Innehållsförteckning för August 2025 från SA RUGBY

‘There’s no substitute for pace’, but coaches and selectors didn’t put their money where their mouth is until Grant Williams was almost 25 years old. That’s when he got his first start for the Sharks in a Rainbow Cup thriller against the Stormers in Cape Town. Williams made his Test debut against Wales the following year and, true to his status as a speedster, a half-gap is all that was required for him to accelerate into space. While a talented Bok scrumhalf room is loaded with options, Grant appears to have sprinted into the lead as the world champions chase an expansive style under attack coach Tony Brown. Attack Attack Attack is the name of Alan Zondagh’s coaching manual. The well-travelled rugby coach and his son AB (the Lyon attack…

BIG JOE GROWS UP Once the playboy of South African rugby, Joe van Niekerk had matured and become one of the senior members of the Springbok squad. ‘I am not going to apologise for enjoying myself as a youngster,’ the 24-year-old told SA Rugby magazine. ‘I’ve had good times and there have been moments I regret, but that’s all part of growing up.’ Van Niekerk said his transition from teenager to adult had been a natural one. ‘There was no defining moment. You do things and then one day you don’t do them. Your priorities change. Your outlook on life changes. Where going to a party may have been important when I was 21, investing in property is important now. I also accept rugby is now my job and not…

Ernst Baayse You think we could borrow some trophy cabinets from up north seeing as they aren’t getting used? Ours Just Isn’t big enough! Nolan Naidoo Incredible! We’ve taken over world rugby. Springbok rugby rules. Kaba Mothoqaa It’s been a long and frustrating wait. Well done and congratulations to all those who made this happen. An itch has been scratched at last. At long, long last. Rayna van dar WBlt Absolutely can’t wait to see Bathobele Hlekani in the Springbok squad. What a beast! Paul Janse van Rensburg Pead the future scrumhalf of South African rugby. Victor Ndlovu If there is anything to learn from Amabokoboko, it is appreciating and acknowledging our talents and skills. Working as one to achieve great milestones. Politicians can learn from this fraternity. Imagine municipalities…

Who was your biggest rugby inspiration growing up? It has to be Pieter-Steph du Toit, but I’ve also always been a fan of Pierre Spies. What was your biggest learning experience with the Junior Boks? That you have to be at your best in every training session. You’ve got to work harder than the rest. What was your biggest challenge when arriving in Japan? The language barrier. I adjusted to everything else quite easily. What advice would you give to a youg player who wants to play overseas? You’ve got to have the right mindset - be willing to experience the unknown and enjoy being in an unfamiliar environment. Take it as an opportunity to learn and grow for your future. What was your impression of Japan Rugby League One…

Western Province had double reason to celebrate when, after beating South Western Districts 27-21 in the final match of the U18 Craven Week at Hoërskool Middelburg, 20 of their players were initially included in the two SA Schools squads - eight in the main side and 12 in the A team. WP ended the week with three wins, having hammered Boland 80-18 and the Sharks 45-13. SWD scored first in the final match, but Province responded with tries from fullback Jaden Ocks, captain Josh Neill (below) - who was named Player of the Tournament - and No 8 Quintin Potgieter to take a 17-9 lead into the break. SWD clawed their way back into the game after WP were shown a yellow card early in the second half, with Eagles…

My love for coaching started at Stellenbosch University in the early 1970s when I was studying and playing rugby (or was it the other way around?). Pursuing a degree in Physical Education, I had the good fortune to be mentored by Dr Danie Craven, the guru of South African rugby, who became a formative influence for me. Back then, he was both faculty head of the physical education department and head coach of Maties (as the university’s teams are known). Throughout my playing career - from school to Maties to Western Province to Northern Transvaal my coaches had their own styles of coaching and ways of working with players. Some were hard taskmasters; others were more compassionate. Some were technical, organised and prepared; others weren’t. Some were conservative in their…

NEWLANDS ‘My first memory of Newlands was in 1992 when I played In the final Craven Week trials. I remember walking out of the tunnel, as a 13-yearold, and thinking how big and awesome Newlands Stadium was. Another was my Springbok debut against the All Blacks as a 21-year-old [in 2001]. Although it was short-lived due to an injury after just 25 minutes, the debut itself was special.’ ABOUT SARLA Slogan is ‘Passing on the Passion’. Biggest rugby development platform in the southern hemisphere. With the support of key sponsors, Sarla runs the Vuka rugby programme countrywide and stages the national Hollywood Foundation iQhawe Week for UlS development teams. The Cell C SA Rugby Legends team gives former players a chance to play classic matches in SA and around the…

