Latest news with #Edwill
The Citizen
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Bryan Habana backs Edwill van der Merwe to break Bok record
Springbok legend Bryan Habana expects winger Edwill van der Merwe to make history against the Wallabies at Emirates Airline Park tomorrow. The 29-year-old speedster has scored five tries in his first three Tests against Wales, Italy and Georgia, and will become the first Bok to cross in each of his first four matches if he dots down in Joburg. Habana, speaking at the Peregrine Capital X Rugby Centurions launch party yesterday, said he's excited by what Van der Merwe and the other Bok wingers have achieved. 'They are redefining how people see wing play,' said Habana. 'Edwill could become the first Springbok to score tries in his first four matches, and I always tell people, records are there to be broken. 'If I look at what Cheslin [Kolbe] is doing, Kurt-Lee [Arendse] and Makazole [Mapoimpi] and how they've been given that platform to showcase their talents and individualism, it is phenomenal. 'As a fan, it is brilliant to see how those who have been given the opportunity in the Springbok team are going out and performing. Long may that continue, and records be broken.' EDWILL: No pressure on me to score tries Habana, who scored a record 67 tries for the Boks in 124 Tests, believes Van der Merwe's work ethic and unique skill set make him a constant threat. 'Edwill has been playing incredible rugby over the last six or seven years. He grafted hard and is a player who puts himself in positions to surprise opposition. 'His off-the-mark speed is excellent, his vision to pop up where opponents do not expect him to, and his power-to-weight ratio is up there with Cheslin. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and that is brilliant. 'It is a phenomenal opportunity to create some rugby history.' 'Ellis Park is one of my favourite stadiums of all time!' Edwill van der Merwe gets another chance to impress in a Springbok jersey on a pitch he knows all too well #SSRugby | #TheRugbyChampionship — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) August 14, 2025 The post Habana backs Edwill to break Bok record appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel. Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.
The Herald
11-08-2025
- Sport
- The Herald
Erasmus names strong squad to face Wallabies in Rugby Championship opener
'Cheslin [Kolbe] has also recovered from a niggle and trained with us last week, but we decided to exercise caution and give him extra time at training before selecting him. 'Edwill has been in good form this season and it will be good to see what he brings in this match.' With Australia coming off a confidence-boosting 22-12 victory after a heartbreaking 29-26 defeat against the British & Irish Lions, Erasmus expected a challenging Test against them. 'Australia showed they are on the right trajectory in their past two matches against the British & Irish Lions and we have no doubt they will enter this match with confidence and determined to build on those performances,' he said. 'They are a physical and well-coached team and we'll not underestimate how much those performances, combined with their motivation to bounce back strongly against us after the past few results between the teams, and win their first match ever at Ellis Park, will inspire them. 'That said, we have also been working hard to keep building on our game and improve and we believe our two-week conditioning camp has placed us in the right frame of mind for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship. 'So hopefully we can transfer that hard work into our game to place ourselves in a good position to defend the title.' Springbok team to face Australia: 15. Aphelele Fassi, 14. Edwill van der Merwe, 13. Jesse Kriel, 12. André Esterhuizen, 11. Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10. Manie Libbok, 9. Grant Williams, 8. Siya Kolisi (capt) 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6. Marco van Staden, 5. Lood de Jager, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Wilco Louw, 2. Malcolm Marx, 1. Ox Nche Replacements: 16. Bongi Mbonambi, 17. Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18. Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 19. Franco Mostert, 20. Kwagga Smith, 21. Cobus Reinach, 22. Canan Moodie, 23. Damian Willemse
The South African
11-08-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Springboks: Updates on Kolbe, De Allende injuries
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus had a largely fully fit squad to choose from for this Saturday's Test against the Wallabies, but Cheslin Kolbe and Damian de Allende were ultimately not considered for selection. Are their injuries anything to worry about? Well, according to Erasmus, the good news is that these are precautionary omissions. 'Damian picked up a back niggle in the last two weeks and will train again this week, but Andre has been strong for us in the last few seasons, so it was an easy decision to name him alongside Jesse in the midfield.' Erasmus added: 'Cheslin (Kolbe) has also recovered from a niggle and trained with us last week, but we decided to exercise caution and give him extra time at training before selecting him. Edwill has been in good form this season, and it will be good to see what he brings in this match.' SPRINGBOKS REMAIN CONFIDENT IN ABSENCE OF KOLBE AND DE ALLENDE Once again, predicting the Springbok selection was a tricky business as Erasmus mixed and matched with selections, handing Siya Kolisi an unexpected start at No 8, while backing Manie Libbok at 10. 'We've been experimenting with player combinations during the Incoming Series and at our conditioning camp in the last two weeks, and we believe this team will allow us to play the type of rugby we want to play against Australia,' said Erasmus. 'The Wallabies will be determined to change their win record against us in the last three seasons, so they'll come out guns blazing, and we are confident that the players we selected will be up for the challenge. 'All of the starters except for Edwill have faced them before, and we are confident that he is ready for this challenge.' Springboks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Siya Kolisi (captain), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit , 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche. Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Kwagga Smith, 21 Cobus Reinach, 22 Canan Moodie, 23 Damian Willemse. 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.
