BaaBaas recruit All Black rejects for Springbok showdown
The Barbarians have reportedly brought in two prime All Blacks stars for Saturday's Qatar Cup clash against the Springboks in Cape Town.
Mark Telea and Hoskins Sotutu arrived with the Barbarians in Cape Town ahead of their historic clash with the Springboks at Cape Town Stadium. This after the duo failed to make the All Blacks squad for the mid-year Test series against France.
Telea and Sotutu, fresh off a dominant Super Rugby campaign with the Blues — where they combined for 21 tries – touched down in the Mother City alongside several international standouts. A social media post showed them arriving with fellow New Zealanders Tawera Kerr-Barlow and veteran lock Sam Whitelock, as well as Uruguayan scrumhalf Santiago Arata and France hooker Camille Chat.
Whitelock, 36, joins the Barbarians as an assistant coach. He holds the record for the most Rugby World Cup appearances (26) and played in three finals during a decorated 153-Test career. His last appearance for the Barbarians came in their 45-32 win over Fiji in 2023.
Telea, known for his elusive running and finishing ability, has scored 13 tries in 19 Tests for the All Blacks and will be a key attacking threat. Sotutu, meanwhile, continues to build a reputation as one of the most powerful back-rowers in the game.
Barbarians coach Robbie Deans has already assembled a strong squad featuring Irish greats Peter O'Mahony, Cian Healy, and Conor Murray, along with All Blacks loose forwards Sam Cane and Shannon Frizell.
The Springboks will host the Barbarians on South African soil for the first time, with the Cape Town clash marking the ninth meeting between the two sides. Their last encounter ended in a thrilling 31-31 draw at Wembley Stadium in 2016.
The match promises to be a showcase of international talent and flair, with the Barbarians bringing their trademark attacking style to face Rassie Erasmus' disciplined and physical Springbok side.
WHO DO YOU THINK WILL WIN THE MATCH BETWEEN THE BARBARIANS AND SPRINGBOKS?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211.
Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
39 minutes ago
- IOL News
Springbok winger Kurt-Lee Arendse gears up for international season after Japanese stint
Kurt-Lee Arendse is looking forward to another good season with the Springboks as they build towards the 2027 Rugby World Cup. | EPA Image: EPA After one season in Japan, Springbok winger Kurt-Lee feels his game has grown significantly as he prepares for another blockbuster international season with the world champions. The 27-year-old was part of the squad that started the first game of the season against the Barbarians yesterday evening in Cape Town as they looked to lay the perfect platform for the international season. The Springboks will play 13 Tests this year, with another one in the making but yet to be confirmed. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Arendse, who played for the Mitsubishi Sagamihara Dynoboars, resumed his deadly wing partnership with Kolbe against the Baabaas yesterday evening. However, it was against the likes of his winger partner (Tokyo Sungoliath) and fellow Boks like Jasper Wiese ( Urayasu D-Rocks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), and Kwagga Smith (Blue Revs) in Japan where he sharpened this attacking play before he joined the Bok camp. 'I definitely reached some of the goals that I set out for myself before I went over to Japan,' Arendse said about his stint overseas. Last time the Boks played at Loftus, Kurt-Lee Arendse did this inside the first three minutes against Ireland. Tickets for the match against Italy in Pretoria are available here 🔗 #ForeverGreenForeverGold — Springboks (@Springboks) June 2, 2025 'What I learnt here at the Boks, I tried to carry over to my teammates at the Dynaboars. It was amazing to experience rugby somewhere else. There is no pressure on and off the field. I just played my rugby. That is what it is all about for me. 'The game is quick, but not very different to rugby over this side. The support we get from people in Japan also surprised me quite a bit. They love the Springboks, and it was good to see how they even supported me when I got there.' Back in the national fold, Arendse wants to keep his head down and work hard to keep in contention for the rest of the matches of the season. The Boks will be building up towards the Rugby Championship over the next three Tests when they face Italy twice and Georgia. Arendse says the start to the Bok camp was a tough one this year and they had one of the most gruelling pre-season fitness sessions with the coaches. He had to wait a week before joining the on-field sessions due to regulations but was with the team for their two-week camp in Johannesburg. 'It was tough, but the squad needed the pre-season fitness camp. This will be a long season and not an easy one. The coaches are pushing us hard, and the guys are buying into what the coaches are planning and what they want us to do. 'We help the young guys in camp and in return, they help the old guys. Everyone wants to play. In the end, it is the squad that wins. It is good for South African rugby. We needed a pre-season like that. New season. Same fire. The #Springboks are ready take on the Barbarians in SA for the very first time. #ForeverGreenForeverGold — Springboks (@Springboks) June 28, 2025
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
Springboks wanted to be brave and bold with ball in hand against Barbarians, says captain Jesse Kriel
