Vainah Ubisi enters Saturday's historic home Test against the Black Ferns with a very specific score to settle. A knee injury derailed her World Cup build-up last year, and she was reduced to cameo appearances off the bench — including arriving too late to influence the quarter-final loss to the very same New Zealand side she now faces. Back to full fitness in 2025, Ubisi has been in outstanding form: tries against the USA, Fiji (twice), and consistently dominant performances that have reaffirmed her status as the country's premier No.4 lock. She's framing Saturday not just as a Test match but as a personal reckoning — on home soil, in front of a big crowd, against the side that last saw a diminished version of her. The full piece traces her journey from the Limpopo Youth Training Centres to 26 Tests at 23, and captures the mindset of a player who feels the circumstances are finally aligned in her favour.
Ubisi's World Cup frustration fuels Black Ferns redemption mission
Ubisi's 2025 form — tries against the USA and Fiji, dominant lineout presence — sets up a personal redemption arc against the Black Ferns, who last saw her underdone and peripheral at the World Cup quarter-final. She's making clear she intends to meet them on very different terms this time.
The Springboks were NOT letting that trophy go 🏆 | New Zealand v South Africa | Rugby World Cup
A rivalry we all know, and a rivalry we all love 🤩
Kolbe on broken ribs, All Black fans in the family, and why he's finally coming home
Kolbe opens up ahead of the All Blacks Test on the Francois Steyn hit that may have cracked his ribs, his favourite tries, the All Black fans still in his family circle, and why coming home to Cape Town was finally the right call.
From Milnerton High to 100 Bok caps: The Doogz story
Gavin Rich traces De Allende's road to 100 Tests — from soccer-obsessed kid at Milnerton High, through a school politics snub that nearly derailed his rugby career, to two World Cup winners' medals. The piece is rich on the behind-the-scenes figures and formative moments that shaped one of the Boks' most durable centres.
2029 World Cup medal target sharpens Springbok Women's focus on historic Fiji series
The Springbok Women begin a historic first-ever two-Test series in Fiji on Saturday, with assistant coach Franzel September explicitly targeting a 2029 Rugby World Cup medal as the programme's benchmark.
Have You Ever Seen A GREATER Upset?! 🤯 | South Africa v Japan | Rugby World Cup 2015
Take a step back to 2015, where a determined Japan side faced off against a resurgent Springboks at the Rugby World Cup in England. When the two sides took to the field in Brighton, many had already writte off the Brave Blossoms in the face