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TimesLIVE
23-07-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Erasmus names experience and young blood in Bok squad for Australia Tests
Three players from Junior Boks will train with senior team ahead of Rugby Championship kickoff Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus selected a strong 37-man squad for the first two Tests in the Rugby Championship against Australia, featuring 24 World Cup-winners and five players who made their Test debuts during their successful Incoming Series. The Bok coach also invited three young players who were members of the triumphant Junior Bok World Rugby Under-20 Championship squad — Bathobele Hlekani, Cheswill Jooste, and Haashim Pead — to train with the group during their two-week conditioning camp in Johannesburg starting on Sunday. The five players who earned their first Springbok Test caps in July are utility back Ethan Hooker, props Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Boan Venter, hooker Marnus van der Merwe and utility forward Cobus Wiese. Bath prop Thomas du Toit has been granted a compulsory two-week rest as agreed with the Gallagher Premiership, though he is eligible to be called up at any stage should the need arise. No 8 Jasper Wiese is serving a four-week suspension, ruling him out of this squad. Five tries in three starts 🇿🇦🔥 Has Edwill van der Merwe locked in his spot in The Rugby Championship squad? 🤔💭 #SSRugby — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 22, 2025 A handful of players have been released to their respective franchises to build up game time in the Currie Cup, though a few of them have been placed on standby for the Wallaby Tests. The standby players are centre Lukhanyo Am, who missed the July Tests due to a knee niggle; scrumhalf Faf de Klerk, wing Makazole Mapimpi, lock Salmaan Moerat, No 8 Evan Roos, prop Neethling Fouche and flank Vincent Tshituka. The squad has 20 forwards and 17 backline players. The Springboks face the Wallabies in Johannesburg on August 16 and Cape Town on August 23. 'It's always challenging to reduce the squad, especially given how the expanded group of players put up their hands during the Incoming Series, but we always said we would select a smaller, more manageable squad during the Rugby Championship,' Erasmus said. 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆: Rassie Erasmus has named his squad that will face the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship next month 🇿🇦 Bathobele Hlekani, Cheswill Jooste and Haashim Pead have been invited to train with the group during their two-week conditioning camp in Joburg. #SSRugby — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 23, 2025 'This group includes several experienced players and a few younger guys who grabbed their chances in the last few Tests, so we are pleased with this squad for the first two matches. 'We have informed the players on standby what our plans are and what we expect from them so all of them are ready to step up if needed.' Erasmus elaborated on the composition of the squad. 'We probably have three players who can cover each position, which is important in this competition. 'One of our key pillars as a team is to build squad depth, and there is no better way to see what some of the younger players are capable of than to expose them to some of the top teams in the world.' Erasmus expects a completely different challenge in the Rugby Championship to that against the Barbarians, Italy, and Georgia. 'Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina are all ranked in the top seven in the world and if one considers we won the Rugby Championship for the first time since 2019 last year, it is clear this will be a completely different kettle of fish. 'All three teams have beaten us in the last few years and they play a different style of rugby to the other opposition we have faced thus far, but we are pleased with the foundation we laid in the last few weeks and we know exactly what areas of our game we need to work on.' Erasmus will announce his squad for the two-match tour to New Zealand in September before making the journey Down Under, where they will face their arch-rivals at Eden Park in Auckland on September 6, and the Sky Stadium in Wellington on September 13. The Boks wrap up their campaign with Tests against Argentina in Durban on September 27 and in London on October 4. Springbok squad Forwards: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Jean-Luc du Preez (Bordeaux Begles), Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Vincent Koch (Sharks), Siya Kolisi (Sharks), Wilco Louw (Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Sharks), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Bulls), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Marco van Staden (Bulls), Boan Venter (Edinburgh), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls), Cobus Wiese (Bulls) Backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), André Esterhuizen (Sharks), Aphelele Fassi (Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers), Ethan Hooker (Sharks), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Willie le Roux (Bulls), Manie Libbok (Stormers), Canan Moodie (Bulls), Handré Pollard (Bulls), Cobus Reinach (Stormers), Edwill van der Merwe (Sharks), Morne van den Berg (Lions), Grant Williams (Sharks), Damian Willemse (Stormers)
IOL News
23-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Springboks' forward depth grows, but No 8 position remains a concern ahead of Rugby Championship
