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South African back Robert du Preez has set a new Premiership Rugby record, overtaking the marker set by fellow countryman Jono Ross. In Sale Sharks’ final game of 2024 against Bristol Bears, Du Preez made his 64th consecutive start in the competition. Rob du Preez’s record The one-Test cap Springboks back has been a key cog in Alex Sanderson’s backline, switching between starting roles in the centres and at fly-half. Against Bristol, he lined up in the number 13 jumper to extend his record and weighed in with 15 points from the tee as the Sharks marched to an impressive 38-0 victory…
New World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson has written an open letter to the rugby union’s roleplayers, shareholders and supporters in which he outlines his plans for the global game in 2025. Last month, former Wallabies loose forward Robinson replaced Bill Beaumont as the head of the global governing body. This, after he beat ex-France international Abdelatif Benazzi by a vote count of 27 to 25 and, in doing so, became the first person from the Southern Hemisphere to be elected to the position. Robinson has outlined several opportunities for the game in 2025 and highlighted the Women’s World Cup in England which is…
Kaizer Chiefs seem to have identified a midfielder to sign in the January transfer window but face strong competition from African giants. January transfer window is now open, meaning Kaizer Chiefs can officially start bolstering their squad again. It is no secret that Chiefs are looking to add quality and experience to their squad ahead of the 2025. Chiefs looking to strengthen their midfield In the previous transfer window, Chiefs gave new coach Nasreddine Nabi seven new signings to start his tenure at Amakhosi. But it hasn’t quite worked out for the club, leading to the Tunisian mentor crying for top quality additions.…
Rassie Erasmus and Springboks left trailing in France’s wake by STAGGERING statistic Erasmus gave plenty of players an opportunity as they build towards the World Cup in Australia, but he – and the Boks – were eclipsed by France in that respect last year. 22 debutants Incredibly, according to L’Equipe, Les Bleus head coach Fabien Galthie gave 75 different players a cap in 2024 – 25 more than South Africa – with 22 of those making their debuts. There is a caveat in that the French always send a severely weakened squad on their mid-year tour and their series with Argentina was no different, where 11…
Sharks head coach John Plumtree has offered some mixed news when giving an update regarding injuries sustained by numerous players in the Durban-based outfit’s squad in recent weeks. The big news concerns the extent of Springboks centre Andre Esterhuizen’s knee injury which he sustained during last weekend’s United Rugby Championship defeat to the Stormers in Cape Town. The 2023 Rugby World Cup winner came off second best after being cleaned out at a ruck by Stormers replacement back Jean-Luc du Plessis. ‘Disgusting challenge’ It led to an outcry from Sharks supporters on social media and one fan on X, formerly Twitter, wrote:…
Sharks boss John Plumtree is concerned that they risk wearing out their Springboks stars unless change is made to the gruelling schedule. South African rugby is in a unique position by having a foot in both the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere camps. Domestically, they have aligned themselves with Europe as their top franchises play in the United Rugby Championship (URC), but internationally the Boks are still competing in the Rugby Championship. Non-stop rugby However, that has effectively made it a 12-month season for the top players who are based in South Africa. Although those based in Japan, such as…
Sacha Feinburg-Mngomezulu scores for the Stormers. Sacha Feinburg-Mngomezulu scores for the Stormers. It appears that only rest is required for Stormers and Springboks prodigy Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu after suffering his latest injury against the Sharks at the weekend. Three games in a row the breakthrough star has failed to reach half-time in his return from a knee injury. The first incident was a concussion against the Sharks in the early part of the festive period. He then recovered from that to face the Lions, but a massive hit from Asenathi Ntlabakanye gave him a hip pointer injury. Fortunately, that was not…
There’s nothing quite like the arrogance and bravado of a misguided Springboks fan. They also tend to gather in numbers, and there was no greater example of that than during the haka performed by the All Blacks ahead of the Rugby Championship clash against the Springboks at Ellis Park in August. It’s not the first time it’s happened either, but it was still just as shameful as the Ellis Park crowd sang Ole Ole while New Zealand performed their sacred Maori war cry. It didn’t help either that the stadium announcer played music and an aeroplane flew overhead just as the Haka began. That can be…
Kaizer Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi has identified three factors hindering the progress of his side since he took over the reins. The Tunisian tactician was appointed to spearhead Amakhosi ahead of the start of the season, tasked with rebuilding the team and returning the club to its former glory. Despite a promising start, Amakhosi’s results have recently declined, and the Soweto giants have been struggling. Nabi has attributed their struggles to three following factors. WHAT ARE THREE FACTORS THAT HAVE DISRUPTED CHIEFS’ RUN 1 – ‘With youngsters, inconsistency is normal’ Chiefs have heavily relied on young players, and Nabi acknowledges…
Maro Itoje, Emmanuel Meafou, Scott Barrett and Kurt-Lee Arendse make the top 50. Maro Itoje, Emmanuel Meafou, Scott Barrett and Kurt-Lee Arendse make the top 50. With 2024 coming to an end, it’s time to announce our top 50 players from the past 12 months in a list that acknowledges the international, club and also Sevens game. It’s been a thrilling year of domestic and Test rugby, one that saw the consolidation and improvement of the Springboks, the dominance of Toulouse in Europe and France, and of course, that Olympic Gold Medal for you-know-who. Some hard choices had to be…