Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2025 i SA RUGBY

This month's cover story celebrates the inspirational journey of Siya Kolisi, whose leadership has redefined Springbok rugby. From his Zwide roots to captaining South Africa to back-to-back Rugby World Cup victories, Kolisi's influence transcends sport, uniting a nation and inspiring millions. Yet, as much as his leadership defines him, Kolisi's qualities as a player are equally extraordinary and are the reason he has developed into one of the most complete loose forwards in the game today fitting into Schalk Burger's No 6 jersey at the Stormers in 2012 and most recently following the famous Bok fetcher to the No 8 jersey as a veteran. RG Snyman made a famous move in Ireland before the start of this season when he joined Leinster from arch-rivals Munster. Irish Rugby's policy around foreign…

When did you regain consciousness after your car accident and what was the initial prognosis? I woke up at the hospital. It felt like a dream. I was very stiff. I tried to turn to my left where my girlfriend was sitting, and felt my right arm lagging behind. I didn't have control of it. I looked at it for the first time and saw it was heavily bandaged. The doctors were saying it was career ending. They were even looking at amputation. It was really just about trying to save the arm. But in my mind, I was never done with rugby. I just had this feeling that it's not over, and even then I said I'm going to come back. How close did they come to amputating the…

• Originally known as Sale FC, the club is understood to have adopted ‘Sharks’ in 1999 from the gang in West Side Story. Their academy team is known as the Jets. • Sale's one and only English Premiership title came in the 2005-06 season. • Sale were the first team to top the league through the season and then claim the Premiership title in 2005-06. • Former captain Jono Ross (right) retired at the end of the 2022-23 season with 150 appearances for Sale after making his debut in 2017. • Since the formation of the Premiership in 1997, Sale have never been relegated.…

JESSE KRIEL ‘2025 up and running.’ – The Canon Eagles centre with Fat de Klerk, Jasper Wiese and Wimpie van der Walt after a Japan Rugby League One clash against the Urayasu D-Rocks. JC MARS ‘On to the next.’ – The Stormers rookie with Harlequins flyhalf Marcus Smith after making his Champions Cup debut at the Twickenham Stoop. WANDISILE SIMELANE ‘From Jeppe Boys’ to the Champions Cup.’ – The Stormers centre with Harlequins fullback Tyrone Green after a Champions Cup clash in London. FRANCOIS VENTER ‘Grateful for every opportunity. Looking forward to 2025. Let's go.’ – The Sharks centre with Vincent Koch and Frans Malherbe after the coastal derby in Cape Town. CRAIG DAVIDSON ‘A Rolls Royce spotted on the Umhlanga promenade this morning,’ – The former Sharks and Springbok…

www.youtube.com/@RugbyCoachWeekly HANDLING Handling whole-part-whole session Develop your players’ handling awareness and see how they put it into game situations with this flexible whole-part-whole session. WHY USE IT Challenge the players to find space with their passing and movement in these games and exercises. Each one you can develop at the pace that your players develop. SET-UP A 20m box, a 10m x 20m box and then a large square for the end game. Balls, bibs and cones. HOW TO DO IT 1. Split into two equal teams, but no more than six-a-side. One team has the ball and tries to complete five passes without dropping the ball or being intercepted. No running with the ball. The defence can block but not touch the ball-carrier. 2. Then move into a 4…

Rondebosch Boys’ loose forward Josh Neill enjoyed a remarkable 2024 season as he seemed to get better each week in delivering eye-catching displays for his school, Western Province U18 and South Africa U18. In 2023, Neill captained WP U16 at the Grant Khomo Week as a No 8 and was also selected for the WP U16 cricket side. His brother Jordan played for Ireland in the 2024 U19 Cricket World Cup and is on course to represent the senior Irish side in the near future. Neill made the transition from eighthman to blindside flank in 2024, showing he is equally at home in the 7 or 8 jersey. In his debut for the Rondebosch 1st XV against a formidable Oakdale side at the Wynberg Rugby Festival, he stole four lineouts…

