Nick Mallett has flagged Stormers scrumhalf Imad Khan as a player worth watching closely after stepping up impressively when Cobus Reinach's MCL injury handed him the starting jersey. Khan started the Stormers' final two regular-season games, their quarter-final win over Cardiff and the semi-final against Leinster — and it was that Leinster performance that caught Mallett's eye, particularly a crucial last-ditch tackle on Sam Prendergast near the line that he felt showed real defensive aggression and composure. Khan has since been included in Erasmus's extended 51-man training squad. Mallett also uses the selection as a springboard to praise the broader Erasmus squad-building philosophy — the argument being that the oversized training groups aren't just depth management, but deliberate acclimatisation: get young players into the international environment early so that when they're called on in two or three years' time, the setting isn't new to them. He points to the absence of injury-driven panic this season as proof the system is working.
Mallett backs Imad Khan as a genuine Bok bolter
Mallett singles out Imad Khan — who stepped in for the injured Reinach and impressed against Leinster — as a credible Bok bolter, while crediting Erasmus's large squad culture as deliberate long-term environment-building rather than mere depth cover.
What Bordeaux's Champions Cup demolition of Leinster means for SA's URC finals hopes
Rich uses Bordeaux's physical demolition of Leinster as a lens on SA's URC finals prospects — arguing the Stormers cost themselves and their SA counterparts dearly by failing to secure second place, while flagging a scrumhalf depth problem that extends beyond the URC and straight into Erasmus's Bok planning.
Springbok Recall! Relive Phepsi Buthelezi's 2025/26 Season
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Buthelezi and Sadie called up as Springbok camp gets under way in Johannesburg
Phepsi Buthelezi and Carlu Sadie have joined the Springbok camp in Johannesburg, with the Stormers players also reporting in after their URC semifinal in Ireland. The squad for the Nations Championship will be announced on 21 June.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu ankle injury puts Rugby Nations Championship opener in doubt
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will miss at least the first three rounds of the Rugby Nations Championship after injuring his ankle in the Stormers' URC quarterfinal win over Cardiff, adding to a growing list of Springbok halfback concerns that already includes Cobus Reinach's knee injury.
Syndesmosis injury could keep Feinberg-Mngomezulu out for three months
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu faces a three-month absence after suffering a syndesmosis injury in the Stormers' URC quarter-final win over Cardiff, potentially ruling him out of the Nations Championship Tests and part of the All Blacks series.