Springbok No 8 Jasper Wiese will be out for another three matches and the Boks will have to make a plan at eighth man for the first three Rugby Championship Tests. Image: BackpagePix The Springboks' dominance in world rugby currently owes much to their formidable pack of forwards, and they are arguably the most dominant in Test rugby at present. Following the 2023 Rugby World Cup, South Africa's forward depth remains a key weapon of their success. While a handful of senior players and second stringers were absent during the mid-year Tests due to injuries and Steven Kitshoff retiring, others stepped up to the plate to stake a claim ahead of the Rugby Championship. We take a look at the depth in the forwards. 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 ✕ Eighth man This is probably the position that the Springboks are 'concerned' with the most. While they have players that can fill the gap at any given time, they haven't, over the four matches that started the season, found a permanent stand-in. Jasper Wiese was out suspended; Evan Roos had limited minutes on the playing field. Cobus Wiese stood in, but he is definitely not a long-term option for that position. Captain Siya Kolisi and Marco van Staden can also deputise, and they look like options during the Rugby Championship. Loose forwards In the absence of Kolisi, who only featured in the final Test against Georgia, there were more than adequate replacements that kept the flag flying on the side of the scrum. Kolisi will certainly be a first choice alongside Pieter-Steph du Toit, but the emergence of Vincent Tshituka, Cobus Wiese and return of Jean-Luc du Preez provide depth. A special night for Vincent Tshituka, Cobus Wiese, Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Willie le Roux after the Springboks beat Italy 👏🇿🇦#SSRugby — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 13, 2025 While Kwagga Smith is seen as a Bomb Squad member, he covers multiple roles at the back of the pack. It gives the Boks the option to chop and change among the loose forwards as they did in the last couple of matches. Locks Centurion Eben Etzebeth is the mainstay in the Bok second row. He will likely only miss a match going forward when there is a decision to rest him. However, he will be fired up to play every game. Around him, the return of Lood de Jager made things interesting. He is back in form and Franco Mostert and RG Snyman have stiff competition for the No 5 jersey. Despite starting to form a strong combination as newcomers, Salmaan Moerat and Ruan Nortjé could be the unlucky ones missing out on Rugby Championship selection due to the sheer depth and experience in the squad. Front row Despite the injuries to Frans Malherbe, Gerhard Steenekamp and Ntuthuko Mchunu and Kitshoff retiring, the depth and readily available scrummagers the Springboks possess are impressive. Neethling Fouché, Boan Venter, and Asenathi Ntlabakanye stepped up in the front row. Marnus van der Merwe made his mark as hooker, and there is no doubt that they've all performed well in the mid-year games. The Rugby Championship is a different beast, but they showed they are capable of being thrown in the deep end and swimming. The likes of Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nché, Thomas du Toit and Vincent Koch have adequate players to deputise for them. The rise of the utility player André Esterhuizen and his ability to slot in at the side or back of the scrum have become a trump card for the world champions. While he only started slotting into the pack recently, his shift has been planned for months. Smith, equally adept to all three back row positions in the pack, remains integral to the Bok plans as he continues to deliver game-changing performances off the bench. Newbie Jan-Hendrik Wessels ensured with good performances at hooker and loosehead prop that the South Africans keep setting the pace in terms of using a single player in different positions when needed.
TimesLIVE
19-07-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Junior Boks end 13-year wait for World Rugby U20 Championship title
South Africa are the World Rugby U20 Championship winners for the first time since 2012 after deservedly beating New Zealand 23-15 in Rovigo, with Junior Springboks captain Riley Norton calling it 'the greatest day of my life.' Junior Boks exerted pressure straight from the kick-off, forcing New Zealand to kick the ball out in their own 22. Having been so impressive during their tournament with their incisive back play, this time the Junior Boks proved they could play more directly too, Xola Nyali scoring the game's first try from a driving maul. They then produced an incredible defensive set to keep out New Zealand phase after phase. But South Africa were eventually penalised and from the resulting lineout, New Zealand came up with a clever trick play for Jayden Sa to touch down in the corner. Look at the scenes at full-time 🤩 The Junior Boks end their 13-year wait to win the #WorldRugbyU20s title 🇿🇦🏆 #SSRugby — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 19, 2025 Time and space on the ball was rare as the teams cancelled each defensively, combining impressive speed with dominant tackling. South Africa edged further ahead with a Vusi Moyo penalty, but they couldn't capitalise when New Zealand lost Mosese Bason to a yellow card, upgraded to a 20-minute red. After Moyo made it 13-5 from the kicking tee, South Africa lost Albertus Bester to a yellow card of their own to even up the numbers and leave the game still in the balance at half-time. It was New Zealand who started the second half on the front foot, but they had to make do with three points from a Rico Simpson penalty after more heroic South Africa defence. The gap was down to five points, a one-score game. As the tension rose, errors from both teams began to creep in. But South Africa were beginning to gain dominance in the scrum. Another penalty from Moyo made it 16-8 as the final quarter approached, The Junior Boks get their try ⚡ Haashim Pead spots the space and Jaco Williams finishes it off 💪💪 #SSRugby | #WorldRugbyU20s — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 19, 2025 From the next dominant scrum, Hassiem Pead appeared to have scored the decisive try, only for the referee to rule it out. Another scrum, another South Africa penalty – but this time Voyo pulled his kick wide, his first miss of the night. With New Zealand losing a second player to the sin bin, South Africa began to turn the screw in open play too. It was fitting that the decisive try was made by a moment of genius from Pead – arguably the player of the tournament. The scrum-half's inch-perfect kick ahead was touched down in the corner by Gilermo Mentoe. This time, Voyo made no mistake with his kick, the conversion taking the lead out to more than two scores. There was still time for New Zealand to grab a consolation try through Maloni Kunawave but their wait for a first U20 title since 2014 will go on for at least another year.
