Herman Loubser. Sunshine Tour/Tyrone Winfield Herman Loubser equalled the Wingate Park Country Club course record with a 62 to earn himself a three-shot lead going into Friday’s final round of the Sunbet Challenge Time Square Casino. It was a commanding performance by Loubser as he equalled the course record set by Thriston Lawrence and Jacques Blaauw in this tournament in 2024, climbing to 15-under par overall. Lawrence is one of his nearest challengers on 12-under par follo

Alexandra Candler and Faye Tunnicliffe starred with the bat as the SA Emerging Women claimed an eight-wicket victory over Bangladesh Emerging in the opening T20 at the Pietermaritzburg Oval on Thursday, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Fresh from her century in the final 50-over match, Tunnicliffe continued her fine form with a sublime 82 from 49 balls, striking 11 fours and a six. She shared a match-winning 146-run partnership with the unbeaten Candler, who score

No 8 Jacobus de Villiers will captain the SA Under-18 side against France U18 while lock Martin van Niekerk has been handed the captaincy duties for the SA U18 ‘A’ side in their game against Ireland when the 2026 U18 International Series kicks off at HS Durbanville on Friday. The popular annual series will see South Africa’s two representative sides face their age-group counterparts from Ireland, France, England, and Georgia at three venues, with the opening round on 7 August

The Sanlam Boland Kavaliers are hitting the road this week for the first time since the start of this year's Carling Currie Cup competition. The Kavaliers will face the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV on Saturday at the Princess Magogo Stadium in KwaMashu; kick-off at 5.15pm. For the first time since the 2025 Carling Currie Cup semi-final, Ashlon Davids starts at flyhalf alongside the returning Louis Schreuder, with Chris Smit providing cover for the No 10 position on the bench. At t

Flyhalf Jean-Luc du Plessis returns from injury to lead the DHL Stormers XXIII in their Carling Currie Cup encounter with the Toyota Cheetahs at Athlone Stadium on Sunday. The inclusion of the experienced playmaker is the only change to the starting backline for the clash with the Free State side, which kicks off at 3pm on Sunday. All tickets are R50 and available from stormers.co.za. There are three changes to the forward pack, with Mhleli Khuzwayo starting at loosehead prop

Professional rugby players and their employers have agreed a new two-and-a-half-year deal to cover conditions of employment in South African rugby. The agreement is negotiated by MyPlayers on behalf of professional rugby players with the South African Rugby Union (SARU) and the South African Rugby Employers’ Organisation (SAREO), which represents provincial rugby unions and franchises. The document – the South African Rugby Industry Collective Agreement (SARICA) – establishes

The South African Sports Confederation, Olympic and Paralympic Committee (SASCOC) has announced the appointment of Olympic rowing champion Sizwe Ndlovu as Chef de Mission for Team South Africa at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Senegal. The fourth Summer Youth Olympic Games will take place from 31 October to 13 November 2026. Dakar 2026 will be the first Olympic sports event staged on the African continent, making the occasion especially significant for Team South Afric

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced a revised schedule for the Proteas Women’s inbound tour against India this summer, set to take place from 9-30 December. The tour will now conclude with a three-match T20 International (T20I) series, kicking off with a Boxing Day clash (26 December) at Willowmoore Park in Benoni, before the remaining two fixtures play out at the NWC Oval in Potchefstroom on 29 and 30 December. The T20I series will form part of the teams’ preparation fo

Springbok utility forwards Elrigh Louw and Cobus Wiese, and prop Zachary Porthen were open about the challenge they expected against Argentina at Estadio José Amalfitani in Buenos Aires on Saturday and said they intended to give everything to contribute to the team when they take on Los Pumas on their home patch. Louw, who featured in the team’s 29-28 defeat against Argentina in Santiago del Estero in 2024 – the last time the teams met in South America – said they were under

The fourth round of the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division promises another compelling weekend of domestic rugby – opening with a top-of the table clash in Kimberley between holders Suzuki Griquas and log leaders the Fidelity ADT Lions – with all four fixtures carrying significant implications after a dramatic shake-up last weekend. The round opens with the Kimberley clash, which kicks off at 1pm on Saturday; followed by the Vodacom Bulls XVs first home match of the season,

