Sharks coach John Plumtree says playing Bordeaux Begles at the intimidating Stade Chaban-Delmas will be a “big test” for his team. Bordeaux are currently top of both the French Top 14 and Pool 1 in the Champions Cup, with convincing wins against Leicester (42-28), Ulster (40-19) and Exeter (69-17) in the latter. They’re averaging four
Evan Roos starts at No 8 as Joseph Dweba returns from injury in a rejigged Stormers lineup to face Racing 92 in their final Investec Champions Cup pool match on Saturday. The Stormers travel to La Defence Arena to battle the Parisians, who are ninth in the Top 14 and haven’t won any of their
Jake White is committed to clinching a place in the playoffs, having deployed 12 Springboks in the Vodacom Bulls team to battle Stade Francais at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday afternoon. The match brings the curtain down on the Bulls’ 2024-25 Investec Champions Cup campaign, but White’s team still has a window of opportunity to finish
Sharks coach John Plumtree has made several changes to his backline for Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup match against Bordeaux Begles at the Stade Chaban-Delmas. Grant Williams and Siya Masuku will start as the halfback pairing in place of the Hendrikse brothers, Jaden and Jordan (who is injured), while Yaw Penxe shifts to fullback. Eduan Keyter
Vodacom Bulls captain Ruan Nortje returns from injury to lead the side into round four of the 2024/25 Investec Champions Cup. The Springbok lock makes his return after a two-month-long absence and at a time when his team wants to give the European campaign a fight for the ages. Nortje makes return from injury, joined
The enigmatic Hacjivah Dayimani made a name for himself as a secret weapon at the Stormers but on Saturday night he will be a double agent serving Racing 92 in blocking his former team’s path to the Investec Champions Cup knockout stages. The Stormers picked up their first Champions Cup win of the season with
Script writers could not have conjured up a better finish to the first four weeks of the prestigious European competition – the top spot in each Pool is still undecided with one game to go, while the bottom teams can theoretically still be alive in the Champions Cup after this weekend. With the exception of
Two World Cup-winning Springboks were among a strong South African contingent awarded with places in the best XV of the third round of the Investec Champions Cup. The Stormers beat Sale Sharks in Cape Town for their first win in the competition this season, but it was a case of bitter disappointment for the Sharks
Bath head coach Johann van Graan has hailed the “heart and soul” coaching qualities of Leinster defence guru Jacques Nienaber as the two South African coaches prepare to go head-to-head in the Investec Champions Cup this week. In Dublin on Saturday, Van Graan’s English Premiership log leaders will come up against Jacques Nienaber’s Leinster, four-time
Local teams must bolster their squads with seasoned South African players to win the Investec Champions Cup within the next three to five years, writes MARK KEOHANE. Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane highlights the need for a balance of youth, experience and proven Test players to compete with European giants such as Toulouse, Leinster and La
The Vodacom Bulls power through Stade Francais at Loftus in the Investec Champions Cup while the Lions cruise past the Dragons in the EPCR Challenge Cup, according to the SARugbymag.co.za team. Champions Cup:Bulls vs Stade Francais (Saturday, 3pm, Pretoria)Juandre Joubert: Bulls by 21Devin Hermanus: Bulls by 12Simon Borchardt: Bulls by 25Zelím Nel: Bulls by 4Dylan Johnson:
Ruan Nortje is eager to pick up where he left off in 2024, as the Springbok and Vodacom Bulls lock gears up to make his comeback from a two-month injury lay-off this week. Nortje, who has been sidelined since November with a serious hamstring injury that ruled him out of the Boks’ end-of-year tour, is
