Boks must stay ahead of chasing pack, says Rassie
'The coaches have been working tirelessly to improve our structures to ensure that we can improve on our performances last season.
'It was great to see how the players responded to the adaptations and changes we have made to our structures.
'We have said time and time again that we have to continue to evolve to remain a force at the top level of the game.
'SA are under no illusions about the challenging season ahead, we are pleased with the progress we have been making off the field, and we are really looking forward to the season ahead.'
Erasmus said it was exciting to have new players Vincent Tshituka, Ntokozo Makhaza and Juarno Augustus (who tuned in virtually from England) in the group.
'They are all very talented players, and it was evident how proud they were to have this opportunity to rub shoulders with this group of players, some of whom have been with us since 2018, and to learn from them and the coaches.'
In 2025, the Boks will welcome Italy, Georgia, Australia and Argentina to SA.
Italy will visit SA for the first time since 2013 when they face the Boks on July 5 and 12.
A week later, the Boks will take on Georgia on home soil for the second time, in line with World Rugby's plans to expose emerging nations to top-tier opposition.
The Lelos played one Test against SA in Pretoria in 2021 as a prelude to the Covid-impacted tour of the British & Irish Lions.
The Boks will start the defence of their Castle Lager Rugby Championship crown against the Wallabies, who host the British & Irish Lions in July, on consecutive weekends in August.
Sam Cane, the All Blacks' 2023 Rugby World Cup captain, will be joined by Ireland's Peter O'Mahony and Conor Murray when the Barbarians and Boks lock horns in SA for the first time.
It also be the first time the three players have represented the Barbarians and wear the famous black and white shirt.
Springbok home fixtures in 2025:
Non-Test: June 28: SA v Barbarian at the DHL Stadium, Cape Town.
Tests: July 5: SA vs Italy — Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria. July 12: SA vs Italy — Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha. July 19: SA vs Georgia — Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit.
Rugby Championship: August 16: SA vs Australia — Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg. August 23: SA vs Australia — DHL Stadium, Cape Town. September 27: SA vs Argentina — Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban.
The Herald
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Herald
3 hours ago
- The Herald
Mthatha athlete part of Comrades elite field
When thousands of runners line up for the Comrades Marathon in front of the Pietermaritzburg City Hall on Sunday morning, one of the elite runners at the front of the queue will be Eastern Cape-born athlete Musa Zweni. Zweni, 34, runs for Pan African Resources Club and is coached by John Hamlet, who has coached several of the illustrious championship-winning ultra marathon runners. He has been in the Comrades Marathon training camp in Dullstroom, Mpumalanga, preparing for 2025's race. Zweni said he joined the camp in 2025, and the plan for the upcoming race was about adjusting to the training approach of his new club. 'We have got a three-year plan that we are working on with my coach,' Zweni said. 'We will just tick off this year and see other years. 'But in my head, there is something else. But the coach said before I could get there, we need to get some things right,' Zweni said, adding he did not run the Two Oceans Marathon to prepare for the Comrades. Born in Tabase, Mthatha, Zweni's best Comrades time, which he ran in 2023 in the colours of Boxer Superstores Athletic Club, was 5 hrs 58 min 47 sec, which earned him the Wally Hayward medal. An injury cost him running his first comrades in 2018, but his time in the race has improved tremendously from his 2019 debut where he finished in position 2,831 in 08:56:57, earning himself a Bill Rowan medal, followed by a much-improved performance finishing in 73rd spot, earning his first silver medal in 2022 after running his race in 06:30:58. Zweni's first dream was to play professional football, but that was ended after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) at a tournament in 2012 in Soweto, where he was preparing for trials with a PSL club. That forced surgery, with doctors saying he would never be able to run again. His running career started in 2017 in Cape Town and he has since attracted sponsorships from top global sport brands such as Puma, Maurten Gel and Future Life. 'After that injury, I started experiencing life in the sense that I started drinking, at that time I did not even have a girlfriend because my life was about football and nothing else. 'I started experimenting with a lot of things because I felt like I had given up so much for that moment. Everything happened so fast,' he said. Several injuries linked to his ACL injury forced Zweni to hang up his football boots at the age of 26. While the transition to elite running was not smooth sailing, Zweni's competitive streak kicked in when his friend, Siyabonga Madala, introduced him to running. He finished his first 10km run in 47 minutes, ran his first half marathon in 1:36:00, and his first Sanlam Cape Town Marathon in 4:00:00 from the F seeding. — WATCH: We are the Champions
TimesLIVE
3 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Early start leaves Lord's finalists nervy over composition of line-ups