Thabang M'lodi-Lodder Nong Americans will mess up your brand value. Just look at Manchester United, who were once the epitome of world club football. Now they have been a sh*t club for almost a decade. Emile Gouws The Springboks are a proudly South African brand. Don't sell out. Tracy Lee Wadsworth Keep SA Rugby South African. Please don't sell out to the Americans. Rudi van Niekerk What about a Rupert and Patrice Motsepe combined deal? Then we tick all boxes in terms of equity and status. Ramaphosa can throw in a couple of US dollars – in cash. Njabulo Wela Ramaphosa will, he's just checking his couch to make sure he's got enough. Thomas Bousquet Well done and so deserved. You've set the bar very high! From a passionate French…

What's your earliest rugby memory? Playing Bulletjie [tag] rugby. I couldn't understand the difference between tackle or tag, so they had to teach me not to tackle the other players. Which player outside of South Africa has had the biggest influence on your style of play? [Irishman] Conor Murray, because of the skills he has as a scrumhalf and how he executes them. And [New Zealander] TJ Perenara, who had X factor and was exceptional with ball in hand. Which two non-sportsmen would you want to have dinner with? Kevin Hart, who's one of the funniest guys ever – his stories would make me laugh so much! And Elon Musk, because he looks at the world differently. I'd love to hear his opinions on what's happening in the world. Who…

South African rugby will be spoilt for choice when Rassie Erasmus decides to leave his post as Springbok head coach. Erasmus’ current assistants – Deon Davids and Mzwandile Stick – will be in a prime position to apply, especially if they do so after the Boks have won a third consecutive World Cup. Jacques Nienaber may also fancy another stint in the hot seat, while URC franchise coaches like John Dobson and Ivan van Rooyen could throw their names into the hat too. Former Lions and South Africa A coach Johan Ackermann recently returned home after three seasons with English club Gloucester and four years in Japan. He's been appointed as a coaching consultant for the Junior Springboks, but no doubt Rassie and general manager Dave Wessels have bigger plans…

I was called up to the Natal squad for the first time in early 1993. I had been playing in France so I didn't know all the Natal players. James was new to Natal then, he was their big-name signing, and had made his Springbok debut the year before while playing for Transvaal. But I hadn't really been following South African rugby when I was in France so I had no idea who he was. At one of the first sessions, when I was an absolute laaitie in the Natal set-up, Ian McIntosh was working on momentum and quick ball. He had the A-team players together and I was one of the B-team guys, or bagcarriers as we were known. I was young and wanted to stay out of the…

Founded in 1861 as Sale FC, the northern club is one of the oldest in the English Premiership. Born in Manchester, Sale was founded by a group of enthusiastic sportsmen, mainly based at Sale Cricket Club. The rugby club initially played on a rented portion of Sale CC's land, or on the cropped pastures of local farmers, but found their first home ground in 1905 on Heywood Road in Sale, where they were based until 2003, when they moved to the 10 641 capacity, all-seater Edgeley Park in Stockport. In the first few years of the Premiership, Sale struggled, with a seventh-place finish in the inaugural season followed by two 11th places and a 10th place in 2001. However, under the guidance of former players Jim Mallinder and Steve Diamond,…

Not enough credit is ever given to Siya Kolisi the rugby player. Finally, there is the kind of applause consistent with performances, in the form of this magazine's cover feature and cover images making an emphatic statement of the Springbok and Sharks captain being ‘simply the best’. Kolisi, in the biggest moments, for the Springboks and Sharks, has stood the tallest. He plays until the tank is empty, be that 43 minutes, 56 minutes, 72 minutes or the full 80. He always finds that something extra when wearing the green and gold, but he has been as inspiring since his return to South Africa with the Sharks. Kolisi, who went past 300 professional matches in January, has played most of his rugby for the Springboks, Stormers and Western Province. The…