Saturday’s penultimate Currie Cup round, when the Cell C Sharks host the Fidelity ADT Lions at Hollywoodbets Kings Park, is a crucial weekend of action as the teams all vie for positions on the log.
Paul de Villiers and Katlego Letebele will return for their second stint with the Junior Springboks, this time as captain and vice-captain of the South African squad to the World Rugby Under-20 Championship, which will kick off in Cape Town, Paarl and Stellenbosch later this month.
A repeat of the 2022 final, the return of a couple of Springbok Women’s players and must-win matches for some teams highlight the fifth round of the Women’s Premier Division, with three bog encounters scheduled for Saturday.
Canterbury Crusaders coach Scott Robertson is backing David Havili to be fit in time for the World Cup after the All Blacks centre was ruled out for up to two months with a hamstring injury.
French prop Mohamed Haouas was handed a one-year jail sentence for hitting his wife in public.
The Springboks wrapped up their second preparation camp on an exciting note in Durban on Wednesday as the world celebrated the milestone of 100 days until the kick-off of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
French club Toulon has confirmed that Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe has left the club three months before South Africa begin their World Cup title defence.
DHL Western Province won big to maintain their lead at the top of the standings while the Bulls Daisies and Border Ladies claimed bonus-point victories in the fourth round of the Women’s Premier Division staged over the weekend.
Springbok Women interim head coach Louis Koen congratulated his squad on their effort in Madagascar during the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup, where they won all three their games and lifted the trophy at Stade Maki in Antananarivo on Sunday.
Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber had the luxury of naming a group of 33 players for their second preparation camp in Durban from Monday to Wednesday, which included 10 players who featured in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship Grand Final in Cape Town on Saturday evening, and a host of overseas-based players.