Thando Manana, the head honcho of women’s rugby at the Blue Bulls Company, likes to trot out the big numbers.

Like 81 885.

That, he’s happy to tell you, is the number of people who attended the recent Women’s Rugby World Cup final. That’s more than any of the men’s finals have attracted in over 40 years.

It’s a number that excites the Head of High Performance and Special Projects because it speaks of the massive potential of women’s rugby in a country where the men have dominated for so long.

INEVITABLE

Yet Manana is under no illusions. The women’s game is still relatively modest, but the green shoots of vibrant new life are there.

Steering the Isuzu Bulls Daises, for three years the most dominant women’s team in South Africa, has helped him gain a sense of the big job at hand. He must build a base, develop players, draw supporters, and excite people.

“It’s the right time, the right place,” says the former Springbok flanker who had a reputation for never backing down.

Not much has changed: he is a staunch advocate for women’s rugby and sees its emergence into the light as inevitable.

Recent weeks have seen him trying to bed down contracts, reintroduce players and settle the 35-strong squad.

BOKS BACK

Fresh from their landmark first ever quarterfinal appearance, the Isuzu Bulls Daisies welcomed back a formidable squad of 14 World Cup players ready to make their mark again.

Weeks later, 15 were called up by national coach Swys de Bruin for a training camp in Stellenbosch in mid-November. They include Camelitha Malone, Shaunique Alexander and Jakkie Cilliers. For good measure, De Bruin also invited coach Zenay Jordaan.

Another five (Zintle Mphupa, Maria Tshiremba, Patience Mokone, Ayanda Malinga and Byrhandre Dolf) have since shipped out, tasked with playing for the Africa Sevens crown in Kenya, also in mid-November.

It’s a juggling act made more challenging by a significant change in leadership in Pretoria too.

Coach Hayden Groepes may have moved on, but now the all-women coaching duo of Jordaan and Bongiwe Nhleko are rewriting the script for the new season.

This includes the entrance of Asithandile Ntoyanto, the seasoned loosehead with the grit of 30 tests and three World Cups etched into her battle-hardened career, ready to transform scrums and breakdowns.

In the world of management, things have flipped. With 75 per cent female leadership at the Daisies, these women are no longer just breaking the glass ceiling, they’re smashing it with the same tenacity the team brings to the pitch.

WOMEN LEADING

“It’s totally flipped around from when we started,” says Manana proudly. “It’s now women leading women.”

Despite the team winning the last three Women’s Premier Division titles, management have their work cut out.

First, they must identify and develop a captain after flanker Lusanda Dumke recently stepped away due to health concerns. Similarly, three props retired due to age and injuries, leaving a void that must be filled before the start of the new season next year.

Manana has also brought junior stars – “Emerging Isuzu Bulls Daisies,” he calls them – into the main squad’s training, fuelling fierce competition and fresh energy.”

There is strong incentive too: five will be absorbed into the main squad and given professional contracts.

“The end goal is to have a squad with a mix of youth and experience,” says Manana. “We are developing within, both for players and coaches, which I’m excited by.”

BOOST AND MENTOR

A prominent international player has also been scouted, both to boost the team and to mentor younger players.

The esprit de corps among the women is evident whenever they are together, which includes fulltime accommodation arranged by the Blue Bulls Company. Thirty one of the players live in one of three Daisies houses in Hatfield. They are fed at the nearby High Performance Centre and have access to a physiotherapist, medical doctor and biokineticist. Their every need is taken care of.

Manana’s broad focus is to ensure the many moving parts that constitute the Isuzu Bulls Daisies blend seamlessly come the 2026 Women’s Premier Division.

Not only is there a championship crown to defend, there’s a legacy to be built.

Manana, tough, dogged and determined, intends getting it done – and will do so without fear or favour.

John Plumtree will continue as Hollywoodbets Sharks head coach until the end of the season after which he will switch roles and effectively oversee a new coach in a mentoring and advisory capacity.

It emerged on Tuesday that after a series of meetings Plumtree would move into what initially appeared to be a director of rugby position, with the current coach playing a role in the appointment of the new head coach that he would work with.

However, by the time the Sharks issued their official statement on Wednesday afternoon everything looked a bit more vague, with the Sharks just referring to a “mentoring and advisory capacity” without going into further detail.

The Sharks said in the statement that Plumtree retained their “full support” and it was because of the “significant contributions he has already made, he will move to a mentoring and advisory role.”

Yet in the same press release it was announced they “will engage a technical coach consultant as a matter of urgency to provide input across on-field performance, with particular focus on the game model.”

That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement for Plumtree, but there appears to have been acknowledgement from the Sharks decision makers that the buck doesn’t just stop with the coach but with the organisation as a collective.

RECRUITMENT HEAD IN FIRING LINE
 
While it was not mentioned in the press statement, probably for the obvious reasons that there are legalities around hiring and firing and a process to be followed, it is understood the Sharks’ recruitment head Michael Horak is in the firing line. 

Neil Powell, appointed as director of rugby by previous Sharks CEO Eduard Coetzee during the Sean Everitt reign as coach, has also now been more clearly distanced from that role than he was previously.

The former Springbok Sevens coach is to go into a more operational role.

But it was the synergy between coach and the recruitment department headed by Horak that had become a big concern not just during Plumtree’s reign but also that of some of his predecessors.

There will doubtless be many who are up to date with the affairs of the Sharks, and the challenges faced by some of the Sharks coaches who will view a change as both necessary and overdue.

Bartho Hlekani, the Junior Springbok flanker who has been used by Plumtree as a lock this season, is an example of a player who was released to the Lions, a franchise he will link up with at the end of the year, without Plumtree being consulted.

That is a clear example of poor recruitment management and it is understood that it wasn’t just Plumtree who was livid when he learned of that move but also the head of the American consortium who are the Sharks’ equity partners, Marco Massotti.

ONGOING REVIEW

Whether Plumtree does actually get to move into his mooted new role will of course depend on how the Sharks go for the rest of the season, which after all is only a few games old.

Sharks CEO Shaun Bryans confirmed in the statement that “the entire rugby programme will remain under critical review for the rest of the season. The top-to-bottom review will include a detailed assessment of every department and function and will involve external experts to help inform structural and performance improvements.”

It also stated that “Management’s assessment is that the problem is multi-faceted; and we are clear that the long-term success of The Sharks will be best served by tackling issues across the organisation rather than relying on simple fixes.”

FOUGHT FOR HIS ASSISTANTS

It is understood that Plumtree fought hard for the retention of some assistant coaches his bosses were gunning for and has now been given what many have been calling for - which is a chance for him to lead without interference and without the confusion that was being sown over who was in charge. If he has backed his assistants then they can’t be used as an excuse if the Sharks fail.

Plumtree’s loyalty to his assistant coaches might come as a surprise as it is clear that there are massive problems with aspects of the Sharks’ game but it needs to be seen in the context of what support the assistants have had from the Sharks’ system.

Plumtree, a New Zealander, is used to the Kiwi management system in rugby where there is apparently a lot more focus put into reviewing coaches, giving them the tools to succeed and proper due diligence done when it comes to hiring and firing.

Plumtree would also have been mindful of the obstacles the assistants faced going into this season - there was effectively no pre-season for the Sharks as there were sometimes just eight players present at training due to the absence of the Springboks, injuries, the aforementioned dysfunctional communication between the coaches and the recruitment department as well as other factors.

MAY REGRET NOT BEING MORE HARD BALL WITH DEMANDS

His experiences with the efficiency of the New Zealand system may pretty much sum up why Plumtree’s second career as Sharks coach has reached the crossroads that it has - he would have come back to Durban expecting more support from the structures than he received and would have been expecting to link up with a differently run organisation than the one he encountered when he arrived.

He was thrown into the deep end of a pool that was deeper than he expected.

In retrospect Plumtree may regret that he didn’t play hard ball with his new employers and insist on taking the position on his terms or not at all, as he was very much a man alone when he returned after a 10 year absence from Durban.

It might have made sense for him to insist on his own handpicked management team then, or at the very least someone he could trust that he had worked with at the Sharks before and who’d witnessed the problems the franchise had experienced in the interim from close hand.

NEED TO PRODUCE

He has now backed the assistants he inherited and they are going to have to produce, and quickly, to justify Plumtree’s faith in them.

Given that the Sharks will have to go to Connacht at the end of November under-strength because the game clashes with the Bok test against Wales and then play Toulouse in France a week later before the logistical challenge of playing Saracens in Durban in their second Investec Champions Cup game just six days later, Plumtree faces a tough schedule.

What his bosses should be looking for though is some clear improvement to the team’s attack, with the lack of attacking shape and connectedness having become obvious to even part time rugby watchers recently, and also much better organisation on defence as indications that the team is moving forward and can improve.

That in the short term might be even more important than results.

It is not clear at this stage who the Sharks have in mind as the technical consultant, as the press release put it, and whether Plumtree has any say in who is appointed.

If they are to be fair to him, it should be his say, in which case he’d at last be given the clarity that comes with being the clearly recognised leader and decision maker that he should have been from the outset.

