Gavin Rich pushes back against the dominant 'fetcher' narrative around Stormers flanker Paul de Villiers, arguing that reducing him to a breakdown specialist misses what makes him genuinely exciting. The piece draws on Jake White's famous dismissal of pure fetchers to frame the point: one-dimensional ball scavengers have largely been superseded, and De Villiers represents something more complete. Rich points to his growing effectiveness as a ball carrier — drawing an admittedly hazy comparison to Wahl Bartmann — and flags his tackling as a standout quality that gets underplayed amid the turnover talk. De Villiers' 19 URC turnovers likely caught Erasmus's eye first, but the 23-year-old clearly sees himself as a rounded footballer rather than a set-piece fetching machine, and the piece argues the evidence supports that self-assessment. With De Villiers put up for media duty ahead of the Barbarians match in Gqebeha, Rich reads that as a signal he'll see some Bok action this weekend.
Paul de Villiers is no one-trick fetcher — he's a modern No.6 with a full toolkit
Gavin Rich argues that Paul de Villiers' 19 URC turnovers are just the entry point — his ball-carrying, tackling, and broader game make him a modern No.6 rather than a specialist fetcher, and his squad media duties hint at Barbarians involvement.
- DHL Stormers
- Jake White
- Rassie Erasmus
- Springboks
- United Rugby Championship
- Barbarians
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.
Dobson expects a tight final — and his post-match comments may have already told the Bulls what they need to fix
Dobson's post-match comments double as a scouting report on where the Bulls must improve defensively before facing Leinster, while Rich argues the weekend quietly confirmed SA rugby's growth on the road in knockout rugby.
Van Heerden called into Springbok squad as Moerat ruled out injured
Ruben van Heerden joins the Springbok squad in Johannesburg on Wednesday, replacing the injured Salmaan Moerat ahead of the 20 June clash against the Barbarians in Gqeberha.
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.