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Bulls and Stormers have no excuse — this is the weekend to go big in Europe
Both the Bulls and Stormers open the Champions Cup at home with their full Bok squads available — a first. The piece argues this is the most favourable launchpad SA teams have ever had in Europe, and that squandering it would repeat a familiar, self-inflicted pattern of under-prioritising the competition once they've qualified.
Marshall rates Wilson above Wiese as world's best No.8 — where does that leave the Boks?
Marshall ranks Wilson above Wiese as the world's best No.8, but his reasoning — lower involvement in a deeper Bok forward pack — raises questions about how fairly Wiese's impact is being measured.
Louw backs hip-drop law changes — and warns Bulls face a set-piece battle against Stade Français
Louw endorses the new hip-drop tackle laws from personal experience, admits he's still working back to peak form post-injury, and previews a set-piece-heavy Champions Cup opener against Stade Français at Loftus.
Rennie's November offensive: the Boks' scrum and maul dominance is in the crosshairs again
Rennie is heading to November's World Rugby meeting intent on pushing scrum simplification and maul restrictions — changes that would directly undercut the Springboks' structural strengths. The piece dissects the political dynamics behind what's being framed as a law-improvement drive but reads more like a second attempt by the All Blacks camp to reshape the game after losing the argument at the Shape of the Game conference.
Crisis management or depth on display? Stormers' loose-forward headache has a silver lining
Dobson calls it a loose-forward crisis, and the injury list backs him up — but fielding a fully Bok back row while key men are sidelined makes the Stormers' depth hard to argue with. The bigger structural concern may be at lock, where departures and Dixon's concussion absence are quietly thinning the options.
Rennie's November offensive: The All Blacks want to reshape rugby's laws — and the Boks are in the crosshairs
Rennie is heading to November's World Rugby meeting with a hit list — scrums, mauls, and the broader setpiece dominance that currently favours the Boks and France. Nel unpacks the political and ideological battle lines forming ahead of what could be a significant moment for how the game is shaped.
Dobson: SA rugby can't afford to walk away from Europe — so the Stormers are going all out to prove it
Dobson believes the Stormers' Champions Cup campaign carries stakes beyond the trophy — with real uncertainty lingering about SA's long-term EPCR participation, he sees winning, or at least a semifinal run, as the most credible argument for staying in. The piece also digs into why the competition still hasn't fully captured the SA public and what Dobson is doing about it.
Dobson: Stormers must win to keep SA's Champions Cup future secure
Dobson believes SA's Champions Cup participation is not as secure as SARU's public statements suggest, and that a deep Stormers run is the most effective way to settle the debate. The piece covers his team announcement strategy, the fan familiarity gap with EPCR opponents, and his wider case for why South African rugby cannot afford to walk away from the top table of club rugby.
Crisis? What crisis? Stormers' loose-forward depth tells a different story
Despite genuine injury disruption at loose forward, the Stormers can still field an all-Bok back row for their Champions Cup opener — Rich's piece examines how deep the squad really runs, and where the vulnerabilities actually lie.
Mbonambi's disciplinary saga is exactly what the Sharks needed
The Mbonambi disciplinary process is framed as a defining moment for the Sharks' culture rebuild under Pietersen — the piece argues it's a necessary, deliberate line in the sand rather than an overreaction, and that real structural change in Durban depends on exactly this kind of precedent being set.
Stormers and Bulls mean business in the Champions Cup
Joubert makes the case that the Stormers and Bulls are showing genuine Champions Cup-winning intent — and could be the first SA side to claim European club rugby's biggest prize.
Dayimani's Bok case is building — but Dobson wants a full innings, not just flashes
Dayimani's explosive URC start has Bok selectors paying attention, but Dobson argues the real test is whether he can sustain it across a full season — something he's never done before.
Barrett: Bledisloe win a step forward, but Springbok hurt lingers
Barrett frames the Bledisloe blowout as early remediation of the gaps the Springboks exposed — particularly in the kicking game and forward dominance — with an eye firmly on building World Cup-cycle consistency.
Dobson's four-week blueprint for Stormers' Champions Cup campaign
Dobson has a granular week-by-week plan for managing Bok availability across Champions Cup and URC commitments — this piece details exactly when he'll use them, when he'll rest them, and what the Stormers' realistic window for a deep Euro run looks like.
When Springboks go to 'hawe' against Springboks
A Stormers pushover try against Nche and Du Toit becomes a lens for examining how Daan Human's Bok training culture means South African front-rowers are uniquely equipped — and uniquely motivated — to destroy each other on domestic duty.
The cricketer who almost wasn't a Springbok: Riley Norton's road from U19 cricket caps to Stormers lock
Norton opens up on choosing rugby over cricket, how Craven Week launched his career, and what it felt like to step into the Springbok environment earlier than he ever expected.
Only Springboks can take Springboks 'hawe toe'
The Stormers' pushover try against Nche and Du Toit wasn't just a derby moment — it was proof that Daan Human's national scrum programme has created a closed loop where only Springboks can take Springboks 'hawe toe'.
Jeff Wilson: Wallabies were lulled into false security by a rotated Bok side
Jeff Wilson argues Australia's win over a rotated Bok side gave them a false read on their own readiness, while the All Blacks' bruising series against the full-strength Springboks left them better calibrated and battle-hardened for Eden Park.
Dayimani as Kwagga's understudy — the case for bringing him into the Bok fold now
Cardinelli makes the case for bringing Dayimani into the November Bok touring squad as a contingency for the Kwagga Smith role, pointing to his improved physicality and hybrid utility as reasons Erasmus should assess him now rather than risk a last-minute scramble in 2027.
Sacha back to his best, Hanekom a force, and Van den Berg's moment of madness
Feinberg-Mngomezulu's return to form, Hanekom's dominance for the Bulls, and Van den Berg's yellow-card brainfart are the talking points from a South African derby weekend that handed the Bok coaching staff plenty to smile about — and a few scrum selections to reconsider.