He's in your head! Rassie follows Wallabies ahead of Rugby Championship clash
The countries will clash in two Castle Lager Rugby Championship games in Johannesburg and Cape Town next month.
As he's done before, Rassie Erasmus has strategically followed the Australian rugby team on his X account.
The Springbok coach has made it a habit to keep tabs on the social media posts of his rivals, and quickly discard them after moving on.
TikTok account @allthingsrugbytik posted: 'When the Rugby Championship is around the corner and Rassie Erasmus starts following your team on social media…
You just know the mind games have officially begun'. @allthingsrugbytik When the Rugby Championship is around the corner and Rassie Erasmus starts following your team on social media… you just know the mind games have officially begun. 😉 #RassieErasmus #MindGames #AllThingsRugby ♬ original sound – AllThingsRugbyTiktok
The Springboks will play the Wallabies on 16 August at Ellis Park, in Johannesburg. A week later, they will clash again on 23 August at the DHL Stadium in Cape Town.
The rival teams last played each other in August in Perth, with SA winning 30-12.
The Boks will then take on New Zealand and Argentina in the weeks that follow. Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will announce a 36-man squad to face Australia. Image: SA Rugby
According to reports, Rassie Erasmus is likely to select a more experienced squad to face the Wallabies in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship.
He said in a media briefing following the Springboks victory against Georgia last weekend: 'We'll name 36 guys on Tuesday for the Australia series, and within that squad there'll be one or two guys that we experiment with, but the bulk of that squad will be experienced players who are suited to the way we want to play'.
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Eyewitness News
an hour ago
- Eyewitness News
China prodigy takes on swimming world aged 12
BEIJING - Yu Zidi discovered swimming as a small child in order to cool off and now aged just 12 the Chinese sensation will showcase her prodigious talents at the world championships from Sunday. The school girl with the cartoon dog themed swimming cap stunned the sport in May with a series of eye-popping times at China's national championships. Yu, who turns 13 in October, clocked a blistering 2min 10.63sec in the women's 200m individual medley, the fastest time in history at that age. She then romped to victory in the 400m medley in 4:35.53, which would have been enough for fourth place at the Paris Olympics last summer. Yu also triumphed in the 200m butterfly in another scarcely believable swim that would again have only narrowly missed out on a medal in Paris. Her performances easily qualified her for the world championships in Singapore. Yu, who trains in the northern province of Hebei and juggles swimming with her school work, took up the sport as a means of escaping China's searing heat. "The summer that year was too hot, so I went to the water park with my dad," she told the state news agency Xinhua. "I often went to cool off at swimming pools... (and) a coach discovered me." Swimming, homework and coping with the pressure of being China's latest big sporting hope makes for a hectic schedule for the youngster. "I am very busy every day and I don't have much time, but it's also very fulfilling," Yu said, according to Xinhua. Yu first came to national attention last year and drew comparisons at home to Ye Shiwen, who at 16 in London became the youngest Chinese swimmer to win a medal at the Olympics. As well as her speed and stamina, Yu's Hebei coach Li Chao has praised her "good sense" and said her focus "far exceeds her peers". Michael Bohl, China's storied Australian swimming coach, went much further. "I've never seen a 12-year-old that could swim like this," he told Chinese state broadcaster CCTV in May. - Team doping shadow - Perhaps with an eye on the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, China have named their youngest squad for a swimming world championships, according to expert website SwimSwam. Along with Yu, the headline acts in the squad are men's 100m freestyle world record holder and Olympic champion Pan Zhanle, and Qin Haiyang and Zhang Yufei. Qin cleaned up in the breaststroke at the worlds in 2023, only to fail to win a medal in individual events at the Paris Games last summer. He did though win gold and silver in medley relays. "Butterfly Queen" Zhang has won 10 Olympic medals, among them 200m fly gold at Tokyo in 2021. China entered the Paris Olympics under a doping cloud following revelations that 23 of its swimmers had tested positive for a banned substance ahead of the Tokyo Games. In April 2024, The New York Times and German broadcaster ARD said they had tested positive for trimetazidine (TMZ) at a domestic competition in late 2020 and early 2021. Chinese anti-doping authorities determined the 23 had ingested trace amounts of the drug unwittingly from tainted food at their hotel. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accepted that explanation and did not sanction the swimmers, which led US anti-doping authorities to accuse WADA of a cover-up. WADA denies this. Nine of the swimmers who failed doping tests are competing in Singapore, including Qin and Zhang.