BOKS OFTEN MISFIRE WHEN TAKING A STEP DOWN

“You’ve scrummed in the World Cup, but now you are scrumming in the Currie Cup!” Those were the words of the late Tommy Loubscher, the tough as teak and as strong as an ox late West Coast farmer when packing down in the first scrum of a Currie Cup game at Newlands in 1995.

It was of course the year the Springboks won the World Cup for the first time. That team was effectively a Transvaal team plus a smattering of Natalians (Andre Joubert, James Small and Mark Andrews, one Western Province player (Joel Stransky) and one Free Stater (Os du Randt). That was the starting team. On the bench were two Free Staters in Brendan Venter and Naka Drotske and another WP player (Garry Pagel).

But as Loubscher reminded his World Cup winning direct opponent in that game between WP and Transvaal, winning the World Cup and winning the Currie Cup are completely different things. After the heady triumph of basking in global glory, that Transvaal team bombed in the Currie Cup, even though they had so many World Cup winners playing for them, and it was Natal who won the domestic trophy by beating WP in the final.

So how did that happen? Well, there were a few things adrift at the time, among them the battle for control of the players that had enacted itself out between the establishment and a rebel group known as the World Rugby Corporation after the World Cup, and in which the Bok and Transvaal captain Francois Pienaar had been a central player.

It’s funny to think back on it now, because the modern South African player, with the 12 month season and the different competitions they have to play in, probably has bigger demands placed on him in terms of being on duty, but there was also a perception that the players were just fatigued.

There was a point when the Transvaal players went on strike, and I remember the top rugby writer of that era, Dan Retief, who was formerly of this parish, coming up with a quote when interviewed on television that I’ve never forgotten: “They don’t need criticism, they just need a break”.

It may not have been a physical break that was so needed, but a mental one, for winning the RWC for the first time in that epic tournament would have taken a lot mentally out of the players.

THERE’S A DISCERNIBLE PATTERN

Regardless of what the reasons were for that Transvaal team misfiring, there has been a discernible pattern since then. Several coaches have told me through the years, those that have had a lot of Springboks on their books, that often the input and commitment of those players when they returned to provincial duty would be determined by how well they’d done for the Boks.

The Sharks experience of 2009 is a great example to draw on. The Boks, with several Sharks players playing key roles, won a British and Irish Lions series that year as well as comfortably winning the Tri-Nations, during which they whitewashed New Zealand 3-0. But when those same players had to front a pretty ordinary Cheetahs team in a Kings Park Currie Cup semifinal they just weren’t at the races.

That observation is not meant to denigrate the players of that time. If there was a slip off in form, or motivation, it was probably sub-conscious and completely understandable. It must be hard to retain the same mental edge for a provincial or franchise game that you have when you are winning a World Cup, Lions series, Tri-Nations or Rugby Championship for your country.

SOMETIMES THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE

Those same coaches will tell you that the opposite was often true when the Boks returned from a tour of duty where they’d failed or fallen short of hitting their target. Then the disappointment would drive them to go all out in the provincial competition so that they could at least end the season with some silverware. That motivation might have driven the Sharks side that won the Currie Cup for the first time after a long wait in 2008, a year where the Boks struggled in Peter de Villiers’ first season as national coach.

Obviously though it depends on the extent or depth of the disappointment that the players may suffer. After their horrible experience of 2011, when they lost a World Cup quarterfinal to Australia in Wellington to the Bryce Lawrence refereeing freak show, the Bulls, Sharks and WP Boks would all have returned eager to make up for it by doing well in the Currie Cup.

The domestic competition playoffs were actually played just after that World Cup exit, and I was still in New Zealand when the Sharks, with all their Boks in tow, edged into the final while Western Province, with several Boks playing for them, missed out. So did the Bulls. The Sharks ended up going to Joburg to play the domestic decider and because the Lions coach John Mitchell had no international players of note to call on, the Sharks were clear favourites.

But that was not how the game turned out and Lions supporters will recall their team of no-name players (they were no-name at the time) thumping the star quality Sharks, who would clearly have still been suffering from the hangover from that jarring World Cup exit.

SERIAL WINNERS MAY FACE AN EXTRA CHALLENGE

It’s hard to equate the current era of Boks with any of the previous ones since South African rugby was unified in 1992. Yes, there were the big wins, such as the 1995 RWC and then the one in 2007, and Tri-Nations titles in 1998, 2004 and the aforementioned one in 2009, but for reasons associated with how South African rugby was run at the time, none of that success was ever sustained.

The current Boks have sustained their success, having just come off their first ever retention of the Rugby Championship title just two years after winning a second successive World Cup. But becoming serial winners, which the Boks are heading towards becoming, does not mean the pressure is released. Indeed, it might be intensified.

The players are only human and when I was watching Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu helping the Stormers to their win over Zebre in Parma the other night, it did cross my mind that if I was in his boots I wouldn’t want to be there. If I was any of the Boks’ boots, I wouldn’t want to be there. Not in October, in the small gap between the end of the Championship and the start of an end of year tour that features some seismic clashes against France and Ireland.

Obviously for players who feel they have to prove themselves it is different, but if you are established and in form you must feel you can only lose. Either through being injured or, as it looks likely to be the case for the unfortunate Jan-Hendrik Wessels, you get involved in an incident that ends up in you being suspended. He was only on standby, but the same thing happened to Makazole Mapimpi. Four of the Bok games on tour are counted among the five matches he is suspended for following his red card against Ulster.

Everyone who plays for the Boks right now must be desperate to be part of it and to be part of every moment, and yet it is right that the franchises demand their labour, for the franchises still pay the bulk of the players’ salaries.

WILL COMMON SENSE EVERY PREVAIL?

Those who read me often will know who I think is to blame here - administrators world wide who for whatever reason can’t agree on a global season and persist with coming up with schedules that intensify the club versus country conflict and are driven by an economic imperative that sometimes overrides common sense.

I was asked in a podcast from where I am now, Zinkwazi Lagoon Caravan Park, stuck away in the forest with vervet monkeys, if I would see common sense prevail in rugby in my lifetime. My response was that it depends how long I live. I suspect I’d have to live as long as the late Queen Elizabeth.

It really shouldn’t be so complicated for people to do what is right for the game. Locally it would help the franchises at least a little bit if this country would pay some heed to World Rugby’s regulation 9 and stick with the international window.

Playing an extra game against Wales may help the Boks with their prep for the next World Cup, but it doesn’t help the rugby ecosystem that the Boks will be playing in Cardiff on the same day as the Sharks are in Galway to play Connacht and the Stormers are playing Munster in Limerick. And all of that just one week before all the local teams start tough EPCR (European) campaigns.

THE FOLLY OF CONTRACTING TOO MANY BOKS

It was John Dobson speaking when I first heard the term. Ego contracting. The Stormers coach was talking about his franchise’s contracting policy, and he speaks with some experience when he suggests that having too many marquee players is counter-productive.

When the Stormers won the inaugural URC in 2022 he spoke about the value brought by what he called his “million-randers”. Meaning players who gave their all but weren’t on the top money that several former star Stormers players were on when they swopped Cape Town for Durban or Japan just before that.

The Stormers won their first international trophy at a time when they probably had the least number of marquee players on their books. And there may well be something in that, although for reasons I will explain, it is more challenging to have star international players now than it was up until 2019.

So let’s do a little exercise and call out the names of the star players who played for the Stormers before 2022, when they broke their international tournament duck. Let’s go back to 2005 - so we are talking about Schalk Burger, Jean de Villiers, Bryan Habana, Joe van Niekerk, Jaque Fourie, Eben Etzebeth, Bongi Mbonambi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Andries Bekker, Duane Vermeulen, Siya Kolisi… There may be a lot more, my point being that all of those players had star quality. But how many top trophies did any of those players win with the Stormers? Hmmm…

So there were two names I deliberately left off that list. Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malhberbe. They stayed to be part of the Dobson culture and played a key leadership role in the initial Stormers success.

So when Dobson talks about ego contracting, we know what he is referring to. The current Sharks owners were initially courting WP/Stormers, but the WP bosses of the time couldn’t reach an agreement with them. So off they went to Durban and, to prove a point, they contracted several marquee players, among them some ex-Stormers, and thought that would buy success.

But you can’t buy success as modern rugby contracting is as much a science as it is in professional football. I’m not always completely sure the Stormers get it right for there have been times they give the impression they contract what they can afford and it irritates me when people try to use the safety net of long term planning. The Stormers are actually doing well and I understand the policy, but their supporters might not have the patience to wait until 2029 for silverware given that they saw their team win the first URC four years ago.

Of course, up until now they haven’t had the financial muscle of the Bulls and the Sharks. Jake White though may have got it right with his contracting, targeting top players who had something to prove rather than who had already arrived when he was in charge at the Bulls.

Some have used Marcell Coetzee as an example, but there have been additional good examples since then - Jan Serfontein is an international quality player in my view but is on the outer at the Boks, and now that Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu has arrived at international level, another Bulls recruit Handre Pollard has to prove himself too.

