The Springboks will kick off a bumper 2023 season against Australia in Pretoria in July in the opening round of the shortened Castle Lager Rugby Championship and will face Argentina in Johannesburg in their final match on home soil before the build-up to their Rugby World Cup defence starts.
Springbok rugby legend Francois Pienaar echoed the sentiments of all who took part in the Bain’s Whisky Cape Town Open Pro-Am on Tuesday against the backdrop of the magnificent Table Mountain and under brilliant blue skies at Royal Cape Golf Club, as he sang the praises of a city he calls home.
Springbok centurion Eben Etzebeth has been voted SA Rugby’s Player of the Year for 2022 following a string of excellent performances by the experienced lock last year, while Canan Moodie won the Young Player of the Year award and Nadine Roos was named Springbok Women’s Player of the Year.
Former Springbok Stefan Terblanche has praised the South African teams for overcoming the travel and weather challenges they’ve faced up north and to still keep pushing for glory in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and Heineken Champions Cup.
SA Rugby has announced the exciting competition structure for the 2023 rugby season, which will see an expansion of the Currie Cup Premier Division, the addition of the Mzanzi Challenge comprising five international teams, as well as the plenty of provincial women’s and age-group rugby.
The Springbok Sevens team moved into the second position on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series log after their silver medal finish at the HSBC Sydney Sevens.
The Cell C Sharks were the only South African side to register a victory in a disappointing round of matches for the domestic Vodacom United Rugby Championship teams, but despite this, three of the four teams remain in the top four on the standings.
Springbok Sevens coach Sandile Ngcobo heaped praise on his players after the Blitzboks made it into the last four in Australia, where they will face Fiji in the semi-finals of the HSBC Sydney Sevens on Sunday.
The Springbok Sevens teams started their campaign in Sydney on a good note on Friday, but they are always looking for the perfect performance and will keep striving towards that.
The four South African United Rugby Championship teams will resume their duties in the competition with a spring in their step this weekend after qualifying for the playoff rounds of the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup last weekend in a rewarding outcome for the domestic franchises.