Every story on the wire.
2,970 items · Springboks
Moyo becomes youngest No 10 in Bok history as Erasmus eyes depth at flyhalf
Vusi Moyo became the youngest No 10 in Springbok history on debut against Wales, with Rassie Erasmus confirming Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Handré Pollard return for Argentina while Junior World Cup winner Yaqeen Ahmed adds further depth at the position.
England's Nations Championship: Progress Made, Discipline Still a Crisis
England went 2-from-3 in the Nations Championship southern leg, with genuine attacking improvement and standout performances from Earl, Chessum and the Smith–Van Poortvliet halfback partnership. But a chronic discipline problem — 34 penalties and six yellows in three Tests — nearly cost them the Argentina win and remains the defining obstacle to Borthwick's side becoming a consistent force.
Matfield: All Blacks' new attack hasn't faced the test that's coming
Matfield warns that the All Blacks' revived attack hasn't yet faced aggressive rush defence — and South Africa will offer a completely different picture. Kirwan counters that New Zealand hasn't hit its ceiling yet. Both agree the four-Test series is a genuine step into the unknown for Rennie's side.
Five fringe players who could force their way into Rassie's 2027 World Cup plans
Opperman makes the case for five bolters — De Villiers, Norton, Van Heerden, Williams and Sadie — who could push into Erasmus's 2027 RWC squad, with each one addressing a specific structural gap in Bok depth rather than just adding numbers.
Nations Championship: promising start, same old problems
Kitson finds real highlights in the Nations Championship's opening rounds — the Bok scrum dominance, Erasmus's coaching edge, a revived All Blacks — but argues rugby's refereeing inconsistency continues to undercut the competition's promise.
SA Rugby's golden era is no accident — here's the system behind it
SA Rugby's unprecedented triple — back-to-back senior, junior, and Sevens world titles simultaneously — is dissected as the product of deliberate long-term system-building, from U16 identification through Wessels' U23 bridging comp to Erasmus's uncompromising training intensity philosophy. The piece argues the golden era is sustainable, but only if the same structural discipline holds against a chasing pack that's already taking notes.
Why SA Rugby's golden era isn't luck — it's a system built to last
SA Rugby's simultaneous grip on back-to-back titles across 15s, Under-20s, and Sevens is dissected as the product of a structured pipeline — from Under-16 identification to Bok alignment camps — underpinned by Erasmus's uncompromising training intensity policy and the high-performance infrastructure built by Wessels and Foote.
Vaa'i vs Du Toit: Has Rennie found the All Blacks' utility forward answer?
A stat-driven comparison of Du Toit and Vaa'i from the Nations Championship suggests Vaa'i's per-minute output is genuinely comparable — setting up their likely head-to-head across the Springbok-All Blacks series as the definitive answer.
Springboks complete perfect Nations Championship start with Wales whitewash in Durban
South Africa concluded the Southern Hemisphere leg of the Nations Championship with a 43-0 demolition of Wales at Kings Park, their third consecutive bonus-point victory. Rassie Erasmus fielded four debutants in a seventh different starting XV across three rounds, extending the world champions' unbeaten run whilst deepening squad resources ahead of the All Blacks series and the 2027 World Cup cycle.
Three reasons the Durban demolition of Wales matters beyond the scoreline
Louw breaks down why the 43-0 Durban win over Wales is more significant than a routine Nations Championship result — pointing to set-piece dominance, a depth-building programme that's actually delivering, and the alarming reality that the Boks were well below their best and still cantered home.
Kiwi scribe backs SA safari to forge a harder All Blacks
NZ rugby writer Liam Napier makes the case that the South Africa tour will ultimately strengthen the All Blacks — useful context on how the Kiwi press is reading the fixture and what it reveals about their confidence heading in.
Mallett flags lock depth as Bok vulnerability ahead of All Blacks series
Mallett rates the Bok forward depth highly after July but flags lock as a genuine vulnerability for the All Blacks series, singles out De Villiers as future captaincy material, and argues SFM should stay in the Springbok environment rather than return to the Stormers.
Erasmus admits some Springboks handled pressure better in Wales rout
Rassie Erasmus acknowledged that certain players coped with Test match intensity more effectively in the 43-0 demolition of Wales than they had against Scotland a week earlier. The Springboks head coach praised improved defence and set-piece work in Durban, though handling errors remained a concern. The victory marked South Africa's third outing in the Nations Championship, with Erasmus continuing his rotation policy after fielding a full-strength side against England.
Wiese brothers become 37th sibling pair to wear green and gold in 43-0 demolition of Wales
Cobus and Jasper Wiese became the 37th sibling pair to play together for the Springboks, both delivering standout performances in a 43-0 Nations Championship victory over Wales at Kings Park Stadium.
Nations Championship: Who came out ahead in Rassie's Bok squad?
Joubert breaks down the Nations Championship through the lens of who boosted their Bok stocks most — timely reading with the All Blacks series looming large in 2026.
Is Siya Kolisi's time as Springbok captain coming to an end?
Stuart Barnes made the case that Rassie Erasmus may be quietly transitioning the Springbok captaincy away from Siya Kolisi, with Paul de Villiers' rapid emergence and Pieter-Steph du Toit's grooming for the role pointing to a seamless generational shift before the 2027 World Cup.
Lawes: The Boks are 'operating like a religion' — and it's not going away
Lawes argues the Boks' real edge isn't depth or structure — it's a camp culture so locked-in it functions like a religion, and Erasmus has had long enough in charge to make it self-sustaining.
Bok depth is the story of July — and it's deeper than anyone expected
Erasmus used 49 players, handed out six debuts, and still won all three Nations Championship Tests convincingly — the piece breaks down why South Africa's depth is now the squad's biggest asset heading toward Australia 2027, and who made the strongest cases for themselves in July.
Five Boks in Planet Rugby's Nations Championship Team of the Tournament — and De Villiers is the breakout story
Planet Rugby names five Springboks in its Nations Championship Team of the Tournament, with Du Toit as Player of the Series and Paul de Villiers the standout bolter — while Will Jordan's hat-trick made him the All Blacks' all-time leading Test try scorer.
Beaver confident All Blacks will dominate Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series
Stephen Donald is backing the All Blacks to dominate the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series, writing off South Africa even at home — Hermanus has the detail.