Analysis
What Sunday's performance showed about the Springbok Women
“We’re not here to participate, we’re here to compete,” Nadine Roos, scorer of South Africa’s first try on Sunday, decla…
Daniel Gallan
26 Aug 2025, 9:36
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Contributors
Daniel Gallan
@danielgallan
Daniel Gallan is a journalist and university lecturer specialising in the politics and history of sport at St Mary's University and the University of East London. From Johannesburg and now based in London, he has contributed to The Guardian, CNN, ESPN, The Telegraph and various sports titles around the world.
Opinion
Apologetic Erasmus comments were as baffling as they were unneeded
There are few things as unapologetic as a Springboks pack on the charge. Whether that snarling mass of humanity is scrumming, maul…
Daniel Gallan
25 Aug 2025, 11:13
13
Interview
Lochner: 'We want to prove women’s rugby in South Africa deserves respect'
Three years ago the Springbok Women celebrated after a crushing 75-0 World Cup defeat. Do not expect similar scenes this year if r…
Daniel Gallan
23 Aug 2025, 7:45
Analysis
Will the Boks 'keep the ball in the darkness' to avoid being rocked again?
South Africa may revert to type to wreak revenge on Australia, but the positives of their more expansive approach should not be lo…
Daniel Gallan
21 Aug 2025, 6:01
30
Opinion
Default Boks selection could be last chapter in Rassie's playbook
Cape Town won’t just host a Test match. It’s hosting an 80-minute referendum on the Springboks’ identity.
Daniel Gallan
20 Aug 2025, 2:01
74
Opinion
Dear South Africa, let us dine on humble pie
Does anyone have a decent recipe for humble pie? On Thursday I wrote that “if the Springboks don’t pulverise the Wallabies at …
Daniel Gallan
17 Aug 2025, 13:34
80
Opinion
Wallabies have no chance against the Springboks
In cricket, they say you can’t judge a pitch until both sides have batted. Maybe it’s a road, maybe it’s a minefield. You on…
Daniel Gallan
14 Aug 2025, 3:44
68
Opinion
Why South Africa's 'Dad's Army' are defying convention
The Springboks have an ageing squad but with careful management, continue to defy the odds in delivering clutch performances
Daniel Gallan
14 Aug 2025, 0:34
55
Opinion
Romanticising rugby's dark arts and grubbery has got to go
27 May 2006. Fog covers the city of Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island. The Bulls from Pretoria are in town to play the …
Daniel Gallan
07 Aug 2025, 7:56
78
Exclusive
Aseza Hele: The Springbok 'sweetheart' with a 'monster' inside
“I’m a sweetheart,” said Hele. “But when I play, you see the monster on the field. I cannot explain how I get to that poin…
Daniel Gallan
30 Jul 2025, 8:37
Exclusive
Jakkie Cilliers: 'Some ugly perceptions about women’s rugby still exist in South Africa'
Jakkie Cilliers played her first organised rugby match four years ago. A few weeks later she was playing provincial rugby, and wit…
Daniel Gallan
16 Jul 2025, 6:51
14
Opinion
Bok rule-benders are changing the game. They deserve respect
It’s been said that inspiration can come from anywhere, but even for Rassie Erasmus and his trailblazing Springboks, an under-14…
Daniel Gallan
14 Jul 2025, 7:53
170
Opinion
We need to talk about the Springboks' 'Bomb Squad'
For six years the Springboks’ vaunted Bomb Squad has inspired awe, admiration and antipathy in equal measure. The tactic of unle…
Daniel Gallan
10 Jul 2025, 8:42
24
Opinion
Springboks player ratings vs Italy | Castle Lager Incoming Series
Springboks player ratings: The Springboks never looked like losing to a second-string Italian outfit but this was hardly a vintage…
Daniel Gallan
05 Jul 2025, 12:15
36
Interview
'It was the first time in the whole history of South Africa that black and white people joined in a common goal.'
The exploits of the 1995 World Cup winning side, inspired by Nelson Mandela have spawned South Africa's greatest export; the Sprin…
Daniel Gallan
25 Jun 2025, 14:44
18
Opinion
Three burning Springbok questions Rassie Erasmus must answer in 2025
Get the fire started, grab a handful of biltong and pour yourself a double brandy and coke; the Springboks are back.
Daniel Gallan
24 Jun 2025, 9:06
52
Exclusive
Aimee Barrett-Theron: How autism diagnosis helped her master officiating
It’s often said that a referee has done their job well if the players and watching public barely notice them. But that isn’t a…
Daniel Gallan
09 Jun 2025, 5:34
1
Opinion
'Bloodgate' vs 'Crampgate' - a classic case of rugby's moral panic
Jaden Hendrikse’s wink has been branded rugby’s most controversial eye-flutter since Tom Williams’s fake blood-soaked face m…
Daniel Gallan
04 Jun 2025, 9:05
20
Exclusive
James Ramm: Backflips, Bambi and the biggest game of my life
Once a gymnast with Olympic goals, the Northampton Saints flyer is relishing his shot at Investec Champions Cup glory.
Daniel Gallan
22 May 2025, 8:27
1
Opinion
'Regressing' South Africa has a lot to learn from Northampton Saints
It’s often argued that clubs outside of France - and the rest not called Leinster - cannot compete on multiple fronts in Europe.…
Daniel Gallan
20 May 2025, 8:25
18
