Bok blanks will trouble ‘Sheriff’ Rassie

South Africa overpowered Italy in their 2025 Test opener, but a mixed display outside the set piece left Rassie Erasmus with plenty to fine-tune, writes MARK KEOHANE. Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane says the Boks’ dominance at scrum time and the impact of the Bomb...

Sharp rookies make Razor smile

For coach Scott Robertson, the performance of four All Blacks on debut was the silver lining to a surprisingly narrow win against depleted France on Saturday. Dutch giant Fabian Holland and No 8 Christian Lio-Willie started New Zealand’s season opener, with...
Kriel: Italy got us at the breakdown

Kriel: Italy got us at the breakdown

Captain Jesse Kriel says the Springboks are preparing for a tough week as they look to put right the wrongs of the 42-24 win over Italy at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. After a solid first half, the Bok performance regressed in the second 40 in Pretoria as the Azzurri...
Van den Berg double seals it for Boks

Van den Berg double seals it for Boks

Scrumhalf Morne van den Berg scored a brace of tries as the Springboks out-muscled Italy at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, in the first match of a two-Test series. The Springboks backed up their massive win over the Barbarians with another victory, running in five tries...