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Wessels wants World Rugby to pay schools for players lost overseas
SA Rugby's high-performance GM wants a Fifa-style system where World Rugby compensates local schools and academies for players they develop who are later recruited overseas — the full piece covers his argument.
Du Toit wants to earn his World Cup place — not inherit it
Du Toit opens up about feeling unworthy of his 2019 winner's medal and why 2027 is the World Cup he wants to earn outright — with Bath's Premiership run and his Sharks move both framed as steps toward that goal.
Burger: Roos earns his Bok recall — but the soft-skill weakness is real
Burger endorses Roos's Bok recall but flags a genuine soft-skill concern, while De Villiers uses Papier and Horn to argue Erasmus's selection culture consistently rewards sustained URC form.
Janse van Rensburg's own words complicate his England call-up
A resurfaced podcast interview shows Janse van Rensburg admitting his kids would question an England decision and that the Boks would mean "so much more" — complicating his already divisive Nations Championship call-up.
Du Toit's dream scrum: Marx, Etzebeth, and the Bath culture shift
Du Toit names Marx and Etzebeth as his ideal scrummaging hooker and lock, praises Ted Hill as a 'freak' flanker, and reveals how he imported Bok scrum standards straight back to Bath on day one.
Du Toit's dream scrum: Marx, Etzebeth, and the Springbok culture he exported to Bath
Du Toit names Marx and Etzebeth as his ideal scrummaging hooker and lock, praises Kolisi's set-piece staying power, and reveals how Springbok scrum standards followed him back to Bath.
Burger: Lack of alignment cost Robertson — and Rennie is fixing it with Henry
Burger argues Robertson paid the price for misalignment within NZ Rugby, and that Rennie is consciously correcting that by bringing Henry back — with De Villiers and Jake White both seeing it as a direct shot at being ready for the South Africa series.
Pietersen sees identity taking shape despite Sharks' playoff miss
Pietersen argues the Sharks' youth-heavy squad is finding its identity despite missing the playoffs, pointing to emerging players and a 54-19 season-ending win as signs of genuine progress ahead of next season.
Kirwan certain Mo'unga tours SA — and expects a Pollard-style workaround
Kirwan predicts Mo'unga tours South Africa via a staged injury workaround — Matfield's Pollard comparison makes the template explicit — while the crowded All Blacks 10 jersey adds another layer to the selection intrigue.
Burger pinpoints the real value of Erasmus's alignment camps for uncapped players
Burger breaks down why Erasmus's alignment camps matter beyond selection optics — the training intensity reset alone leaves a lasting mark on young players, and both Mahashe and Siyaya are tipped for Test debuts.
Matfield tips Van der Mescht as Erasmus's 2026 wildcard
Matfield has singled out Van der Mescht as a dark-horse Bok lock for 2026 — worth reading for the full breakdown of what's caught Big Vic's eye.
Biggar calls out SA's 'half-pregnant' Champions Cup stance — but who actually holds the power?
Biggar argues SA holds real leverage in Champions Cup negotiations given their commercial dominance, but calls out the franchises — particularly the Sharks — for undermining that position with weakened lineups. The full panel debate digs into whether SA's options are as powerful as they look, with Goode making the case that the structural mismatch between hemispheres leaves them in a genuine bind.
Arries completes the circle as Bok Women head to Nairobi
Arries returns to Springbok Women's XV rugby in Kenya — where her international career began in 2021 — after a journey through Sevens, motherhood, injury and a domestic league comeback. She's motivated by squad competition and clear that team results trump personal milestones.
Matfield tips Van der Mescht as Bok wildcard — and backs Papier's long-overdue call
Matfield backs Van der Mescht — a resurgent Northampton lock he likens to Snyman — as Erasmus's big 2025 wildcard, while welcoming Papier's call-up and downplaying the absence of veterans like Le Roux as tactical rotation rather than the end.
Biggar: SA Rugby holds the aces, but 'half-pregnant' Champions Cup approach undermines their hand
Biggar argues SA Rugby hold real leverage in Champions Cup negotiations thanks to the Springbok brand's global dominance, but calls out the 'half-pregnant' commitment from franchises like the Sharks as self-defeating. Goode counters that the structural options — stay, leave, or go it alone — each carry significant commercial downsides, leaving SA Rugby with more constraints than their power suggests.
SA's Champions Cup future, England's residency debate, and the Prem's scoring inflation problem
A wide-ranging column examining whether South Africa's Champions Cup involvement is financially and logistically sustainable, the ethics of residency qualification in England's squad selection, and whether the Prem's recent scoring avalanche signals a jeopardy deficit rather than a quality surge.
Who leads England if Itoje sits out the Springbok Tests?
With Itoje's availability for the Springbok Tests in doubt, Planet Rugby ranks England's captaincy options — Chessum emerges as the front-runner ahead of George, Genge, and a cluster of outside bets.
Zekhethelo Siyaya: The Sharks' 18-year-old gem already on Rassie's radar
Zekhethelo Siyaya, the Sharks' 18-year-old back, has turned four URC appearances into a Springbok alignment camp invitation — the piece profiles why Pietersen and Erasmus are already taking notice.
Sharks teenager Siyaya turns heads — and earns a Bok alignment camp call-up
Sharks teenager Zekhetelo Siyaya has turned a handful of URC appearances into a Springbok alignment camp invitation — the piece makes the case that South African rugby has another scrum-capped, sidestepping gem on its hands.
Sharks' 18-year-old Siyaya already on Erasmus's radar
Sharks teenager Zekhethelo Siyaya has lit up his debut URC season with sidestepping brilliance and already earned a Springbok alignment camp call-up — the piece profiles why the 18-year-old is being talked about as the future of Sharks rugby.