Temba Bavuma and Ryan Rickelton shared a 52-run fifth-wicket stand as South Africa fought back from 40/4 but it was advantage Australia at the end of the second day, with a stunning catch by Matt Renshaw at first slip capping off a curtailed day when three wickets fell in just under 30 overs for the addition of 77 runs. With 3.2 overs left in the day, Renshaw pulled off a speckie to end Rickelton's innings in the dying light and leave South Africa fighting to stay alive in th

The Hollywoodbets Dolphins will look to continue their encouraging run of form when they host the Dafabet Warriors in a crucial YesPlay Pro20 Cup encounter at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium on Tuesday. A bonus-point victory over the North West Dragons in Potchefstroom last week has strengthened the Dolphins’ momentum heading into the closing stages of the competition, with head coach Quinton Friend pleased with the progress his side has made while remaining focused on the ne

Tommaso Allan. Inpho Photography After more than a decade of rugby wandering, Tommaso Allan is back in his homeland and determined to make the most of however long he has left in his career. Over the years, he has had spells playing in South Africa, France and England, as well as in his native Italy, while his 91 caps for the Azzurri have taken him around the world. Now he has returned to the country of his birth by signing for Zebre Parma which means yet more border-hopping

Scarlets' Alex Groves. Inpho Photography Alex Groves has more reason than most to feel fortunate that he makes his living as a rugby player. Two years ago, it wasn’t just his sporting career that was on the line but his life. In February 2024, he underwent eight-hour heart surgery after the discovery of an aneurysm - an abnormal bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. Happily, the operation was a success and he was back playing before the end of the year, demonstrating his resil

Few pundits in the women’s game would argue with the statement that the Springbok Women had been very fortunate to have at least half a dozen hookers of international quality around over the last couple of seasons. In fact, in Lindelwa Gwala they have the most capped hooker in the green and gold; Roseline Botes and Luchell Hanekom played at the last two Women’s Rugby World Cups; and Mike Gunter is one of two Springbok Women plying their trade in England’s Women’s Premiership,

The UEFA Champions League hopefuls are in action for a second consecutive week, with Matchday 3 games taking place on Tuesday Wednesday. Here we take a look at the key facts and stats from every fixture as the league phase continues. All matches kick off at 9pm CET unless stated. All statistics are group stage/league phase to final unless stated. Tuesday Fenerbahçe v Slavia Praha (6.45pm) Fenerbahçe have lost only two of their last ten UEFA matches against Czech opposition (W

The Sunshine Tour has announced a strong start to 2027, with the new year set to tee off with four tournaments co-sanctioned with the HotelPlanner Tour as the Road to Mallorca begins on South African fairways. This is the largest number of tournaments hosted by a single country on the HotelPlanner Tour’s international schedule and creates yet another opportunity for Sunshine Tour professionals to play their way onto the DP World Tour. Last year JC Ritchie became the first Sou

Tribute to Hyron Andrews ahead of the Stade Rochelais v 10bet lions match. The Investec Champions Cup returned this weekend, with Round 1 delivering plenty of massive performances across Europe and South Africa. The opening weekend was also marked by an outpouring of respect for 10bet Lions lock Hyron Andrews, with pre-match tributes held before every Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup fixture in his memory. His passing brought a poignant dimension to the weekend,

The Vodacom Bulls U20 will host the Hollywoodbets Sharks GEN and Fidelity ADT Golden Lions U20 will take on the DHL Stormers Bolts this weekend in the two semi-finals of the SA Rugby U20 Cup, after the league phase was completed over the past weekend. The KwaZulu-Natalians clinched the last play-off slot thanks to their win over the Leopards in Potchefstroom, while the Toyota Cheetahs U20s came very close after a strong finish of the regular season. The Lions and Bolts clash

College Rovers will host Northam Rhinos in the 2026 Pick n Pay Gold Cup Final after both sides recorded impressive semi-final victories on Saturday in the ‘FA Cup’ of South African club rugby. The country’s pre-eminent knockout championship for non-university clubs – which is sponsored by the national retail chain for the second season – is also supported by Northam Platinum, whose commitment to community aligns with the grassroots spirit of the Pick n Pay Gold Cup. A new nam

