Planet Rugby runs through the winners and losers from the Springbok squad named to face England in the Nations Championship opener. On the winners' side, Libbok's inclusion at 10 is framed as an earned opportunity — SFM injured, Pollard out of form — while Zachary Porthen's selection is pitched as generational timing, stepping into a front-row vacancy left by an aging cohort. Etzebeth's return after his 12-week ban (with just one club game back) and Hanekom's recovery from injury to reclaim a bench role also feature positively, as does Reinach's continued form at 36. The losers list is more pointed: Pollard failing to make even the 23 in SFM's absence — with no specialist backup on the bench — reads as a significant vote of no-confidence. Van der Merwe's omission despite four tries against the Barbarians illustrates the brutal depth in the back three, and Grobbelaar loses his Marx backup role to the versatile Wessels and Van Staden hybrid option. The piece is essentially a squad audit ahead of a high-stakes opener, with Pollard's position the thread worth pulling.
Libbok gets his shot, Porthen earns the hype — but Pollard's omission is the real talking point
A squad breakdown for the England Nations Championship opener — Libbok starts at 10, Porthen is tipped for a long future, but Pollard's total omission despite SFM's injury is the headline call worth examining.
Five Boks in Round One Team of the Week as Willemse Claims Player of the Weekend
South Africa dominate Planet Rugby's Round One Team of the Week with five selections, headlined by Willemse's Player of the Weekend on his 50th cap and strong showings from Marx, both Du Toits, Kriel and a debut-making De Villiers.
Quan Horn at 10, Du Toit's return, and an 18-point Bok win predicted — Boks v Barbarians preview
Quan Horn's surprise start at fly-half headlines a Boks v Barbarians preview that also tracks Du Toit's comeback, Kolbe's kicking duties, and whether the Barbarians can make a better fist of it than last year's 54-7 Cape Town hammering. An 18-point Bok win is predicted.
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.
Nations Championship Round 1: Boks set the benchmark, Japan turn heads
Louw's Nations Championship round-one review crowns the Boks as the weekend's benchmark-setters and flags Japan's Italy upset as the competition's first real surprise — while taking aim at the scheduling call that denies Japan a home fixture against Ireland.
Horn at 10, a Stormers-heavy Bomb Squad, and five uncapped faces — five things to know about the Boks' Barbarians selection
Erasmus has named Quan Horn at fly-half — his first professional start at 10 — with Kolbe taking kicking duties, a Stormers-heavy Bomb Squad replacing the usual faces, and five uncapped players handed their moment ahead of the Nations Championship.