France are on fire, dispatching Wales with ease in Cardiff in Round 2 of the Six Nations. Scotland were the Brave and Ireland were the fortunate in Dublin. But on the evidence of two Rounds the world champions and No 1 ranked Springboks are still some way ahead of the chasing pack, which is more France than anyone else.

For those who don’t have time to scan every rugby site for Six Nations reaction, here is your summary, with the scanning brilliance of Chat and my own wrap and understanding of what unfolded.

AFRICA PICKS: DID YOU CASH IN ON YOUR SIX NATIONS BETS?

WALES v FRANCE (Cardiff) Reaction: “France are ruthless; Wales are broken”

Result context: France ran in 8 tries and hammered Wales 54–12 in Cardiff.
Six Nations official tone: “record-breaking” French performance; clinical, fast, and brutal.

The Northern Hemisphere themes (what the NH media agreed on)

1) France’s attack is now operating at “Grand Slam pace.”
The common thread: France didn’t just win – they stacked pressure, scored early, and never came down. Their execution looked title-ready, not “round-two ready.”

2) Jalibert ran the game; the French back three feasted.
Reuters singled out Matthieu Jalibert as “masterful”, with France’s shape and kicking hurting Wales repeatedly.
The Guardian focus: wings/finishers cashing in, with Théo Attissogbe front-and-centre.

3) Wales’ defensive system was the story and not in a good way.
Wales missed 31 tackles, with a 68% tackle success figure doing the rounds.
It also wasn’t lost on anyone that the crowd mood and attendance reflected a nation’s frustration.

• Six Nations official: framed France as the tournament’s most clinical force; “run riot / record-breaking” framing.

• Reuters: Jalibert masterclass; Wales defensive collapse; low attendance noted.

• The Guardian: Attissogbe-led romp; France’s young backs looked fearless; Wales outclassed.

South African view (SA Rugby Mag / SA angle)

• SA Rugby Mag (digital): blunt headline energy – “Rampant France rout woeful Wales” and the key SA takeaway: France are the only side still tracking a Grand Slam after two rounds.

• Times Live: explicitly positioned this French run as a Springbok warning shot, tying it to SA’s own demolition job in Cardiff last November.

SCOTLAND v ENGLAND (Murrayfield) Reaction: “Scotland ambushed them; England had no Plan B”

Result context: Scotland beat England 31–20 and lifted the Calcutta Cup, ending England’s long winning run.

The Northern Hemisphere themes

1) Scotland’s start won it (and England never truly recovered).
Reuters captured it cleanly: Scotland sprinted into an early lead and played with belief; England spent the match chasing field position and control.

2) Finn Russell ran the show.
Across reports: Russell was the conductor control when needed, ambition when it was on.

3) Discipline (and Arundell) became England’s headline.
The red-card narrative dominated English-facing reaction, especially tabloid coverage.

4) “Plan A stalled” became the RugbyPass verdict.
RugbyPass pushed the familiar critique: England look blunt when their first pattern doesn’t land.

• The Guardian: Scotland “stunned” England; big tries, big moments, and England’s errors/discipline issues.

• Reuters: Scotland’s recent Calcutta Cup dominance underlined; Russell masterclass; Arundell card pivotal.

• The Sun: framed it as Arundell “hero-to-zero”, Grand Slam hopes crushed on the Murrayfield hoodoo.

• Sky Sports: breakdown angle on why England unravelled (discipline, start, game control).

South African view (SA Rugby Mag)

• SA Rugby Mag: “Storming Scotland end England’s winning run” straightforward: England’s streak snapped; Scotland revived their campaign; Townsend milestone context.

• SA Rugby Mag follow-up: quotes/angle pieces include Borthwick acknowledging England “gave them too big a start.”

IRELAND v ITALY (Dublin) Reaction: “Italy proved they belong; Ireland survived”

Result context: Ireland won 20–13, but the reaction was far more about Ireland’s wobble and Italy’s growth than Irish dominance.

The Northern Hemisphere themes

1) Ireland were “unconvincing” Italy dragged them into a scrap.
That “Ireland survived” framing is consistent across live reports and match wrap language.

2) Italy’s first-half performance made the story.
Italy led at the break; a maul try and defensive bite put Ireland under heat.

3) The Italian press angle: pride + frustration (and ‘it was there’).
Italian coverage leaned into: “great Italy for a half”, match flipped after the break, and the missed chance to land a historic result.