A landmark moment for women’s rugby in South Africa will unfold in the Western Cape later this week when a group of leading female coaches assemble for the first standalone World Rugby Level 3 course dedicated to women coaches. The course, to be held at Delsma Sports Farm in Riebeek Kasteel from 23 to 28 October, represents an important next step in SA Rugby’s drive to develop more women coaches capable of operating in elite and high-performance environments. Twenty-three Sou

Roland van den Heever’s (right) rise from club rugby to the Springbok Sevens Academy. Forward Foundation captain Roland van den Heever was recently called into the Springbok Sevens "A" (Academy) environment, where he trained alongside professional Springbok Sevens players and other aspiring players competing for a place in the professional game. He travelled with the Springbok Sevens "A" (Academy) side that competed in the Mauritius Sevens/Africa Men's Sevens Series held in t

DP World Lions strengthened their position in the YesPlay Pro20 Cup with a commanding eight-wicket bonus-point victory over Northern Cape Heat in Johannesburg on Sunday. The Flexbrands Knights also claimed their first win of the competition with a convincing 54-run triumph over CSA High Performance in Pretoria. Lions won the toss and elected to bowl first, restricting Heat to 137/5 in their allotted overs. Steve Stolk top-scored with 35 before falling to Nqaba Peter in the 10

Netball South Africa has confirmed with great sadness the untimely passing of national and internation umpire Leonard Masao who sadly died on Saturday. At the time of his passing, Masao was a highly respected international umpire and served as a mentor to up and coming netball umpires in South Africa. He has dedicated his time in serving the game netball not only in South Africa but the continent and world at large. “Losing someone of Leonard’s character and caliber is very s

The Vodacom Bulls, DHL Stormers and Hollywoodbets Sharks got their Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup campaigns off to encouraging starts over the weekend, as they all registered valuable victories in a jam-packed weekend of action, which was heavily overshadowed by the tragic passing of 10bet Lions lock Hyron Andrews in an emotional weekend all around. The Bulls laid a strong marker for the five participating domestic teams in the two competitions as they produced

YesPlay Cobras captain Leah Jones enjoyed a good day out in their Hollywoodbets Pro20 Series win over the DP World Lions in Johannesburg. CSA The YesPlay Cobras and the Hollywoodbets Dolphins opened their accounts for the 2026/27 Hollywoodbets Pro20 Series after securing respective victories over the DP World Lions and the Warriors on Sunday. The defending champions, Cobras, clinched a seven-run triumph over the Lions in a topsy-turvy clash at the DP World Wanderers Stadium a

Robyn Searl from the Hollywoodbets Dolphins celebrates her century in the Hollywoodbets Pro50 Series against Warriors in Durban. CSA The DP World Lions and the Hollywoodbets Dolphins recorded their respective first victories of the season in the third week of the Hollywoodbets Pro50 Series on Saturday. The Lions bowlers proved too strong for the YesPlay Cobras at the Alan Lawson Oval in Johannesburg, securing a five-wicket victory following a brilliant five-wicket haul from e

Luke Brown. Shaun Roy/Sunshine Tour Luke Brown saved his best for the last round of the Blu Label Unlimited Challenge, winning his second Sunshine Tour title for the season at the Lost City Golf Course on Saturday. Brown collected an impressive 20 points in the final round to take the title on 42 points overall and finish two points clear of Tyran Snyders. Starting the final round in tied 14th place, 16 points behind the overnight leader Snyders. But Brown took full advantage

The DHL Stormers ran in seven tries at DHL Stadium to claim a 49-12 bonus point win in their Investec Champions Cup opener against Bristol Bears on Saturday. Wing Leolin Zas and centre Jonny Roche both scored twice as the Cape side outclassed their English counterparts to start their campaign with a big win. The home team started strong as Seabelo Senatla hit a gap in midfield and raced away to score in the corner. Senatla was on-hand for the second try as well as he offloade

Dafabet Warriors climbed to second place in Pool B of the YesPlay Pro20 Cup after securing a convincing nine-wicket victory over Garden Route Badgers in Oudtshoorn on Friday. The hosts struggled to build momentum after electing to bat first, with the Warriors bowling attack restricting them to just 68 all out in 16.2 overs. Janneman Malan top-scored with 19, while Pheko Moletsane and Andile Phehlukwayo contributed 11 runs each. Zack Momberg added 10 further down the order. Th