Defending Pick n Pay Women Super League 2 champions, the Hollywood Foundation Pumas Women, are home and dry, while the Limpopo Blue Bulls (who have a bye this weekend) are out of the play-offs but come Saturday and the penultimate round of pool matches in the tournament, there will be heartbreak for some and joy for others. The undefeated Pumas await the Valke Women in White River; AVBOB Griquas Women, currently in second place on the log, will travel to the Garden Route to f

For 30 years, generations of players have worn the Black and White with pride and generations of supporters have built memories around a badge that came to represent far more than a rugby team. Today, the Sharks begin the next chapter of that story. This evolution does not replace that history, it builds on it. It is a bold expression of the same identity that has defined the Sharks for three decades, designed to carry the club confidently into its next era. "Our badge has ev

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) East and Southern Africa Regional Office is pleased to announce the appointment of Botlhale Boikanyo as its new Regional International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Youth Champion. Boikanyo is an award-winning South African poet, actress, speaker and youth advocate whose journey from becoming the first poet and youngest winner of South Africa's Got Talent at the age of 11 has evolved into a powerful platform for you

Jonathan Broomhead. Sunshine Tour/Tyrone Winfield Jonathan Broomhead is making a strong defence of his title in a stellar field after opening with a 65 to share the first-round lead in the Sunbet Challenge Time Square Casino at Wingate Park Country Club on Wednesday. Broomhead’s opening round of seven-under par sees him share the lead with countrymen Shaun Norris and Daniel Cronje, and Chile’s Gabriel Morgan. DP World Tour champion Michael Hollick is just one shot off the lea

The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) has agreed a multi-year partnership with Nike that will see the brand play a leading role in driving the global growth, culture and performance of flag football through the Olympic cycle to the LA28 Summer Games. Under the agreement, Nike becomes the exclusive Performance Apparel Partner of IFAF Flag Football, responsible for kitting out staff and International Technical Officials at major flag football events over the

The Hollywoodbets Sharks XV welcome the Sanlam Boland Kavaliers to Princess Magogo Stadium in KwaMashu, when the two teams meet in a fourth-round Carling Currie Cup clash on Saturday (5.15pm). After three games on the road, the Sharks XV are relishing the opportunity to play in Durban and in the spirit of taking the game to the community are playing this match in KwaMashu. Following big wins over the Vodacom Bulls XV in round one and the DHL Stormers XXIII (41-3), the Kavalie

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was so hungry to be part of the Springboks that he travelled to Johannesburg to watch the team face England during his stint on the sidelines due to injury, and he cannot wait to get back on the field when the Boks line up against Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday. The star flyhalf, who will earn his 20th Test cap when he takes the field next to experienced scrumhalf Cobus Reinach, is one of a number of stalwarts returning from injury. This list

The DHL Stormers team to face New Zealand for the first time in the history of the club has been named. Outside centre Ruhan Nel will captain the team that will face the visiting side for the first match of their tour at DHL Stadium, with kick-off at 7pm on Friday night. Nel is joined in midfield by Jonathan Roche, with 20-year-old flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed set to link up with scrumhalf Imad Khan in his first appearance for the Stormers. Fullback Warrick Gelant will have wings Sea

Emirates (www.Emirates.com) and South African Airways (SAA) today announced an expansion of their codeshare partnership, enabling access to nine cities and establishing the start of a reciprocal codeshare agreement between both carriers. The expanded partnership opens more destinations across central and southern Africa, simplifying connectivity for customers. Since launching their codeshare agreement, Emirates and SAA have operated on a unilateral basis, with SAA placing its

Libbie Janse van Rensburg will become the 12th player to lead South Africa on the field since their first Test against Wales in 2004 after she was named as captain of a much-changed Springbok Women match-23 when they take on Fijiana XV in Suva on Saturday. The 31-year-old Janse van Rensburg is the only backline player who retains her place in the starting team from South Africa’s last Test, against the USA Eagles Women in Pretoria on 12 July. Amongst the forwards, only Vainah

