Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus was pleased with the bedrock laid at the first week of the national training camp in Pretoria and was satisfied that they have a solid base to build from as the squad prepares to face Wales in the opening Test of the season at Twickenham next week Saturday.
The SA Rugby Women's First Division kicks off in three major rugby centers of the country on Saturday with all squads well aware of the possibilities of this journey for the team and individual players in the next couple of months.
The Vodacom Bulls will have their sights set squarely on booking their second Vodacom United Rugby Championship grand final spot in three seasons when they host Leinster in the first semi-final at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday afternoon, when they will fly the flag as the last remaining South African team in the cross-hemisphere showpiece.
Double Rugby World Cup-winning Springbok wing Cheslin Kolbe has rejoined his teammates in Pretoria and will do his rehabilitation under the supervision of the Bok medical staff with an eye on possibly being available for selection for the opening Test of the Castle Lager Incoming Tour against Ireland.
The Carling Currie Cup will kick off as scheduled, as one of the results of a ground-breaking alignment between employers and players to maximise player welfare, while facilitating a 12-month-long South African season.
Celimpilo Gumede received his first Springbok call-up and immediately got stuck into the action at the team’s afternoon training session in Pretoria following the release of double Rugby World Cup-winning wing Cheslin Kolbe, who will undergo a medical examination for a knee niggle.
The Vodacom Bulls duo of Kurt-Lee Arendse and Cameron Hanekom are up against the Emirates Lions’ versatile Sanele Nohamba for the coveted Vodacom United Rugby Championship Player of the Season Award for 2024.
Sanlam Boland Dames rebounded in the best possible way in the SA Rugby Women's Premier Division on Saturday by scoring 11 tries in an impressive victory over the Free State Women in Bloemfontein, while the Bulls Daisies and DHL Western Province kept their good form with wins over Border Ladies and the Sharks Women respectively.
The Vodacom Bulls will host Leinster in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship semi-final at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria next Saturday after holding their nerve in a tense quarter-final against Benetton, but the DHL Stormers’ hopes of progressing to the top four for a third consecutive season were dashed by Glasgow Warriors in Scotland.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus named an exciting squad of 35 players for the team’s first official training camp of the season, which starts in Pretoria on Monday where the focus will be on the opening Test of the season against Wales on 22 June.