The other most recent Bulls recruit, Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, who has been on the edge of Bok selection as an overseas based player for so long, is another. It’s a tragedy that the circumstances that conspired against him at the Bulls, whatever they were, mean that White won’t get to coach the team he built.

IT WAS EASIER IN SUPER RUGBY

So here’s why it is more challenging now. In the days of yore, meaning back when Transvaal provided the bulk of a World Cup winning team, it was easier to rely on a core of current Boks to bring you success. I keep using the Sharks as an example, but the Bulls from 2007 to the end of 2011 are probably the best example of Bok and franchise success being aligned.

The Bulls won three Super Rugby trophies at a time when they were built around star Boks such as Fourie du Preez, Victor Matfield, Habana, Morne Steyn, Danie Rossouw, Bakkies Botha etc etc.

But those were the days when there was no overlap between the franchise competitions and international rugby.

Those players signed off the year with the Bok tour in November, had December off and reported to work for the new season in the second week of January. They then had six weeks to build up to the new season and get aligned with the coaches plans. That can’t happen now as when the franchises are in their pre-season the Boks are playing in the Rugby Championship.

If Heyneke Meyer and Frans Ludeke were coaching that Bulls team now, it is questionable whether they’d have achieved the same success as it is just impossible to be serial winners over a 12 month season. In those days there were fewer trophies that needed to be played for too.

AN IMPOSSIBLE JOB

I did a piece, in this week’s Talking Point, where I ran an imaginary conversation outlining why the Sharks coaching job is a nigh impossible one. It wasn’t John Plumtree, the current under pressure Sharks coach, who contracted the marquee group he has under his command now. That happened a few seasons ago, when Sean Everitt was the coach. Not that he contracted them either. Far from it. Sean would choke on his cereal if I even hinted at such a thing as nothing could be further from the truth.

It was Everitt in fact, a day after being axed by the Sharks, who first told me he thought the Sharks coaching job was an impossible one. He said to me in conversation that he didn’t think it mattered who coached that franchise, it would always be a challenge beyond.

So let’s remind ourselves of Everitt’s stint at the Sharks. He graduated to being Sharks head coach as the replacement for Robert du Preez after achieving resounding success at age-group level at the Sharks. He had a plan that encompassed bringing the age-group players he had worked with through, and had initial success with it in the first few matches of the 2021 Super Rugby season.

The Sharks topped the log with a young team after six matches - and then Covid arrived. After Covid the new owners arrived, and Everitt, who had to leave contracting to a contracting department that everyone you speak to fingers as the Sharks’ problem yet the names mentioned somehow always keep their jobs, had the rug pulled out from under him.

Players who had intense loyalty to him and were so committed to the plan were suddenly fringe players when the marquee signings came in. The team culture Everitt had built was eroded. That wasn’t the fault of the incoming players, but it is natural for people who are displaced from their job to get their noses out of joint.

And it is also hard to build team culture when half or more of the team are in and out of the mix so often, and aren’t ever present in a pre-season. Dobson takes his Stormers squad every year to the Wilderness on the Garden Route for a training camp. Team building is a big part of that camp. If Plumtree took a squad away like that in this past off-season he’d have been working with a group not that much bigger than his extended family.

UNDERBERG IS NOT BERGVILLE, AND BERGVILLE IS NOT WINTERTON

So here I am on the KZN north coast, after a journey that started in Cape Town a few days before the Durban Springbok game against Argentina, then proceeded to Kruger National Park via a few days in Zululand and a transit through Eswatini. From Kruger the more conventional route was taken, through what used to be Ladysmith (there are a lot of pot-holes so I’m not sure if the British forces would have as much interest in defending it now as they did during the Anglo-Boer War), a night at Spionkop Lodge, opposite the mountain where the battle took place, and then onwards to the southern Drakensberg, meaning the area around Underberg, via Winterton before joining the N2.

Seeing Winterton reminded me of something. Whenever I mention Underberg there are people who want to remind me that is where Henry Honiball, the finest of Bok flyhalves post Naas in my view, came from. That perception is in fact wrong on several counts, the first being that Underberg is not Bergville. The two towns are probably about 200 kilometres apart, and that only if you have a helicopter that flies in a straight line or at the very least hugs the face of the Drakensberg range for the entire journey.

The second is that while back in the day the media, including myself, used to refer to Honiball as “the Bergville farmer” - it was lazy stuff like calling the old Western Transvaal team mielieboere or SWD the volstruis boere - I have subsequently interviewed Henry at his place of work. It was definitely Winterton, and not Bergville. Bergville is very close, but Henry told me farmed in Winterton, and not Bergville, when he played.

Either way, it was a long way from training in Durban. Both Winterton and Bergville are close to halfway between Durban and Johannesburg. And Honiball travelled that road every time he had to go to Natal practice.

Hugh Reece-Edwards, who is not far from where I am sitting now as he is currently resident, along with many of the Natal players of his era, in the Salt Rock area, used to also have a long taxing journey to get to training sessions both with Natal and with his club, Crusaders. He lived in Southbroom, deep on the KZN South Coast not far from the border with what was then Transkei.

Coming to think of it, the man I started this column quoting, Tommy Loubscher, also had to be a long distance driver to follow his rugby passion. He farmed near Veldrif, a few hours up the West Coast along the R27.

I suppose outlining these things is my way of making up to the players of that era for saying they didn’t have to train as much or be on duty as much as the modern player. They weren’t working on rugby morning and afternoon, and at Christmas time.

But they weren't getting paid (at least not officially) so they did have jobs to do and for some that meant making great sacrifices. They also weren’t protected by TMOs from fellow players with a vicious bent about them. Oh my, those boys were tough… And this column is long! Contact me for your medal if you got this far...

If you walk through the maroon corridors of Paul Roos Gymnasium, you’ll still hear the echoes: the crunch of boots on turf, the crack of leather on willow. Somewhere in those echoes lives Riley Norton - the kid who refused to choose between two dreams… until he had to.

In a country obsessed with sporting heroes, Riley didn’t just tick the boxes - he tore them up. SA Schools colours in both rugby and cricket? Only 14 others in history have done that. He made it 15. And then he went further.

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THE DOUBLE LIFE

In 2024, while most matric students were stressing about finals, Riley was in national colours at the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup. Fast-bowling all-rounder, 11 wickets at 18.36, batting average of 50. He helped South Africa reach the semi-finals and looked every inch a Protea-in-waiting.

But somewhere between the crease and the tryline, rugby whispered louder.

“It’s been busy, yes, but it’s been great! It keeps everything interesting and exciting. I definitely think the two sports have taught me a lot that I can use between them,” Riley said.

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THE BIG CHOICE

By the time Paul Roos’ first XV went unbeaten through the second term, Riley knew where his heart was. Rugby wasn’t just a game; it was a calling. He captained PRG, starred at Craven Week, and earned SA Schools honours again. The mental steel cricket gave him? He carried it into every ruck.

“Cricket taught me patience and perseverance. For me, both sports have helped me greatly,” he reflected.

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FROM MAROON TO GREEN AND GOLD

Fast forward to 2025. Riley Norton isn’t just another name on a team sheet - he’s the captain of the Junior Springboks. The kid who once split his time between nets and scrums now leads a pack of future Springboks into battle.

And what a campaign it was:

• Australia? 73-17.
• England? 32-22.
• Scotland? 73-14.
• Argentina in the semi? 48-24.

Then came the final in Rovigo. New Zealand. The old foe. Eighty minutes of trench warfare. South Africa scrummed, mauled, and tackled like their lives depended on it. When the dust settled, the scoreboard read 23-15. The Junior Springboks were world champions for the first time since 2012.

“I’m quite emotional,” Riley said afterwards. “The amount of work we put in after a tough Rugby Championship, I’m just so proud of the players and the coaching staff. This has been the greatest month of my life.”

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LESSONS FROM LEGENDS

Along the way, Siya Kolisi dropped in with a message: “Never take the jersey for granted. Be a good person first. Rugby can only take you so far.” Riley listened. He leads with humility, empowers his teammates, and plays like a man who knows the weight of the badge on his chest.

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WHAT'S NEXT?

Now, he’s back in Stellenbosch, nursing an injury that kept him out of Varsity Cup, but the maroon jersey is waiting. His father wore it for 12 years. Riley will wear it soon. And when he does, Danie Craven Stadium will feel a little smaller - because legends tend to make the world feel that way.

Two sports. One dream. A lifetime of highlights before his 20th birthday. Riley Norton isn’t just a story - he’s a headline waiting to happen. Again.

The world’s biggest rugby nations are back in action this weekend — and it’s a blockbuster line-up. From Twickenham to Tokyo, the globe is your grandstand.

🌍 Four Tests. One epic Saturday.

• 📺 England vs Australia – 17:00 on SuperSport Variety 2 (channel 207)
  The Roses host the Wallabies in a clash that rarely disappoints. Expect fireworks, a few handbags, and maybe a drop goal or two.

• 📺 South Africa vs Japan – 18:00 on SuperSport Rugby (channel 211)
  The Brave Blossoms return to the scene of their 2015 miracle. But this time, the Boks are at home — and they’ve brought the big guns.

