World Rugby have acknowledged that Kurt-Lee Arendse's yellow card for a deliberate knock-on against England was incorrect. On Whistle Watch, Nigel Owens explained the crux of the call: the test isn't whether a player used one hand, but whether they had a realistic chance of regathering the ball. Both Owens and Jamie Roberts felt Arendse did, and World Rugby's official position backs that view — the TMO should never have escalated it beyond a knock-on. Owens isn't fully letting the officials off the hook though, describing the incident as a genuine grey area and calling for clearer, more consistent guidance on where deliberate knock-on ends and bad luck begins. For a Bok side that had just gone 17-0 up, the sin-binning was a momentum check that, by World Rugby's own admission, shouldn't have happened.
World Rugby concede Arendse yellow card was wrong — but Owens wants the law tightened
World Rugby have conceded the Arendse yellow card against England was wrong — Nigel Owens breaks down the deliberate knock-on law, explains why the TMO shouldn't have intervened, and calls for clearer officiating guidelines to close the grey area.
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.
Nché injury concern headlining Bok casualty list ahead of Scotland clash at Loftus
Rassie Erasmus is sweating over the fitness of Ox Nché, Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth and André Esterhuizen ahead of Saturday's Nations Championship match against Scotland at Loftus, after all four picked up injuries during or before the 45-21 win over England at Ellis Park.
SENSATIONAL Springboks 💥 | South Africa v England | Nations Championship 2026 | Highlights
Watch all the highlights as South Africa took on England at Ellis Park on day one of Nations Championship.
SENSATIONAL Springboks 💥 | South Africa vs. England | Nations Championship 2026 | Highlights
Watch all the highlights as South Africa took on England at Ellis Park on day one of Nations Championship.
The Northampton blueprint: England's altitude cheat code for Ellis Park?
The piece asks whether Northampton and Bristol's recent Loftus wins give England a replicable blueprint for Ellis Park — and with six Saints players likely starting, Borthwick's side may be banking on exactly that altitude formula.