Springbok captain Jesse Kriel sizes up the Barbarians defence at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix It rained almost non-stop in Cape Town this week, and when more grey skies greeted the Mother City on Saturday, you were expecting the worst as a rugby fan. Despite the Barbarians being in town for what is usually a festival-type running-rugby game, the slippery conditions would've been expected to affect both teams' approach at Cape Town Stadium. But the Boks actually didn't hold back in that regard in their 54-7 victory over the invitation side to entertain the 45,000-strong crowd. As early as the fourth minute, there were an array of impressive passes from the home side that would've been expected from the visitors. The South Africans put together a series of phases, with Lood de Jager running hard a few times, debutant prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye showcasing his deft handling skills, and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu slinging out a long pass to Kurt-Lee Arendse out wide. Lively scrumhalf Morné van den Berg also kept the tempo going with some slick clearances from the base, and the one audacious dummy from Feinberg-Mngomezulu had his Cape fans dancing in the stands. Fullback Aphelele Fassi also entered the attack chat, and delivered two delicious grubbers that set up the first two tries by Malcolm Marx and Cheslin Kolbe. Arendse and Kolbe were energetic throughout the eight-try rout, and that attack-minded theme continued into the second half, with captain Jesse Kriel breaking the line, and centre partner Damian de Allende pushing through a deft grubber for Arendse's touchdown. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Fassi 🤝 Kolbe Cheslin doing what he does best in Green and Gold 🤩🔥 📺 Stream #BARvRSA on DStv: — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) June 28, 2025 The Tony Brown playbook was on full show, and the growth in the Bok game in such dreary conditions speaks volumes about how they are pushing the envelope ahead of the blockbuster two Tests against the All Blacks in New Zealand in September. 'I'm obviously very happy with all of that. I think it actually started in the week. On Wednesday, we spoke about our mindset and mentality going into training – whether we are going to let the weather affect us or not. I think it was nothing different today,' Kriel said in the post-match press conference. 'We came in here positive. We wanted to be brave and bold with the ball in hand, and I think we looked dangerous with turnover ball. 'It's always great if you get the ball into guys like Fassi, Cheslin and Kurt-Lee's hands. 'They are special rugby players, and they can make something out of nothing. Ja, I think we saw a lot of that today.' Bok coach Rassie Erasmus said afterwards that he was 'satisfied' with the performance, but felt that they had gone a bit too far on attack at times in the wet weather. But the South Africans are on the right trajectory heading into next Saturday's first Test against Italy at Loftus Versfeld. 'We won't get carried away with a game like this. We know it's a festival game and we are playing at home against a team that only practiced a few times together,' Erasmus said. 'But certain things came through. We want to get better in the next matches that we will play, where we are trying to focus a lot on us. 'When we hit the Rugby Championship – and Georgia will also be a grind… 'If the weather was drier, I think some of the line-breaks and half-gaps that we got, we were a bit ambitious in trying to offload and just force the last pass. In dry weather, I think that could've stuck. 'But after halftime, when the guys spoke about that, they toned it down a little bit, and we played a little bit more conservatively and got more points.
The Star
9 hours ago
- The Star
Cape Town City may face life in NFD without talented youngsters
Cape Town City will now have to prepare for life in the Motsepe Foundation Championship after being officially ruled out of the promotion/relegation playoffs earlier this week, bringing a long and difficult season to a disappointing close. The Citizens, who ended the campaign 15th on the Premiership table, fell short when it mattered most and must now regroup for the challenges of second-tier football. The Cape side paid the price for their inconsistency throughout a campaign that only saw them get seven victories from 28 matches and their turn out in the playoffs also lacked the urgency the club has been known for in the last 10 years. Their 1-0 defeat to Orbit College handed the Rustenburg-based side a historic promotion to the top flight. The result took Orbit to an unassailable eight points in the mini-league, ending City's survival hopes with a game to spare. At the start of the season, few would have predicted this outcome for City, especially with the wealth of talent still within their squad. As the dust settles, attention now turns to three of their brightest young stars—players who could soon be on the radar of top-flight clubs. The 20-year-old forward enjoyed a landmark year, becoming one of the few South African players to lift the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations. His rise continued with nine league appearances for City this season, playing a role in their battle to retain top-flight status. Ahshene's technical ability and composure in the final third make him one of the most exciting prospects in South African football. His performances have not gone unnoticed, and with City now relegated, clubs in the Betway Premiership are likely to circle for his signature. Jaedin Rhodes In a season filled with setbacks, Jaedin Rhodes emerged as one of the few consistent performers for City. The 22-year-old midfielder featured in 23 matches, showcasing his resilience and maturity despite the team's struggles. Rhodes, who received a national team call-up to the Bafana Bafana Cosafa Cup squad last year, remains a highly valued asset. His creative spark and tactical intelligence could be central to City's hopes of bouncing back quickly. However, the lure of top-flight football may make it difficult for the club to hold onto him, especially with his stock rising. Emile Witbooi
