The four South African teams will enter the weekend desperate to register victories as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship reaches boiling point with 15 of the 16 teams still in contention for playoff places with only five games left to book their quarter-final spots.
There is a real belief amongst the players in the Springbok Sevens squad that they are improving as a team and doing the right things well has become a blueprint for them, according to experienced forward Ryan Oosthuizen, who arrived in Hong Kong this week for a seventh time as a Blitzbok.
It was a largely satisfying weekend for South Africa’s teams in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship as three of the four side – the Vodacom Bulls, Hollywoodbets Sharks and DHL Stormers – came away with victories to boost their playoff hopes, while the Emirates Lions managed to secure a losing bonus point away from home to remain within striking range of the top eight.
Fifty seven tournaments into his HSBC SVNS career, Siviwe Soyizwapi returns to Hong Kong for a sixth time, older and wiser, but just as determined as he was in 2016, when he made his Blitzbok debut at the Hong Kong Stadium.
DHL Western Province will travel to Pretoria to take on the Bulls Daisies in the final of the Women’s Premier Division next weekend after edging the Sanlam Boland Dames 32-29 in a frantic match in Bellville, while the defending champions closed out the final round of the competition with an emphatic 96-0 dismantling of the Free State Women in Pretoria.
Springbok speedster Cheslin Kolbe became the first backline player since 2013 to take the prestigious SA Rugby Men’s Player of the Year title at a glittering SA Rugby Awards ceremony at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town, while Nadine Roos took home the top women’s award for a second time.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus wrapped up their first alignment camp of the year saying two of the key takeouts from the sessions hosted in the last few days were the encouraging dynamics between the younger and older players, and his plan to use the skillset of all the coaches and management team members to contribute to a well-oiled machine on the field.
Jeep Apparel, a leading urban adventure lifestyle brand, is proud to announce the signing of Springbok rugby icon, Aphelele Fassi as its brand ambassador.
The Hollywoodbets Sharks held their nerve in a hard-fought Vodacom United Rugby Championship derby against the Emirates Lions in Durban to consolidate their fourth place on the standings with six regular pool matches remaining and claim the SA Shield for the first time.
The Springbok Women's Sevens claimed third place in the first leg of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025 at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town, and although SA coach Renfred Dazel was satisfied with bronze, he lamented a three-minute lapse in concentration that cost them dearly against Kenya.