‘THIS IS THE GREATEST DAY OF MY LIFE’ JUNIOR BOKS CAPTAIN RILEY NORTON AFTER LIFTING THE WORLD RUGBY U20 CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY ‘IF I HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH SOMEONE AND THEN THE NEXT MORNING THEY SPEAK TO SA RUGBY, AND I NEVER HEAR FROM THEM AGAIN. THEN SOMETHING HAPPENED. THAT’S THE FIGHT I’M FIGHTING’ HEAD COACH FRANS STEYN SAYS THE CHEETAHS NEED SA RUGBY’S HELP TO GET BACK INTO SUPER RUGBY, WHICH HE REGARDS AS THE RIGHT FIT FOR THE BLOEMFONTEIN-BASED FRANCHISE ‘HE DOES THE DARK ARTS. HE DOES THE HARD WORK’ FORMER SPRINGBOK COACH NICK MALLETT LIKENS UNDER-FIRE LOCK SALMAAN MOERAT TO BOK LEGEND BAKKIES BOTHA ‘THE MOMENT I RECEIVED THE CALL I GOT GOOSEBUMPS’ JOHAN ACKERMANN ON BEING APPOINTED BULLS COACH ‘HE’S THE RIGHT PERSON AT THE RIGHT TIME’…

When Nolusindiso ‘Cindy’ Booi lines up at the 2025 World Cup, it will be her fourth, and final, time representing South Africa in the tournament. At 40, the Springbok Women’s captain is her country’s most experienced player. In April, she made history by winning her 50th cap in a 48-26 win over Spain. It took 15 years to attain those 50 caps. It’s a feat to be proud of, but Booi hopes her record will soon be broken by the generation that grew up idolising her before being selected as her teammate. When Booi was growing up in a small village near the town of Middledrift, cricket seemed the best sporting path to take. ‘That was the only sport in my village and what I thought I might do until…

1. WALES 17 ARGENTINA 29 2023 World CUp quarter-final, Marseille, 14 October 2023 Wales relinquished a 10-point lead as Emiliano Boffelli’s boot and two late tries from Joel Sclavi and Nicolás Sánchez booked Los Pumas’ place in the World Cup semi-finals. 2. WALES 26 SCOTLAHD 27 2024 Six Nations, Cardiff, 3 Pebruary 2024 Scotland raced into a 27-0 lead before Wales responded with four tries in a stunning second-half fightback. But Scotland held out for the win. 3. ENGLAND 16 WALES 14 2024 Six Nations, London, 10 Februaiy 2024 England trailed 14-5 at the break after Wales were awarded a penalty try and Alex Mann crossed the line. But a Fraser Dingwall try got the hosts to within a point before George Ford’s penalty sealed victory. 4. IRELAND 31 WALES…

Day 1 WP XV 52 Griffons 6 Free State 34 SWD 35 Blue Bulls 35 Golden Lions 36 Pumas 44 Limpopo Blue Bulls 22 Day 2 Leopards 29 Valke 29 Border 36 Griquas 17 Sharks 41 EP 10 WP 80 Boland 18 Day 3 Limpopo Blue Bulls 49 Griffons 44 WP XV 45 Pumas 14 Free State 52 Blue Bulls 33 Golden Lions 22 SWD 54 Day 4 Boland 19 Valke 35 Griquas 46 Leopards 34 Border 12 EP 30 WP 45 Sharks 13 Day 5 EP 24 Bulls 76 Boland 3B Griffons 36 Golden Lions 27 WP XV 26 Limpopo Blue Bulls 7 Leopards 54 Sharks 12 Free State 34 Griquas 26 Valke 19 Pumas 48 Border 12 WP 27 SWD 21…

When explaining my approach to coaching, I use the analogy of an artist starting with a blank white canvas. When I start coaching a new group of players, I develop the artwork of the team patiently, in layers. Perhaps I start by making a few lines with black paint. As I continue with the group, it might be that I need to add a bit of red paint here and a bit of blue paint there. And so it continues as we go along, until we have the finished painting. There is no quick fix when developing and improving players. It’s a patient process. You need to know where you want to go and what you want to achieve with your players. Sometimes you must take a few steps back…

HAASHIM PEAD ‘Champions’. - The star Junior Boks scrumhalf celebrated with fullback Gilermo Mentoe after winning the World Rugby U20 Championship final against New Zealand in Rovigo. EBEN ETZEBETH ‘What a privilege to know you and to have shared the field with yau for the last few years. You are a legend my friend, and an unbelievable person.’ - The Bok lock celebrated Willie le Roux’s milestone appearance alongside Duane Vermeulen and the Bok fullback’s father. SACHA FEINBERG-MNGOMEZULU ‘We did it.’ - The Springbok flyhalf exchanged jerseys with Italy No 8 and former schoolmate Ross Vintcent after their Test at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. SIPHOSETHU MNEBELELE ‘That one was special. JWC Champs 25.’ - The Junior Boks hooker posed with the World Rugby U20 Championship trophy alongside Oliver Reid.…

