Global Sports News

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝗕𝗘𝗔𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗙𝗨𝗟 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗘. 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗧𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗡.
One of the most spectacular places I’ve ever seen and the setting for one of the toughest marathons there is!

The mountains are calling. The challenge is waiting. And the legs… well, they’re going to have to earn their keep!

What more could I ask for?

𝗝𝗨𝗡𝗚𝗙𝗥𝗔𝗨 𝗠𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗡. 𝗟𝗘𝗧’𝗦 𝗗𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗦! 🇨🇭 🏔️ 🐮



✍🏻 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗘: Nicholas E Schori Snr || 📸 𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗧𝗢: Gerda Steyn

𝐒𝐖𝐘𝐒 𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐂𝐊 𝐄𝐗𝐈𝐓: 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐘
Swys de Bruin has opened up about his sudden resignation as Springbok Women head coach.

Speaking exclusively to Netwerk24 on Friday, De Bruin dismissed reports that he had quit following a dispute with SA Rugby over bonuses owed to him.

The former Lions head coach said his resignation had been in the pipeline for some time and was simply held back from announcement until after the Bok Women’s clash with the Black Ferns at FNB Stadium on Saturday.

“Let me put it very simply, it’s not as big a story as it’s being made out to be. I submitted my resignation a long time ago,” De Bruin said.

“There’s really nothing funny about it, I’m just moving on. For me it’s a new season. It’s not a case of me having a psychological setback or there was a dispute about money.”

De Bruin took charge of the Bok Women as high-performance coach in August 2024, going on to guide the team to a first-ever World Cup quarter-final last year.

Laurian Johannes-Haupt and Franzel September, De Bruin’s former assistants who led the Bok Women in Fiji and at the African tournament in Kenya, will continue as co-coaches, Saru confirmed on Thursday.



✍🏻 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗘: SA Rugby Magazine || 📸 𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗧𝗢: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images

𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆: 𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐄 𝐃𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐅𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐈𝐓!
YOU DON’T SEE THIS EVERY DAY!
Rassie Erasmus has done the unthinkable!

For the first time we can remember, the Springbok mastermind has arrived at a Captain’s Run in a COLLAR AND TIE!

And there’s a reason....

Earlier this week, Rassie revealed that when the Boks are under pressure, the players will ask him to put on his “No. 1s.” The famous collar and tie!
Well, folks… THE SUIT IS ON!

Is Rassie sending a message? Is the pressure REALLY on? Or is this simply another chapter in the Rassie Erasmus book of EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!

Whatever the answer…
WHEN RASSIE WEARS THE TIE, YOU KNOW SOMETHING IS UP!



✍🏻 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗘: Nicholas E Schori Snr || 📸 𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗧𝗢: Springboks

𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐁𝐎𝐊𝐒 𝐂𝐋𝐔𝐁 𝟏𝟎𝟎: 𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐈 “𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓” 𝐌𝐓𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐑𝐀. 𝟏𝟏𝟕 𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐁𝐎𝐊 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄
Few players have embodied the spirit of the Springboks quite like Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira.

For more than a decade, the powerful loosehead prop was a familiar and formidable presence in the Green and Gold. A man who built his reputation not through words, but through sheer physical commitment, remarkable consistency and an uncompromising work ethic.

By the time he walked away from international rugby, Mtawarira had amassed an extraordinary 117 Test caps for South Africa, placing him among the most-capped players in Springbok history. His journey was anything but ordinary.

𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐁𝐎𝐊 𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐘
Born in Harare, Zimbabwe, Mtawarira eventually made South Africa his rugby home.

His imposing performances at provincial and Super Rugby level with the Sharks established him as one of the premier props in the country.

In 2019, SA Rugby noted that he became the most-capped South African player in Vodacom Super Rugby history.

His international breakthrough came in 2008. What followed was an incredible 11-year Springbok career spanning three Rugby World Cups 2011, 2015 and 2019 and 117 Tests in the front row.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐒 𝟏𝟎𝟎
On 16 June 2018, Mtawarira reached one of the most prestigious milestones in South African rugby.

At Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, he earned his 100th Springbok cap against England, becoming only the sixth player at the time to reach a century of Tests for South Africa.

It was a fitting achievement for a player whose career had been built on durability, sacrifice and enormous physical commitment.

One hundred Tests for your country is extraordinary. One hundred and seventeen is legendary.

𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐋𝐃 𝐂𝐔𝐏𝐒
Mtawarira's Springbok career included three Rugby World Cups.
He played in the 2011 and 2015 tournaments before reaching the summit of the sport in Japan in 2019.

And what a way to finish. The 2019 Springboks were a team built around physicality, discipline, unity and belief and Mtawarira was right at the heart of that pack.

In the Rugby World Cup final against England at Yokohama International Stadium, the Springbok forwards produced a monumental performance.

The scrum became one of South Africa's greatest weapons. Mtawarira started at loosehead prop, alongside Bongi Mbonambi and Frans Malherbe, before Steven Kitshoff and Vincent Koch entered the fray from the bench.

SA Rugby described the Springbok scrum as a foundation of the victory as South Africa defeated England 32–12 to lift the Webb Ellis Cup for the third time.

For Mtawarira, it was the perfect ending.
A Rugby World Cup winner. A Springbok centurion.
A 117-Test legend.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐓𝐄𝐀𝐌 𝐌𝐀𝐍
Mtawarira was never about personal glory. His job was to do the dirty work.

Scrum.
Tackle.
Carry.
Clear out.
Scrap for every metre.

And do it again. And again. And again. That is the life of a front-row forward.

The statistics may record his 117 appearances and his three World Cups, but they cannot fully capture what he meant to the Springbok jersey.

He was one of those players whose value extended far beyond the numbers. His teammates knew they could rely on him. Opponents knew they were going to be in a fight.

And South African supporters knew exactly what they would get whenever the Beast pulled on the Green and Gold.

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐀𝐂𝐘
Tendai Mtawarira finished his Springbok career with 117 Tests, three Rugby World Cup appearances and one unforgettable World Cup triumph.

His 2019 campaign also saw him feature prominently as South Africa captured the Rugby Championship before going on to conquer the world in Japan.

But perhaps his greatest legacy is simpler. He became a symbol of perseverance.
A prop who earned respect through years of hard graft.

A player who stood at the coalface of international rugby. A man who carried the hopes of a nation on his shoulders and never backed away from the challenge.

From Harare to Durban.
From the Sharks to the Springboks. From his first Test to his 117th.

And finally, from the rugby battlefield of Yokohama to the summit of world rugby.
Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira wasn't merely a Springbok prop.

He was a Springbok institution.

🇿🇦 𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐀𝐈 “𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓” 𝐌𝐓𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐑𝐀
117 Springbok Tests
3 Rugby World Cups
1 Rugby World Cup triumph
1 Springbok centurion
1 unforgettable legacy

A BEAST BY NAME. A LEGEND BY ACHIEVEMENT.



✍🏻 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗘: Nicholas E Schori Snr || 📸 𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗧𝗢: TimesLIVE

𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐒. 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐃. 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐄𝐍!
Two eras. Two icons.
One extraordinary Springbok record.

Siya Kolisi and John Smit side by side at the top sharing the record for the most wins as Springbok captain!

They wore the armband.
They carried the pressure.
They led the Boks to victory.

Now their names stand together in Springbok history.

𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒. 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐃. 𝐔𝐍𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏.




✍🏻 𝗦𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗖𝗘: Nicholas E Schori Snr || 📸 𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗧𝗢: SuperSport Rugby