• 📺 Scotland vs USA – 19:30 on SuperSport Variety 2 (channel 207)
  The Eagles are hunting an upset in Edinburgh. Can the Scots keep their tartan tight, or will the visitors bring the chaos?

• 📺 Ireland vs New Zealand – 22:00 on SuperSport Rugby (channel 211)
  The late-night main event. The All Blacks want revenge, but the Irish are unbeaten at home in 2025. Strap in.

Former All Black Pita Gus Sowakula has been included in Fiji's squad for tests against England, France and Spain next month.

The blindside flanker has played for provincial side Taranaki and Chiefs in Super Rugby, and made two test appearances for New Zealand in 2022, both against Ireland, before switching allegiance to Fiji.

The Clermont-based 30-year-old has already represented Fiji in basketball when he competed at the 2012 Oceania Youth Championship.

Sowakula is one of three new additions to the Fiji squad alongside props Tim Hoyt and Atunaisa Sokobale.

They begin their tour against England at Twickenham on 8 November, followed by games against France in Bordeaux a week later and Spain in Malaga on 22 November.

SANZAAR have confirmed that there will be international rugby tours happening over the next five years, meaning the Rugby Championship will not take place next year.

The governing body announced its schedule until 2030, and opened the way for the planned New Zealand tour of South Africa next year, which is set to be announced later this week.

But what it didn’t address will be the most concerning to local players and coaches, and that is the lack of a global season, something that has played havoc with South Africa’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship teams.

At the moment, local players play in the URC and the Investec Champions and EPCR Challenge Cup between September and June, then go straight into July tests and then the Rugby Championship.

This means some of South Africa’s top players have played non stop since the start of URC in 2021. While rest periods have been agreed, the need is there for a proper off-season as the northern hemisphere has.

Unfortunately while Australia had signalled that it would be open to moving the Rugby Championship to a February/March time frame to give a global season a real chance, it seems New Zealand, as the last hold outs, thwarted this.

GLOBAL SEASON ONLY NOW LIKELY IN 2031

SANZAAR’s announcement means that this is not likely to happen until 2031, which will come as a disappointment and mean more negotiating and juggling with local teams over their international players.

Currently it means that URC sides don’t see their players for more than a couple of weeks between September and December, then lose them again in March for enforced layoffs.

But back to SANZAAR, and the new programme means that there will be a full Rugby Championship before the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

“SANZAAR has today confirmed an exciting new era of southern hemisphere rugby through the release of its international rugby calendar for the next five years. The action-packed calendar reflects the evolving requirements of its Member Unions (Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa) as well as broadcasters and fans,” a SANZAAR release said.

“This latest iteration of international matches follows three decades of the SANZAAR joint venture delivering some of the best rugby action in the world and a partnership that has seen the southern hemisphere teams constantly at the top of the world rankings and winning nine out of ten Rugby World Cup titles.

RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2027, 2028 AND 2029

“It will see The Rugby Championship (TRC), the Southern Hemisphere’s pre-eminent tournament, played in 2027, 2028 and 2029. Importantly it will also deliver for the first time a full Rugby Championship (TRC) tournament in a Rugby World Cup year (2027) allowing the SANZAAR nations an excellent preparation and run-in to the tournament.”

 

NEWS: SANZAAR has confirmed a new era of southern hemisphere rugby through the release of its rugby calendar for the next five years. It will see The Rugby Championship, the Southern Hemisphere’s pre-eminent tournament, played in 2027, 2028 and 2029.
Details:… pic.twitter.com/W21RCRppq4

— TheRugbyChampionship (@SanzarTRC) October 16, 2025

 

SANZAAR also confirmed that there will be tours in 2026 and 2030 - meaning the New Zealand tour becomes a permanent fixture on the calendar.

“A new addition to the SANZAAR calendar sees various international multi-week tours to be played in the August-September window in non-Rugby Championship years (2026 and 2030).

“The calendar also includes the proposed Nations Championship to be played in 2026, 2028 and 2030. The concept will see the twelve biggest rugby nations in the world, packed with the best players in the sport, meeting across two rounds of fixtures in July and November every two years to decide the dominant nation and the balance of power between rugby’s hemispheres.

“Adding to the world-class international rugby action in the Southern Hemisphere within this five-year cycle will be the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup and the 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cup in Australia, and the 2029 British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand.”

SANZAAR CEO Brendan Morris commented, “Looking ahead, our joint-venture is committed to driving the next chapter of southern hemisphere rugby.

"By collaborating closely with our Unions and valued broadcasting and commercial partners, we've developed an innovative calendar designed to deliver thrilling rugby experiences and set new benchmarks for the game in the years to come.”

DYNAMIC SCHEDULE

“This new calendar for Southern Hemisphere rugby is all about bringing to the fans the highest level of world class rugby and action. Indeed, after listening to what supporters, broadcasters and our stakeholders want, we’ve worked with the Unions to craft a bold and dynamic schedule designed to deliver unforgettable moments every year.”

“Whether you’re cheering at the ground or watching at home, get ready for an era of electrifying matches, fierce rivalries, and world-class rugby experiences that put our passionate supporters front and centre. It’s a new dawn for southern hemisphere rugby, and we can’t wait for our fans to be part of this exciting journey.”

“The future of southern hemisphere rugby is brighter than ever. Our member unions have a proud record on the international stage and SANZAAR believes this new calendar will assist in strengthening this record, while delivering to the fans unparalleled excitement and access to the world’s best rugby.”

Further information and detailed schedules will be shared by SANZAAR and the National Unions in the coming days and weeks as plans are finalised.

Celebrating world-class South African storytelling, SuperSport's acclaimed documentary series Chasing the Sun 2 has earned a prestigious International Emmy Award nomination for Best Sports Documentary. The five-part series, which captured the Springboks' historic fourth Rugby World Cup victory, broke M-Net viewership records while offering an unfiltered look at the team's dramatic, triumphant journey.

SuperSport is thrilled that its critically acclaimed documentary series, Chasing the Sun 2, has been nominated for a prestigious International Emmy® Award in the category of Best Sports Documentary.

This monumental Emmy nomination arrives as the perfect milestone to crown SuperSport's 30th year as a stand-alone channel, reaffirming its legacy as the undisputed World of Champions in storytelling.

The nominations for the 2025 International Emmy® Awards were announced by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, recognising 64 nominees across 16 categories from a record number of 26 countries, including South Africa.

Chasing the Sun 2 will compete against a strong field, including “Argentina ’78” (Disney+ Original Productions / Pampa Films) and “It’s All Over: The Kiss That Changed the Spanish Football” (You First Originals).

All nominees will gather in New York at the International Emmy® World Television Festival from 21-23 November 2025, with the winners being unveiled on Monday, 24 November 2025.

Chasing the Sun 2 is a five-part documentary series that offers fans front-row seats to the Springboks’ awe-inspiring 2023 journey to their historic fourth Rugby World Cup victory—the most by any country ever.

The SuperSport Originals documentary features never-before-seen footage, interviews with more than 30 players and coaches, and all the highlights from the team’s nail-biting campaign, from a first-game defeat to winning the final.

Directed and executive produced by Gareth Whittaker and produced by T+W for SuperSport, this marks their second International Emmy nomination in three years, following the recognition for "Two Sides" in 2023.

The five-part series premiered on 24 March 2024 simultaneously on M-Net and SuperSport, quickly becoming M-Net’s most-watched show that year, and surpassing the record-breaking success of Chasing the Sun 1.

The series, which is still available to watch on streaming platform Showmax, fearlessly delves into the challenges and controversies of the campaign.

From the devastating injury loss of star hooker Malcolm Marx to the alleged racism controversy involving Bongi Mbonambi, the documentary pulls no punches, offering viewers an unfiltered, behind-the-scenes look at the team’s journey.

 

𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆: #ChasingTheSun2 has officially been nominated for an Emmy for Best Sports Documentary 🥳🎉#SSRugby pic.twitter.com/fr6PbrVehy

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) September 27, 2025

 

Led by the charismatic Director of Rugby Rassie Erasmus and head coach Jacques Nienaber, the series captures the intensity and bold decisions that defined the team, including the innovative 7-1 bench split in the final against the All Blacks.

Beyond the rugby itself, Chasing the Sun 2 shines a light on the human stories that defined the team.

From the inspirational leadership of Siya Kolisi and Duane Vermeulen to the resilience of Deon Fourie, the brilliance of Kurt-Lee Arendse, the magic of Cheslin Kolbe, and the power of Eben Etzebeth, the series reveals the heart and humanity behind the Springboks’ extraordinary campaign.

With full access to the players and staff, Chasing the Sun 2 offers a raw, intimate portrait of life inside the Springbok camp.

The series would not have been possible without the integral support of the South African Rugby Union (SARU) for granting unprecedented access to the team and for openly embracing the vision behind the documentary series.

And a big thank you also goes to sponsors Betway, Spur, and Toyota, who played a crucial role in bringing the Springboks’ monumental journey to life.

Rendani Ramovha, Director of Content: Sport, English, and Portuguese-speaking Africa for MultiChoice, a CANAL+ company, expressed his delight at the international recognition.