The Proteas have long been mindful of the conditions they will face in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord's next week; be it the weather, the Dukes ball or the slope. It's why they've been careful not to read too much into the outcomes — runs scored and wickets taken — of their match in Arundel against Zimbabwe, where they are using a Dukes ball, there is no slope like at Lord's although the weather has been characteristically crap. No play was possible because of rain for what would have been the third day of their warm-up match Thursday and it may lead some to question why so much stock was put in having the fixture. Temba Bavuma described warm-up matches as largely a waste of time, but even he would have found some value in making 58 on Wednesday. For the rest this was about rhythm, with the mindset stuff kicking into gear once they get to London at the weekend. The conditions at Lord's are of great interest to both WTC finalists, mainly because it's unusual for either side to play a match at that historic venue, this early in June. This is war!!! — Nqobile Madela (@nqobzasheen) June 5, 2025 The last time Australia did so was in 1921, while for SA, in seven Tests at Lord's after isolation, only once have they played at a date as close to next week's June 11 start. That was in 1998 when a century from Jonty Rhodes and a five wicket haul for Allan Donald set up a 10-wicket win. For the rest they've either played there in Late June, July or August as the was case for the Proteas's last trip to Lord's in 2023. 'We haven't played a lot of cricket at Lord's in June so we're going have to make some educated guesses on what the game potentially will look like and that'll generally inform our selection,' Australian coach Andrew McDonald. His side had a team-bonding session in Inverness, Scotland last week and have been conducting some spirited training sessions in Bromley, having forgoed the option of a warm-up match. They, like SA, face questions about the composition of their top order; for the Proteas it's about who will bat at no3, while Australia is weighing up options for an opener to accompany Usman Khawaja. Wiaan Mulder batted at 3 in Arundel, a spot he batted in twice last summer, although not with any great success. He was trapped lbw for 28 on Wednesday and given the quality of the Australian attack and Dukes ball that nips and swings more than its Kookaburra cousin — which both SA and Australia use at home — it is a big risk. Rain delays play in England 🌧️ Wet weather has halted the Proteas' warm-up match ahead of the ICC World Test Championship Final. Fingers crossed for clearer skies ☁️🏏. #WTCFinal #WozaNawe #ProteasWTCFinal — Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) June 3, 2025 The Proteas feel they will need Mulder's bowling and even though Shukri Conrad made Tristan Stubbs his no.3 batter last year, it now appears that the head coach feels Stubbs might be better suited to the middle order. Batting coach Ashwell Prince offered little about SA's tactics, saying Mulder was being prepared in case that was the way they would go, but all options, including Tony De Zorzi, who batted at no.6 against Zimbabwe, remain on the table. McDonald expressed a similar sentiment about Australia, who are understood to be considering Marnus Labuschagne as Khawaja's opening partner, with Cameroon Green their new option for the no.3 berth. 'The batters ... really, it's about how we want to shape that order, they're all viable options depending on how we want to stack them up,' said McDonald. 'We try to make the right decisions at the right time and we're a few days off having to make that decision, so we'll just be trying to prepare everyone for that opportunity.' SA's bowlers didn't get the work out they'd hoped for on Thursday — having bowled just 11 overs the previous evening — and they will want the weather to clear in the coming days to allow them to get much needed miles in the legs before next Wednesday.
The Herald
6 hours ago
- The Herald
Rassie Erasmus names exciting Springbok squad
Forwards: Juarno Augustus (Northampton Saints), Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Renzo du Plessis (Lions), Jean-Luc du Preez (Sharks), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Thomas du Toit (Bath), Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Neethling Fouche (Stormers), Cameron Hanekom (Bulls), Jean Kleyn (Munster), Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi (both Sharks), Wilco Louw (Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi, Ntuthuko Mchunu (both Sharks), Salmaan Moerat (Stormers), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Bulls), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Gerhard Steenekamp (Bulls), Vincent Tshituka (Sharks), Marco van Staden (Bulls), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls), Cobus Wiese (Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) Backs: Lukhanyo Am (Sharks), Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles), André Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi (both Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers), Jaden Hendrikse, Jordan Hendrikse, Ethan Hooker (all Sharks), Quan Horn (Lions), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Willie le Roux (Bulls), Manie Libbok (Stormers), Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks), Ntokozo Makhaza (UCT), Canan Moodie (Bulls), Handré Pollard (Leicester Tigers), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier), Morne van den Berg, Edwilll van der Merwe (both Lions), Damian Willemse (Stormers), Grant Williams (Sharks). SA Rugby media
