Beauden Barrett has weighed in on New Zealand Rugby’s eligibility debate, with the playmaker against the All Blacks adopting a selection model similar to South Africa. NZR maintains that opening the door to foreign-based players would weaken Super Rugby and the domestic game, a stance Barrett appears to support. The Springboks scrapped their eligibility rule
World Rugby has confirmed the host city for the final of the 2027 Rugby World Cup Down Under. The decider of the sport’s crowning event will be played in Sydney, the governing body said Thursday as it released the official draw for the Australia-hosted tournament. “We are delighted to reach another significant milestone on our
New Zealand’s self-claimed fastest man, Tiaan Whelpton, has challenged the All Blacks’ speedsters to a 100m sprint. Whelpton was born in Cape Town and schooled at Paul Roos Gymnasium before emigrating to New Zealand with his family in 2019. The 24-year-old has run the 100m in 10.14 seconds and recently broke the New Zealand record
Former Springbok prop Gurthro Steenkamp says referees referees struggle to spot the “treachery” and “dark arts” used by players to destabilise the scrum. “The scrum is an integral part of the game and let’s call a spade a spade: the last two years there is a lot of cheating going on, players reverting to what
Leinster are hopeful they will get the green light from Irish Rugby to extend Springbok lock RG Snyman’s contract. Snyman signed a one-year deal with the four-time Champions Cup winners after their arch-rivals, Munster, were unable to retain him as they had another non-Irish qualified player – Ireland-turned-Bok lock Jean Kleyn – in the same
Conditioning guru Aled Walters has been appointed as British & Irish Lions head of athletic performance for their 2025 tour to Australia. Walters, who played a pivotal role in the Springboks’ victorious 2019 Rugby World Cup campaign, joins Andy Farrell’s new-look backroom staff on secondment from Ireland’s coaching setup. The Welshman brings a wealth of
Elrigh Louw has given an update on his injury situation after the Springbok and Vodacom Bulls loose forward underwent knee surgery. Louw was rushed to hospital during Saturday’s win for the Bulls against Jukskei derby rivals, the Lions at Ellis Park. He was stretchered from the field after the hard-running flanker suffered a gruesome knee
We are giving one lucky Keo & Zels WhatsApp channel subscriber the chance to win a priceless piece of Springbok memorabilia… A Springbok jersey signed by the legendary Rassie Erasmus! HOW TO ENTER: SUBSCRIBE to the Keo & Zels WhatsApp channel Answer the question below and complete the form Entries close on Friday, 7 February, and
Veteran tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong has been ruled out of Ireland ’s Six Nations opener against England on Saturday due to injury, the IRFU announced. Leinster scrum anchor Furlong, capped 78 times, injured his calf during a training camp in Portugal and has returned home for further assessment. The 32-year-old has been replaced in the
From next season, South Africa’s franchise players will no longer have to cram into economy class when travelling to and from Europe. This will be a result of SA Rugby becoming full EPCR shareholders on 1 July. MyPlayers, the SA professional rugby players’ organisation, confirmed to Rapport that at least 15 players per team will
Deon Fourie has blamed Leinster for unsportsmanlike conduct that contributed to the Stormers’ lineout struggles in Dublin on Saturday night. The Stormers went down 36-12 against Leinster in the Irish capital and, in the post-match press conference, John Dobson highlighted nagging problems with the lineout. “Our frustration probably started early on with the lineout, with
British & Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell has reportedly lined up top conditioning specialist Aled Walters as one of two new additions to his support staff. According to widespread reports, Farrell is reportedly set to add Walters and David Nucifora to his management team for this year’s tour to Australia. Nucifora, a former Ireland
