The SA Rugby Podcast

On Tuesday 8 March 2022, the world celebrated International Women's Day, and SA Rugby used the opportunity to shine a light on all things women's rugby in South Africa. Join us as SA Rugby staff members interview Women's High Performance Manager Lynne Cantwell, as well as Springbok Women and Sevens players Nolusindiso Booi and Sizo Solontsi.

We caught up with Springbok head coach Jacques Nienaber at the start of a big and full 2022 season.

Coaching plays an integral role in the development of younger rugby players, and the guests in this episode are Junior Springbok head coach Bafana Nhlelo and his predecessor Chean Roux, now involved with the SA Rugby Academy for U20s.

SA Rugby's Elite Player Development programme started many years ago with the aim of creating a talent identification and development pathway for players from U16 level, up to U18, the Junior Springboks and ultimately the Springboks. Discussing how the EPD programme works are Herman Masimla, Nico Serfontein and Barry McDonald from the Rugby Department.

Zeenat Simjee and Robyn Moore, who work as dieticians for SA Rugby, talk about the importance of nutrition, give some ideas on meals during training and on game day, and warn against pitfalls as the season kicks back into gear.

Tim Qumbu, who heads up S&C at SA Rugby, discusses training programmes and more, specifically aimed at players who are still at school as they prepare to return to competitive action after a year on the sidelines.

When it comes to modern day Springboks, a few good men stand out as legends of the game. One of these is Victor Matfield, a towering lock in the literal and figurative sense of the word. Having cut his teeth on the hard fields of Polokwane and later Kimberley, Matfield made Pretoria his home and from there, dominated his opposition at hallowed grounds across the world. He's gone on to earn 127 Test caps and captained the Springboks on 23 occasions, tasting success at every level of the game, culminating in Rugby World Cup success in 2007, where he was named Man of the Match in the final.

Jacques Nienaber made a name for himself as arguably one of the best defence coaches in the world. In a move that created continuity from last year's Rugby World Cup victory in Japan, he was promoted to the Springbok head coach role early in 2020. In this podcast, we get to know the passionate Nienaber a bit better.

Francois Louw went around the block a few times during his professional rugby career and when he decided to finally hang up his boots last month, he could look back at 15 years of senior rugby with a big smile on his face. The 35-year-old Louw ended up playing in three Rugby World Cup tournaments and donned the green and gold for a final time in Japan last year, and in the latest episode of the SA Rugby Podcast, he remembers the highs and lows of a career that culminated with the winning of the Webb Ellis Cup in 2019.

Francois Pienaar led the Springboks to their first Rugby World Cup title, on home soil in 1995, famously receiving the Webb Ellis Cup from the late Nelson Mandela in front of a packed Ellis Park in Johannesburg. Today, 24 June 2020, is the 25 year anniversary of that victory over the All Blacks, and Pienaar looks back at a day that united the Rainbow Nation.

Springbok lock Mark Andrews, the first person to play 50 Tests for South Africa, experienced the mid to late nineties - a tumultuous time in South African rugby history - like few others. He was there in 1995 - playing out of position in the RWC final - won the 1998 Tri-Nations triumph and played in every one of the record 17 successive Test wins, but also experienced tough times in green and gold.

On Monday, 8 June 2020, SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux addressed the media and gave a breakdown of the situation with rugby in South Africa amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He also discussed plans being put in place for a return to play, the potential re-working of the international Test calendar and next year's tour of the British & Irish Lions.

Joel Stransky played a pivotal role in the Springboks' triumph at the Rugby World Cup in South Africa in 1995 - which is 25 years ago today. We caught up with the former Bok flyhalf to get his thoughts on the tournament, team members who passed away, Siya Kolisi and Bok Class of 2019, and the forthcoming tour of the British & Irish Lions.

Hookers are known to not be shy when the going gets tough, and it was the same when the Springboks' three No 2s from Rugby World Cup 2019, Bongi Mbonambi, Malcolm Marx and Schalk Brits, lined up for the latest SA Rugby Podcast.

In the third episode of the SA Rugby Podcast, we hear from Springbok wing Cheslin Kolbe and the work he's doing with the Be the Difference Foundation in the Western Cape, and his RWC team-mate Handre Pollard on life in France during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our main guest is the Blitzboks' most-capped player, Branco du Preez, but we also catch up with Aled Walters and Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber, on the decision of the Boks' Head of Athletic Performance to take up an offer in England.

Rassie Erasmus, Director of Rugby at SA Rugby, says the Springboks are working as hard as ever – despite the lockdown – to build on the Rugby World Cup victory of last year, in SA Rugby's new podcast series.