Louw's Round 3 Currie Cup review spotlights two performances worth watching for Bok-watchers: Luan Giliomee and Markus Muller both delivered in the Stormers-Sharks coastal derby, with Muller scoring on debut and Giliomee showing composure well beyond his experience level. Both are already on Erasmus's radar — Muller through the first alignment camp, Giliomee via the SA 'A' setup — which makes their Currie Cup form directly relevant to the wider Bok conversation. On the flip side, the Bulls XV are in genuine trouble: three losses, a -67 points difference, and no narrow-margin excuses — they've been beaten convincingly by Boland, Griquas, and the Lions. Louw also notes a bright spot off the field, with 14,300 fans at the Stormers-Sharks game offering a genuine sign of life for the competition's pulling power.
Round 3 Hits & Misses: Young guns shine, Bulls in crisis
Giliomee and Muller impressed in the Stormers-Sharks derby with both already on Bok radar, while the Bulls XV are in freefall at the bottom of the table after three heavy defeats.
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.
Dobson: Kolbe returning to win trophies, not to wind down
John Dobson says Cheslin Kolbe has made a major financial sacrifice to return to the Stormers, motivated by winning trophies rather than winding down his career, while warning the franchise is close to its limit on high-profile signings.
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.
The Lekker Rugby Pod: Has the URC Forged a Genuine SA-Ireland Rivalry?
Pat McCarry argues the URC has given the SA-Ireland rugby rivalry genuine club-level roots, with MVA predicting a Bulls-Stormers final at Loftus and McCarry warning the Lions and Connacht are the teams no one wants to face in the playoffs.
Keo & Zels: Why South Africa is the best
As two Saffa coaches prepare for battle in the Investec Champions Cup semi-finals, a trio of teenage sensations are lighting it up for SA teams.