Planet Rugby's global flanker rankings put Pieter-Steph du Toit at the summit, arguing he is the engine the Springbok system is built on — a player who has been world-class at lock, blindside and openside and whose consistency over 80 minutes is what makes the Bok bench strategy viable. The piece goes further, floating him as arguably the greatest Springbok of the professional era. Ardie Savea sits second, with Tadhg Beirne third. The Springbok presence doesn't stop at the top — Kolisi comes in at ten, with the piece making the case that his value lies precisely in what doesn't show up on a stat sheet: the work rate, the contact decision-making, and the cultural pull that brings a squad up with him. The rankings also spotlight Jack Willis's ongoing England frustration, Charles Ollivon's extraordinary try-scoring rate for a back-five forward, and Fraser McReight as the one Australian forward who'd walk into most other Test squads on merit. For Bok supporters, the du Toit argument alone is worth the read — the piece builds a case that goes well beyond the two World Rugby Player of the Year awards.
Du Toit leads Planet Rugby's top 10 flankers — and it's not particularly close
Planet Rugby ranks du Toit the world's best flanker — and arguably the greatest Springbok of the professional era — with Kolisi also featuring and the piece making a compelling statistical and contextual case for both.
Nché injury concern headlining Bok casualty list ahead of Scotland clash at Loftus
Rassie Erasmus is sweating over the fitness of Ox Nché, Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and André Esterhuizen ahead of Saturday's Nations Championship match against Scotland at Loftus, after all four picked up injuries during or before the 45-21 win over England at Ellis Park.
Boks remain top but All Blacks close gap to 2.90 points after Nations Championship opener
South Africa stay top of the World Rugby Men's Rankings at 93.94 points but New Zealand have cut the gap to 2.90 after beating France, while Scotland climb to equal their all-time high of fifth following a record 47-38 win over Argentina in Córdoba.
Boks' Ellis Park demolition of England reveals genuine depth — and sharp halftime adaptability
Cardinelli argues the Ellis Park rout matters less for the scoreline than for what it revealed: a Bok group capable of genuine halftime tactical adjustment — the quality conspicuously absent in the 2025 Wallabies loss — while operating well short of their first-choice squad. The piece weighs what the win tells us about depth, Libbok's revival, and the fringe players who will matter when the All Blacks series rotation bites.
Erasmus warns Boks: England bring youth, experience and tactical unpredictability to Ellis Park
Rassie Erasmus has praised England's touring squad as young, experienced and tactically unpredictable ahead of the Nations Championship opener at Ellis Park on 4 July, while Siya Kolisi returns as captain for a fixture that marked his first Test captaincy in 2018.
Kolisi treats Barbarians clash as a full Test match ahead of Gqeberha opener
Siya Kolisi insists the Springboks are treating Saturday's Barbarians clash in Gqeberha as a full Test match, with internal competition, positional battles and the season opener's importance all cited as the camp's driving forces.