Ali Vermaak will make his Boland Cavaliers debut against his former Stormers side when the two teams meet on Sunday in their Currie Cup clash. Blitzbok David Brits also returns to the match-day 23.
Vermaak and Brits boost Boland for Stormers derby
Ex-Stormers prop Ali Vermaak makes his Boland Cavaliers debut against his former side on Sunday, with Blitzbok David Brits also returning to the match 23.
Junior Boks flood in as Currie Cup enters its final quiet weekend before the RGR storm
Rich previews a Currie Cup weekend defined by Junior Bok debuts, mounting injury lists, and the looming shadow of the All Blacks tour — with Yaqeen Ahmed's omission read as a pointer to the Stormers' RGR selection.
Tour game chaos, Yaqeen's probable debut, and what 'best available' actually means
Rich argues the All Blacks tour has exposed serious structural problems: URC clubs are fielding out-of-season sides with no meaningful share of the gate, while contractual 'best available' obligations collide across competitions. He proposes provincial/invitational alternatives and flags Yaqeen Ahmed as the likely Stormers No.10 against the All Blacks.
Tour game chaos, a Yaqeen debut and why the All Blacks visit is structurally broken
Rich argues the All Blacks tour structure is fundamentally broken for South African club sides still in pre-season, proposes provincial/invitational alternatives, unpacks the 'best available' contractual bind facing the Stormers and Bulls, and tips Yaqeen Ahmed to make his senior Stormers debut at flyhalf against New Zealand.
Tour catch-22: Why the franchise games against the All Blacks are set up to disappoint
Gavin Rich identifies a structural catch-22 for the All Black tour franchise games: URC sides must field their best available teams but are three weeks into pre-season, missing all their Boks, and facing a tourists who've played three tests together — conditions that make competitive games nearly impossible and raise real injury risk ahead of the URC season.
The All Black tour catch-22: underdone franchises, star players in Bok camp, and a pricing problem
Gavin Rich argues that the RGR franchise tour games face a near-unsolvable structural problem: Bok players are unavailable, remaining squad members are barely three weeks into pre-season, and ticket prices are already dampening demand — creating a real risk the opening tour fixtures undermine the concept before the Test series even begins.