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1,139 items · Springboks
Kolisi's England warning: 'If we don't pitch up, we're going to be in trouble'
Kolisi's pre-match presser doubles as a tactical warning: the 2023 World Cup semi-final taught the Boks that England will punish any lapse in execution, and he's not letting home advantage or rankings paper over that lesson.
Kolisi and Stick warn Boks: England will arrive charged up for Ellis Park opener
Kolisi and Stick have urged the Springboks not to underestimate England ahead of Saturday's Nations Championship opener at Ellis Park, highlighting England's backline threat, set-piece strength and the lessons of the 2023 World Cup semi-final as reasons to expect a fierce contest.
Kolisi: 'When the nerves go, that's when it's time to stop'
Kolisi reflects on why his pre-match nerves haven't dimmed in eight years as Bok captain — and explains how distributed leadership, not individual authority, has become the Springboks' defining pressure-management tool.
Springboks pushed World Rugby to tighten maul laws — and Ireland will feel it most
Jackman traces the maul law directive back to South African lobbying and argues Ireland — whose system relied on the defensive grey areas now being closed — will be most disadvantaged, while the Boks stand to gain most from a change that should make corner kicks far more dangerous.
Kitshoff sees Hanekom as du Toit cover, not Kolisi successor
Kitshoff argues Hanekom's clearest Bok pathway isn't at 8 or as Kolisi's heir, but as du Toit's cover at blindside — with World Cup load management likely to open that door.
Skinstad: The target on the Boks' back is exactly what they need
Skinstad argues the Boks' unprecedented 2025 schedule — Nations Championship, a four-Test All Blacks tour, and a northern hemisphere leg — is less a burden than a perfectly timed pressure-cooker ahead of France 2027, one Erasmus will use to blood and harden his next generation of trusted senior players.
George: England aren't at Ellis Park just to make up the numbers
George insists England's altitude preparation is genuine and that a chastened post-Six Nations squad is here to win, not participate — but the 2018 Ellis Park collapse looms large over their claims.
Kitshoff: Pollard's dip in form doesn't define what he brings when it matters
Kitshoff argues Pollard's URC form slump is noise — his Bok big-game record, Paris included, makes him still the Iceman. The piece also previews what both Kitshoff and Tim Cocker see as a near World Cup final-strength Springbok squad lining up against England.
Jonny May: England must bully the bullies at Ellis Park
Jonny May argues England's best weapon against the Boks has always been matching their physical aggression and getting under their skin — and says they'll need to find that edge again at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Libbok arrives in Springbok camp fresh and confident after Japan stint
Manie Libbok returns to the Springboks physically fresh and as Japan Rugby League One Division Two's leading points scorer, having accumulated 165 points in 14 matches for the Kintetsu Liners, with former Wallaby Will Genia noting the stint also developed Libbok into a stronger on-field leader.
Borthwick backs Pollock to thrive despite expected Springbok attention at Ellis Park
England coach Steve Borthwick has dismissed concerns that the Springboks will successfully neutralise Henry Pollock when the 21-year-old loose forward takes the field at Ellis Park on Saturday. Named on the bench for the Test, Pollock has been targeted by opposition sides throughout European rugby this season, yet continues to shine.
Borthwick warns Boks: Pollock thrives when teams try to shut him down
Borthwick says Pollock thrives when teams try to neutralise him — and he's built England's bench strategy around that quality for Saturday's Ellis Park Test.
Blunt England's emotion early — and the Boks win comfortably
Rich argues the Boks win if they do what Erasmus's teams always do — strangle momentum at source. England's threat is real but narrow: forward emotion led by a fit-again George Martin. The talent gap is decisive if the Boks don't allow the game to become an arm-wrestle.
Blunt the emotion early, and the Boks should win comfortably
Rich argues the Boks are clear favourites on personnel and home conditions, but warns that England's capacity to front them physically and emotionally — as they did in Paris — makes blunting that early momentum the Boks' critical first task.
Nche eyes scrum battle as Genge's World Cup wounds reopen
Nche anticipates a heavyweight scrum battle fuelled by Genge's lingering pain from the 2023 semi-final penalty, while also flagging a more dynamic England backline as a genuine threat at Ellis Park.
Boks by 15: Can England's backline pace offset Ellis Park's power deficit?
Rugby365 tips South Africa by 15 at Ellis Park, arguing England's backline pace isn't enough to offset Springbok set-piece dominance, altitude, and big-match composure. The Libbok-Fin Smith duel is flagged as the key tactical battle, with Feyi-Waboso and Pollock as England's best hope of disruption.
Pollock hysteria is the Lomu trap all over again — and Borthwick knows it
Rich uses the Lomu precedent to warn that Pollock hysteria could backfire the same way — creating space elsewhere — while arguing that South Africa's Pom-bashing headlines are handing Borthwick exactly the motivation fuel he needs.
SA Rugby pushes back on 'erroneous' ticket sales reports ahead of Springboks v England
SA Rugby has formally rejected reports that only 21,000 tickets were sold for Saturday's Springboks v England Nations Championship Test at Ellis Park, calling the claims 'erroneous and misinformed' while reaffirming its target of reaching 91% capacity. The match also sees Rassie Erasmus equal Jake White's record of 54 Tests as Springbok head coach.
Why Ellis Park Is a Fortress England Cannot Storm
A detailed breakdown of where Saturday's Ellis Park test will be won and lost — the scrum, the aerial battle, Libbok under pressure, and England's narrow lineout opportunity — concluding in a 42-17 Bok prediction.
Libbok's Ellis Park redemption arc — and why Erasmus is backing him anyway
Libbok gets his Ellis Park shot at redemption with Erasmus backing his attacking instincts to suit England's likely game plan — but the kicking question and a dominant Bok scrum setup are the real analytical threads in this preview.