Find players, teams, stories.
Full-text search across every published story plus direct lookup on all seeded players, teams and competitions.
Klopper handed Bulls start ahead of Louw for URC semifinal
Francois Klopper has been selected to start at tighthead prop for the Vodacom Bulls' URC semifinal against Glasgow Warriors at Murrayfield, with Springbok Wilco Louw named among the replacements. Bulls coach Johan Ackermann described the decision as performance-based, rewarding Klopper for his consistent displays throughout the campaign. Louw, who missed the quarterfinal through illness, will provide experienced cover from the bench.
Klopper rewarded with Bulls start as Louw drops to bench for URC semifinal
Francois Klopper has been handed a starting berth ahead of Springbok tighthead Wilco Louw for the Vodacom Bulls' United Rugby Championship semifinal against Glasgow Warriors at Murrayfield on Saturday. Bulls coach Johan Ackermann confirmed the selection was performance-based, citing Klopper's improved form throughout the campaign and his standout display in the quarterfinal victory over Munster when Louw was unavailable through illness.
Klopper earns his start, Grobbelaar earns his stripes — Ackermann explains the big Bulls calls
Ackermann explains Klopper's start over a fit-again Louw as a straightforward reward for form, while Grobbelaar's 150th Bulls cap lands at exactly the right moment — with Marx injured and the Bok hooker spot up for grabs ahead of the Nations Championship.
Bordeaux president urges Du Preez to consider retirement over concussion concerns
Bordeaux-Bègles president Laurent Marti has called on Jean-Luc du Preez to consider retirement, saying he is "very scared" by the Springbok loose forward's ongoing concussion issues after the 30-year-old managed just three appearances this season.
Siya Kolisi's Final Sharks Season | All Of His United Rugby Championship Tries
#SharksRugby #URC#UnitedRugbyChampionship
Klopper starts at tighthead as Bulls name experienced XV for Glasgow semifinal
Francois Klopper starts at tighthead ahead of Wilco Louw as the Bulls name 11 Springboks in their starting XV for Saturday's URC semifinal against Glasgow Warriors at Murrayfield, with Marcell Coetzee and Johan Grobbelaar both reaching personal milestones in the match.
Are The Springboks In Trouble? The Money Man and Rich Pickings
The Money Man and Rich Pickings break down the Springboks' growing injury concerns and ask the big question: can the Boks survive the upcoming tests? Plus, The Money Man previews the URC Semi-Finals and gives his predictions, best bets and
Alexander's blunt warning: align the calendar or lose the game
Mark Alexander is warning that the Dublin World Rugby meetings must deliver calendar alignment — concurrent Rugby Championship and Six Nations windows, dedicated club and rest periods — or the sport risks losing players to rebel competitions. New Zealand's resistance to shifting Super Rugby Pacific is the key sticking point.
Alexander flags U20 pathway as stepping stone for Fiji and Japan Rugby Championship inclusion
SA Rugby president Mark Alexander says SANZAAR is eyeing U20 competition inclusion as a stepping stone for Japan and Fiji's potential entry into the Rugby Championship, with any senior expansion unlikely before the current SANZAAR agreement expires in 2030.
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.