Nike and SA Rugby on Wednesday unveiled a Springboks’ jersey “like no other” for the Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Tour, celebrating the mindset that has powered the team under the leadership of Rassie Erasmus. The Springboks meet the All Blacks in the first of four Tests at 10bet Ellis Park on 22 August, ending a 30-year wait for the resumption of a Test series between the two great rugby nations – and they will do so in a specially commissioned jersey that hon

Mitchell Marsh, Joe Root, Sam Curran and Phil Salt are some of the international stars set to feature in Season 5 of Betway SA20, with all six teams announcing their retained and pre-signed players today. The remainder of the squads will be finalised at the 7 October Auction, which will only feature 19 available slots, with most of the teams retaining the core of their squads and South Africa’s top talent. Former Australia captain and ICC T20 World Cup winner Marsh is in line

Former African champions South Africa booked their place in the quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso in their final Group B fixture on Tuesday evening. The decisive moment came in the 21st minute when Thembi Kgatlana finished from close range after a well-worked move involving Fikile Magama, securing all three points and confirming Banyana Banyana's place in the knockout stages. Burkina Faso mad

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus on Tuesday included a host of stalwarts, who will all make a timely return from injury – including captain Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Morne van den Berg – in a quality match-23 to face Argentina in Buenos Aires on Saturday. Andre Esterhuizen and Ethan Hooker, who picked up niggles during the Nations Championship last month, also make a welcome return in a starting team that shows 13 changes to the si

What started out as nothing more than "a hobby for extra cash" back in 2012 will now take Betway SA20 umpire Siphelele Gasa to the grand stage of Lord’s Cricket Ground. ​ Gasa is the fourth South African recipient of the Betway SA20 and Cricket SA (CSA) Umpire Exchange Programme with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and The Hundred. ​ Lubabalo ‘Babs’ Gcuma, Stephen Harris and Arno Jacobs have all been afforded the opportunity before, with Englishmen Russell Warren, J

Sunrisers Eastern Cape captain Tristan Stubbs can’t wait to see St George’s Park bathed in orange once again as the defending Betway SA20 champions prepare to open their Season 5 title defence against Pretoria Capitalss - a repeat of last season’s final - on 17 January 2027. The Sunrisers are the most successful franchise in SA20 history, with three titles and a runners-up medal in four seasons. This has created an almost cult-like fan following in Gqeberha, with the Orange A

As LIV Golf heads to Trump National Golf Club Bedminster for LIV Golf New York, the stage is set for the 11th stop on the 2026 schedule. It's been nearly three years since the league's last visit to Bedminster and 33 players from that 2023 field return to a course that has only gotten tougher. The total yardage has been stretched by more than 125 yards, with new back tees adding length to the ninth, 13th and 16th holes. Trump National Bedminster opened in 2004 under the desig

The SA Rugby Under-20 Cup competition kicked off over the past weekend, with impressive victories for the Fidelity ADT Lions, the DHL Stormers Bolts and the Vodacom Bulls, with a number of 2026 Junior Springbok squad members showing their class. A combined total of 251 points were scored across the three opening fixtures staged in Cape Town, Bloemfontein and Potchefstroom, which delivered two away wins. The Stormers Bolts defeated the Sharks GEN by 55-22 in Cape Town; the Lio

From left to right: Ryan Dodds (AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open Project Director), Thomas Abt (Commissioner Sunshine Tour), Vincent Hardy (CEO Mont Choisy Group), Vishal Joyram (CEO AfrAsia Bank), Rana Ramdaursingh (Acting Head of Sales & Marketing Air Mauritius), Stephane Poupinel de Valence (CEO Beachcomber Resorts and Hotels), Thierry Montocchio (CEO Rogers Hospitality & Heritage Resorts) and Yannick Merven (President Mauritius Golf Federation). Sunshine Tour Defending champio

The Isuzu Bulls Daisies have set the standard in Pick n Pay Women’s Super League rugby for so long that the real challenge now is not winning, it is staying hungry. That is the question sitting squarely on the desk of head coach Zenay Jordaan as her side prepares to open its season against South Africa 'A' this Saturday. Jordaan, who won 36 caps for the Springboks before moving into coaching, has stepped up from co-head to sole head coach, and with that shift has come a delib

