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Ackermann flags first-half sloppiness despite Bulls' 56-20 Champions Cup demolition
A comfortable Champions Cup opener for the Bulls, but Ackermann isn't satisfied — his post-match breakdown reveals a deliberate focus on the first-half possession problems that let Stade Français hang around, and explains the rotation thinking that handed two players their full debuts.
Bomb Squad bails out Stormers after wasteful display against Bristol's babies
The Stormers' 49-12 win flatters them — Bristol's inexperience and the Springbok-laden bench masked a wasteful, ill-disciplined Stormers performance that could have made the bonus point a real scramble. The piece analyses where the hosts let themselves down and how Dobson's bench investment ultimately delivered.
Pollard perfect from the tee as Bulls claim eight-try Champions Cup rout
Handré Pollard converted all eight tries as the Bulls launched their Champions Cup campaign with a 56-20 bonus-point victory over Stade Français at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. Wing Cheswill Jooste scored a hat-trick in the Pool Four encounter, crossing after just 20 seconds before completing his treble late on. The Pretoria side ran in eight tries in total to secure maximum points against the French visitors.
Jooste hat-trick and Rudolph magic fire Bulls to 56-20 Champions Cup demolition of Stade
A 56-20 Bulls win doubles as a Springbok talent showcase — Jooste's pace, Hanekom's form, and a Rudolph moment of individual brilliance are the talking points dissected across five takeaways.
Jooste hat-trick leads Bulls to 56-20 demolition of Stade Francais at Loftus
The Bulls crushed Stade Francais 56-20 at Loftus in their Champions Cup Pool Four opener, with Cheswill Jooste scoring a hat-trick and Handre Pollard converting all eight tries in a dominant eight-try performance.
All Blacks close to within 0.82 of Springboks after hammering Wallabies in Sydney
New Zealand's 43-21 win in Sydney cuts their deficit to world-leading South Africa to 0.82 ranking points, while Australia slip to seventh after losing a chance to move into fourth.
Pietersen targets maiden European away win as Sharks open Challenge Cup campaign against Lyon without Springboks
JP Pietersen is targeting the Sharks' first European away win when they face Lyon this weekend in their Challenge Cup opener, without six Springboks who will join the squad ahead of next week's Cardiff clash. Lyon, who beat the Sharks 34-21 in the Challenge Cup Round of 16 earlier this year, come in off a loss to La Rochelle.
Six key duels as SA franchises open their Champions Cup accounts
Louw maps six individual battles across the three SA Champions Cup openers this weekend, arguing the Stormers and Bulls carry real pressure to deliver at home while the Lions play without expectation in La Rochelle. Willemse, Giliomee, and Hanekom are tipped to win their respective duels.
Six key battles as SA franchises open their Champions Cup accounts
Louw previews the SA franchises' Champions Cup openers through six individual match-ups — Willemse, AFM, Giliomee, and Hanekom are all backed to shine, while the Lions' Smith-Hastoy goal-kicking contest shapes up as the key thread in a low-pressure La Rochelle debut.
Mexted: Sititi is a 6, not an 8 — and it matters for the Boks
Mexted argues Sititi's defensive limitations make him a blindside, not a number eight — exposing a real depth problem at the base of the All Blacks scrum that would hurt them against the Boks.
Leyds and Moerat on bench as La Rochelle host Lions
Dillyn Leyds and Salmaan Moerat are named on the La Rochelle bench for their Champions Cup match against the Lions at Stade Marcel-Deflandre on Saturday.
Springboks' ranking lead narrows as All Blacks close to within 1.28 points
New Zealand's 50-19 win over Australia at Eden Park has cut South Africa's World Rugby rankings lead to 1.28 points, with the All Blacks able to reduce that margin further to 0.82 with another big win in Sydney this weekend.
Kitshoff unpacks the Finn Russell bar incident, Ireland's 'arrogance' and why Bok intensity broke him at Ulster
Kitshoff recalls the Paris bar incident with Finn Russell, confirms the 2023 World Cup handshake controversy, and traces the Ireland rivalry's roots to a 2017 pundit clip Erasmus used as motivational fuel — while also offering a frank account of his motivational collapse at Ulster after the intensity of the Bok environment.
Murray Mexted: Springboks series did Rennie a favour by exposing All Blacks' gaps
Mexted argues the 3-1 series loss to the Boks was a necessary education for Rennie — exposing players who can't make the step up from Super Rugby and fast-tracking a squad cull ahead of the World Cup.
Malherbe shows improvement but return timeline remains uncertain
Frans Malherbe has resumed non-contact team training with the Stormers and reports good improvement in his recovery from chronic neck and back injuries, though no decision on his future has been made ahead of what Stormers director of rugby John Dobson expects will be a new-year resolution.
Ackermann explains why this Champions Cup campaign starts from a completely different place
Ackermann explains how a full season working alongside his Bok players — compared to meeting them for the first time in January last year — has transformed the Bulls' Champions Cup preparation, with the Leinster squad-culture model as his benchmark.
Rennie calls out 'crazy' RWC draw as Boks-All Blacks quarter-final looms
Rennie has publicly called out the 2027 RWC draw after it produced a likely Springboks-All Blacks quarter-final clash — the same structural problem that plagued 2023 — and the piece unpacks his frustration alongside his broader focus as he beds in as All Blacks coach ahead of World Cup year.
Money isn't the main reason SA franchises keep flopping in the Champions Cup
De Villiers, Stransky, and Rathbones agree the financial gap isn't SA franchises' biggest Champions Cup problem — poor prioritisation, Springbok availability constraints, and scheduling misalignment carry more blame than the wealth disparity with French and English clubs.
Flament injury leaves Galthié short of locks ahead of Springbok clash
Thibaud Flament has confirmed he needs shoulder surgery and will miss France's entire November Nations Championship campaign, compounding the absence of Toulouse teammate Emmanuel Meafou and leaving Fabien Galthié without his preferred lock pairing for the Springbok clash on November 13.
Rennie: High ball chaos is universal — and the Boks aren't immune
Rennie argues the high-ball vulnerability attributed to the All Blacks is actually a universal problem — one in four balls caught clean by the receiving team — and says even the Boks don't dominate in the air. His tactical counter is deliberate back-tracking to legally contest kicks, and his selection of Moorby over Ioane for the second Bledisloe is directly tied to anticipated aerial conditions.