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De Bruin steps down as Springbok Women head coach after World Cup quarter-final run
Swys de Bruin has stepped down as Springbok Women head coach after two years, during which the team reached their first World Cup quarter-final and broke into the World Rugby top 10. Assistants Franzel September and Laurian Johannes-Haupt take over as co-head coaches for the WXV Global Series.
De Bruin departs as Springbok Women co-head coaches step up for WXV campaign
Swys de Bruin has left his role as Springbok Women head coach, with assistants Franzel September and Laurian Johannes-Haupt appointed co-head coaches as the team heads into WXV Global Series Tests against Wales, Italy, Spain and Ireland. De Bruin's tenure included the Springbok Women's best-ever World Cup result — a quarterfinal appearance in England — and a first-ever top-10 World Rugby ranking.
De Allende singles out Barrett as the toughest centre he's faced
De Allende ranks Jordie Barrett above every centre he's faced in a 12-year Test career — including Nonu, Conrad Smith and SBW — and credits their Greatest Rivalry clashes with sharpening his own game.
De Allende singles out Jordie Barrett as standout opponent of 102-Test career
Damian de Allende has identified Jordie Barrett as the most impressive centre he has faced in 12 years of international rugby. The 34-year-old, speaking ahead of the fourth Test against New Zealand in Baltimore, praised Barrett's all-round skill set after three consecutive encounters in South Africa. De Allende's assessment comes despite having faced midfield greats including Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith and Sonny Bill Williams early in his career.
Etzebeth: All Blacks series tougher than World Cup knockout rugby
Record Springbok cap holder Eben Etzebeth has described the four-Test Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand as the toughest challenge in modern rugby, surpassing even World Cup knockout football in difficulty. The veteran lock credited the coaching staff and squad unity for overturning a 0-1 deficit to secure a 2-1 lead heading into Saturday's Baltimore decider, drawing parallels with previous comebacks against the British and Irish Lions and during both recent World Cup campaigns.
De Allende singles out Jordie Barrett as the rival who's made him think hardest
De Allende names Jordie Barrett as the standout opponent of the series, explains the defensive prep behind the Boks' 2-1 lead, and makes his case for why the Baltimore decider sells rugby better than any brochure could.
Etzebeth on 'brutal' four-week All Blacks gauntlet and who gets credit for the series turnaround
Etzebeth credits the coaching staff and the squad's battle-hardened mentality for flipping a 0-1 series deficit into a 2-1 lead, framing the Boks' recurring habit of losing openers before grinding back as a defining trait of the Erasmus era rather than a recurring crisis.
Alexander pays tribute to De Bruin as September and Haupt take over Springbok Women
Mark Alexander has thanked Swys de Bruin for his two-year tenure as Springbok Women head coach, during which the team reached the World Cup quarter-finals and cracked the world top 10 for the first time. Assistants Franzel September and Laurian Johannes Haupt take over as co-head coaches ahead of the WXV Global Series.
12 missing from the 2023 final — and you barely noticed
A dozen players from the 2023 World Cup final are no longer in the Bok setup — and most fans barely noticed. Nel's piece maps who's gone and why, and argues that Erasmus's high-volume squad rotation has quietly completed a generational transition without a dip in results.
Etzebeth: Four Tests Against the All Blacks Is Harder to Win Than a World Cup
Etzebeth argues that winning a four-Test series against the All Blacks is harder than a World Cup — and draws on the Boks' history of bouncing back under pressure to explain why he backs them to close it out in Baltimore.
12 gone from the 2023 final — and you barely noticed
Twelve players from the 2023 World Cup final are absent from the current RGR squad, yet the Boks haven't skipped a beat — Nel tracks where each has gone and argues the silent squad overhaul is one of Erasmus's most impressive feats of succession planning ahead of 2027.
Plumtree: SA's prop depth exposes a New Zealand blind spot
Plumtree argues Springbok prop depth is so pronounced that a Wilco Louw clone would start for the All Blacks — and uses the Rivalry series to highlight what NZ teams need to learn about making the scrum a genuine weapon.
Baltimore anti-climax, Bok dominance, and a Currie Cup worth watching
Rich argues Baltimore was the wrong venue for the RGR trophy lift, rates Bok dominance as understated by the scorelines, and raises a pointed question about whether Griquas deserve the Cheetahs' Champions Cup spot if they win a second successive Currie Cup.
Roigard flags Bok error-exploitation as All Blacks' key Baltimore problem
Roigard identifies Springbok error-exploitation as the All Blacks' core problem heading into Baltimore — South Africa's kicking and set-piece game feeds directly off opposition mistakes, and the All Blacks made too many in Soweto. He's confident in the squad's growth but knows cleaner execution is non-negotiable in the series decider.
Burger, De Villiers and Shimange slam Roigard's simulation — and call on players to clean up the game
Burger, De Villiers and Shimange dissect the Roigard simulation controversy from the Soweto Test — questioning the referee's call, arguing a yellow card was warranted for an All Black, and calling on players to collectively stamp out the growing culture of gamesmanship in the professional game.
Black Ferns lose co-captain Demant to calf injury ahead of WXV opener against France
Ruahei Demant, the Black Ferns' most experienced player, has been ruled out of their WXV opener against France with a calf injury sustained during Saturday's win over the Springbok Women, with Georgia Ponsonby stepping up as sole captain.
Baltimore anti-climax, Bok dominance, and a Griquas case for Europe
Rich argues the Baltimore finale was a commercially driven mistake that robbed South Africa of the RGR trophy moment it deserved, while making the case that the Boks were more dominant across this series than the scorelines suggest — and raises the question of whether Griquas' potential back-to-back Currie Cup title makes the Cheetahs' Champions Cup berth increasingly hard to justify.
Marshall: Erasmus's minimal changes will force Rennie's hand in Baltimore
Marshall argues Erasmus's near-unchanged selection for Baltimore is both tactically sound and a psychological signal — one that will force Rennie's hand while the Boks look to capitalise on key All Blacks injury absences and close out the series.
Shimange: All Blacks' scrum and maul woes are a coaching failure — and the warning signs were there all tour
Shimange dissects the All Blacks' set-piece mauling in the third Test, arguing it was a preventable coaching failure — the warning signs came from the Stormers and Lions early in the tour, and Rennie's staff didn't adapt. Worth reading for the breakdown of personnel vs coaching accountability.
De Allende singles out Jordie Barrett as the best centre he's faced in 102 Tests
De Allende rates Jordie Barrett above Nonu, Conrad Smith and Sonny Bill Williams as the standout centre he's faced in 102 Tests, while also lifting the lid on how the Bok defensive system is built — 90% prep, 10% instinct, with Kriel as the on-field defensive anchor.