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Moerat, Nortje and Van Heerden: Three Bok locks playing for more than a final spot
Rich profiles three departing Bok locks — Moerat, Van Heerden and Nortje — whose franchise careers end with a semifinal defeat, drawing out their shared history and assessing their Bok trajectories heading into a busy Rugby Championship build-up.
Moerat, Van Heerden and Nortje face potential farewell weekends in URC semis
Three departing Bok locks — Moerat, Van Heerden and Nortje — could be playing their final games for the Stormers and Bulls respectively this weekend. Rich profiles their intertwined careers and argues the semifinal stakes carry an extra personal dimension for all three.
Papier claims URC South African Player of the Season after Rassie snub
Embrose Papier has been named the United Rugby Championship's South African Player of the Season after a standout campaign for the Bulls. The 29-year-old scrum-half scored 11 tries and earned the accolade just months after being overlooked for the initial Springboks alignment camp.
Papier named URC Player of the Season as Bulls prepare for Glasgow semifinal
Embrose Papier has been named SA Vodacom URC Player of the Season after scoring 11 tries and producing standout stats across the campaign, with the Bulls scrumhalf also eyeing a first Springbok recall since 2018 ahead of Saturday's semifinal against Glasgow.
James Doleman to referee South Africa v England as World Rugby confirms Nations Championship officials
James Doleman will referee South Africa v England at Ellis Park on 4 July, with Andrew Brace and Pierre Brousset as assistants, as World Rugby confirms the full list of officials for the July leg of the 2026 Nations Championship.
Papier crowned SA URC Player of the Season after Springbok snub
Embrose Papier wins the URC's South African Player of the Season award despite being overlooked for the Springboks' first alignment camp earlier this year.
Defence coaches are the IPL's bowlers — and Sacha's injury is a reminder of rugby's brutal attrition
Rich argues that Nienaber and Edwards are collateral damage from rugby's structural shift toward high-scoring attack — not personal failures — and draws the IPL bowler analogy to explain why defence coaches are being unfairly measured. He also unpacks Sacha's injury in the context of rugby's brutal attrition rate, and makes a case that the Bulls have the easier semifinal path to a potential Cape Town final.
Kriel unbothered by year-round rugby grind — but the calendar debate rages on
Kriel shrugs off the 11-months-a-year grind while SA Rugby battles New Zealand's resistance to a global calendar overhaul — the piece maps both the player reality and the political impasse.
De Villiers focused on Leinster semi-final as Springbok talk grows
Stormers loose forward Paul de Villiers, among the URC's top defenders this season, says the focus is entirely on Saturday's semi-final against Leinster in Dublin, setting aside growing talk of a Springbok call-up for the Nations Championship.
Kriel vows to stay at Yokohama until he wins the JRLO championship
Jesse Kriel has committed to staying at the Yokohama Canon Eagles until he wins the JRLO championship, dismissing reported European interest, while reflecting on a difficult season in which he served as the club's first foreign-born captain. Eagles teammate Faf de Klerk, meanwhile, has departed for the Cheetahs after four years in Japan.
Stormers face Leinster semi-final without Feinberg-Mngomezulu after costly Cardiff win
The Stormers travel to Dublin for their URC semi-final against Leinster on Saturday without Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who suffered a serious ankle injury in the quarterfinal win over Cardiff, with Seabelo Senatla, Ruben van Heerden and Dan du Plessis also in doubt.
150 caps, one goal: Grobbelaar wants a Murrayfield final
Grobbelaar reaches 150 Bulls caps in the URC semifinal against Glasgow — the piece looks at what he brings, how he's processed the pain of previous finals, and why the Bulls scrum could be the difference at Murrayfield.
Nienaber questions his Leinster future ahead of Stormers semi
Nienaber publicly questioned his future at Leinster ahead of the URC semifinal against the Stormers, saying sustained media hostility has left him unsure whether he'll see out his contract — adding a charged backdrop to what is already a high-stakes clash for the Cape side.
Grobbelaar's 150th Cap Means Nothing Without the Win
With 150 Bulls caps on the line in the URC semi-final, Grobbelaar is focused entirely on the result — the feature traces his career, his role in the Bulls' set-piece game plan, and why he's treating Murrayfield as opportunity rather than revenge.
Who steps up at hooker if Marx is seriously hurt?
Marx's playoff injury has exposed South Africa's unresolved hooker depth problem. The piece assesses the full candidate pool — Wessels, Grobbelaar, Van Staden, Venter, Dweba and teenage prospect Mnebelele — and what 2026 might look like as the last real development window before the World Cup.
Nienaber puts his Leinster future on the line over defensive system
Nienaber says he'll adapt his defensive system if it serves Leinster, but warns that if he can't coach the alternative to the highest level, he's not the right guy — a candid statement that frames his entire Leinster future around whether the blitz can be made to work.
When the Roos goes marching in! Evan Roos is the OFX Top Try Scorer in the Vodacom URC this season.
When the Roos goes marching in! Evan Roos is the OFX Top Try Scorer in the Vodacom URC this season.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu ankle injury clouds Bok backline ahead of Nations Championship
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu faces a spell on the sidelines after injuring his ankle in the Stormers' URC quarterfinal win over Cardiff, putting his availability for the July Rugby Nations Championship Tests in doubt — compounding an already lengthy Springbok injury list that includes Cobus Reinach, three scrumhalves, and locks Etzebeth, De Jager and Snyman.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu ankle injury puts Rugby Nations Championship opener in doubt
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will miss at least the first three rounds of the Rugby Nations Championship after injuring his ankle in the Stormers' URC quarterfinal win over Cardiff, adding to a growing list of Springbok halfback concerns that already includes Cobus Reinach's knee injury.
Why 'Gazza' Willemse is the insurance policy Bok fans should trust
Rich maps the 2022 injury-to-opportunity parallel to argue that Libbok and Willemse provide Erasmus real cover at 10 — and that Bok fans fretting about Feinberg-Mngomezulu's absence are underselling the depth already in the system.