Behind the whistle: ‘The job is demanding’

Behind the whistle: ‘The job is demanding’

SA Rugby general manager for referees Mzwamadoda ‘Banks’ Yantolo chats to SIMON BORCHARDT about talent identification, referee development and the challenges of producing world-class match officials. You grew up playing rugby before becoming a referee. What was your...

‘Jeff’ finds his home among Bulls

For JF van Heerden, the road to Loftus Versfeld began far from Pretoria, on the famous playing fields of Grey College, one of South African rugby’s great nurseries. At just 22, the lock – better known to teammates simply as “Jeff” – has already built a reputation as...

State of the URC: Sharks bite, Lions bruised

The Bulls, Stormers and Sharks all kept their places in the top five with bonus-point wins in round four of the URC, but the Lions dropped out of the top eight after a heavy defeat in Edinburgh. Round five sees the Stormers and Bulls at home again, hosting Ulster and...

Itoje returns for England, Benhard blow

Captain Maro Itoje is back in the England squad, with coach Steve Borthwick naming 36 players for a three-day training camp ahead of the Nations Championship. The lock was given some time off by Borthwick and missed the July leg of the new tournament, including the...

Law Firm Leaks — See Generally

Forwarding Fail: Freshfields global managing partner accidentally forwarded a thread about spinning off the firm’s AI unit. AI keeps exposing cyber vulnerabilities… even when they’re between the keyboard and the chair. Weil They Ever Find Someone?: About a month after...