Across Africa, rural women face a double disadvantage as the urban-rural divide compounds gender gaps in education, employment, asset ownership, and access to financial and digital resources, the latest Afrobarometer (www.Afrobarometer.org) Pan-Africa Profile (https://apo-opa.co/4fK8G9x) shows. The new report, based on 50 961 interviews across 38 African countries in 2024/2025, shows that women are less likely than men to attain secondary or post-secondary education and to ha

Raman Khanduja, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Mintoak. Mintoak (https://www.Mintoak.com/), the payments and engagement OS for acquirers, today announced the acquisition of ICC Loyalty. The acquisition expands Mintoak's footprint across the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia while strengthening its ability to help banks unlock new revenue opportunities beyond payments. Headquartered in Dubai, UAE, ICC Loyalty provides loyalty and rewards technology to over

With their first ever victory at the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations behind them now, Burkina Faso have unlocked a level of confidence never seen before in their camp. Their first ever three points at the continental tournament mean so much to the Lady Stallions that they have turned things around. There is more belief, an enviable bounce in their steps when they walk and now, more than ever, they can smile ear-to-ear. A deep sigh of relief at full time broke

Faye Tunnicliffe. Faye Tunnicliffe produced a brilliant century to guide the SA Emerging Women to a 38-run win over Bangladesh Emerging Women in the third and final 50-over match at the Pietermaritzburg Oval on Monday, sealing a 2-0 series triumph for the hosts. Tunnicliffe struck 116 from just 95 balls, including 14 fours and two sixes, rescuing South Africa from a precarious position to help her side post 228 all out in 43.2 overs. In reply, Oluhle Siyo (2/19), Eliz-Mari Ma

Springbok assistant coach Deon Davids said on Monday they were ready for a gruelling challenge against Argentina when the teams meet in their one-off Test in Buenos Aires on Saturday, and quashed suggestions that the Boks see this match as a warm-up Test for the forthcoming Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR) series against New Zealand. The Boks arrived in Argentina in the early hours of Sunday morning and resumed their preparations for the match with their first field training se

BokSmart 9, the latest version of South African Rugby’s safety programme and serious head, neck, and spine, injury prevention education initiative, was officially launched by SA Rugby on Monday. The new course is now freely available on MyBokSmart and represents the next evolution of the programme in supporting coaches, referees, medical support staff, players and administrators with practical, evidence-informed player safety education and guidance. BokSmart 9 has been develo

It took two days of travel and a few more to rest and recover but once the Springbok Women went into Test mode in Suva on Monday, it was business as usual, as the main thing must always remain the main thing, according to the team’s experienced flyhalf and vice-captain, Libbie Janse van Rensburg. The Bok Women returned to the training ground on Monday, following a tough trip to Fiji, while they also had to adjust to the 10 hour time difference in the Pacific. South Africa fac

Nine capped Springbok Women have been included in a squad of 30 players that assembled in Somerset West on Sunday for the first of two camps culminating in a two-match tour for the SA Women’s ‘A’ team to Brazil later this month. The group is part of the Springbok Women Academy set-up, where players not involved in the Test match squads are training together as part of the wider national squad. Amongst those are Luchell Hanekom, who is returning from injury and Mary Zulu, who

Team SA’s successful 2026 Commonwealth Games campaign officially ended at the closing ceremony at The Hydro on Sunday night, where para athletics silver medallist Masala Makatu carried the flag. The 20-year old who won the silver medal in the men’s T12 100 metres, was Team SA’s first medallist in the track and field competition at these Games. In total, Team SA return with 28 medals, one more than at Birmingham 2022, and placed 11th on the overall medals table. In action on S

Whatever they put in the water at TuksJudo club clearly works. First it was Zack Piontek who won 2014 Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow. Then, Michaela Whitebooi won gold at the 2022 Birmingham Games where Charne Griesel also earned bronze. Now, Timothy Meuwsen has added his name to that Tuks honours roll at the 2026 Games in Glasgow. The 24-year-old, coached by Griesel, won the silver medal in the -81kg division after what he calls a “toe-to-toe” battle with Amir Daniel Bin

