Tabla de contenidos para December 2024 / January 2025 en SA RUGBY

After almost two years in the wilderness, Aphelele Fassi made an explosive return to the Test arena in June. If attack is on the menu, there are few who wouldn’t consider placing an order for the 26-year-old from King William’s Town, but Rassie Erasmus demanded more in other facets of the game from three-Test Fassi in 2022. Though the fullback missed the cut for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, he came back with a bang in 2024 after sourcing the missing ingredients during a 714-day spell between his third and fourth Test cap. Fassi has made the most of the opportunity to start in the absence of the injured Damian Willemse. On the road to the 2027 Rugby World Cup, the race for the Bok No 15 jersey is primed…

South African teams fortified their contender status in Europe as the five franchises again advanced to the knockout stage of the 2023-24 EPCR cups. The Sharks made history by becoming the first local side to clinch EPCR silverware, defeating Gloucester in the Challenge Cup final to earn Champions Cup promotion. The Bulls broke new ground by reaching the Champions Cup quarter-finals after despatching Lyon, before falling to the Northampton Saints in England. The Stormers’ European journey ended dramatically on home soil against La Rochelle, with Manie Libbok missing a conversion after the hooter at Cape Town Stadium that would have eliminated the defending champions. While the Lions and Cheetahs exited the Challenge Cup in the round of 16 against Benetton and Clermont, respectively, the overall campaign demonstrated South African teams’…

It was a year like few others for the world champion Springboks. The rewards were plenty, collectively for a squad that won the Rugby Championship in the most convincing style and individually with three nominations for the World Rugby Player of the Year award and one for the Breakthrough Player of the Year. The Springboks. 2023 World Cup champions, backed up this achievement in the most glorious way through winning five from six in the Rugby Championship and slaying the All Blacks twice in South Africa. They had earlier in the season beaten Ireland in Pretoria, were denied a series win through the brilliance of two long-range Irish drop goals in the final few minutes in Durban, but added the scalp of Argentina in Nelspruit, Scotland in Edinburgh and the…

SIYA KOLISI ‘Warrior! Congrats my brother. 50 up.’ - The Springbok captain congratulated fellow loose forward Kwagga Smith on his milestone appearance against Scotland at Murrayfield. CHESLIN KOLBE ‘The one and only.’ - The Springbok wing celebrated the team’s victory over Scotland in Edinburgh with Damian de Allende and Bafana Bafana legend Benni McCarthy. CANAN MOODIE ‘Off day with the boys.’ - The Springbok wing enjoyed a speedboat outing with André Esterhuizen, Grant Williams and Ox Nché during their training week in Jersey. JESSE KRIEL ‘My guy.’ - The Springbok centre enjoyed a round of golf with midfield partner Damian de Allende in Jersey. DAMIAN DE ALLENDE ‘More special memories made in Edinburgh.’ - The Springbok centre with Liverpool and Scotland left-back Andrew Robertson before the Murrayfield Test. BEAUDEN BARRETT…

PICK YOUR WORLD RUGBY PLAYER OF THE YEAR Cheslin Kolbe is the best rugby player on the planet, according to readers. The explosive winger was one of three Springboks to be nominated for the 2024 World Rugby Player of the Year award, along with South Africa’s most-capped player of all time, lock Eben Etzebeth, and flank Pieter-Steph du Toit, who won the award in 2019. Ireland No 8 Caelan Doris was the other nominee. WHO WAS YOUR TOP BOK AT MURRAYFIELD? WHO WAS YOUR TOP BOK AT TWICKENHAM?…

With the Webb Ellis Cup locked away in the trophy cabinet at SA Rugby’s head office in Plattekloof, Cape Town, at the end of 2019 the Springboks were on top of the world. They had brought their country to a standstill and they were all South Africa could talk about. The trophy tour after they returned from Japan confirmed as much, and it was clear that Bok rugby had changed for good. The man who had made it all happen was Johan ‘Rassie’ Erasmus, a mastermind of the modern game. In just 18 months, he had assembled a side that had gone from no-hopers to world champions and his rugby stock on the international stage was riding high. Still the director of rugby and the man pulling all the strings,…

www.youtube.com/@RugbyCoachWeekly DEFENCE Developing line speed around the ruck for square blitz defence Create scenarios to help understand roles when defending the edge of a ruck. It focuses on good speed off the line and being in a strong position to make a tackle. By Evan Kavanagh, EK Rugby Analysis START TO SET Groups of three attackers and three defenders run into the box RELEASE THE ATTACK The feeder passes to the first attacker Focus: Scanning attack, getting off the line, making positive tackles in combative area. Use this exercise as a skill zone during training to help refocus on defence or an introduction to prime the team pre-game. SET-UP TO PLAY > Set a 8m by 15m box, with a ruck marked out by cones in one corner. > Put…

• Toulon has a strong tradition of recruiting South African talent (below). Over the years, stars like Bryan Habana, Bakkies Botha, and Duane Vermeulen have worn Toulon’s red and black, bringing the physicality and flair of South African rugby to the French Top 14. • Toulon was the first club to win three consecutive European Champions Cup titles, lifting the trophy from 2012-13 to 2014-15. This remarkable achievement established Toulon as one of Europe’s elite, thanks to a star-studded squad that included Jonny Wilkinson. • While their success in Europe is legendary, Toulon have won the Top 14 just four times – most recently in 2013-14 – and finished as runners-up nine times. • The club’s crest features a sprig of lily of the valley, a symbol of the club’s…

