With roughly 35,000 of Ellis Park's 62,000 seats still unsold days out from the England Test, this piece dissects why demand has stalled. SARU's own explanation — citing the Iran war's knock-on effect on consumer spending — raised eyebrows, but the piece argues the pricing structure tells a clearer story: budget seats are gone while tickets in the R950–R3,000 range sit untouched, with hospitality packages starting close to R8,000. Compounding the affordability problem is Ellis Park's broader identity crisis — the Doornfontein precinct's well-documented urban decay and safety concerns have steadily eroded the venue's appeal as a matchday destination. SARU is pointing to the volume of fixtures in Gauteng over the coming weeks as context, and noting that Springboks vs All Blacks is absorbing most of the discretionary spend. The piece raises the uncomfortable question of whether SARU's pricing model is structurally out of step with what South African fans can and will pay.
Half-empty Ellis Park exposes the real cost of Springbok Test rugby
With Ellis Park half-empty ahead of the England Test, Jan de Koning unpacks why — steep ticket pricing, urban decay around the venue, and stretched consumer wallets are doing more damage than SARU's Iran-war explanation suggests.
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.
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.
Smith vows England will 'leave it all out there' against Springboks
Marcus Smith says England's 36-man squad, arriving in Johannesburg on Thursday, are targeting a historic win over the Springboks in the Nations Championship opener, having trained in oxygen masks to prepare for the Highveld.
World Rugby scraps home weighting in first rankings overhaul since 2003
World Rugby will eliminate home weighting from its rankings points calculation from July 1, 2026 — the first major change to the system since its 2003 introduction — citing the surge in Tests played at neutral venues, including the Springboks vs All Blacks Baltimore clash.
Hansen's Right to Back Himself — But the Boks' Five-Match Streak Tells a Different Story
Jean de Villiers acknowledges Hansen's logic but argues last year's results and performances make it hard to see the All Blacks closing the gap on the Boks — and the panel get genuinely animated over what a 2-2 series tiebreaker would even look like.