Gavin Rich profiles the Barbarians squad taking on the Springboks in Gqeberha on Saturday — and the headline is that this is a side built more on flair and unpredictability than collective star power. Perenara captains a genuinely multinational mix spanning 11 countries, with the backline carrying most of the marquee names: Kellaway, Nankivell, Van der Merwe, Albornoz and the Fiji Drua's Vakatawa. Up front, the pack is relatively unheralded beyond Pumas flanker Petti, which means creating usable ball against a Springbok forward unit will be the real test. Rich singles out Gelant as the archetypal Barbarian — a player whose counter-attacking instincts have sometimes cost him Test caps but make him perfect for this context — and flags Samoan No 8 Miracle Fai'ilagi and Fijian finisher Samusamuvodre off the bench as wildcards worth watching. Robertson's message is simple: express yourselves against the world champions.
Perenara's Barbarians: X-factor over pedigree ahead of Gqeberha clash
Rich breaks down a Barbarians squad built on X-factor rather than depth, with a flair-heavy backline and an underdog forward pack facing a stern Springbok examination in Gqeberha.
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.
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.
Contepomi: Boks have cracked the balance — and that's what makes them dangerous
Contepomi argues the Boks' real danger lies in their evolving balance between forward dominance and expansive attack — and flags sustained possession as the best way to exploit their defence.
Janse van Rensburg at the top of England's centre pecking order — and what it means for the Boks
Borthwick's centre headache has a new frontrunner: Janse van Rensburg is rated the likely starter at 12 for England's Tests against Fiji and Argentina, though he's ineligible for the opener against the Springboks. The piece ranks all options at 12 and 13, with Freeman locked in outside and Slade unlucky to be on the fringes.
England should steal Rassie's two-squad playbook for their impossible summer schedule
Nick Easter argues England must adopt Rassie's split-squad model to survive a brutal summer window, and backs it up with a detailed first-choice XV for Ellis Park — with Fiji, not South Africa, flagged as the most dangerous fixture.