The Toyota Cheetahs are heading north for their fourth EPCR Challenge Cup campaign, and the touring squad for the December games has been announced.
It was an umpteenth trip to the Emirates Dubai Sevens for Impi Visser on Monday, but the first time as Springbok Sevens captain – little wonder he represented the Blitzboks with dignified pride and confidence at the official captains’ photo this week.
The Vodacom United Rugby Championship returns with a bang this weekend, with the first South African derby on the cards in Gauteng, as well as two mouth-watering clashes in Ireland, a top-of-the-table encounter and a scrap for playoff survival.
Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach will earn his 50th Test cap when he takes the field against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday in a settled team named by national coach Rassie Erasmus.
Springbok hooker Johan Grobbelaar said the Boks were bracing themselves for a full-on 80-minute battle against Wales at the Principality Stadium on Saturday in their final match of the season.
It will be almost four years to the day when a bright-eyed 21-year-old Shilton van Wyk ran onto the pitch at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai, representing the Springbok Sevens for the first time on the international stage.
The opportunity to work with world class mentors and coaches in a highly professional and productive environment was a highlight for Springbok Women assistant coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt, who completed the second and final phase of the World Rugby Level 3 Coaching Course earlier this month.
Six tournament victories out of eight played is no mean feat, but for Ryan Oosthuizen, another go at glory at the Emirates Dubai 7s tournament this weekend could not come quick enough.
Springbok scrum coach Daan Human said he did not believe in the “favourites” tag as the team began their preparations on Monday for their final Test of the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour against Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday, and said they treated all opposition teams with utmost respect.
Shiniqwa Lamprecht has been named as captain of the Springbok Women’s Sevens ‘A’ squad, with a distinct developmental feel to it, at the International Invitational tournament of the Emirates Dubai Sevens this weekend.