‘I don’t come from money. So rugby was my thing and I had to make it work. If I look back at the [Stellenbosch Rugby] Academy, we had so much fun but in the back of my mind, I always tried to wake up early and run and put in the extras. I have a photo from back then and everyone in it is smiling and laughing, and I’m the only one sitting looking all serious. One of the guys sent it to me and said, “You could see that you were taking it very seriously”. Of course I did, I had to make something out of myself with rugby, I didn’t have much else to fall back on.’ - Williams on his humble beginnings ‘People will look at it…

Springbok coach Rassle Erasmus pulled a couple more tricks from his seemingly bottomless bag against Italy in Port Elizabeth. The second Test of the July series began in bizarre fashion when the Boks manufactured a scrum opportunity straight from the kick-off. Manie Libbok's kick went a metre before landing in the hands of André Esterhuizen, who had purposely run ahead of him. It didn’t go to plan, as the Boks conceded a free kick for early scrum engagement, but I loved that they were thinking outside the box again in an attempt to maximise their greatest strength. They did the same in the 2023 World Cup semi-final against France, when fullback Damian Willemse called for a mark - and then a scrum - inside his 22, which prompted a rule…

www.youtube.com/@RugbyCoachWeekly MINI AND JUNIORS Tackle ball gauntlet Use this session to get your players tackling in a competitive environment. Quick to set up, it’s part of our back pocket favourites, activities you can use to re-energise your session. WHY USE IT This game really gets the team spirit and competition juices flowing and can bring out a number of coachable points, or just be played for fun to re-energise the session. It can really help develop decision-making, the need to compete for the ball, defend under pressure and develop evasive play. SET-UP A U-shape channel, 10m wide, cones and ball. HOW TO DO IT Position players on opposite sides of the channel, in numbered pairs, facing each other on their fronts (or facing away from the channel if it’s wet).…

HISTORY Durban High School (DHS) was established in 1866. but rugby only began in 1910 when the fourth headmaster. Mr AS Langley - formerly of Maritzburg College - banned soccer and introduced the oval ball. Since then, DHS has produced many notable rugby figures including Izak van Heerden, Skonk Nicholson, BJ Botha, Alistair Hargreaves. Andrew Aitken. Phepsi Butnelezi and Gavin Vareies. The school’s main rugby field is named after Izak van Heerden, a former 1st XV coach who earned global recognition for his contribution to the game - including helping introduce rugby to Argentina. Neville Todd, from the class of 1918, was DHS’ first Springbok, selected for the 1928 series against the All Blacks. Though not a player, Vareles the founder of tne South African Rugby Legends Association - Is…

SA Schools - 15 Zekhethelo Siyaya (Sharks/Westville), 14 Junaide Stuart (Bulls/Garsfontein), 13 Ethan Adams (Free State/Grey College), 12 Markus Muller (c, WP/Paarl Gim), 11 Jadrian Afrikaner (Sharks/Westville), 10 Liyema Nela (Sharks/Hilton), 9 Marné Noble (WP/Wyn berg), 8 Jacobus de Villiers (SWD/Oakdale), 7 Wasi Vyambwera (Sharks/Maritzburg), 6 Chinedu Amadi (Lions/KES), 5 AJ Meyer (Free State/Grey College), 4 Lwandile Mlaba (Sharks/Westville), 3 Luan van der Berg (Bulls/Garsfontein), 2 Altus Rabe (WP/Paul Roos), 1 Kai Pratt (SWD/Oakdale). Bench: 16 Clinton Agu (Lions/Noordheuwel), 17 Jordan Jooste (WP/Paarl Boys’), 18 Matthew van der Merwe (WP/Rondebosch), 19 Jayden Joubert (WP/Paarl Boys’), 20 Quintin Potgieter (WP/Paarl Gim), 21 Gert Kemp (WP/Paul Roos), 22 Zirk Meyer (Bulls/Affies), 23 Ruben Groenewald (Bulls/Affies), 24 Nathan Aneke (Sharks/DHS), 25 Lamla Mgedezi (Free State/Grey College), 26 Thabiso Simelane (Bulls/St Albans). Head coach:…

Rassie Erasmus played four very different starting XVs in July, but individually the biggest Springbok winners were Canan Moodie and Grant Williams. Moodie and Williams both started in the second Test against Italy and the one-off clash with Georgia - and both were red-hot. Moodie, who wore the No 13 jersey in both Tests, was dominant, aggressive and all class. It's a jersey worn by some big-name Springboks, most recently Lukhanyo Am and Jesse Kriel. Kriel captained the Boks against the Barbarians in Cape Town and in the first Test against Italy, in the enforced absence of Siya Kolisi. The Bok skipper returned for Georgia, with Kriel rested for the last two Tests of the July window. In Kriel's absence, Moodie revelled in the opportunity. He scored two wonderful tries…