“We are absolutely delighted by this nomination. It is a powerful validation of our commitment to telling world-class stories that resonate with audiences globally,” said Ramovha.

“Chasing the Sun 2 is a truly remarkable production that captures the spirit of a nation, and for it to be recognised on the international stage is a moment of immense pride for everyone at SuperSport and for South Africa.”

The documentary’s global recognition was met with profound enthusiasm by the sport’s governing body.

“This International Emmy nomination is a moment of immense pride for the entire South African rugby community,” said Mr Mark Alexander, President of SARU.

“It affirms that the story of our Springboks’ historic 2023 triumph is one that resonates far beyond our borders. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to SuperSport for their unwavering vision and to T+W for crafting a powerful, unfiltered portrayal of our team’s spirit – one that reflects the soul of our nation and the unity that rugby inspires.”

Director Gareth Whittaker was also beyond thrilled.

“The International Emmy Award is the highest honour bestowed upon any television project, and to see Chasing the Sun 2 nominated on this global stage is an extraordinary achievement,” said Whittaker.

“It is a testament to the power of South African storytelling and to the spirit of the Springboks, whose journey inspired millions around the world. We are deeply proud to have played a part in telling this story.”

Whittaker reflected on the deeper significance of the award.

“This nomination means a whole lot. The better stories we tell of ourselves, the better version of ourselves we become, and that holds true for sports teams, holds true for individuals, but maybe more importantly, it holds true for our country.

“I’m incredibly proud to be South African and to have played a very small part in helping to shape this story of this magical place.”

Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAtgExpKFjU 

Raiders of Johannesburg will make history on Monday 6 October when they take the field for the first-ever women’s national club championship match, in the inaugural Betway Women’s Club Championship.

The Longdale-based club, whose roots can be traced back as far as 1889, will play newly-formed Sol Plaatje University Rugby Club in a match that signals a new era for women’s rugby in South Africa and a significant boost for women’s rugby development.

The week-long event – which takes place on the back of the Springbok Women’s best-ever performance at the recently-held Women’s Rugby World Cup in England, where they reached the quarterfinals – will be held at Alberton Rugby Club in Ekurhuleni, south of Johannesburg.

The tournament will feature 16 women’s club teams – one from each of the 15 provincial unions, and wildcards Raiders – playing three days of rugby in a format similar to that of the FNB Youth Weeks.

“There is a palpable sense of excitement ahead of the Betway Women’s Club Championship, and that rare feeling that only comes around every so often, that this is history unfolding before us, in real time,” said SA Rugby CEO, Rian Oberholzer.

“The first-ever men’s national club championship kicked off precisely 50 years ago and it is now our challenge – which we take on with determination and with the support of sponsors such as Betway – to close that half-century gap with as much energy as we can muster.

“It is therefore apt that Raiders’ history-making appearance will come just two days after their men’s team play Northam Wolves in the Round of 16 in the Pick n Pay Gold Cup – the modern incarnation of an event that felt as pioneering in 1975 as the Betway Women’s Club Championship feels in 2025.”

The event is firmly aimed at elevating the domestic women’s rugby further and developing the women’s game nationally at grassroots level.

 

History will be made in Alberton on Monday, when the first @Betway_za Women's Club Championship kicks off - more here: https://t.co/Ikz2StJOka 💥 pic.twitter.com/qPi4u3LJgk

— SA Women's Rugby (@WomenBoks) October 3, 2025

 

SA Rugby’s General Manager for Participation & Development, Ian Schwartz, said the Betway WCC marks an historic milestone for women’s rugby, through being able to provide a vital platform for players to showcase their talent at a level just below provincial rugby.

“This isn’t just about building competitions and hoping for the best, it’s about understanding what is required, and then creating the pathways to match, so that women can play, dream and rise, with a clear line of sight to success,” said Schwartz.

“We are very grateful to Betway for joining us on this journey and demonstrating their support in such a strong and positive way for the women’s game in South Africa.

“This competition was designed to provide meaningful opportunities for players in their home provinces, and to reflect the true depth of development across South Africa. This is not just about winning matches; it’s about building a sustainable pipeline for women’s rugby. Every province has a responsibility to nurture its own talent, and every club has a role to play in that journey.”

Betway Head of Marketing, Mark Rowles, echoed the thoughts of Oberholzer and Schwartz, adding that the company’s extension of its current support provided to the world champion Springbok Men, world champion Blitzboks and the Springbok Women, to include grassroots development, comes at a pivotal period in the history of women’s rugby in South Africa.

“The Betway Women’s Club Championships will provide a vital platform for the next generation of women to showcase their unbelievable talent and hopefully emulate their senior national team on a global stage like the Springbok Women did at the Rugby World Cup.

“The rise of women’s rugby has been long in coming, but now that it has happened, things are proceeding at what seems like an exponential rate, and we are privileged to have front row seats as history unfolds before our eyes.”

The 16 teams will be split into two divisions of eight, based on their provincial participation in the Women’s Premier and First Divisions. Each club will play three matches over five days.

Betway Women’s Club Championship fixtures (day one – Monday 6 October, Alberton Rugby Club):

First Division:

08h30: Sol Plaatje (Griquas) v Raiders (wildcard, Lions)

09h40: Titans (SWD) v Welkom (Griffons)

10h50: Embalenhle (Pumas) v University of Limpopo (Limpopo)

12h00: Potch Dorp (Leopards) v Kempton Park (Valke)

Premier Division:

13h10: Mqanduli Sharks (Border) v Kwaru (EP)

14h20: Harlequins (Bulls) v DUT (Sharks)

15h30: Walker Bay (Boland) v Collegians Valkyries (Cheetahs)

16h40: Van der Stel Evergreens (WP) v Pirates (Lions)

World Rugby's Executive Board has agreed new player workload guidelines for the elite game, the sport's governing body said on Wednesday, and next year's inaugural Nations Championship can now go ahead as planned.

The guidelines - recommended to World Rugby by a project group of experts - state that players should play no more than 30 games in a single season or six consecutive match weeks, and should also have a dedicated five-week off-season break.

Players will also be entitled to minimum rest periods of at least one week when selected for international fixtures, and across a year have 12 weeks of non-contact time, with clearer communication encouraged between club and country.

"These guidelines are the result of much intense negotiation over many years, I'd like to congratulate all involved on achieving this agreement," World Rugby Chairman Brett Robinson said in a statement.

"Our hope, over time, is that unions and competitions reach local agreements to best serve the individual circumstances of players. In the meantime, these guidelines provide a solid backstop."

World Rugby says the guidelines are supported by scientific evidence or in the absence of existing studies, expert opinion and take a precautionary approach to player load in all circumstances.

"Player welfare is at the heart of everything that rugby does," World Rugby said.

"And World Rugby had made agreement of these new guidelines a condition of approval for the new Nations Championship which can now begin in the summer of 2026."

The new biennial 12-team competition, scheduled to take place during the mid-year and end-of-year international windows, will involve all Six Nations countries as well as Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina, along with two invited unions.

France lock Posolo Tuilagi has been ruled out for four to five weeks with a stress fracture in his leg, his club Perpignan told AFP on Monday.

Tuilagi, 21, was a late withdrawal from the Catalans' side for their season-opening French Top 14 loss to Bayonne on Saturday having originally been named in the starting line-up.

The five-time capped second-row missed seven months of action last season with injury, starting just six games.

The 145kg forward is the latest member of the Tuilagi family to play international rugby.

His father Henry played for Samoa, while his uncle Manu featured for England and was even due to line up opposite his nephew for Bayonne last weekend.

Perpignan hope that Tuilagi will return to face Stade Francais on the weekend of October 4-5, a month before France begin their November test series.

Fabien Galthie's Les Bleus face South Africa on November 8, Fiji seven days later and then Australia the following week.

The young Saracens team that has just completed a week-long training camp in KZN showed the fruit of their labours in the sub-tropics by powering back from a 14-point deficit to beat a Hollywoodbets Sharks Invitation 38-26 in their pre-season game in Durban on Friday evening.

It was 5-all at halftime before the Sharks scored two quick converted tries to go 19-5 up, but the longer the game lasted, the more Saracens started to synergise their attack and they ended up scoring 33 unanswered points, and five tries, before the Sharks team grabbed a late consolation try through impressive Junior Springbok flanker Matt Ramao.

Played as a curtain-raiser to the later Carling Currie Cup game between the Sharks and the Airlink Pumas, there was the inevitable early-season rust from both teams as a plethora of handling errors prevented the game from really getting going in the first half. That said, there was a lot of intensity and good defence from both teams in the first half, and it would be unfair to expect what were effectively two scratch teams to really be that cohesive from the off.

Although Sharks and Springbok centre Lukhanyo Am used the game to make his return from injury, and he appeared to comfortably get through the first half before being replaced, and veteran lock Jason Jenkins also made his presence felt in the early stages, the home team was mainly a youthful one. Most of the Sharks' senior players were set to play their first preparation game ahead of the start of the Vodacom URC three weeks from now in the later game against the Pumas.