Can Chelsea take advantage of midweek rest against unbeaten Everton? Before a ball had been kicked, pundits proclaimed that Chelsea’s greatest advantage in their debut campaign under Xabi Alonso would be free midweeks while their rivals exhaust themselves in Europe. This week is the very first time that theory is tested. During the first round of UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League matches, in early September, Chelsea had an EFL Cup tie against Leeds United on the We

Tyran Snyders. Shaun Roy/Sunshine Tour Tyran Snyders claimed a strong haul of 16 points to surge into the lead of the Blu Label Unlimited Challenge with 38 points going into Saturday’s final round at the Lost City Golf Course. Snyders leads by five points over Jean-Paul Strydom, Lyle Rowe and Estiaan Conradie. Snyders opened his round on Friday with a birdie and added another seven birdies to wrestle the top spot from overnight leader Conradie. “I’m really happy with how I pl

The 10bet Lions have been struck by tragedy in France after Hyron Andrews (31) died of a suspected heart attack at the team’s hotel ahead of their debut Champions Cup match against La Rochelle on Saturday. The Johannesburg-based franchise confirmed on Friday afternoon that it had received distressing news from France, where the squad is preparing for their first-ever clash in Europe’s elite club rugby competition. In a statement, the Lions Rugby Company said "they are deeply

Following a heavy 214-run defeat to Australia in the opening match of the ICC World Test Championship series in Durban, South Africa are making vital adjustments as they eye a comeback in Gqeberha. Among the key shifts is Ryan Rickelton taking over the wicketkeeping duties, a move the team's coaching staff believes will only enhance his involvement in the game. South Africa fielding coach Kruger van Wyk stressed that Rickelton's transition behind the stumps will be smooth, n

Imposing Hollywoodbets Sharks lock Corné Rahl has signed with the DHL Stormers and will join the squad at the end of the current season in July 2027. The powerful 24-year-old hails from the Western Cape town of Montagu and was schooled at Oakdale, where he was one year ahead of his future teammate Paul de Villiers. At 2.03 metres tall and 122 kilograms, Rahl brings physicality and intensity to everything he does on the field. He will add to the depth in the club’s second-row

The Toyota Cheetahs are set to begin their 2026/27 EPCR Challenge Cup campaign against French side Aviron Bayonnais on Sunday at Stade Jean Dauger in Bayonne, France. The opening Pool 1 encounter presents an opportunity for the Cheetahs to build on their European experience and make a positive start to the campaign. The team will look to bring their trademark attacking intent and tempo to the contest. Last season, the Cheetahs recorded one of the fastest average ruck speeds i

The third week of the Hollywoodbets Pro Series features an intriguing set of encounters, with double defending champions YesPlay Cobras, DP World Lions, Hollywoodbets Dolphins and the Warriors all in action over the weekend. The Dolphins will host the newly promoted Warriors at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium in Durban, while the Lions and Cobras will face off at the DP World Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg in a repeat of last season’s finals in both the Hollywoodbets Pro50

All club roads will lead to the Bushveld and Surf City on Saturday as the Pick n Pay Gold Cup reaches the semi-final stage after three weeks of nail-biting action from club venues across the country. The 32-team ‘FA Cup’ of South African community rugby has seen 28 matches played since the Round of 32 kicked off on 26 September. With 28 hopefuls now eliminated – with several matches decided in the dying seconds, or by just a single point, or both – the final four find themsel

The Hollywoodbets Sharks open their 2026/27 EPCR Challenge Cup campaign against Lyon in France this weekend. Nick Hatton captains the side from No 8 and after featuring in last week’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship encounter off the bench, Stephan Lewies makes a welcome return to the starting team, after spending seven years abroad playing at Harlequins, bringing outstanding leadership following four years as their club captain. There is also a welcome return to action for

