Opinion
Sacrifice for silverware: The pros and cons of South Africa’s treble ambition
Ireland boast a better win percentage but Rassie Erasmus would prefer losses between World Cups if he can lift the Webb Ellis Cup
Jon Cardinelli Jon Cardinelli is a multi-award winning writer with 15 years of experience in the print and digital media. His work has been published in South Africa, Japan, New Zealand and the UK. Jon covered World Cups in New Zealand, England and Japan and is an obsessive on the game's mechanics, and finding the story behind the stories.
Analysis
Bok to the future
New-look South Africa will be more than bomb squads and box kicks as they chase a three-peat.
Analysis
Box-office coaching hires show the scale of South Africa's ambition
Tony Brown and Jerry Flannery are statement recruits by Rassie Erasmus' Springboks
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Much-maligned Willie Le Roux has a lot more to give
The wily full-back has his critics, but even at 34, his influence burns as bright as ever.
Opinion
South African teams confront club v country conflict in never-ending season
The four franchises may struggle to realise their potential until the global calendar is restructured.
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The South African double-World Cup winner believes his injury-enforced lay-offs have given him the mental toughness to succeed
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How South Africa's Bomb Squad waged war on the rugby world
The Springboks' back-to-back World Cup victories were built on iron set-piece foundations
Opinion
Springboks unite South Africa to transcend a country beset by issues
Siya Kolisi and his team-mates inspired a nation in France but it was only when they return to South Africa that their achievement…
Analysis
The Boks are favourites, but won’t repeat the egregious mistakes made by England’s class of 2019
As the World Cup semi-final draws nearer, the fortunes of the protagonists are scrutinised and their differing paths laid bare
Analysis
South Africa: Brutal selections loom for legacy-defining Springbok matches
Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber face several enormous calls for their seminal Rugby World Cup quarter-final.
Analysis
Bok coaches face toughest call yet following Pollard’s timely return
Manie Libbok's talent is not in doubt but the return of South Africa's most consistent kicker bodes well for the knockout stages
Opinion
The five players the Springboks dare not lose in France
The Springboks have much vaunted squad depth but the injury to a select band of players would throw a sizeable spanner in the work…
Analysis
Have seasoned Springboks struck the right balance?
Retaining the Rugby World Cup is fiendishly tough. Are South Africa's experienced group up to the task?
Analysis
Springbok fly-half headache persists as World Cup looms large
The ongoing absence of Handre Pollard is causing furrowed brows within the Springbok camp, as back-up options vie for his shirt
Analysis
How the Springboks can storm New Zealand's fortress
The All Blacks, once invincible on home turf, have become vulnerable and Jean de Villiers says the Springboks sense a chance to ma…
Interview
How the 2019 Rugby Championship set Boks on course for World Cup glory
Rassie Erasmus will look to the lessons learnt the last time South Africa entered the run up to rugby's greatest tournament
Interview
Why 'quitting was never an option' for injury-ravaged RG Snyman
How RG Snyman recovered from two heinous knee injuries to win an improbable URC title and a place in the Springbok squad
Exclusive
Duane Vermeulen: 'My goal has never changed, I want to represent the Springboks at the World Cup'
Man-of-the-match at the last World Cup final, and turning 37 next month, the legendary No 8 still has the hunger for one last danc…
Interview
Japanese leave gives Springboks precious respite ahead of World Cup rigours
The constant demands of Northern Hemisphere rugby has sent a raft of World Cup winners to Japan to recharge
Interview
Unlocking the unique gifts of Manie Libbok
The Springboks need some x-factor in France this Autumn, and the Stormers pivot offers a skill-set few can match
Analysis
How South Africa's franchises can conquer Europe
Heineken Cup glory was blocked by French and English teams but in their inaugural season, no one in South Africa is seeing it as a…
Interview
John Dobson: 'With all due respect, we're desperate not to become rugby's answer to Leicester City'
The Stormers' 15-match winning run, which included a URC Final win, came to an end in Cardiff, but for their charismatic coach, a …
Analysis
Culture, schooling and community supercharge the SA rugby conveyor belt
Schools rugby is South Africa is revered around the game and many argue it has the best system in the world for future professiona…
Opinion
Rugby calendar alignment must not threaten epic South Africa v New Zealand duels
The Springboks and All Blacks served up two weekends of theatre but the fabled rivalry could be weakened as administrators seek to…
Exclusive
Springbok prop idol Trevor Nyakane revelling in his French leave
Trevor Nyakane may have won a World Cup and a Lions Series but after a move to French aristocrats Racing 92, his ambition remains …
Andre the Giant springs Bok up after smackdown
Harlequins’ star centre Esterhuizen is hoping to pin down a spot in South Africa’s World Cup squad this year
Analysis
Kolisi is shining as a leading light for Springboks
Siya Kolisi has taken his leadership to another level and is already viewed as one of the great Springbok captains
Interview
Ox Nche: Joker in the pack
Ox Nché' has become a thunderously popular tweeter, but social media only scratches the surface of his remarkable tale.
Interview
Bismarck du Plessis still rolling back the years
Bismarck du Plessis has enjoyed a stellar rugby career, winning a Rugby World Cup and 79-caps, but the physical hooker still has a…
A Test of conviction
South Africa must ignore their mounting detractors and stick to their style to have any hope of beating the All Blacks.
Springboks relish renewed rivalry with All Blacks
New Zealand have had a firm grip on the Freedom Cup but South Africa plan to prise their fingers off the silverware
Immortality beckons for Boks and Lions
They’re world champions but don’t underestimate how much a series triumph would mean to South Africa
Thinking outside the Boks
As Covid-19 ravages the Springboks camp, who can the South Africans turn to as the Lions series looms?
Touched by genius
Former Springbok boss Nick Mallett explains what sets Rassie Erasmus apart as a player and coach
One last shot
Five years after his last cap, and a month shy of 37, Morné Steyn could again play his part in a Lions series.
Bigger isn't always better
LIons need to learn lessons of 2009, when Heinrich Brüssow bossed the breakdown for the Boks
Back seat driver
All Black legend Sam Whitelock is a stickler for New Zealand's traditions
Steyn alive
Frans Steyn will be 34 in May, but the two-time world champion's lust to play in a second Lions series burns white-hot.
Land of opportunity
Rugby will be missing a trick if the USA don't get to host a World Cup in the near future
Back on their perch
The Bulls, sleeping giant of South African rugby has finally awoken
Generation next
The progeny of a 1930 British and Irish Lion, Jesse Kriel longs to face the tourists in 2021.
Heavy mettle
Duane Vermeulen says it would be a mistake to write off the Springboks next summer.
Unfinished business
To some, he will always be known as the coach who lost to Japan. But there is much more to Heyneke Meyer.
Green-eyed monster
Tri-Nations success has left Springbok fans with a sense of what might have been
Massive, massive heart
Makazole Mapimpi's story brought Rassie Erasmus to tears but he wants his situation to inspire change
The only way is up
It's been a year since Kolisi lifted the World Cup but that's only the start for Springbok skipper
From Russia with love
South Africans swapping heat of Highveld for cold comforts of a big payday in Russia
Money matters
Professional players face financial ruin if they don’t adapt to the new Covid world.
Race against time
Jacques Nienaber says his Springboks are playing catch-up but the Lions should be wary