Outlet-by-outlet snapshot (Ireland + Italy)

• Irish Times: Italy led 10–5 at half-time; Ireland turned it with second-half tries (Conan/Baloucoune) to regain control.

• The Independent (UK): headline framing: “Unconvincing Ireland overcome half-time deficit” again, the win without the glow.

• Gazzetta dello Sport (Italy): strong Italy for a half; Ireland “trembled” but won; the swing came after the break.

• RAI News (Italy): second half “capsized” what looked like an Italian day; Italy started “azzurro” but Ireland flipped it.

• Federazione Italiana Rugby (FIR): official Italian union tone: “grandissima Italia” that scared Ireland; positives to take even in defeat.

• OnRugby (Italy): positioned it as the “almost” moment and a national conversation piece (reaction roundup).

FOR ALL THE LATEST PLAYER AND TEAM STATS FROM ROUND 2 OF THE SIX NATIONS

• 2026 Six Nations fixtures:
  https://www.keo.co.za/2026-six-nations-fixtures-confirmed-france-to-open-blockbuster-campaign-on-a-thursday/

• France v Ireland analysis:
  https://www.keo.co.za/how-transformed-france-tortured-inept-ireland-in-paris/

• Previous British media reaction piece:
  https://www.keo.co.za/england-hammer-wales-as-british-media-deliver-brutal-six-nations-verdict/

A message to Super Rugby Pacific. South Africa doesn’t want back into your competition. Not now. Not ever.

Super Rugby Pacific CEO Jack Mesley, speaking to Martin Devlin on DSPN, dismissed the idea of South African teams ever returning.

Pressed directly, he said:

“No.”

Asked why he would not welcome South Africa back into the competition, Mesley replied:

“If you go back and look at the data, those games did not rate well. They did not attend well. They did not rate like we’re rating now. They did not attend like we are attending now.”

He added:

“I think there is a romance associated with the South African days.”

Devlin joked:

“It always is about the girlfriend who leaves, mate.”

Mesley laughed and concluded:

“Even a South African one.”

Romance?

Let’s deal in reality.

The Springboks have thrived post Super Rugby’s exit.

Since South Africa shifted north post-Covid and into the United Rugby Championship and Investec Champions Cup, the Springboks have become the dominant force in world rugby.

• Two Rugby World Cups in 2019 and 2023.
• Back-to-back Rugby Championship titles in 2024 and 2025.
• Five wins in their last six Tests against the All Blacks.
• A record 43-10 demolition in Wellington.
• A 35-7 humiliation at Twickenham.

This is more a measurable dominance than it is a sentimental nostalgia.

South African clubs now play in a weekly high-intensity cross-hemisphere competition against Ireland’s provinces, French heavyweights and English power clubs. They play against Welsh, Scottish and Italian teams. The URC and Champions Cup demand travel, adaptability, and confrontation with contrasting styles.

It has hardened South African players tactically and physically.

They are preparing for Test rugby and World Cups. This is not the exhibition of Bledisloe or the basketball of Super Rugby Pacific.

The All Blacks have regressed since South Africa left Super Rugby

New Zealand’s post-Covid Test record tells a different story.

For the first time in the professional era, the All Blacks have looked physically vulnerable. They have been bullied at the collision and they have lost multiple home Tests. They have been beaten consistently by the Springboks.

The annual three-week Super Rugby tours to South Africa once conditioned New Zealand franchises for brutality. Playing the Bulls at Loftus, the Stormers in Cape Town, the Sharks in Durban, and making trips to Bloemfontein and Ellis Park were a weekend physical audit.

That audit no longer exists.

Super Rugby Pacific is now largely an internal New Zealand competition with Australian and Pacific participation. The physical edge that South African teams brought has disappeared.

Eddie Jones, speaking to Devlin, bluntly addressed the decline.

“That’s the other thing that’s changed for New Zealand Rugby; Super Rugby was the greatest influence on world rugby for a long period of time. Whatever happened in Super Rugby basically set the trend for the game.”

He continued:

“Unfortunately, Super Rugby has dropped in terms of status. We all know South Africa has left, and now it’s a competition that doesn’t have as much influence around the world.”

What Jones is articulating is the structural erosion of the competition. Super Rugby, in its original Super 12 guise, had no equal in world rugby’s club environment. Super Rugby Pacific is now an afterthought to competitions like the Investec Champions Cup, the URC, the English Prem and France’s Top 14.