The harder the job, the wider the gap between people. Source: Hunter, Schmidt & Judiesch (1990). It may seem contradictory but the cheapest hire you ever made is also the most expensive person on your payroll. In 2019 our business reached an inflection point that required us to hire an additional manager. We needed an individual who was not only technically strong but had the ability to operate independently and become the go-to for our clients. We ended up going with the cos

Award-winning South African educational architecture practice Hubo Studio has returned from PULSE 2026, an international gathering of educators, innovators, architects and policymakers in Indore, India, where the studio delivered the opening in-person keynote and led an interactive workshop that received extraordinary praise from conference organisers. Bringing together educational thinkers from Japan, Finland, India, Australia, Malaysia and beyond, the conference, organised

Estiaan Conradie. Shaun Roy/Sunshine Tour Estiaan Conradie bagged another set of double-digit points during Thursday’s second round of the Blu Label Unlimited Challenge at the Lost City Golf Course, giving him a lead on 27 points. Conradie followed up his 17 points secured during Wednesday’s first round with 10 more valuable points, made up by an eagle, four birdies and three drop-shots, on Thursday to lead Tyron Snyders (22 points) and Lyle Rowe (22 points) by five points. “

To our valued supporters, Test cricket remains one of the greatest traditions of our beautiful game and the recent Test match between the Proteas and Australia at Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium was a reminder of everything that makes the longest format so special. Durban delivered on every front. The weather was exceptional, the pitch provided a fantastic contest between bat and ball and the match extended into the post-lunch session on day five, offering five days of compel

The Vodacom Bulls have made wholesale changes to their starting XV for this week’s Investec Champions Cup opening round clash against Stade Français, with Handré Pollard returning at flyhalf, Elrigh Louw taking over the captaincy and Under-20 tyro Luan Giliomee earning his first start at fullback. Giliomee’s promotion is one of the standout talking points in a reshuffled Bulls backline, with the youngster handed an opportunity to make his mark at senior level. His selection a

Jurie Snyman shone with both bat and ball to lead World Sports Betting Eastern Storm to their first win of the YesPlay Pro20 Cup, singlehandedly helping them to an 18-run victory over Flexbrands Knights in Bloemfontein on Wednesday. Snyman contributed 95 as Easterns posted a 186-run total at the Mangaung Oval, before also recording a hat-trick as he returned the day’s best bowling figures of 4/16 to restrict their hosts to just 168 to secure their first maximum points. Having

Betway SA20 and King Price Insurance have announced a multi-year renewal of their partnership, building on a successful first season together. As part of the extension, King Price will continue as the League's Proud Insurance Partner and will own the DRS moments in stadiums, as well as the distinctive umpire walk-out that starts each match. The award-winning insurer brought its trademark culture of innovation and fun to Season 4, giving the match officials a royal experience

South Africa will return to the Hong Kong Sixes with an exciting, power-packed squad when the tournament gets underway from 30 October to 1 November at the Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground in Hong Kong. Led by Jorich van Schalkwyk, the seven-member squad features Steve Stolk, Abdullah Bayoumy, Ayabulela Gqamane, Alindile Mhletywa, Blake Simpson and Heath Richards. The squad features three returning players from the 2025 edition, with Van Schalkwyk, Simpson and Bayoumy bringin

After his side were trounced for a 214-run defeat by Australia in the opening ICC World Test Championship contest in Durban, South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad wanted to work towards improving his side without wholesale changes to the approach that has worked well for South Africa. "We obviously need to look at how can we improve the side without being knee-jerk in our reactions," Conrad said ahead of the second Test against Australia, which begins on 18 October in Gqeberh

The five South African teams participating in the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup competitions will face a fresh challenge this weekend as they switch their focus from the Vodacom United Rugby Championship to the first round of the European showpieces, where all the sides will want to make a strong statement in the tournaments, which feature only four pool rounds. The Vodacom Bulls, DHL Stormers, and 10bet Lions will run out in the Investec Champions Cup competi

Estiaan Conradie. Shaun Roy/Sunshine Tour Married life agrees with Estiaan Conradie, who a month after his wedding is sharing the lead after the first round of the Blu Label Unlimited Challenge at the Lost City Golf Course. Conradie and fellow South African Tyran Snyders both collected 17 points under the modified stableford scoring system being used for this tournament, giving them a two-point lead over England’s Joe Sullivan. Conradie was first in the clubhouse on Wednesday