TimesLIVE
28-06-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Ruthless Lions run in eight tries to down Force 54-7 in Perth
The British & Irish Lions gave the Western Force a lesson in ruthless finishing as they kicked off their Australia tour with an ultimately comfortable 54-7 victory in front of a big crowd at Perth Stadium on Saturday. Tomos Williams and Elliot Daly both crossed twice with skipper Dan Sheehan, Garry Ringrose, Joe McCarthy and Alex Mitchell also scoring as a much-changed Lions team bounced back after their 28-24 loss to Argentina in Dublin last week. Henry Pollock's first start in a Lions shirt did not disappoint with a line break to set up one try and a chip-and-chase earning the field position for another, as well as a yellow card late in the first half. Flyhalf Finn Russell, who kicked five of six conversions before being replaced, gave a masterclass in playmaking to reinforce his position as favourite to lead the Lions backline in the test series against Australia in late July and August. "I think it's an improvement, especially on the scoreline side and how we sort of closed down that game towards the end," said hooker Sheehan. "But still plenty of things to work on, the discipline was nowhere near good enough and there was too much access for Western Force tonight." Perfect in Perth for the British and Irish Lions 🦁🔴 #SSRugby | #Lions2025 — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) June 28, 2025 The Force did enough to assuage the fears of Lions management that the tour matches would not be competitive and a solitary try from veteran Wallabies scrumhalf Nic White hardly did justice to their contribution to the contest. "Disappointed, I don't think that scoreline reflected certainly the first 50 minutes," said White. "We probably left a couple of opportunities out there, but we got stuck right into them and it had a real test match intensity." Sheehan, making his Lions debut, gave the tourists the perfect start with a try inside two minutes, batting Russell's crosskick to James Lowe then taking a return pass to touch down. The Force intercepted the restart and came straight back at them, however, and White went over in the fifth minute during a period of sustained pressure that continued for another 10 minutes. Some of the Lions' defending attracted the ire of Ben O'Keeffe, who will referee the first Wallabies test, but they held out through four penalties before turning the ball over and scoring a second try. Quick hands from the British and Irish Lions 🦁⚡ 📺 Stream #Lions2025 on DStv: — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) June 28, 2025 FORCE WRONG-FOOTED Good support from Pollock saw the 20-year-old number eight explode through the defensive line before finding Williams off the deck out of the tackle to allow the scrumhalf a short run to the line. A quickly taken tap penalty from Russell wrong-footed the Force and led to the third try four minutes before the break, the flyhalf racing to within metres of the line before finding fullback Daly in support. Russell kicked his third conversion to give the Lions a 21-7 lead but the Force charged back again and Pollock paid the price for the earlier indiscipline at the breakdown and was shown a yellow card just before halftime. The young loose forward was still in the sin bin when the Lions broke out of defence for a fourth try, Lowe again the provider as Williams went in for his second before limping off the pitch with what looked like a hamstring injury. The Lions continued to show a ruthless streak every time they managed to get the ball wide with centre Ringrose going over in the 52nd minute and lock McCarthy in the 56th after Pollock had turned to his boot to breach the defensive line. The game got a bit scrappy in the last 10 minutes as the benches were cleared but Williams' replacement Mitchell made sure the tourists had the last say, running away to complete the scoring after the fulltime hooter.