Super Rugby Pacific produces strong local derbies and healthy domestic numbers, but globally, its relevance has shrunk.

The winner is almost invariably a New Zealand side, the style is about attack and little regard for the nuances of Test rugby, especially World Cup rugby, and the buzz word is entertainment, ball in play and no respect for the pressure moments that define World Cup titles.

Test rugby is not exhibition rugby.

When confronted by the Springboks’ power game or France and England’s pack-driven precision, the All Blacks have looked less conditioned for the grind.

South Africa, meanwhile, are conditioned weekly in Europe and then sharpened further in the Rugby Championship.

The Arrogance

New Zealand Rugby previously dismissed South Africa’s contribution to Super Rugby. The outgoing CEO Mark Robinson made clear that the competition would move on without South Africa before even formally informing SA Rugby leadership.

Robinson, an average All Black, has been even more mediocre as NZ Rugby CEO. His reward for cocking it up was to get a job from his Aussie mate (World Rugby Chair) and namesake Brett Robinson, as the Chief of Rugby.

Chief of Rugby? What the Chair means is a portfolio created before appointing Robinson as the CEO of World Rugby.

It is messy, but not as messy as the illusion that Super Rugby Pacific has a global appeal.

SUPER RUGBY PACIFIC CEO MESLEY MOCKS SA RUGBY

Mesley speaks of romance and laughs at the idea of a South African return. Look, he is an Aussie, so that explains a few things.

But to believe he knows rugby is a stretch, despite the purple prose on his appointment.

Super Rugby Pacific Chair Kevin Malloy said Mesley’s strong marketing background and practical skillset made him ideally suited to the Super Rugby Pacific CEO role.

“What set Jack apart from a strong pool of candidates following a thorough search was his passion for rugby, his enthusiasm and a breadth of experience in both marketing and sports,” Malloy said.

OK, if you want to believe that Kev!

These are strange times in New Zealand rugby.

An ex-All Black in Robinson rejuvenated the Springboks in kicking South Africa out of Super Rugby and an Aussie marketer has added to New Zealand’s misery with his promotion of an insular Pacific competition.

The irony in the Republic is that South Africa still respects New Zealand. It is the Test South Africans always want to experience.

The Greatest Rivalry Tour later this year is sold out, within hours of tickets going on sale.

The All Blacks remain rugby’s most recognisable brand in South Africa, and there is no smugness in the Republic when South African rugby people speak of NZ Rugby or the All Blacks. There is only respect and a varying degree of adulation.

Mesley speaks with a smirk about South African romance in Super Rugby, but the South African game has grown stronger on every front since moving north and New Zealand rugby has grown smaller without South Africa.

There is a word in South Africa for dismissive arrogance dressed up as data. There is a word for Mesley.

It starts with a P … and it isn’t Pacific.

England didn’t just hammer Wales 48-7 at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham; they reminded the visitors that they will only be good for the wooden spoon in the 2026 Six Nations.

The contest was over before kick-off but confirmed as officially over before the 20th minute when Wales trailed 10-0 and were reduced to 13 players. That score doubled to 22-0 before the 30th minute and it could have been even more damning but for England’s inaccuracy and many poor decisions when playing 15 versus 13.

The British media were ruthless in their assessment of England’s demolition of the Welsh, with the flameless Dragons offering no resistance. Their discipline collapsed, belief vanished, and England didn’t need to be spectacular to be savage.

Henry Arundell scored a hat-trick and No 10 George Ford was voted Player of the Match. Wales’ catastrophic discipline, turned a historic rivalry into a one-sided examination.

Across the UK press, the only argument was about how deep Wales’ problems run.

