When the Junior Springboks open their Under-20 Rugby Championship campaign against New Zealand at the Sunshine Coast Stadium on Thursday, they will have the benefit of calling on the calmness of towering lock JF van Heerden.
There is no stopping the leaders on the SA Cup log, Suzuki Griquas and the Airlink Pumas, as they continued with their unbeaten run in the sixth round of the competition, while the NovaVit Griffons and Toyota Cheetahs recorded good victories to remain in touch with the frontrunners.
The Bulls Daisies and Sanlam Boland Dames kept their unbeaten records intact in the third round of the Women’s Premier Division with big victories over EP Queens and Golden Lions Women respectively on Saturday, while Border Ladies and DHL Western Province remained in the top four with wins over the Sharks and Free State Women.
The DHL Stormers and Vodacom Bulls kept alive their aspirations to host Vodacom United Rugby Championship playoffs in a largely rewarding weekend for the South African teams, with the only blemish being the Emirates Lions’ defeat against defending champions, Munster.
The third round of the Women’s Premier Division will expose six of the eight teams in the competition to big stadium atmosphere this weekend and add to the exposure of the game to a wider rugby audience.
High-profile messages of support continue to pour in for Mamelodi Sundowns, with Springbok icons Cheslin Kolbe and Beast Mtawarira the latest to wish them good luck ahead of Friday's CAF Champions League semi-final.
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi has sent his best wishes to Mamelodi Sundowns as they prepare to take on Tunisian side Esperance in the semi-final second leg of the CAF Champions League on Friday.
Speedster Maria Tshiremba will make a welcome return to the Springbok Women’s Sevens squad for next weekend’s HSBC SVNS tournament in Singapore, the seventh of eight in the 2024 season.
While much has been said of the Hollywoodbets Sharks aspirations in the EPCR Challenge Cup, the focus for the team is on the immediate challenge that lies ahead.
The South African franchises will be under immense pressure to bounce back strongly from disappointing results in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship last week – apart from the Emirates Lions – as the competition reaches the fourth-last pool round and the scramble for quarter-final spots reaches boiling point.