Irish Examiner
11-08-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Erasmus names experienced side for Rugby Championship opener against Australia
South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus has named an experienced side for their opening Castle Lager Rugby Championship clash against Australia at Ellis Park on Saturday. There are 18 Rugby World Cup winners named in the side with just three players who have less than five Test caps for the Springboks - Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Edwill van der Merwe and Asenathi Ntlabakanye - who made his Test debut against Italy in July. The Springboks are in the hunt for their fifth successive win over Australia after defeating them in both Rugby Championship games in Australia last season and once each in 2022 and 2023. Spingbok lock Eben Etzebeth looks set to extend his record as the most capped Bok off all time to 134 matches and will see him pass Ireland's Conor Murray from joint 11th place in the global standings to joint 10th alongside Welsh prop Gethin Jenkins. Erasmus has named an exciting backline with Aphelele Fassi, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Van der Merwe with Jesse Kriel joining Andre Esterhuizen in the centre after Damian de Allende picked up an injury. Speaking about the niggle De Allende picked up Erasmus said 'Damian picked up a back niggle in the last two weeks and will train again this week, but Andre has been strong for us in the last few seasons, so it was an easy decision to name him alongside Jesse in the midfield.' Manie Libbok and Grant Williams will pair up at halfback. Captain Siya Kolisi will wear the No. 8 jersey for the first time in a Test with flankers Pieter-Steph du Toit and Marco van Staden. Etzebeth and Lood de Jager will man the engine room. The front row is made up of Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx and Wilco Louw. Erasmus has gone for a five-three split on the bench with Bongi Mbonambi, Wessels and Ntlabakanye are front row replacements with utility forwards Franco Mostert and Kwagga Smith. The three backs on the bench will be Cobus Reinach, Canan Moodie and Damian Willemse. Erasmus will be experimenting with player combinations during the Series. 'We've been experimenting with player combinations during the Castle Lager Incoming Series and at our conditioning camp in the last two weeks, and we believe this team will allow us to play the type of rugby we want to play against Australia,' said Erasmus. 'The Wallabies will be determined to change their win record against us in the last three seasons, so they'll come out guns blazing, and we are confident that the players we selected will be up for the challenge. 'All of the starters except for Edwill have faced them before, and we are confident that he is ready for this challenge.' Erasmus added: 'Cheslin (Kolbe) has also recovered from a niggle and trained with us last week, but we decided to exercise caution and give him extra time at training before selecting him. Edwill has been in good form this season, and it will be good to see what he brings in this match.' The Wallabies will be heading into the series full off confidence after their 22-12 win over the British and Irish Lions in their Third test while they pushed the Lions all the way to the end in a thrilling second Test with Erasmus expecting a tough challenge from Joe Schmidt's side. 'Australia showed that they are on the right trajectory in their last two matches against the British & Irish Lions and we have no doubt they will enter this match with confidence and determined to build on those performances,' he said. 'They are a physical and well-coached team, and we'll certainly not underestimate how much those performances, combined with their motivation to bounce back strongly against us after the last few results between the teams, and win their first match ever at Ellis Park, will inspire them. 'That said, we have also been working hard to keep building on our game and improve, and we believe our two-week conditioning camp has placed us in the right frame of mind for the Castle Lager Rugby Championship. So hopefully we can transfer that hard work into our game to place ourselves in a good position to defend the title.' SOUTH AFRICA (v Australia) : A Fassi, E van der Merwe, J Kriel, A Esterhuizen, K-L Arendse, M Libbok, G Williams; O Nche, M Marx, W Louw, E Etzebeth, L de Jager, M van Staden, P-S du Toit, S Kolisi (c). Replacements: B Mbonambi, J-H Wessels, A Ntlabakanye, F Mostert, K Smith, C Reinach, C Moodie, D Willemse.
