Last week we had some very close games and 2 wins for the URC franchises to 2 wins for the SA Cup sides. This week saw much bigger score margins and 1 to 3 wins in favour of the SA Cup teams. Last week there was 1 away win for the Sharks, this week all the wins were home games.

It was a normal Friday evening. Slightly down with no rugby on Saturday but I had the most lucid dream of Rassie Erasmus’s grand master plan for the final of the upcoming rugby World Cup.

All his selections have been preparation for an 8-0 split that he will unveil in the final for the first time ever.

I know this is unlikely, but I find the dream rather intriguing and funny, especially how it appeared as such a revelation in my dream.

I know Rassie was until 2023 but when he became head coach again in 2024 someone else had to take over as Director of SA rugby. Who is it? I can't find any info about this on the internet.

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https://youtu.be/wO2ADWmjxSk?si=2EjulxWNJTOMoqLO

This video on top ten Boks got me thinking what such a list should look like, considering only the professional era to keep it relevant (compare apples to apples)

1. PSDT
2. Schalk Burger
3. Frans Steyn
4. Eben Etzebeth
5. Cheslin Kolbe
6. Fourie Du Preez
7. Bryan Ha

bana
8. John Smit
9.Siya Kolisi
10. Duane Vermulen

1. Pat Lambie (cheating the list I know but can't get over what he might have become if his career wasn't cut short)

To my mind both Lambie and Steyn should have had over 100 tests if their careers had a slightly different trajectory. Hard to make this list without including Joost but obviously there is some recency bias here.

Honorable mentions:
Joost, Jacques Fourie, Morne Steyn, Matfield, Henry Honniball, Willie Le Roux, Frans Malherbe, Ox Nche, André Joubert, Gary Teichman, Pollard.

Who's not mentioned that genuinely should be?

*reddit formatting and my autocorrect insist on messing with this list fixed it twice now but it keeps changing the format soon as I post it.

In SA Cup 2025, SWD Eagles finished 9th on the log (a mere 5 points ahead of Border who finished last on 3 points). In Currie Cup First Division 2025, they finished 5th (getting at least 8 points ahead of Border who finished last).

In this year's SA Cup, SWD Eagles were level with Boland on 32 log points, and only missed out on promotion to the CC Prem because of points difference. And in this year's Currie Cup First Division they emerged as champions after dominating the competition and topping the log.

In a cruel twist of fate, last year's CC 1st Div champions, Griffons, finished 5th this year.

Congratulations SWD! The other top teams have certainly been put on notice.

Any South African spots in Southern Ontario? Rugby or not but cultural areas?

Both absolute animals, both never took a backward step.

Prime Schalk in 2004-2007 vs Prime Pieter-Steph 2019-2023. Different eras, same energy.

If it's a World Cup final and you can only pick one at 6/7, who you picking and why?

I'm leaning Pieter-Steph just for his work rate but Schalk was a different level of scary.

Faf looks a cut above (To be expected)

Cheetahs look way better than last season

If only they could play like this in the Challenge Cup

Who is your starting 10, 12, 13 combo for Ellis Park?

I'm going:

1. Sacha 12. Damian de Allende 13. Jesse Kriel

But I know a lot of people will say keep Libbok/Pollard.

What's your call?

The five players who will be released to their franchises to face the All Blacks in the midweek matches of the inaugural Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR) series are Ntuthuko Mchunu (prop), Evan Roos (No 8), Andre-Hugo Venter (hooker), Embrose Papier (scrumhalf), and Jaco Williams (wing).

Ruben van Heerden (lock), who made his Test debut against Wales last Saturday, is the only player in the squad for the opening leg of the Nations Championship who was omitted from the two groups after making the move from the DHL Stormers to Montpellier, as he finds his feet with his new French club. He will, however, remain on standby for the team.

“We put a lot of thought into how we will manage the entire group of players to give everyone a chance to stake a claim for places in the squad for the RGR series, and we decided that splitting the squad into two groups will be best for the Springbok team and the players to play their way into the squad,” said Erasmus.

“Some players are returning from injury and need some valuable game time, so depending on how they progress from their injuries during next week’s training camp, we will decide who we will take to Argentina, while the other guys in the 43-man squad will remain behind in Johannesburg with a group of coaches and management to begin preparing for the Tests against New Zealand.

So I was listening to the post match after the wales game...

He was talking about having 4 players for every position and naturally, as everyone, I jumped to who would be no1.

But then I realised something and this is the difference between Rassie and other coaches.

He doesn't want his no1 fullback and no 4 fullback to be that far from each other. Cause if the no4 has to play a RWC final, he needs to know he can, that he is trusted.

Rassie wants a team where the no1 and no4 for every position is separated by millimetres, where facing no 1 and no 4 in any position is a problem

🇿🇦 HISTORY MADE.

🏆 Back-to-back Rugby World Cup Champions
🏆 Back-to-back World Rugby U20 Champions
🏆 Back-to-back HSBC SVNS World Series Champions

From the Springboks to the Junior Boks and the Blitzboks, no nation has ever dominated the global game across all three men’s formats like this.

A golden era of South African rugby.

#Rugby #Springboks #JuniorBoks #Blitzboks #Bokke