Malcolm Marx has revealed that his move from blindside flanker to hooker wasn't his own idea — it came as a suggestion passed down from Heyneke Meyer to his King Edward VII School coach during his final matric year. Marx, who had represented the Lions at U18 Craven Week as a back-row forward in 2011, took the punt with a 'nothing to lose' mindset. The transition was far from smooth: lineout throwing from scratch and his first encounter with a scrum machine were brutal realities of front-row life, with John McFarland helping him iron out the technical flaws. The piece is a neat origin story behind the player just voted best hooker in Springbok history by fans — and now the 2025 World Rugby Player of the Year — who might never have pulled on a No. 2 jersey without one well-placed piece of advice.
Heyneke Meyer's schoolboy suggestion that created the world's best hooker
Marx traces his move from flanker to hooker back to a schoolboy suggestion from Heyneke Meyer — a 'nothing to lose' call that eventually produced the 2025 World Rugby Player of the Year.
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.
Springbok Recall! Relive Phepsi Buthelezi's 2025/26 Season
#SharksRugby #PhepsiButhelezi #Springboks
The Barbarians hit-out is a key cog in Rassie's World Cup machine
Nel makes the case that the Barbarians fixture is less about the result and more about Erasmus stress-testing depth, blooding uncapped talent, and keeping the World Cup-winning core fresh — all with 2027 firmly in mind.
Brown confirms post-2027 All Blacks move but eyes World Cup glory with Boks first
Springbok attack coach Tony Brown will join Dave Rennie's All Blacks staff from 2028, but remains committed to helping South Africa win a third successive World Cup title before his departure.
Who steps up at hooker if Marx is seriously hurt?
Marx's playoff injury has exposed South Africa's unresolved hooker depth problem. The piece assesses the full candidate pool — Wessels, Grobbelaar, Van Staden, Venter, Dweba and teenage prospect Mnebelele — and what 2026 might look like as the last real development window before the World Cup.