Eyewitness News
an hour ago
- Eyewitness News
David's century sparks Aussies to T20I clincher over WIndies
BASSETERRE - Tim David bashed a 37-ball century and Australia defeated the West Indies by six wickets on Friday to clinch an overall victory in their Twenty20 international series. David smashed 11 sixes and six fours to finish on 102 runs off 37 deliveries as the Aussies chased down 215 to win with 23 balls to spare. Australia took an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the five-match series, which continues on Saturday with another night matchup at Warner Park. David struck for 50 off 16 balls, the fastest by an Australian man, and together with Mitchell Owen delivered the highest Aussie T20I fifth-wicket partnership in history. David and Owen, who finished with 36 off 16 balls, combined for 128 to break the old fifth-wicket mark of 105 held by David and Mitch Marsh. On the first ball of the 17th over, and the final delivery of the match, David blasted a four off Romario Shepherd to reach 102 and win the match, the Aussies reaching 215 for four. The 10th over for the Aussies proved pivotal as David smashed a four off the first ball and sixes off each of the last four deliveries by Gudakesh Motie. David's 28-run over lifted the Aussies within 95 runs of the goal with 60 balls remaining. David also hit three sixes and a four off Roston Chase in the 12th over. Shai Hope hit an unbeaten hundred for the West Indies, his first T20I century. Hope struck for 102 runs not out off 57 balls with eight fours and six sixes. He powered the West Indies to 214 for four after being sent in to bat first following Australia winning the toss. Hope and Brandon King opened with a 125 partnership for the hosts before King exited on the fourth ball of the 12th over. An offering from Mitch Owen was smacked high by King and landed in the hands of Sean Abbott for the first out. King managed his 13th T20I half century with 62 runs off 36 balls with six sixes and three fours. On the first ball of the penultimate over, Hope went to deep point for one to reach his first T20I century, making 100 runs off 55 balls to join Chris Gayle as the only West Indies men with centuries in all formats.
The South African
5 hours ago
- The South African
Wallabies v British & Irish Lions: Second Test
The Wallabies need a victory against the British & Irish Lions in the second Test in Melbourne to keep the series alive, and it will be interesting to see if the hosts can pull of a surprise result. Kick off is at 12:00 (SA time) in Melbourne on Saturday. Australia: 15 Tom Wright, 14 Max Jorgensen, 13 Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12 Len Ikitau, 11 Harry Potter, 10 Tom Lynagh, 9 Jake Gordon, 8 Harry Wilson (captain), 7 Fraser McReight, 6 Rob Valetini, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Nick Frost, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 David Porecki, 1 James Slipper. Replacements: 16 Billy Pollard, 17 Angus Bell, 18 Tom Robertson, 19 Jeremy Williams, 20 Langi Gleeson, 21 Carlo Tizzano, 22 Tate McDermott, 23 Ben Donaldson. British and Irish Lions: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje (captain), 3 Tadgh Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter. Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 James Ryan, 20 Jac Morgan, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Owen Farrell, 23 Blair Kinghorn. Date: Saturday, 26 July Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne Kick-off: 12:00 (SA time) Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy) Assistant referees: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia), Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand) TMO: Eric Gauzins (France) Coach Joe Schmidt has vowed that his Wallabies side have learned their lesson as he prepares them to muscle up and force a series decider. Andy Farrell's demand for a fast start was emphatically met by his British & Irish Lions team in Brisbane, where they stunned Australia with decisive scores at the beginning of each half. Schmidt has made no secret of his desire to match that physicality in front of a near six-figure crowd at the MCG, buoyed by the return of powerhouse duo Rob Valetini and Will Skelton. The experienced pair bring more than 80 caps and 252kg to the Australian pack, and Schmidt's game plan is simple: hit the Lions hard from the first whistle and don't stop. 'They got in amongst us in Brisbane. We've no intention of being submissive again,' he said. 'They played the game on the edge very well, and we've learned from that. I think you'll see us take it to them and keep them on the back foot more consistently. 'Everyone in rugby knows what Bobby [Valetini] brings. His experience gives us confidence, and the other players know he's going to carry hard. 'Having Will back is a big plus as well. His résumé speaks for itself — he won't panic, he has a calm head. He knows northern hemisphere rugby, and just having him back lifts the group. 'Confidence builds incrementally. You have to take small wins when you can, and getting those two back is certainly one of them.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
