logo
Rassie will ease off on Bok experiments in Rugby Championship

Rassie will ease off on Bok experiments in Rugby Championship

The Herald20-07-2025
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus said he would revert to a more settled squad for the Rugby Championship after completing the July series with a nine-try romp against Georgia at Mbombela Stadium on Saturday.
Erasmus said he was satisfied with the 55-10 result but attributed a stop-start performance to having rotated the squad throughout the four-match series (including the non-Test match against the Barbarians).
In the three matches since the opener against the invitational team in Cape Town, the Bok selectors made 10, 15 and 16 personnel changes in successive weeks.
'We're fairly happy if you look over the four games,' Erasmus said. 'We scored close to 50 points in each match and apart from the first Italy Test defended pretty well.
'Georgia were physical and disruptive but that's not an excuse for us making so many errors. But I guess we must understand that if we chop and change teams like we have as we're building squad depth, you'll lose rhythm.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

'I'm not giving up': Eben Etzebeth book set for launch
'I'm not giving up': Eben Etzebeth book set for launch

The South African

timean hour ago

  • The South African

'I'm not giving up': Eben Etzebeth book set for launch

Eben Etzebeth is set to release his biography based on his life, particularly as the Springboks' highest-capped player. The book – titled Unlocked in English and Ten Slotte in Afrikaans – will be on shelves in October. EBEN ETZEBETH BOOK TO TELL LIFE STORY ON AND OFF PITCH In an Instagram post, Eben Etzebeth announced the news of his debut book, a biography about his life as a high-profile rugby player. He posted: 'Over the past few months, I've taken time to reflect on my journey, the highs, the lows, the lessons, the people, and the moments that have shaped me on and off the field. 'Unlocked tells my story, from growing up in Goodwood to my aspirations, the challenges I've faced, and what it really took to wear the green and gold.. Thank you to everyone who's supported me; this one is for you'. Eben Etzebeth's book will officially launch in October. In the interim, it can be pre-ordered at bookstores. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Eben Etzebeth (@ebenetzebeth4) Meanwhile, Eben Etzebeth hopes to continue to play professionally for South Africa as long as he can. The 33-year-old said: 'l want to wear that No. 4 jersey in the Green and Gold as many times as possible. 'The competitive spirit is still strong in me, I'm not giving up my place. I want to be in the team for as long as possible. I'm not thinking about playing until this year or that year. I'm just going to keep pushing. The important thing is not to fall behind with fitness. The big challenge is trying to avoid injuries because recovery becomes harder as you get older'. The highest-capped Springbok is currently Eben Etzebeth, who has made 133 appearances in green and gold. Last October, the 33-year-old surpassed Victor Matfield's previous record of 127 caps. Apart from the duo, only six more Springboks have surpassed 100 test caps: Bryan Habana, Tendai Mtawarira, John Smit, Jean de Villiers, Percy Montgomery, and recently, Willie le Roux. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.

Springboks back in training ahead of Rugby Championship: Three focus points
Springboks back in training ahead of Rugby Championship: Three focus points

The Citizen

time2 hours ago

  • The Citizen

Springboks back in training ahead of Rugby Championship: Three focus points

The Springboks will want to look at a few areas during their two-week training camp. Springbok flyhalf Handré Pollard will likely play in every match until his younger counterparts nail their goal-kicking. Picture: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images After an encouraging, if not perfect, first four matches of the season, the Springboks will be getting down to business in their training camp ahead of the all-important Rugby Championship. Thirty-seven Springboks were included in the squad for the two-week camp in Johannesburg that started on Sunday. These will be eligible for the two Tests against Australia at Ellis Park on 16 August and in Cape Town on 23 August. Three U20 players, fresh from winning the World Rugby U20 Championship, are also attending the camp. It follows Bok wins against the Barbarians (54–7), Italy (42–24 and 45–0) and Georgia (55–10). These served as good warm-ups for the championship defence. But the Springboks will be focusing on a few areas of their game. Breakdown battle The Springboks recovered from the demolition they received in the breakdown battle in the first Test against Italy, but it was a whole new squad that evened things out against the 10th-ranked nation in the second Test in Gqeberha. The more experienced matchday 23 were at odds during the breakdown at Loftus. Though, to be fair, the Springboks were caught out somewhat by the referee's decision to allow Italy to flood the breakdown with players. Still, the team filled with World Cup winners could not adapt to Italy's strategy. They may need to relook at this. Who's kicking for posts? The Springboks were happy to kick for touch in the warm-up games, with their lineout and forward packs proving dominant. But it will not be so easy against the likes of New Zealand, Argentina and Australia. The Boks may need to take the three points on offer when they can. Manie Libbok and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu finished the United Rugby Championship with 72.6% and 85.7% kicking success. However, the latter struggled against Georgia, only slotting one from five. Libbok, normally the less dependable goal-kicker, nailed five out of seven the week before. Still, Handré Pollard grasped his opportunities with both hands, once again proving the best post-kicker in the Springbok squad. He will likely either start or play from the bench in every match, but the other two will especially need to practice their goal-kicking. Imparting something to the U20 world champions While it won't be a focus point so much as a secondary objective, U20 loose forward Bathobele Hlekani, winger Cheswill Jooste, and scrumhalf Haashim Pead will need to soak up as much as they can on the camp. Already world champions with big-match temperament, Erasmus will likely only wish the youngsters to rub shoulders with their seniors to absorb some of the Springbok culture, and improve on their own game. According to former Junior Bok consultant Johan Ackermann, Hlekani especially needs to tighten his tackling.

Untidy handover costs Bayanda Walaza golden treble in student games finale
Untidy handover costs Bayanda Walaza golden treble in student games finale

The Herald

time6 hours ago

  • The Herald

Untidy handover costs Bayanda Walaza golden treble in student games finale

Double sprint champion Bayanda Walaza had to settle for the 4x100m silver on Sunday afternoon as South Africa wrapped up their World Student Games campaign by claiming three last medals at the weekend. In the morning rowers Kat Williams and Courtney Westley secured silver in the women's pair, winning the country's only medal outside swimming and athletics. And javelin-thrower Jana van Schalkwyk took bronze in the women's event on Saturday night with a distance of 56.73m. The nation ended seventh on the medals table with six gold, five silver and eight bronze, though they finished fourth on the athletics medals table and fifth in the swimming standings. An untidy final handover from Mthi Mthimkulu to Walaza cost the Mzansi flyers as they ended second behind Korea in the final athletics event of the showpiece. Walaza, the 100m and 200m champion at the Universiade, went into the relay expected to make it three sprint golds, but just when it seemed they were going to make it, the South Africans came unstuck. Kyle Zinn, fifth in the 100m, got off to a good start, with Retshidisitswe Mlenga and Mthimkulu advancing the baton at the front of the race.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store