Likewise, although stalwart and Wales international centre Neil Tompkins captained Saracens, the visitors also had a youthful look to it, and there are likely to be two very different and more experienced teams lining up against each other when Saracens come back here in December for what should be a keenly contested Investec Champions Cup pool game in December.

Those Saracens players who will be here at Hollywoodbets Kings Park will, though, be able to return with some confidence, as although it looked unlikely at one stage, they ended up with a comprehensive victory, with several players excelling for them. Wing Tobias Elliot scored two good tries, Louie Johnson the flyhalf showed why he is regarded to be a player of promise with both his allround game and his kicking for posts, ditto fullback Jack Bracken, while the visiting forward pack was industrious.

Saracens scored the first try of the game after four minutes as their big wing Romiti Segun scored after an overlap had been created. The Sharks struck back five minutes later with a very good try in which right wing Christie Grobbelaar, who doesn’t look short of pace and also looks for work, popped up in the line to help put away Junior Bok wing Jaco Williams in the left corner.

That was the last score of the half and the Sharks would have ended it feeling they were getting a foothold in the game, and the two tries after halftime, the first scored by skipper Tino Mavesere, who was an omnipresence in the tight-loose, and the other by fullback Hakeem Kunene off an intercept near the halfway line.

But one minute before the hour mark Elliot scored his first try in the right corner after good play in creating the space for him by his skipper, Tomkins and thus started a period of Saracens dominance that secured an ultimately comfortable victory to cap their week in the African sun.

The Saracens captain for the day in their pre-season warmup game at Hollywoodbets Kings Park says there were no South Africans who have come through his club in the time he has been playing that he hasn’t liked - and one of the first of those was Springbok World Cup winner Lukhanyo Am.

Nick Tomkins, who started his rugby life as an English registered player and played for the Saxons in South Africa several years ago, has subsequently played several years for Wales.

Friday night’s game will be the first time he leads the club onto the field, and while he won’t know many of the young Hollywoodbets Sharks Invitation team players, he was very interested in whether Am would be featuring off the bench as he comes back from an injury layoff.

“Is Lukhanyo playing off the bench? He did a stint at Sarries many years ago, I mean when he was really young,” said Tomkins, who played in all three test matches in the 2022 series in South Africa.

“I was in the Saracens Academy when I first came across Lukhanyo. He was a really nice guy and I played with him a few times. It would be great to play against him even though I know he is coming back from injury (so might not be at full throttle).”

Am was young when Tomkins was starting out, but some legends of South African and world rugby were in their prime or coming towards the end of their careers at the time, and he says rubbing shoulders some of them was an important part of his growth as a rugby player.

“I have never met a South African player I didn’t like. For me I was also young when I met so many of them, when guys like John Smit, Schalla (Schalk Burger) and Schalk Brits were playing for the club. Having beers with them and socialising with them was amazing. There was also Neil de Kock, Ernst Joubert, all of them legends to me.

“They were always good fun to be around, always class people, and it is probably why Sarries had them. Brad Barritt, a South African who ended up playing for England and who I paired up with in the midfield many times, is coming up on Friday for the game (from Cape Town) and I am looking forward to seeing him again. He was captain for much of the time I played for the club and I learned a lot from him.”

TALENTED PLAYERS IN YOUTHFUL TEAM

Tomkins, as a senior player, is one of the players on this trip who should definitely be back in Durban when Saracens return here in December in a serious mood to face the Sharks in an Investec Champions Cup match.

“I have been here before, but it is nice for the guys to come here and get to know the spots. We know the weather conditions will be very different in December. We have heard it gets incredibly humid and of course it will be a shock to the system for us as it will be very different to what we will be experiencing back home at that time of the year.”

The Saracens team for Friday night’s game is mainly a youthful one but Tomkins warned that the players who will be playing aren’t just in the team because they are young but also because they are talented and have huge potential.

“We have some amazingly talented players, like the Bracken brothers. Jack Bracken has been amazing in the pre-season and Louie Johnson is an amazing flyhalf who has a great kicking boot and is just 22 and we feel has massive potential. He has been in the background for a while but we feel he is very impressive. He has been impressive for a few years now.

“But the main thing about a game like this is that we must feel free and go out and enjoy ourselves. It is an opportunity to play at a venue many of us haven’t played at before and against a team that will also be mostly useful and should have the same attitude as us.”

The game kicks off at Kings Park at 4pm and is a curtain-raiser to the Sharks Currie Cup team’s final fixture of their campaign against the Airlink Pumas.

That game kicks off at 7pm.

The Saracens visit to Durban to play a Hollywoodbets Sharks Invitational team on Friday afternoon (kick-off 4pm) amounts to far more than just an opportunity for both clubs to get in a pre-season warmup game before they start their respective competitive seasons.

Sharks CEO Shaun Bryans and his Saracens counterpart Charlie Beall sat down with supersport.com at the Zimbali Lakes Country Club at the start of a golf day featuring players and management members of the two teams and we discovered that the week the English club have spent in KZN culminating with Friday’s game is a collaboration that has been long in the making.

“There has always been a South African interest in Saracens, through Johan Rupert and through Francois Pienaar playing there, with Francois having a very close relationship with Dominic Silvester, who is the the main investor behind Saracens,” said Bryans.

“Dominic is also a very good friend of Marco Massotti, who is the main investor behind the Sharks. So at an ownership level there has been a long-standing friendship and I think the collaboration and partnership between the clubs really stems from that. We have found that it might make sense to work together in certain areas.

“Friday’s will be the first game between us, but this has been a long time in the making. It just proved difficult to find a window. For instance this weekend the game between the two clubs is on the same day as we play the Pumas in a Currie Cup game (7pm kick-off also at Hollywoodbets Kings Park) while our under-21 team will be in Bloemfontein in the same weekend.

“We hope that this will be the first of many such occasions and hopefully it can become an annual event. For a couple of years we have been trying to find ways to do things together and “stronger together” is I think the sort of mantra,” he added.

A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO STRENGTHEN CLUB RUGBY

Beall, who spent his early years in South Africa and was schooled at Hilton, has only just come into the CEO role at Saracens so is new to the relationship that has been forming between the clubs, but he sees a unique opportunity in a club arena that is becoming increasingly challenging.

“A big part of what makes me excited about it is just the potential for club rugby, which I think needs a boost but I think is more than capable of stepping up into the higher tier of both commercial success and on-field success,” said Beall, who came to his role after a successful career working in various different roles in other professional sports.

“But for rugby at this level to reach its potential clubs need to stick together, they need to learn from one another and have some sort of synergy where it is possible. We are obviously competing on the field but we and the Sharks are not competing from the same fans (because we play in different primary competitions, the URC and the Gallagher Premiership), so it makes sense for us to understand and learn from each other.”

Beall believes an ideal outcome will be for fans of the Sharks to become fans of Saracens in the Premiership and for Saracens fans to lean towards the Sharks in the URC.

“People are fluid. I grew up in South Africa, and I support SA in cricket, but I also support England and then have a tough time deciding which team to support on those occasions that they play against each other,” he said.

“But when they are not playing against each other I can support both.”

CHAMPIONS CUP DRAW THREW A SPANNER IN THE WORKS

As it turns out, and this became a reality after the Saracens’ plans for a week of team building and strength and conditioning training in KZN was finalised, the Sharks and Saracens will be playing each other again soon, and clashing in a much more serious way than this week’s friendly.

“We do compete with each other, and not just theoretically,” said Bryans. “We compete in the Investec Champions Cup, and it just so happens that we have been drawn to play Saracens in December. But we don’t compete with Saracens in our primary competition, the URC versus the Premiership.”

The draw pitting the two teams together in the same Champions Cup pool did throw a bit of a curve ball at the plans for this week.

“It is interesting because this camp was conceived long before the fixtures and groups came out for the Champions Cup and initially we had a lot of joint training sessions and coach interactions planned.

"Part of the idea is a sharing of ideas. But now we can’t do that to the same extent (for obvious reasons),” said the Sharks CEO.

For Saracens then the week in South Africa has worked out perfectly in that it has given those players who will be involved in the Champions Cup game a taste of the environment and the conditions they will be competing in come early December.

“Saracens did play the Bulls in the Championship a few years ago but we have a young group here so there won’t have been too many players who were part of that experience,” said Beall.

“Obviously our December visit will be a lot different to how this is. It is going to be more business oriented because at the moment we have our hair down and are having fun, and it is relaxed. But it will be a great experience having spent time here.

"Without going into the rugby cliches it is going to be one of those situations where it will be a ding-dong on the field but we will appreciate the camaraderie afterwards.”

OWNERSHIP LINKS TOO MINOR TO BE PROBLEMATIC

There is a minor link in the ownership of the two clubs, in the sense that the Saracens owner Silvester is a minority investor in Massotti’s MVM consortium that runs the Sharks, and in turn Massotti is a minor shareholder in the ownership of Saracens.

However the respective parties have done their due diligence and were upfront with their governing bodies, SA Rugby and the RFU, and say that the potential for what has happened in soccer, where Crystal Palace were dropped from the Europa League because they would have been competing against a club that had the same ownership links, has been dealt with and averted.

