Superbru: Boks bring down Bravehearts

The Springboks will make it two wins from two in the Nations Championship, according to the SA Rugby magazine team.

All Blacks vs Italy (Wellington, Saturday, 7:10am)
Clinton van der Berg: All Blacks by 30
Juandre Joubert: All Blacks by 28
Dylan Johnson: All Blacks by 20
Simon Borchardt: All Blacks by 30
Devin Hermanus: All Blacks by 25
Morne Esben: All Blacks by 18 chickenroadslot.lat

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Wallabies vs France (Brisbane, Saturday, 9:40am time)
Morne Esben: France by 3
Devin Hermanus: Australia by 13
Simon Borchardt: France by 8
Juandre Joubert: Australia by 1
Dylan Johnson: France by 4
Clinton van der Berg: France by 4

Japan vs Ireland (Newcastle, Saturday, 12:10pm SA time)
Juandre Joubert: Ireland by 30
Simon Borchardt: Ireland by 20
Devin Hermanus: Ireland by 13
Morne Esben: Ireland by 22
Dylan Johnson: Ireland by 19
Clinton van der Berg: Ireland by 22

Fiji vs England (Liverpool, Saturday, 3:10pm SA time)
Simon Borchardt: England by 20
Morne Esben: England by 16
Clinton van der Berg: England by 11
Devin Hermanus: Fiji by 5
Juandre Joubert: England by 12
Dylan Johnson: England by 13

KEO: Scots no longer rugby’s plucky underdogs

Springboks vs Scotland (Pretoria, Saturday, 5:40pm)
Juandre Joubert: Springboks by 13
Devin Hermanus: Scotland by 6
Morne Esben: Springboks by 9
Simon Borchardt: Springboks by 15
Clinton van der Berg: Springboks by 6
Dylan Johnson: Springboks by 18

KEO & ZELS: Why Bok Iceman will freeze Scotland

Argentina vs Wales (San Juan, Saturday, 9:10pm SA time)
Devin Hermanus: Argentina by 11
Clinton van der Berg: Argentina by 5
Morne Esben: Argentina by 10
Dylan Johnson: Argentina by 7
Simon Borchardt: Argentina by 15
Juandre Joubert: Argentina by 15

Weekend teams

Photo: Dirk Kotze/Gallo Images

The post Superbru: Boks bring down Bravehearts appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

The Springboks will be aiming to improve their impressive record at their fortress, Loftus Versfeld, according to utility back Canan Moodie, when they take on Scotland in Pretoria on Saturday evening (kick-of 5:40pm).

In 42 matches at the ground, stretching back to the Boks‘ first game there in 1955, they have won 33 and lost nine times. Since rugby turned professional in 1995 they have only lost to the All Blacks at the ground, on five occasions, the most recent being in 2018.

The Boks have won their last six games at the stadium, including an impressive win over Ireland in 2024, while they were pushed hard by Italy last year before securing a comfortable result.

Nine Bulls players have also been named in the Bok match 23, including Moodie, and he admitted that they would be looking to utilise their experience of the ground and the altitude to give them the upper hand against the Scots.

“Loftus is a fortress we want to protect. It has been like that for the Bulls, but also for the Springboks, where we have good Springbok history,” said Moodie at a Springbok press conference this week.

“The altitude is real, but it is also about how you play. You want to make sure the visitors feel the altitude from the pressure you exert from your game plan.

“You want to be really confrontational and put them under pressure in whatever you do, so that they feel that the altitude does matter. They must feel at the end of the game that they have played against a South African side.”

Well prepared

Looking at the match Moodie said that they would be well prepared for whatever kicking game Scotland bring to the table, which will be marshalled by their flyhalf wizard Finn Russell.

“We’re well prepped for the high balls. They come with different tactics, but we’ve been doing this for years, so we trust our system and just clean up where we can,” explained Moodie.

“Every team has different tactics there. We’ve adjusted while staying true to what’s worked for us, and we’ll execute our plan. If it doesn’t work and they come with something different, we’ll adapt.”

Adding a bit of extra spice to the encounter is the Boks’ Bulls contingent fronting up against a large number of players from Glasgow Warriors players in the Scottish side, after their URC semifinal last month which was won by the Pretoria outfit in Edinburgh.

“A lot of their players are from the Glasgow Warriors and quite a few of our guys are Bulls, so there is recent history in the form of the URC semifinal between the teams,” admitted Moodie.

Après la qualification française en demi-finale de Coupe du monde et un succès 2-0 à Boston contre le Maroc, le président de la République française, Emmanuel Macron a félicité le groupe tricolore par le biais d’un message sur ses réseaux sociaux, mais a aussi salué le parcours du Maroc.

« Fierté pour nos Bleus. Bravo au Maroc, immense adversaire ce soir comme il y a quatre ans. La France est en demi-finale, avec panache et fraternité! », a écrit le chef de l’état sur son compte X.

The post Coupe du Monde 2026 : Emmanuel Macron félicite les Bleus pour la qualification en demies appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.

Benhard Janse van Rensburg’s father believes growing up on a remote Limpopo farm gave his son the resilience that has carried him to the brink of an England Test debut.

The 29-year-old South African centre has been named on the bench for England’s Nations Championship match against Fiji in Liverpool on Saturday after becoming eligible to represent his adopted country on 8 July.

A former Junior Springbok, Janse van Rensburg played for the Leopards, Sharks, Kings and Cheetahs before establishing himself as one of the Premiership’s standout midfielders with the Bristol Bears.

His father, Gerhard, says rugby was only part of his son’s upbringing in Makoppa, 44km from Thabazimbi.

“When Benhard was a small boy, he didn’t go to pre-school,” he told the Daily Mail. “He learned more on the farm with me. He would sleep on the floor of the tractor while I was working.

“My boys have worked on the farm since they were 4ft tall. They drive the tractors, they work with cattle, they feed the animals.”

RASSIE: Boks wanted Benhard

Gerhard believes those experiences shaped both his son’s character and rugby career.

“When [Bristol coach] Pat Lam said Benhard is farmstock, he was exactly right. Benhard has worked since he was six years old.

“Benhard is mentally tough. You can’t give up out here. If something breaks, you must fix it … You will never see Benhard bitching with a referee because from a small boy on the farm, I taught him that you must keep going.”

His mother, Zanie, recalled how Janse van Rensburg’s rugby journey began at a tiny farm school.

“He played in the first team from Grade 1 because there were only 17 boys in the school. They always lost. They were always defending. That’s how he learned how to tackle!”

Later, at Hoërskool Frikkie Meyer in Thabazimbi, Janse van Rensburg continued to develop despite regularly coming up against bigger, better-resourced schools.

“Most kids leave Thabazimbi if they want to pursue sports,” said Zanie. “We could have sent Benhard to a big school in Pretoria but we decided against that. That’s what I love about his story.”

EX-BOK ON BENHARD: He’d want to prove a point

His father believes that decision made his son’s rise to Test rugby all the more remarkable.

“The chances of someone from here playing international rugby are one in a million,” Gerhard said. “He has made his own path. We are so proud.”

FULL STORY

Photos: Mari Engelbrecht

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