The Fidelity ADT Lions are the new leaders on the Carling Currie Cup Premier Division log after the two top teams after the second round, the Toyota Cheetahs and Sanlam Boland Kavaliers, both lost their first games of the season to shake up the standings. The Lions, Suzuki Griquas, and the DHL Stormers XXIII all registered home wins in round three, while the Airlink Pumas were the only travelling side to emerge victorious. Griquas held off a spirited late fightback from the C

The Sanlam Boland Kavaliers missed out on claiming first place in the Carling Black Label Currie Cup after suffering a 20-15 Round Three defeat to the Airlink Pumas in Wellington on Sunday. A spirited Pumas side recorded their first win and the first Currie Cup loss for the Kavaliers at home since last year's tournament. The Kavaliers made an uncharacteristic start to Sunday’s clash, after conceding 12 penalties in the first half and struggling to secure clean line-out ball o

The Hollywood Foundation Pumas Women continued their winning streak in the Pick n Pay Women’s Super League 2, while AVBOB Griquas Women and the Griffons Women scored significant wins away from home in the fifth round played on Saturday. The Pumas dismantled the SWD Eagirls 44-17 at the Nelspruit Rugby Club; Griquas came back strong in their second half against Leopards Women to score a 24-19 win in Potchefstroom; and the Griffons returned victorious from Polokwane, where they

The Springboks touched down in Argentina in the early hours of Sunday morning (South American time) following the journey from Cape Town on Saturday and will resume their on-field preparations on Monday for next week’s encounter against Los Pumas at Estadio José Amalfitani. Two travelling groups flew to Buenos Aires via São Paulo and arrived at their team hotel within an hour of one another after midnight. The players will have a day off to rest and recover from the long trip

As he made his way off the track, knowing that he’d won Team SA’s first athletics medal of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Masala Makatu was caught up in a whirlpool of noise, backslapping and a media scrum as he negotiated his way through the mixed zone and into the safety of his support staff. For the 20-year-old from Limpopo, a product of the Rivoni School For The Blind, it was a slightly bewildering and definitely new, experience. He has had very limited vision in both eyes,

The 2026 Varsity Football Women's tournament kicked off on Saturday at the University of Pretoria and the opening day produced closely contested encounters as WSU and Wits played to a 1-1 draw, while newcomers UL marked their return with a goalless draw against CPUT. The UJ Orange Army were the only side to claim maximum points after edging TUT 1-0 in a repeat of last year’s semi-final, while hosts UP-Tuks were held to a 0-0 draw by defending champions UWC in the day's marque

Fittingly, it was the last athlete to compete in the track and field competition who brought an end to Team SA’s campaign at the Scoutscoun Stadium and with it a shiny silver medal. Kyle Rademeyer announced himself on the international stage with a huge performance to secure Team SA’s 28th and likely last, medal of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Still only 24, the pole vaulter cleared 5.70m in tricky, windy conditions, before being unable to clear 5.80m and leaving t

It wasn’t the medal that he wanted but it was a medal nonetheless and took Team SA’s total to 26 with the prospect of another couple more to come before the curtain drops on the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. There’s no way of sugar-coating it, Zakithi Nene had his eyes set on the 400m gold and given the form he had shown leading up to Glasgow he came in this week as the man they all had to beat. That target on his back was well earned – a 43.89 win in Paris at the end o

The SA Under-18 and SA U18 ‘A’ squads for the forthcoming U18 International Series, which will be staged in the Western Cape from 7 to 15 August, have been named. The two South African sides will take on their U18 counterparts from England, Ireland, France, and Georgia in three rounds of top-class international competition in the popular annual tournament at school venues in and around Cape Town. The series forms a key part of SA Rugby's successful Elite Player Development (E

The DHL Stormers XXIII scored five tries to claim a full five points from their Carling Currie Cup coastal derby against the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV at DHL Stadium on Saturday. In an entertaining game played in front of an enthusiastic crowd of over 14 000, the home side bounced back from last week’s defeat in Wellington with a 36-28 win. The visitors made a fast start, with winger Lyle Matthews going over for an early try. The Stormers XXIII hit back with some forward power