Skip to content
News

Every story on the wire.

1,205 items · Springboks

AnalysisSpringboks

Stormers stunned at Cardiff as Feinberg-Mgomezulu struggles and Welsh underdogs gate-crash the play-offs

Cardiff's fully-deserved win over the Stormers books their URC play-off spot, with Feinberg-Mgomezulu's error-filled night emblematic of a Stormers side who were outpaced and outworked throughout — and whose second-place seeding now hinges on Leinster's result.

Planet Rugby
ReportSpringboks

SA Rugby weighs Champions Cup exit as Alexander warns of tough calls ahead

SA Rugby is weighing a withdrawal from the Champions Cup to ease player workload, with president Mark Alexander confirming a July workshop will determine which competitions the organisation retains, as 14 years of global calendar talks continue to stall over New Zealand Rugby's resistance to shifting Super Rugby Pacific.

Planet Rugby
ReportSpringboks

Bulls face Benetton without Coetzee and Arendse as Pollard, Le Roux return

The Bulls face Benetton on Saturday without flu-stricken Marcell Coetzee and Kurt-Lee Arendse, with Pollard, Le Roux and Louw returning to a reshuffled side. A bonus-point win could move them into the top four and earn a home quarterfinal. Willie le Roux plays his 400th first-class match; Stravino Jacobs earns his 100th Bulls cap.

SuperSport Rugby
AnalysisSpringboks

Du Toit backs England's young tightheads — but says patience is non-negotiable

Du Toit rates Fasogbon and Sela as future Test props but defends Borthwick's patience, explaining why tightheads need careful handling early in their careers — and still backs Stuart as England's best for years to come.

Planet Rugby
ReportSpringboks

Springboks open inaugural Nations Championship against England at Ellis Park

The Springboks face England at Ellis Park in 50 days to open the inaugural Nations Championship.

SA Rugby Mag
AnalysisSpringboks

Du Toit opens up on battling through rugby's toughest prop depth chart

Du Toit reflects on a stop-start Bok career he attributes to playing in South Africa's deepest-ever prop generation, and details how Erasmus's staff use targeted, low-frequency contact to keep overseas-based players aligned with Springbok systems.

Planet Rugby
ReportSpringboks

Ntlabakanye handed 18-month ban that rules him out of 2027 Rugby World Cup

Lions prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye has been suspended for 18 months following doping violations involving Anastrozole and DHEA, with the ban running until 13 November 2027 — the day of the Rugby World Cup final — ruling him out of the tournament.

Planet Rugby
PodcastSpringboks

How Welsh Scrums Made Brok Harris — and Why That's Now the Stormers' Weapon

Brok Harris explains how scrumming in Wales retooled his entire technical understanding, and how that knowledge now drives the Stormers' penalty-generating scrum machine — with Sazi Sandi as its most explosive output.

The Lekker Rugby Pod
ReportSpringboks

Rassie Erasmus to receive Order of Ikhamanga — South Africa's highest national honour

Rassie Erasmus will receive the Order of Ikhamanga — South Africa's highest national honour — from President Cyril Ramaphosa at an investiture ceremony on 19 May, recognising his role in the Springboks' back-to-back World Cup titles and his contribution to national unity.

Planet Rugby
ReportSpringboks

Ntlabakanye handed 18-month ban that rules him out of 2027 Rugby World Cup

Lions tighthead Asenathi Ntlabakanye has been suspended for 18 months from 13 May 2026, with the ban expiring on the day of the 2027 Rugby World Cup final after he tested positive for Anastrozole and self-declared use of the anabolic steroid DHEA.

Planet Rugby
AnalysisSpringboks

Du Toit: Scrummaging against Ox Nche in training is harder than Test rugby

Du Toit says Bok scrum training — going up against Nche, Steenekamp and Venter — is harder than Test rugby, and breaks down the technical and physical differences between loosehead and tighthead that explain why South Africa's scrum is built the way it is.

Planet Rugby
ReportSpringboks

Ntlabakanye handed 18-month ban, set to miss 2027 Rugby World Cup

Asenathi Ntlabakanye has been banned for 18 months by the IDHP after testing positive for Anastrozole and self-declaring DHEA use, ruling him out until November 2027 and ending his hopes of featuring at the Rugby World Cup. The Lions say they will stand by him as he weighs an appeal.

SuperSport Rugby
ReportSpringboks

SA Rugby revenues hit R2bn as half a billion flows to national teams

SA Rugby's revenues rose 29 per cent to R2bn in 2025, with R500m spent on national teams and record sponsorship income of R739m, though the group still recorded a R40m pre-tax loss.

SA Rugby Mag · SuperSport Rugby
AnalysisSpringboks

TMOs are killing the game — and school rugby proves it

A sharp column using the disallowed Mahashe try as the centrepiece of a broader argument that TMOs have abandoned their 'clear and obvious' brief — applied forensic scrutiny to one try while waving through questionable scores elsewhere in the same game. Also covers New Zealand's overseas eligibility self-sabotage and the URC final-round permutations.

SuperSport Rugby
ReportSpringboks

Ntlabakanye handed 18-month ban that rules him out of 2027 Rugby World Cup

Lions tighthead Asenathi Ntlabakanye has been handed an 18-month doping ban running from 13 May 2026, with the suspension ending on the day of the 2027 Rugby World Cup final after he tested positive for Anastrozole and self-declared the use of anabolic steroid DHEA.

Planet Rugby
ReportSpringboks

SA Rugby revenues hit R2bn but R40m pre-tax loss underlines sustainability challenge

SA Rugby's revenues climbed 29 per cent to R2bn in 2025, with R500m invested in national teams, but the union still posted a R40m pre-tax group loss as it continues to work towards long-term financial sustainability.

SuperSport Rugby
AnalysisSpringboks

TMO overreach is killing the game — and the Lions paid the price

The Mahashe disallowed try becomes a flashpoint for a wider argument that TMOs have abandoned the 'clear and obvious' mandate in favour of forensic overreach — with the Lions and the spectacle of the game paying the price. The column also takes aim at the All Blacks' overseas-player policy and previews the URC playoff picture.

SuperSport Rugby
ReportSpringboks

Springbok prop Ntlabakanye handed 18-month ban for doping violation

Springbok prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye has been handed an 18-month ban by SAIDS for an anti-doping rule violation, ruling him out immediately and sidelining him from all rugby until November 2027.

SuperSport Rugby
AnalysisSpringboks

De Villiers and Burger expect Mo'unga 'injury' workaround as NZ Rugby holds firm

De Villiers and Burger expect a creative injury workaround to get Mo'unga into the All Blacks squad for the August-September Springbok series, with both slamming NZ Rugby's rigid eligibility stance as needlessly self-defeating.

Planet Rugby
AnalysisSpringboks

400 games, still proving himself: Why Willie le Roux deserves his flowers

As Le Roux hits 400 first-class appearances, Brenden Nel makes the overdue case for recognising a generational career that was built the hard way — and argues the South African public still hasn't given him his proper due.

SuperSport Rugby