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ReportSpringboks

Du Toit puts Springbok and Sharks thoughts on hold until Bath's Premiership campaign is done

Sharks-bound Thomas du Toit says all thoughts of his return to Durban and Springbok rugby are on hold while Bath chase the Premiership title.

SA Rugby Mag
ReportSpringboks

Lions hit by injury crisis ahead of Leinster quarterfinal as Krappies goes under the knife

Morné van den Berg has undergone bicep surgery, ruling him out of the Lions' URC quarterfinal against Leinster in Dublin, adding to a growing injury list that also includes Francke Horn (hamstring), Henco van Wyk (ankle), Richard Kriel (HIA protocols) and Ruan Venter (knee), while Asenathi Ntlabakanye serves an 18-month doping ban.

SuperSport Rugby
AnalysisSpringboks

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.

Planet Rugby
ReportJunior Boks

Foote praises Junior Boks' composure and depth after 97-0 demolition of Chile

Kevin Foote praised the Junior Boks' maturity, squad depth and structural discipline after a 97-0 win over Chile in Cape Town, with South Africa next facing Fiji at Wynberg Boys' High School on Tuesday.

SA Rugby Mag · SuperSport Rugby
AnalysisSpringboks

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.

Planet Rugby
AnalysisSpringboks

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.

Planet Rugby
ReportSpringboks

Erasmus satisfied with alignment camps but warns proof must come on the field

Rassie Erasmus says the Springboks are in a good place after more than 60 players attended two alignment camps, but insists the results must now translate onto the field as SA Rugby prepares to name a training squad within two weeks.

Planet Rugby
AnalysisSpringboks

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.

Planet Rugby
AnalysisSpringboks

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.

Planet Rugby
AnalysisGeneral

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.

Planet Rugby
AnalysisSpringboks

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.

TimesLIVE Rugby
AnalysisGeneral

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.

Planet Rugby
AnalysisSpringboks

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.

Planet Rugby
ReportSpringboks

Matfield backs Van der Mescht for Springbok breakthrough after Northampton form

Victor Matfield has tipped Northampton Saints lock JJ van der Mescht as a potential breakthrough selection for the Springboks in 2026. The 27-year-old, who weighs 145kg, has impressed since moving to the Premiership and earned a place in Rassie Erasmus' alignment camp in March.

Planet Rugby · SA Rugby Mag
AnalysisSpringboks

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.

SA Rugby Mag
AnalysisGeneral

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.

Planet Rugby
AnalysisSpringbok Women

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.

SuperSport Rugby
AnalysisSpringboks

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.

Planet Rugby · SA Rugby Mag
AnalysisGeneral

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.

Planet Rugby
AnalysisGeneral

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.

Planet Rugby