“Because we compete in the same competition we approached SA Rugby and the RFU for clearance, and it was given as in both cases it is such a small and arbitrary shareholding,” says Bryans.

“The regulators did ask questions. But Dominic is not on the Sharks board, and Marco is not on the Saracens board. The shareholding is at a lower level (than in the Crystal Palace instance).”

FARRELL PLAYING INVALUABLE ROLE WITH THE YOUNGSTERS

Not all the top Saracens players are in South Africa for this trip, with British and Irish Lions and England captain Maro Itoje taking a well earned rest, along with Jamie George and Ben Earls, but veteran former England captain Owen Farrell is, as with fellow recent Lion Elliot Daly.

“I am not sure if Owen will be playing in the game against the Sharks but he is of course back with us after his year in France and the coaches have spoken highly about his input,” said Beall.

“He is a consummate professional, a player who gives his all for whichever jersey he wears, and although he still has a lot of rugby left in him, he has in a way been a coach throughout his career. He has a massive impact on the young players we have here with us.”

Beall believes that the week in KZN has been the perfect way to prepare Saracens for the new season.

“The players have been having a fantastic time. We were fortunate to spend a couple of days up at the Phinda Reserve, and for some of our players, who are drawn from an international talent base, meaning we have players from Samoa and Fiji with us, this was their first experience of the African bush.

“Just the nature of the experience has been really good. Obviously at this time of the buildup to the new season we are still busy with a lot of strength and conditioning work, but a lot of it has also been about team building and building cohesion.

"Even if you have a solid squad there are always new people and youngsters coming in. Those dynamics need to be reset on a season by season basis and doing that in such a friendly and welcoming environment will pay dividends.”

A BIG COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITY

Beall believes though that while collaboration between the clubs on the level of rugby IP is important, there is also a commercial opportunity that can’t be passed up and needs exploring.

“I come from a wider sports industry background and one of the sticks that rugby gets beaten with is its lack of scale. For some brands the audience is incredibly valuable but it will attract some professional and financial services brands because it is slightly skewed to a wealthier audience, but for others you don’t have the scale, you don’t have the stick to access a highly passionate youth audience.

“That might be slightly different in South Africa. If we can put together a package that is multi competition and multi territory involving legends and current players across both rugby eco systems and united around a shared set of values, with the story telling with some of the content folk that are shared by the two clubs, that is a quite compelling sponsorship offering that may put us ahead of the game. That is the kind of option I see this collaboration gives us.”

CHANCE FOR SHARKS TO BREAK THROUGH IN EUROPE

Bryans sees the potential for what Beall is talking about to allow the Sharks to make a much needed and sought after breakthrough in the foreign market.

“Given we play most of our rugby in Europe, we see the European market as an interesting commercial opportunity and it has been difficult for us to figure out how to capitalise on that.

"Having a commercial collaboration with Saracens might be just the thing because we haven’t been successful so far in attracting European based commercial partners.”

*The Sharks Invitation team's game against Saracens will be live-streamed on the Supersport Youtube channel from 4pm on Friday.

Before the Springboks and Wallabies locked horns at Ellis Park, a man covered in plasters and mischief sprinted onto the field to the roar of the crowd. That man was Sean Raymond - or at least, the man who claims to be Sean Raymond. And if his story is to be believed (which it absolutely shouldn’t be), he’s not just a rugby fan. He’s a walking conspiracy theory wrapped in bandages.

The Cowboys vs the Makhulus: A Match for the Bankfin Three Million

Sean Raymond’s rugby career peaked in the late '80s or early '90s (he’s vague on the details), when he was hand-picked in “The Big Pick,” a selection process devised by legendary commentator George Whedall. The match? A high-stakes showdown between the Cowboys and the Bankfin Makhulus, played for the mythical Bankfin Three Million.

“It was the first time they offered money for amateur play,” Sean recalls. “R15 000 for a try, R15 000 for a conversion. Tremendous game.”

Sean was the hooker for the Cowboys, but his glory was short-lived. A lock named Shaft (yes, Shaft) kicked him in the snozzle (nose), forcing him off the field. Enter Sweet Coetzee.

Sweet Coetzee: Medic, Saboteur, Suspended Commentator

Sweet Coetzee, a suspended sports commentator moonlighting as a medic, tied Sean to a stretcher and disguised himself as Sean Raymond. He then ran onto the field as Sean Raymond, playing for the Cowboys - but here’s the twist: he played badly on purpose.

Why? Because Sweet and George Whedall had placed a massive bet on the Makhulus to win. Sweet’s sabotage was so brazen it could’ve been a plotline in a '90s action movie. “He was a Cowboy,” Sean explains, “but he was playing for the Makhulus to win.”

Despite his best efforts to tank the game, Sweet took a knock to the head mid-match and forgot he was sabotaging. Believing he was a real cowboy, he started playing like a champion. “Because Sean Raymond IS a champion,” Sean insists.

“I’m fine man, let’s play” 😂

He may be 40. He may have played rugby for half his life. He may have collected thousands of bones. He may be a Springbok.

But Willem Albert’s’ greatest achievements is the creation of Shaun Raymond 🤕

Happy Birthday to a legend of the game! pic.twitter.com/7AKtN38IdT

— Brandon Portnoy (@BrandonPortnoy) May 11, 2024

Match-Fixing at Freedom Stadium

The game featured other legends of lore: Maf Jones at flyhalf for the Makhulus, and Longdrop Botha for the Cowboys - “probably the best kicking flyhalf since Naas Botha,” Sean says, with a straight face.

The Makhulus won, securing the Bankfin Three Million and sealing Sweet Coetzee’s bet. “That’s probably where match-fixing started,” Sean muses. “Back in the '80s. At Freedom Stadium.”

Enter Willem Alberts: The Bone Collector Goes Full Schuster

Fast forward to Ellis Park, 2025. Comedian Leon Schuster was supposed to be the flag bearer for the Springboks vs Wallabies test, but when he couldn’t make it, one of his biggest fans stepped up: former Bok enforcer Willem Alberts.

Alberts, known as the Bone Collector for his bone-rattling tackles, decided to pay tribute to Schuster by reviving a character from the film Sweet and Short - none other than Sean Raymond, the disguised field invader who helped his team win.

“I’m a big Leon Schuster fan,” Alberts said. “The movies inspired me and my generation, especially with the rugby humour. I’ve often used them in the team environment.”

According to Alberts, Supersport had planned for Sean Raymond to run on first, followed by Leon’s grand entrance. “When Leon couldn’t make it, I stepped in to make sure people smile,” Alberts said. “For me it was fun.”

And smile they did. Fans of Schuster picked up the reference instantly. The rest just enjoyed the sight of a giant man in plasters charging onto the pitch like it was 1989.

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) said on Wednesday reducing the number of professional men's clubs from four to two is the best option to secure on-field success and financial sustainability.

Welsh rugby faces its most sweeping shake-up in decades as the governing body unveiled plans to cut the existing teams - Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets - into two equally funded professional outfits.

The formal consultation process is to begin on 1 September and will aim to "seek views from the entire rugby community from fans to partners and sponsors, related institutions and governing bodies" before making a decision in October.

"We know how emotional rugby is and that people will be hurting when thinking about what this could mean for their team," WRU CEO Abi Tierney said.

"Not everyone is going to be happy but I don't think carrying on as we are is the right thing for fans either.

"We had to do something radically different to get us to a better place and that everyone can get behind and we hope people will step out of their corner."

The WRU said that four proposals are on the table and described two clubs with equal funding as the preferred "optimal option," though it remains unclear which locations would host them.

The plan is expected to face strong resistance, although Cardiff remain under WRU ownership following the April rescue.

On Monday, Dragons' owners emphasised that elite rugby should remain in Gwent.

"We have reviewed the WRU's consultation document and welcome the opportunity to engage constructively in this process," Ospreys said in a statement after the WRU announcement

"There are some interesting ideas within it, including options that we feel hold real potential, alongside others that present more challenges."

Vodacom Bulls pivot Boeta Chamberlain will leave Loftus Versfeld at the end of the Carling Currie Cup to join the Newcastle Red Bulls in England.

Chamberlain, who had mixed success under former coach Jake White and didn’t play as much as he would have liked, decided to make the move after only a little more than a season at the Pretoria franchise.

He was previously at the Sharks where he made 59 appearances.

The Vodacom Bulls confirm that flyhalf Boeta Chamberlain will leave Loftus Versfeld after the 2025 Carling Currie Cup to join English Premiership side Newcastle 🤝

Chamberlain, 26, joined the Vodacom Bulls last year after a successful stint with the Sharks, where he made 59… pic.twitter.com/e08Evp5Fck

— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) August 20, 2025

The former SA under-20 player will now join Steve Diamond’s acquisitions and hopes to be a big player in the English Premiership

Vodacom Bulls Currie Cup head coach Phiwe Nomlomo paid tribute to Chamberlain’s contribution: “Boeta has been a valued member of our squad and brought great professionalism and energy to our environment. He’s a player with a sharp rugby brain and a strong work ethic, and we wish him every success as he takes on this new opportunity abroad.”

