Simon Borchardt

1 day ago | sarugbymag.co.za | Simon Borchardt

Sam Cane will get an unexpected farewell clash against the Springboks when he lines up for the Barbarians in Cape Town on Saturday. The former All Blacks captain, who retired from Test rugby after the 2024 season, starts in the No 7 jersey for the invitational side and says he’s grateful for one more crack at the world champions. Cane led the All Blacks in the 2023 World Cup final in Paris, where he was red-carded in their 12-11 loss to the Boks.

1 day ago | sacricketmag.com | Simon Borchardt

Three players will make their Test debut for the Proteas in the first Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, starting on Saturday. Big-hitting batsmen Lhuan-dre Pretorius (19) and Dewald Brevis (22), along with fast bowler Codi Yusuf (27), are part of a much-changed XI that includes just four players from the side that won the World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s.

1 day ago | sacricketmag.com | Simon Borchardt

Spinners Dhananjaya de Silva and Prabath Jayasurya took two wickets each to leave Sri Lanka on the brink of an innings victory over Bangladesh in the second Test. By close of play on the third day at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo, the visitors had slumped to 115-6 in their second innings, still 96 runs away from making Sri Lanka bat again.

1 day ago | sacricketmag.com | Simon Borchardt

The West Indies pace attack again exposed the vulnerability of the Australian top-order batting as the tourists stuttered to 92-4 in their second innings at stumps on the second day of the first Test at Kensington Oval. Trailing on first innings by just 10 runs after the Caribbean side were dismissed at tea for 190 in reply to the Aussies’ first-innings total of 180, the match is balanced on a knife’s edge as Australia lead by 82 runs with six wickets in hand.

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

Toulouse assistant coach Jerome Kaino doesn’t expect another “walkover” against Bordeaux-Begles in the French Top 14 final on Saturday. Kaino’s side hammered Bordeaux-Begles 59-3 in last season’s Top 14 decider, but have lost three straight games to the newly-crowned Champions Cup winners. On the way to lifting the continental crown in May, Bordeaux-Begles beat Toulouse in the semi-finals, leaving the record 23-time French champions with just the league to play for this season.