Simon Borchardt

6 days ago | sarugbymag.co.za | Simon Borchardt

Coach Jake White says rotating his players this season has put the Vodacom Bulls in a strong position heading into the Vodacom URC playoffs. White used his halfbacks as an example following the Bulls’ 45-21 win against Cardiff at Loftus on Saturday that moved them up to second on the URC log above Glasgow, who later lost 33-7 to Benetton in Treviso. “For Zak [Burger] to play 80 minutes at 9 today [in the absence of Ebrose Papier] didn’t worry me because he’s had enough game time [this season].

6 days ago | sacricketmag.com | Simon Borchardt

Kagiso Rabada’s legal team helped to ensure the Proteas fast bowler only served a one-month suspension for recreational drug use. According to Rapport, the urine sample Rabada provided on 21 January after MI Cape Town’s SA20 match against Durban’s Super Giants at Kingsmead, showed traces of benzoylecgonine (BZE), a metabolite of cocaine.

6 days ago | sacricketmag.com | Simon Borchardt

Coach Shukri Conrad says CSA-contracted Proteas will no longer be allowed to skip white-ball series to play T20 franchise cricket. Conrad this week took charge of the Proteas in all three formats following the resignation of white-ball coach Rob Walter last month. Under Walter, the Proteas often fielded understrength teams in bilateral series, with players putting lucrative franchise deals ahead of the national team. However, those days appear to be over.

6 days ago | sarugbymag.co.za | Simon Borchardt

Celebrate world champion Springbok Victor Matfield’s birthday with a look back on his illustrious career. There has been no greater lineout exponent in the game than Matfield, who turned 48 on Sunday. For the entirety of his career, he ruled the air and tormented opposition jumpers and hookers. His very presence in the Springbok second row – often alongside his Bulls ‘brother’ Bakkies Botha – gave South Africa a mental advantage against their opponents.

6 days ago | sarugbymag.co.za | Simon Borchardt

The Boland Kavaliers qualified for the 2025 Currie Cup Premier Division by beating Eastern Province in Gqeberha on Saturday. A 36-22 bonus-point victory sealed fourth spot on the SA Cup log for the Kavaliers, who will travel to Nelspruit for a semi-final against the table-topping Pumas. Defending champions Griquas host the Cheetahs in next weekend’s other semi-final.