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2,327 items · Springboks
Pollard's 'niggle' or Erasmus misdirection? The fly-half switch that has the All Blacks guessing
Meagher questions whether Pollard's late withdrawal is injury or Erasmus misdirection — swapping a set-piece-heavy gameplan for SFM's attacking threat in a must-win Cape Town Test.
Kolisi returns as Boks vow to convert chances against All Blacks in Cape Town
The Springboks go into Saturday's second Test against New Zealand in Cape Town determined to address their failure to convert chances from last week's defeat, with Siya Kolisi returning as captain and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu starting at flyhalf after Handré Pollard was ruled out with a mid-week niggle.
Kolbe replaces Arendse as Pollard injury forces Bok reshuffle for second All Blacks Test
Handré Pollard is out with a calf injury, bringing Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu into the starting XV for Saturday's second Test in Cape Town, while Cheslin Kolbe replaces Kurt-Lee Arendse on the wing following a late fitness assessment.
Stransky draws Mandela parallel as Kolisi returns — and credits Rassie for orchestrating du Toit's 100th
Stransky likens Kolisi's leadership aura to Mandela's, while arguing Rassie deliberately engineered du Toit's 100th cap to fall at home in Cape Town against the All Blacks — the kind of detail that reveals how carefully the Bok environment is managed.
Is Pollard's 'niggle' Rassie's latest mind game ahead of Cape Town?
Erasmus's late Pollard-to-Feinberg-Mngomezulu switch may be less injury misfortune and more classic misdirection — the piece examines whether Cape Town's selection is a gameplan pivot or a carefully planted puzzle for the All Blacks.
Kolisi: Experience means nothing without execution against All Blacks
Kolisi says the Springboks must convert the lessons of their Ellis Park loss into action against the All Blacks in Cape Town on Saturday.
World Rugby Rankings: Springboks Can Reclaim Top Spot with Cape Town Victory
South Africa will return to the summit of the World Rugby rankings if they avenge last weekend's defeat to New Zealand in the second Test at Cape Town Stadium. The All Blacks currently hold a 1.82-point advantage after their 33-16 triumph at Ellis Park, but any Springbok victory would see Rassie Erasmus's side leapfrog their rivals. Meanwhile, Australia and Argentina meet in Jujuy with seventh place in the standings at stake.
Rankings permutations: What the Boks need to reclaim top spot from the All Blacks
Any Bok victory this weekend — by any margin — is enough to reclaim top spot. The piece runs through every scoreline scenario for both the Boks-All Blacks and Argentina-Australia fixtures, with exact points movements for each outcome.
Springboks can reclaim top spot this weekend — but another loss won't cost them second
South Africa can reclaim the World Rugby Men's Rankings top spot by defeating New Zealand this weekend, while a second successive All Blacks win could open a gap of up to 4.28 points over the Springboks.
Pollard gone, Kolbe back, front-row plan now carrying the night: Cape Town prediction
A granular pre-match breakdown arguing the Boks' Cape Town selections were shaped by chaos (Pollard's late calf injury) rather than strategy, but that rain and Kolbe's return reshape the contest enough to tip a narrow, ugly Springbok win — with the front-row bench now carrying the load the fly-half plan was supposed to share.
Du Toit's 100th cap carries a curse — and Sean Fitzpatrick hopes it holds
Pieter-Steph du Toit's 100th cap against the All Blacks comes loaded with historical baggage — every Springbok centurion who's hit the milestone against New Zealand has lost. The piece tracks that pattern, gets Fitzpatrick's tongue-in-cheek take on it, and covers the late selection shake-up that hands Feinberg-Mngomezulu a Test start.
100 caps of pain, gristle, and greatness: Pieter-Steph du Toit's improbable journey
Nel's tribute to Du Toit's 100th cap goes well beyond celebration — it's a case for his place among the all-time Bok greats, grounded in the near-catastrophic injuries he survived and the relentless consistency that followed.
Boks face watershed moment as Gardner appointment raises scrum battle stakes
The Springboks must win Saturday's second test at DHL Stadium to keep their Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series hopes alive after last week's 33-16 defeat at Ellis Park. The late appointment of Australian referee Angus Gardner has intensified focus on the scrum battle, with All Blacks coach Dave Rennie having lobbied World Rugby over alleged illegalities in South Africa's dominant set-piece display. Thomas du Toit insists the Boks have parked the disappointment and worked swiftly to correct their mistakes.
Rennie goes to World Rugby over Bok scrum — Du Toit unmoved
Rennie escalated his scrum complaints to World Rugby before the Cape Town Test, but Du Toit — drafted onto the bench for this one — was unfazed, insisting the Boks operate within the laws and will back their set-piece to deliver again.
Parker and Carter flag the Bok threat areas ahead of Cape Town decider
Parker and Carter size up the Kolisi-led Bok response ahead of Cape Town — acknowledging what New Zealand got wrong at Ellis Park while flagging the specific physical and aerial threats that will define the weekend.
Cape Town must deliver: Boks back Kolisi's return and error correction to level the series
Rugby365 calls South Africa by three in Cape Town, with the analytical case built around error correction — 21 turnovers undid an otherwise competitive Springbok performance in the first Test — and the impact of Kolisi's return alongside Feinberg-Mngomezulu starting at 10.
Owens: Savea dodged a red card by a fraction at Ellis Park
Nigel Owens backs Carley's no-card call on Savea's tackle on Wiese, but says an inch higher and it's a 20-minute red — the whiplash effect, not direct head contact, was the deciding factor.
Built on broken knees and borrowed tendon: Pieter-Steph's road to 100
Brenden Nel marks Du Toit's 100th cap by detailing the two career-saving medical interventions — a father's donated hamstring tendon and emergency surgery to prevent amputation — that make his place among the Springbok greats all the more extraordinary.
Crowley ruled out of November Springbok clash as Ireland flyhalf blow deepens
Jack Crowley has been ruled out of Ireland's November Test against South Africa after Munster confirmed his recovery from a lower limb vascular injury will not be complete until the new year.
Pollard injury scare threatens Springbok plans for Cape Town Test
Handré Pollard is reportedly doubtful for Saturday's second Test against the All Blacks in Cape Town after a training calf injury, which would force Rassie Erasmus to turn to either Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu or Manie Libbok at flyhalf. Pieter-Steph du Toit wins his 100th cap, while Siya Kolisi has passed his fitness test to captain the side.