Chamberlain expressed his gratitude to the Bulls and excitement for what lies ahead: “Playing for the Vodacom Bulls has been a privilege. The culture, the fans, and the standard of rugby here have helped me grow immensely. I’m grateful for the opportunity and look forward to the next challenge with Newcastle. It’s a new adventure, and I’m excited to test myself in a different environment.”

Part of what could have made Chamberlain's mind is the arrival of Springbok flyhalf Handre Pollard at Loftus from Leicester Tigers.

International backrower Lenni Nouchi has extended his contract with Montpellier until 2028, the Top 14 club announced Tuesday.

The 21-year-old, capped twice by France, was under contract until June next year, and was on the radar of rival clubs.

Nouchi, who captained the world champion under-20 France team in 2023, has played 55 times in all competitions for Montpellier since joining the club in October 2022.

Montpellier, who finished ninth in the Top 14 last season, kick off their season against Toulon on 6 September.

 

Lenni Nouchi au MHR jusqu’en 2028 ! 💙#teamMHR #Cistes #top14 pic.twitter.com/VKA82oY57S

— Montpellier Rugby (@MHR_officiel) August 18, 2025

 

The two South African Under-18 squads are all set for their highly anticipated final matches of the Under-18 International Series on Saturday in Paarl, with the coaches making several tweaks to the teams to give more players a chance to play at a higher level.

The last round of this prestigious annual age-group showpiece will be staged at Paarl Gimnasium.

Saturday’s action gets underway at 11:30am when the SA Under-18 ‘A’ side takes on France, and this is followed by the clash between Ireland and Georgia at 1:30pm. The main event will be the SA Under-18S going head-to-head with England at 3:30pm, looking for their third win of the tournament.

For the encounter against the English, SA Under-18 coach Lwazi Zangqa again shuffled the starting combinations. From the pack that convincingly beat Ireland 45-5 on Tuesday at Boland Landbou, only the lock combination of Jayden Joubert and AJ Meyer, as well as No 8 Gert Kemp, were retained.

The front row is all new, with Kai Pratt (loosehead), Altus Rabe (hooker), and JG Badenhorst (tighthead) getting the nod while flankers Chinedu Amadi and Joshua Neill will start.

The backline also sees numerous changes, with Morne Noble (scrumhalf), Liyema Nela (flyhalf), Jadrian Afrikaner (wing), and Ethan Adams (inside centre) all getting starting opportunities after coming off the bench in the last game.

Zangqa explained that the plan was to give every player in the squad a chance to gain experience on the international stage: “We wanted to ensure each player got the opportunity to taste international rugby and to enjoy the occasion.”

The SA Under-18 coach further emphasised that they are ready for a physical battle against England, who will be motivated to finish the series on a high note after losing both their matches so far.

“Our plan is to make sure we're physically up for the battle,” Zangqa said. “While our defence will be important, we are also eager to deliver a good attacking display. This will be the last time this year that our supporters will see the Under-18S in action, so we want to give them something good to watch.”

Zangqa added that the SA Under-18S will need to be focused for the entire match to handle England's challenge: “England will be eager to finish the series on a positive note, so we will have to be ready to meet their challenge and concentrate throughout.”

After their dominant 57-19 victory over Georgia, the SA Under-18 ‘A’ side also showed a few rotational changes. Two of these are in the pack – at loosehead prop and lock – while the rest are in the backs, with tweaks to the wings, centre, and fullback positions.

Jeffrey Singo (prop), Diaan Augustyn (lock), and Reinhart Viljoen (fullback) are back in the starting line-up, while wings Junaide Pasensie and Ncutu Kepe have swapped sides. Jeandre Uithaler, one of the team’s key players throughout the tournament, will once again captain the side from the fly-half position.

SA Under-18 ‘A’ coach Flash Malinga said they are looking forward to taking on the French: “France lost their opening-round match to the SA Under-18S, but they showed in their win over England how good they are.”

Malinga anticipates another tough game and explained his final team selection: “We selected what we believe is our best combination for this match. We have strength in the starting combination and on our bench, who we regard as good finishers.

“It has been a great tournament with many good experiences and valuable learnings, and we’re looking forward to showcasing and testing our attack, defence, and set piece against the French.”

Tickets are R20 per person and are available at the gate or online through Quicket. All the matches will be broadcast by SuperSport Schools.

SA Under-18 TO TAKE ON ENGLAND: 15 Zekhethelo Siyaya (Sharks); 14 Junaide Stuart (Bulls); 13 Markus Muller (captain, Western Province); 12 Ethan Adams (Cheetahs); 11 Jadriaan Afrikaner (Sharks); 10.Liyema Nela (Sharks); 9 Morne Noble (Western Province); 8 Gert Kemp (Western Province); 7 Joshua Neill (Western Province); 6 Chinedu Amadi (Lions); 5 AJ Meyer (Cheetahs); 4 Jayden Joubert (Western Province); 3 JG Badenhorst (Cheetahs); 2 Altus Rabe (Western Province); 1 Kai Pratt (South Western Districts)

REPLACEMENTS: 16 Keenan Myners (South Western Districts); 17 Jordan Jooste (Western Province); 18 Matthew van der Merwe (Western Province); 19 Lwandile Mlaba (Sharks); 20 Wasi Vyambwera (Sharks); 21 Jacobus de Villiers (South Western Districts);22 Jayden Brits (Western Province); 23 Ruben Groenewald (Bulls); 24 Christian Vorster (South Western Districts); 25 Lamla Mgedezi (Cheetahs); 26 Thabiso Simelane (Bulls)

SA Under-18 ‘A’ TO TAKE ON FRANCE: 15 Reinhart Viljoen (South Western Districts); 14 Ncutu Kepe (Border); 13 Erin Nelson (Eastern Province); 12 Lizwe Mthethwa (Sharks); 11 Junade Pasensie (Bulls); 10 Jeandre Uithaler (captain, Lions); 9 Mickyle Booise (Western Province); 8 Quintin Potgieter (Western Province); 7 Liam Lightly (South Western Districts); 6 Briint Davids (Western Province); 5 Migael Turner (Western Province); 4 Diaan Augustyn (South Western Districts); 3 Deon Botes (Bulls); 2 Thomas Muller (Western Province); 1 Jeffrey Singo (Bulls)

REPLACEMENTS: 16 Keenan Myners (South Western Districts); 17 Pieta Cilliers (Western Province); 18 Bernhard du Toit (Western Province); 19 Lian Terblanche (Lions); 20 Nhlanhla Ndlovu (Sharks); 21 Zirk Meyer (Bulls); 22 Ethan van Biljon (Western Province); 23 Nathan Aneke (Sharks); 24 Sbabalwe Magwebu (Border); 25 Jeneall Davids (Western Province)

Rugby fans across the globe can now build their dream Castle Lager Rugby Championship XV with the official launch of Fantasy Rugby Championship on Wednesday.

With a $100 million budget, fans can select the ultimate team from the Southern Hemisphere’s premier international rugby competition, with players from the Springboks, All Blacks, Wallabies, and Los Pumas.

Fantasy players will earn points based on their chosen team’s on-field actions, like tries, conversions, line breaks, tackles, offloads, and 50:22s.

While many will have their sights set on the US$5 000 grand prize, fans can also create leagues to compete for ultimate bragging rights with friends, family, and other fans around the world.

Two of the highest-priced players in the game are both outside backs, Bok wing Cheslin Kolbe and All Blacks fullback Will Jordan, each valued at $10 million.

Ardie Savea and Springbok captain Siya Kolisi are the most expensive forwards, both priced at $8 million.

Fullback Tom Wright is Australia’s highest-priced player at $8.5 million, while flyhalf Tomás Albornoz leads the way for Argentina at $8 million.

Fans are restricted to a minimum of three players and a maximum of six players from any Castle Lager Rugby Championship nation in their fantasy team. Fans will also have access to three boosters designed to supercharge their scoring:

Triple Captain: Triples your captain’s points for one match.

Co-Captains: Doubles the points for two selected captains for one round.

Limitless: Grants unlimited budget for one round only.

 

Who would be you picks? 🤔

Fantasy Rugby Championship has arrived. Build your dream team, compete against your mates, and play for cash 💰

Sign up now and start building your team - click here: https://t.co/sPqFUQBPmF 🔗#TheRugbyChampionship #FantasyTRC pic.twitter.com/VuoKjoAH1D

— Springboks (@Springboks) August 6, 2025

 

With the Castle Lager Rugby Championship taking place over seven weeks, boosters will be a key part of Fantasy players strategy as they make their weekly selections.

Fantasy rugby is the ultimate test of rugby knowledge and tactical thinking. A competition using the same operating conditions was run during the Super Rugby Pacific season and was won by Callum Brown of Melbourne, Australia.

“It’s a short competition, you will need to take some risks, but don’t be too reckless, consistency will win out,” he advises.

“Pick consistent players as captain. Having a solid and safe captain score each round will be better than taking a huge risk each round! Enjoy watching the games outside of your favourite team!”

“Get familiar with the scoring system, being a player on the field doesn’t always translate to fantasy points!”

With the game now live, fans can take the reins and put their rugby knowledge to the test throughout the 2025 season.