Kaneez Tuskers’ Chad Laycock etched his name into the history books with a remarkable six-wicket haul against Momentum Multiply Titans in the YesPlay Pro20 Cup on Tuesday, recording figures of 6/26 in a record-breaking bowling performance. Laycock became the first bowler to claim four wickets in four consecutive deliveries and the first to take five wickets in a single over in South African T20 cricket. His figures also set a new competition record, surpassing the previous be

African Collaborations Group (ACG) (www.ACGafrica.com), the leading strategic project origination and collaboration platform focused on the industrialisation of sport in Africa through the origination of bankable sport and entertainment district ecosystems, today announced that its CEO, Paulo J. Cruz, will speak at the Angola Access & Investment Conference 2026 (AAIC) (www.aaic.ao) in Luanda, Angola, from 14 to 17 October 2026. The AAIC is organised by Expo Connect Angola in

Hollywoodbets Sharks head coach JP Pietersen has selected a 28-man squad that leaves this week for his team’s three overseas matches taking place in France, Wales and Ireland over the next three weekends. With the usual attrition rate associated with a highly competitive tour such as this, there will be reinforcements sent over as the tour goes on, including the Sharks Springboks, who are on mandatory rest after a grueling few months of rugby. Pietersen will select his EPCR C

SA Rugby has thrown its support behind the International Concussion in Sport Group's (CISG) Athlete Brain Health Symposium, which will bring leading international experts in sports medicine, concussion, and athlete mental health welfare to Cape Town on 25 and 26 November 2026. The event comes at a time when athlete brain health is receiving increasing attention around the world and follows the launch last year of the Brain Health Service in South Africa, a joint initiative by

Verdant Capital (www.Verdant-Cap.com) is pleased to announce the opening of its new office in Nairobi, Kenya, marking an important step in the continued expansion of the firm’s presence and capabilities across East Africa. The Nairobi office strengthens Verdant’s ability to work closely with businesses, investors and financial institutions across the region, bringing the firm’s Pan-African corporate finance and investment expertise closer to an increasingly dynamic East Afric

The South African G4D Open, the biggest event on the South African golf calendar for golfers with disabilities, will take place in Cape Town from 15 to 17 November 2026, hosted by the City of Cape Town. The 54-hole tournament will be played at King David Mowbray Golf Club, bringing together golfers with disabilities from across South Africa and international players for three days of competition. This year’s tournament will feature five divisions, with players with physical d

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma has revealed pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada is likely to feature in the second ICC World Test Championship fixture against Australia that commences on Sunday. Rabada hasn't played any cricket since he featured for the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League in May, with the pacer sitting out the opening Test of the series against Australia as he continues to recover from the hamstring injury he picked up in training. But Rabada is closing i

World Rugby has today confirmed the HSBC SVNS 2 schedule, with three events taking place across January and February as the global rugby sevens calendar continues to build towards the LA28 Olympic Games. The announcement follows confirmation of the HSBC SVNS Series and World Championship schedule for 2026/27. HSBC SVNS 2 forms an important part of World Rugby’s global sevens pathway, providing teams with the opportunity to progress through the international competition struct

The 2026/27 Investec Champions Cup gets underway this weekend, with 24 of Europe and South Africa’s leading clubs beginning their quest to lift club rugby’s biggest prize. The Round 1 preview is now available, featuring the full fixture list, pool tables, match officials, and selected club and player performance data. CLICK BELOW FOR ROUND 1 PREVIEW Round 1 notes Round 1 will take place from 16 to 18 October, with the competition featuring the top eight clubs from the 2025/26

With the opening EPCR Challenge Cup fixtures just days away, please find below the Round 1 preview, including fixtures, pools, match officials and selected club and player performance data. CLICK BELOW FOR ROUND 1 PREVIEW Round 1 notes The 2026/27 EPCR Challenge Cup features 18 clubs from eight nations - Ireland, France, South Africa, Wales, England, Scotland, Italy and Georgia - competing across three pools and four pool stage rounds. Round 1 takes place from 16 to 18 Octobe