Match official appointments to 19 January 2025
Match official appointments for the next few days have been made with the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup reaching the end of their pool phases with the fourth round of action.

SAREO elects De Lange as new chairperson
The South African Rugby Employers Organisation (SAREO) elected Ettienne de Lange of the Valke as their new chairperson at their annual meeting held in Cape Town last month.

Four SA teams still in the European playoff races
The DHL Stormers and Hollywoodbets Sharks are still in the race to the Investec Champions Cup playoffs, but the Vodacom Bulls’ hopes of advancing to the knock-outs were dashed this weekend as they suffered their third straight defeat in the competition, while both the Toyota Cheetahs and Emirates Lions managed to keep alive their aspirations of reaching the EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16.

Johannes-Haupt swops classroom for rugby field
Former Junior Springbok Women head coach Laurian Johannes-Haupt has joined SA Rugby in a full-time capacity as Springbok Women assistant coach, becoming the first full-time female rugby coach involved with a national team in the organization’s ranks.

Victories key as SA sides eye European playoff spots
Victories will be key for all five South African franchises in the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup as the teams gear up for the penultimate pool round in the respective competitions this weekend.

Snyman: Blitzboks back on the SVNS horse
The challenging pool draw for the HSBC SVNS Perth at the end of the month completed the circle of motivation for the Springbok Sevens squad, who returned to their base in Stellenbosch last week already.

Match official appointments to 12 January 2025
Match official appointments for the next few days have been made for the third round of pool action in both the Investec Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenger Cup.

All three SA sides can still make the playoffs
The main South African focus as the Investec Champions Cup returns with round three this weekend will be on the Hollywoodbets Sharks’ clash with French giants Toulouse, while the other two local sides still have an outside chance of advancing to the playoffs.

SA Rugby chooses Rhino as official match ball supplier
SA Rugby unveiled Rhino as its new match ball partner on Wednesday, with the world’s No 1 rugby training equipment supplier coming on board after signing a seven-year partnership to provide match balls at international level for the Springbok men and women’s teams, as well as for all domestic competitions.

Stormers edge Sharks in Cape Town arm-wrestle
The DHL Stormers scored a bonus point try – set up by a 20-metre rolling maul – to snatch a dramatic Vodacom United Rugby Championship victory from the Hollywoodbets Sharks and a strike a blow to the visitors’ campaign hopes, 24-20 (halftime 5-10), in front of a packed house of 52 000 at the DHL Stadium.