi and Erasmus adds to a string of remarkable achievements, which include winning back-to-back Rugby World Cups and Castle Lager Rugby Championship

Springbok Sevens head coach Philip Snyman expressed his satisfaction with the progress of his squad’s HSBC SVNS pre-season preparations on Thursday, as they finished their final condition block before the 2026 season kicks off. The Blitzboks played in a local tournament, the Fast Forward Sevens, in Stellenbosch last weekend and then departed for a team building and culture session in Caledon. They will return to their Stellenbosch Academy of Sport base on Monday, with all foc

As Super Rugby Pacific prepares to celebrate 30 years, all 11 clubs have announced their squads for the 2026 season. Fan favourites will take the field once again, while a new generation of stars will emerge on the Super Rugby Pacific stage. Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley says the 2026 season is shaping up to be a special one. “After a fantastic 2025 season, where the standard of rugby and the connection with fans reached new heights, celebrating 30 years of Super Rugby

The pressure was rising at the captains' photocall for the Men’s Rugby World Cup Final Qualification Tournament on Wednesday in Dubai, and it had nothing to do with the fact that the photo was being taken at the Tattu Dubai Sky Lounge on the 81st floor of the Ciel Hotel in Dubai Marina, the tallest hotel in the world. The reason for the steep uptake in air pressure was the quartet of captains' proximity to the Webb Ellis Cup, a bold reminder of just what is at stake for these

Geordin Hill-Lewis, the Mayor of the City of Cape Town, has called on Capetonians and Western Capers to make it a weekend to remember by attending the must-see HSBC SVNS Cape Town, as the one-month-to-go countdown begins on Thursday. The 16 best sevens teams will descend on Cape Town for the annual HSBC SVNS event, with two days of action-packed rugby, high-class entertainment and more on the schedule at the DHL Stadium. Tickets, from only R250 per person per day, are availab

Always ready with a smile but tough as nails on the field of play, Oliver Reid’s exploits for the successful Junior Springboks have quickly cemented his reputation as one of South Africa’s most promising young front-row talents. Reid’s career trajectory so far has seen him rapidly progress through the national age-group structures and straight into the professional ranks of DHL Western Province and the DHL Stormers, who are both based in Cape Town. Shortly after his exploits

The wait is nearly over for fans of international club rugby across Europe and South Africa, with just one month to go until the return of the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup. The journey to the 2026 Finals in Bilbao begins on Friday 5 December, as the clubs kick off what promises to be another unforgettable season of elite international rugby. The Investec Champions Cup opens under Friday night lights with two blockbuster fixtures: Sale Sharks v Glasgow Warrior

SA Rugby Women’s Player of the Year, Nadine Roos, is amongst the group of 18 players invited to a Springbok Women’s Sevens training camp in Pretoria, where the squad will step-up preparations for the Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens championship in Nairobi, Kenya on 15 and 16 November. Cecil Afrika, who has been part of the coaching set-up since 2023, will travel with the team as coach in place of Renfred Dazel, who is assisting Blitzbok head coach Philip Snyman in the 2025/26 HSB

Springbok No 8 Japer Wiese expected the Boks to face an emotionally charged French side at Stade de France on Saturday but said he and his teammates are up for the challenge and looking forward to it. The scars of the Boks’ 29-28 victory over Les Bleus in the 2023 Rugby World Cup are still showing clearly in the French capital and Wiese said the Boks had to be at their best to get the desired result. “I think they are still carrying a lot of hurt, and as you can see, they hav

Springbok lock Lood de Jager and flyhalf Manie Libbok on Tuesday said they are expecting a massive battle against France on Saturday and admitted that although the hype surrounding the game was intense due to the Boks knocking Les Bleus out of the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final, their main focus was on trying to deliver a quality performance in Paris. The Test at the Stade de France kicks off at 10.10pm and will be broadcast live on the Grandstand and the SS Rugby channel

Junior Springbok coach Kevin Foote was very pleased with the SA Under-19 Academy side’s tough workout against their French counterparts late Monday afternoon at the French Rugby Federation’s High-Performance centre in Marcoussis near Paris, where they are based during the French leg of their European tour. The two sides are gearing up to face each other in an international friendly at Châteauroux on Saturday. Both teams got a good taste of what’s to come when they had a serie

Springbok assistant coach Felix Jones was calm and collected on Monday ahead of Saturday’s epic clash against France at the Stade de France and dismissed the media hype around the hosts seeking revenge this weekend. Saturday’s Test in Paris will mark the first time the teams meet since the Boks’ dramatic 29-28 victory against Les Bleus in the 2023 Rugby World Cup quarter-final at the same venue. Jones admitted that while there may be extra attention on this match following Fr