2003: Kicks winning drop goal for South Africa in U19 World Championship final against New Zealand in France. Also represents Western Province U20. 2004: Earns bronze medal at U19 World Championship in South Africa. Again represents WP U20. 2005: Captains WP U21 and makes senior debut in Vodacom Cup. 2006: Top point-scorer at U21 World Championship in France (72) as South Africa reach final against hosts. Also WP U21 vice-captain and plays for new Eastern Cape franchise, Southern Spears. 2007: Appears for WP in Vodacom Cup and Boland in Currie Cup. 2008: Top point-scorer for WP in Vodacom Cup (125). Wins IRB Nations Cup with SA Emerging in Romania and selected in Peter de Villiers’ first Springbok squad. 2009-10: Attends Brumbies Academy before playing for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Rugby Club…

Anathi Mtengwane Indeed he haunts them. They will forever fear the man. Shadrach Plaatjies And then Dupont is ’the best player in the world right now’, but he’s only played 25 minutes in the southern hemisphere in his entire career… Cheslin Kolbe deserves a World Rugby Player of the Year award. Keba Mothoagae Antoine Dupont wears Cheslin Kolbe pyjamas. True story. Mabusha Mabona To think the Boks aren’t even at their best. Ruwayne Hendricks These Springboks are the best rugby team that has ever played and existed, fact. Kolbe stepping England players since 2019. He owns them! David van Wyk Cheslin is simply sublime… Complete X factor. Maretha de Korte Man met ‘n leeu hart [man with a lion’s heart]. Rethaa van der Berg Kolbe for me, but knowing World Rugby,…

Growing up, which player Inspired you the most? Bryan Habana, because of his Incredible speed and skill that made him a constant threat on the field. He was also a true role model. When did you realise you wanted to pursue a rugby career? There wasn’t a specific moment. Ever since I started playing, I just knew this is what I wanted to do. Every match, every training session, it felt like I was exactly where I was meant to be. What one piece of advice would you give your younger self? To focus on the process, not just the results. Trusting that consistent effort and improvement will always lead to success, even if the journey feels tough at times. Who would you want to play for in El Classico,…

‘Time to outlaw South Africa’s dangerous, arrogant Bomb Squad’. That was the headline of an opinion piece written by UK rugby scribe Stephen Jones the day after the Springboks’ 32-15 win against Scotland at Murrayfield. The four-tries-to-nil victory had been achieved in large part by the introduction of the Boks’ forwards-packed bench early in the second half. Five minutes after RG Snyman had replaced Franco Mostert in the second row, Bok coach Rassie Erasmus brought on props Gerhard Steenekamp and Vincent Koch, hooker Malcolm Marx, and loose forwards Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jasper Wiese and Siya Kolisi. A world-class pack, pretty much all at once. After labelling Erasmus ‘arrogant’ for using SA’s forward resources in such fashion, Jones explained why the number of substitutes should be reduced from eight to five…

Head coach Philip Snyman is embracing the challenge of rebuilding the Blitzboks into a sevens powerhouse, with an eye fixed firmly on glory at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. After a roller-coaster 2024 campaign that saw Snyman take over as interim coach in March, he has now been handed the reins on a permanent basis. His appointment came after guiding South Africa to an Olympic bronze medal last year, a result that capped off a whirlwind season. ‘Taking over midway through was a sudden shock like, “We need to save the season now, we need to do damage control, and we need to get back onto the horse” type of vibe,’ he says. ‘Now we have clarity and we can move forward. ‘But I mean, it was a whirlwind,…

RC Toulon, a powerhouse of French rugby, has been on a relentless quest to reclaim the Top 14 title, last won in 2013-14. Known for their physical and flamboyant playing style, the club is renowned for bringing in big-name players who’ve made a lasting impact – a case in point is gargantuan Lions scrum anchor Asenathi Ntlabakanye who was recently rumoured to be on the club’s shopping list. Toulon’s 2013-14 domestic triumph (left), led by Jonny Wilkinson and supported by a core of powerful South African forwards, remains a highlight of club history. Now, a decade later, Toulon are again in pursuit of the Top 14 crown, with hopes of re-establishing themselves as France’s dominant force. While their thirst for Top 14 silverware has been met with challenges, Toulon’s golden…

‘We’ve got over 100 clubs in Cape Town, not a lot of people know that. It’s very much an untapped market, and I think it’s because of how the rugby is structured — it’s high school, straight into Varsity Cup and then into the professional leagues. ‘I believe there’s a lot of potential in club rugby, but that door has been shut down a bit because of the talent pool that we have in this country. These talented players get picked up so quickly into great schools, then it’s Varsity Cup and Monday Night Lights, you’re on TV, you have a great game and, boom, you’re into a professional setup. But breaking into this kind of structure is still a nice thing for club rugby players to aspire to. ‘You…