Niel Marais has replaced the injured Francois Venter for the Cheetahs’ clash against the Kings in Port Elizabeth on Saturday. That change sees Nico Lee shift to outside centre, while hooker Torsten van Jaarsveld will lead the side in Venter’s absence. Clayton Blommetjies starts at fullback, with Craig Barry moving to the right wing. There are also changes to the… Read more →
Warren Whiteley will return to Johannesburg from Japan in time for the Lions’ warm-up match against the Bulls on 27 January.
Oliver Zono will start at flyhalf when the Kings face the Cheetahs in Port Elizabeth on Saturday.
Highly-rated Munster assistant coach Felix Jones has turned down an offer to join Rassie Erasmus’ backroom staff in South Africa. According to the Irish Independent, Erasmus had lined up Jones to join the Boks as a skills coach, but he ultimately decided to continue as Munster’s backs and attack coach. The former Ireland and Munster fullback was originally recommended for… Read more →
Griquas flyhalf George Whitehead has joined the Stormers on loan ahead of the 2018 Super Rugby season. WP Rugby confirmed to Netwerk24 that Whitehead had been recruited to add to their flyhalf depth. Former Stormers flyhalf Rob du Preez is now with the Sharks, while Jean-Luc du Plessis underwent a hip operation last year and it is still uncertain when… Read more →
Makazole Mapimpi has confirmed he will be joining up with the Sharks following next weekend’s Pro14 clash between the Cheetahs and Kings in Bloemfontein. The Sharks announced Mapimpi’s signing in early November, but there were whispers out of Bloemfontein in the following weeks that he might be remaining with the Cheetahs after all. However, the Sharks recently confirmed to SARugbymag.co.za… Read more →
Cheetahs centre William Small-Smith is set to be out of action for three months due to a serious knee injury. Small-Smith tore his medial collateral ligament in last weekend’s clash against Treviso in Italy, and is now set to miss the majority of the remaining Pro14 season. It’s a big blow for the Cheetahs, especially considering captain Francois Venter has also… Read more →
The Bulls have added a Super Rugby warm-up game against the Jaguares to their pre-season schedule. According to SuperSport.com, the Bulls will host the Jaguares on 10 February, which adds to pre-season clashes against the Lions, Sharks and Stormers. The Bulls will kick off their Super Rugby campaign against the Hurricanes on 24 February. Full story Photo: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix
Munster’s fitness chief Aled Walters is set to take up a role with Rassie Erasmus as part of the Springbok set-up. Walters, in his sixth season with Munster, joined the Irish team in 2012 as a strength and rehab coach, and has previously worked with the Brumbies in Super Rugby and Taranaki in New Zealand. The Springboks have already recruited… Read more →
Jamba Ulengo and Lizo Gqoboka have returned to full pre-season training with the Bulls, although a number of other players remain sidelined with injury. In a pre-season medical update issued by the Bulls, team doctor Herman Rossouw confirmed that Ulengo and Gqoboka have fully recovered from respective injuries and had begun training again along with Jaco Visagie and Dries Swanepoel. However, Ruan… Read more →
