Every story on the wire.
3,153 items
Jalibert leads, SFM cracks the top 3, and three Boks make Planet Rugby's fly-half rankings
Planet Rugby ranks Jalibert #1, with SFM, Pollard, and Libbok all featuring — making South Africa the most represented nation in a list that doubles as a 2027 World Cup 10 debate.
Erasmus's bench reshuffle could be his most powerful Bomb Squad yet
De Koning argues that Erasmus's bench for Cape Town — built around Du Toit, Fourie, and De Jager — is the most powerful Bomb Squad of the year, a direct response to the scrum implosion at Ellis Park where younger replacements couldn't hold the set-piece together.
Rope-a-Dope in Joburg: How New Zealand Absorbed the Boks' Dominance and Stole Ellis Park
The Boks Office panel argues South Africa's game plan was right but 23-plus unforced errors, three pivotal moments — Holland's charge-down, a disputed scrum penalty, and a yellow card to 13 men — handed New Zealand a win the stats suggest the Boks should never have lost by 17.
Erasmus wants a proper send-off for PSDT and Ox's milestones
Erasmus has flagged the PSDT and Nché milestones as motivation for a more fitting team performance after the Boks failed to do de Allende's 100th cap justice.
Matfield: The scoreline lied — Boks dominated, just didn't finish
Matfield argues the 33-16 scoreline was misleading — the Boks dominated territory and set piece but couldn't convert, and a single scrum penalty flipped the pressure dynamic irreversibly. He sees no evidence New Zealand can back that performance up across the series.
Planet Rugby's top 10 fly-halves: Three Boks make the list, Jalibert leads all
Planet Rugby rank the world's top 10 fly-halves, with three Boks in the mix — Feinberg-Mngomezulu (3rd), Libbok (7th) and Pollard (9th) — while Jalibert tops the list and Finn Russell makes a strong case at two.
Erasmus wants milestone moments done right for PSDT and Ox
Erasmus has flagged the du Toit and Nche milestones as motivation after the flat note that accompanied De Allende's 100th cap — the piece digs into his thinking ahead of Saturday.
Mallett identifies 'dagger' moment as Bomb Squad fails to deliver at Ellis Park
Former Springbok head coach Nick Mallett has dissected the 33-16 defeat to New Zealand, highlighting the failure of the famed Bomb Squad to swing momentum as a critical turning point. While South Africa's starting front row dominated early, the replacements could not maintain that advantage, and ill-discipline in the second half allowed the All Blacks to pull away with five tries to one.
Emergency button pressed: Erasmus bets on experience to save the series
Erasmus has hit the 'emergency button' — recalling veterans including a 39-year-old Fourie and leaning on Pollard for wet Cape Town conditions — to avoid going 0-2 in the series, with the youth transition experiment temporarily parked.
Rennie is the real deal — and Rassie knows it
Rich argues Rennie belongs in the Henry-Hansen coaching lineage — experienced beyond NZ borders, technically sharp, and universally backed at home. His tactical dismantling of the Boks in Johannesburg, isolating Williams to disrupt Erasmus's game plan, is presented as evidence this is a genuine All Black resurgence rather than a one-off. The scrum caveat aside, the piece frames Saturday's Cape Town test as a serious coaching contest.
Mo'unga's comeback and Lions' full strength make Ellis Park must-watch
Gavin Rich argues Tuesday's Lions match is the one midweek RGR fixture with genuine competitive credibility — the Lions are near full strength, further into pre-season, and have been training against the Boks. Beyond the contest itself, the game carries structural weight: future franchise involvement in RGR tours may depend on whether any club side can topple the All Blacks. Mo'unga's return adds a subplot worth watching.
Lions carry SA's honour into Ellis Park — and have every reason to deliver
The Lions enter Tuesday's Ellis Park clash as South African rugby's best remaining chance to land a meaningful blow on the All Black tourists — and with a near full-strength squad, their pre-season timing, and a URC campaign on the horizon, the incentives are stacked to deliver.
Horn and Venter released as Lions seek to break All Blacks' unbeaten tour run
The Emirates Lions will field three Springboks when they face New Zealand at Ellis Park on Tuesday night, with Quan Horn and Boan Venter released from national duty to bolster the squad. Francke Horn captains a side aiming to become the first South African franchise to defeat the All Blacks during Rugby's Greatest Rivalry tour, after the Stormers, Sharks and Bulls all fell short in previous fixtures.
Lions offer the All Blacks their stiffest midweek test — and Mo'unga his comeback moment
Rich argues the Lions are meaningfully better-placed than any other franchise on this tour — fuller squad, deeper pre-season, Bok training partners — making Tuesday's game a genuine contest rather than another exhibition. The structural stakes are real too: SARU is already considering replacing clubs with invitation teams for future midweek RGR fixtures. Mo'unga's comeback adds the Kiwi subplot.
Erasmus explains Pollard selection as injuries force hand in Cape Town
Rassie Erasmus has revealed that Handré Pollard's experience and familiarity with Cape Town conditions tipped the balance in the Springbok No 10 selection for Saturday's second Test against Australia. The head coach admitted his matchday 23 is not the side he envisaged fielding, with injuries to Cheslin Kolbe and Grant Williams forcing changes alongside a response to the Ellis Park defeat.
Erasmus admits forced hand in Cape Town changes as Pollard gets nod over Libbok
Erasmus admits the Cape Town squad is not what he planned, with three injury-forced changes among six, Pollard starting at 10 ahead of Libbok due to wet conditions and Kolbe's absence, and the coach accepting personal responsibility for tactical errors at Ellis Park.
SA Women 'A' fall to Brazil 34-12 in Sao Paulo opener
The SA Women 'A' side lost 34-12 to Brazil in Sao Paulo on Monday in the first of two tour matches, trailing 24-12 at halftime after a competitive first half in which Emihle Mayitshe and Hayley Hardneck scored. The teams meet again on 29 August.
Hlekani: Lions must be clinical where the Boks weren't
Hlekani flags 22m conversion rate as the Lions' key edge to find against the All Blacks — using the Boks' wastefulness as a cautionary benchmark.
Erasmus recalls Kolisi and Pollard as Boks reshuffle after Ellis Park defeat
Rassie Erasmus has made eight changes to the Springbok match-day 23 for Saturday's second Test against the All Blacks in Cape Town, with Siya Kolisi and Handré Pollard among the returning World Cup winners. The overhaul follows the 16-33 loss at Ellis Park and sees Pieter-Steph du Toit set to earn his 100th cap at his home stadium. The selections suggest the head coach has shelved rotation plans as the series reaches a critical juncture.
Erasmus admits Bomb Squad experiment backfired in Ellis Park defeat
Rassie Erasmus has accepted responsibility for the Springboks' 33-16 defeat to New Zealand in the opening Test of the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series, conceding that his bench strategy misfired for the first time in years. The director of rugby acknowledged that Kurt-Lee Arendse's head injury forced a backline reshuffle that disrupted South Africa's attacking flow, with Andre Esterhuizen pressed into midfield duty rather than his intended impact role. Erasmus has overhauled the bench for the second Test, retaining only Gerhard Steenekamp and Esterhuizen from the original replacements.