The Rugby Spectator

The 2023 Rugby World Cup that South Africa emerged victorious from feels like it happened fours ago, now. Incidentally, that is when the Springboks won the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Who knew. This was South Africa's fourth triumph in the global showpiece event, which is quite remarkable, considering they have been to eight editions, a sensational 50% return. It's as if winning this competition is now officially in their DNA whoever you send from South Africa! We have all seen the highlights of that memorable 12-11 victory over the old enemy New Zealand which unfolded the Stade de France in Paris on 28 October. Many of us have even watched the game in its entirety to the point of nausea. Enough, already. However, the Rugby Spectator scoured the internet to eventually chance upon a new perspective on the match, as well as the epic encounters against England and France on the previous two weekends. It's a video of the three matches' highlights from a camera placed behind the g...

Danny Care will be seeing Cameron Woki in his nightmares for the next while. The Harlequins scrumhalf was planted firmly into the ground by the Racing 92 lock in a recent Investec Champions Cup encounter at the Paris La Defense Arena in the west of the capital of France.  This all resulted in a try that was finished off by scrumhalf Nolann Le Garrec following the move's spark by new superstar recruit Siya Kolisi. Care, the former England pivot, made the rookie error of going high against a behemoth like Woki, who gladly indulged him by handing him off into the artificial turf of the domed venue. As for the result, it was something of an upset, with the Quins coming away from the city with a memorable 31-28 victory. Racing's points came from two tries by Le Garrec, Antoine Gibert and Ibrahim Diallo, with La Garrec nailing all four conversion. The visitors'' points came via a match-winning drop goal by Marcus Smith, with him, Andre Esterhuizen, Alex Dombrandt and Jack Wal...

Somewhere in the shadow of Table Mountain is a silent assassin who should be striking more fear into the hearts of men than he currently does. He just seems to leave a trail destruction wherever he is seen in action. Lovers of rugby, Angelo Davids is kak gevaarlik. Lethal. Dangerous. Entertaining. A video compilation of his exploits just goes to show what he is capable of! The Western Province and DHL Stormers wing has provided highlights that will go down in history, and here is to hoping for more. One includes stepping Lions wing Zeilinga Strydom like he was dodging long overdue child support. The next involves infamously bouncing Free State Cheetahs and Springbok wing Rosko Specman in one of the most infamous phases of play in Currie Cup history. In there somewhere is knocking the stuffing out of former Sharks and current Lions scrumhalf Sanele Nohamba after the latter received a dreaded 'hospital' pass. It was reminiscent of the legendary hit that Samoan headhunter Brian Li...

The much-anticipated Vodacom United Rugby Championship derby match between the Vodacom Bulls and Hollywoodbets Sharks at Loftus Versfeld  failed to live up to expectations. The Bulls swatted aside the currently-dreadful Sharks  44-10 in front of 25 000 or so people in Tshwane, consigning the men from Durban to a sixth defeat in seven outings this season so far. One of the selling points of this encounter were the contests within a contest that match-up, where 2019 and 2023 Rugby World Cup Springboks were pitted against each other across the park in mouth-watering match-ups. While the match was a damp squib in terms of an expected classic, there were several tasty incidents during the game where a Bok one-upped another Bok, as seen in the video above. There were plenty of moments that one could read into that we, as the rugby public, might blow out proportion in overanalysing. For instance, Sharks outside centre Lukhanyo Am put breakout utility flyer Canaan Moodie on his backsi...

  The following article is likely to annoy England fans, and by extension, their New Zealand counterparts. It will leave the South African rugby community breathing a sigh of relief long after the fact. Don’t say you have not been warned. And it is meant in good fun. It’s the 57 th minute of the second 2023 Rugby World Cup semifinal between England and South Africa at the Stade de France in Paris. Surprisingly, the Red Roses are in a deserved 15-6 lead over the off-colour and increasingly desperate Springboks, and have earned themselves a scrum six metres away from the defending champions’ tryline. The momentum is with England, and one can sense that any score by Steve Borthwick’s men – a try, a penalty or a drop goal – will kill off any South African hopes of winning the match. And then one of the most important scrums in Springbok history occurs, as Retshogofaditswe 'Ox" Nche and company absolutely crunch England's chassis when it matters most. At the end of a victo...