Planet Rugby

Planet Rugby framed the match as an England statement, focusing on clarity of attack and ruthless punishment of Welsh indiscipline. Their assessment was that England didn’t chase miracles – they simply played what was in front of them and dismantled a side repeatedly reduced by yellow cards.
🔗 https://www.planetrugby.com

RugbyPass

RugbyPass led with England “running riot”, highlighting Arundell’s finishing and Ford’s authority at No 10. The tone was decisive: Wales lost control early and never recovered, leaving England to dictate tempo, territory and scoreboard.
🔗 https://www.rugbypass.com/news/england-stars-run-riot-as-wales-dismantled-in-six-nations-opener/

BBC Sport

BBC Sport focused on England’s composure, stressing how quickly the contest slipped away once Wales started collecting yellow cards. England were praised for discipline and patience – doing nothing spectacular, but everything right.
🔗 https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union

The Guardian

The Guardian called it a resounding win, pointing out England left points on the field while Wales self-destructed. Their report linked the performance to wider Welsh instability, suggesting the problems extend well beyond 80 minutes.
🔗 https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/feb/07/england-wales-six-nations-match-report

Rugby365

Rugby365’s reaction was blunt and familiar: ill-discipline killed Wales, England simply obliged. The outcome was decided early, repeated penalties and cards ensuring no route back.
🔗 https://rugby365.com

SA Rugby Magazine

SA Rugby Mag viewed the result through a global lens – England rising, Wales regressing. Less about the score, more about trajectory, with England building momentum in winning for a 12th successive match, and Wales stuck in survival mode.
🔗 https://www.sarugbymag.co.za

Welsh response

Welsh media reaction were more sombre than angry. Discipline, fragility and a lack of physical authority were recurring themes. The concern is no longer about losing to England; it’s about how easily Wales are folding under pressure.

*Italy beat Scotland 18-15 in Saturday’s early game.

HOW THE MEDIA RATED FRANCE BEATING IRELAND 36-14

ALL THE PLAYER AND TEAM STATS FROM ROUND 1 MATCH CENTRE OF THE 2026 SIX NATIONS

AFRICA PICKS CASHED IN BY SCORING IT ENGLAND 30-35 POINTS AND BY CALLING ENGLAND TO COVER THE +26.5 HANDICAP, MEANING THEY WOULD WIN BY 27 OR MORE POINTS

France changed players, approach and tactics to torture Ireland 36-14 in Paris in the Six Nations. We look at the difference between 2026 win and the 2025 win by France against Ireland in Dublin.

Six Nations 2025 – Dublin

Ireland 27 France 42

Six Nations 2026 – Paris

France 36 Ireland 14

Here’s what France did differently.

1) 2026: France dominated the match. 2025: France stole it with efficiency.

Dublin 2025: Ireland had 58% possession and 53% territory, and France still won by 15. France were happy to defend for long stretches (they made 187 tackles) and then punish Ireland when the game fractured.

Paris 2026: France flipped that script. They had 55% possession and 59% territory and played the game mostly in Ireland’s half. That’s not “clinical counterpunching”. That’s control.

The tell: France ran for 588 metres in 2026 vs Ireland’s 385. In 2025 it was basically even (474 vs 477). France went from “equal metres, better strike-rate” to “more ball, more territory, more metres, more everything.”

2) 2026: France carved Ireland open. 2025: France finished better than Ireland.

Clean breaks

• 2025: France 7 clean breaks, Ireland 5 (tight margin).

• 2026: France 19 clean breaks, Ireland 5 (a gulf).

That’s the difference between a game you win and a team you hurt.

3) 2026: France’s pressure forced Irish errors at scale.

Ireland’s “handling under heat” fell apart in Paris:

• 2026 turnover knock-ons: Ireland 11, France 6

• 2025 turnover knock-ons: Ireland 7, France 3

France didn’t just wait for mistakes in 2026. They manufactured them with territory, line-speed, and contestable moments.

4) 2026: Ireland couldn’t tackle France. In 2025 they couldn’t stop France finishing.

• 2025 missed tackles: Ireland 23 (France 16)

• 2026 missed tackles: Ireland 42 (France 21)

That’s not “a few soft shoulders”. That’s structural stress: repeated breaks, repeated reloads, repeated one-on-ones lost.

5) 2026: France won the first hour. 2025: France won the key moments (and the second-half surge).

In Paris, Ireland were 29–0 down before they got going. France had already cashed the bonus point and then eased.

In Dublin, France’s big statement was the second-half blitz, after losing Antoine Dupont early (he went off around the half-hour and later it was confirmed as a cruciate injury).

So:

• 2025: a win built on resilience + clinical finishing after disruption.

• 2026: a win built on front-foot brutality + sustained dominance.

6) The halfback axis changed – and so did the type of threat.

In 2026, with Ntamack out, Jalibert started and had a direct hand in multiple tries, while Dupont called their connection “very positive.”

That matters tactically: Jalibert tends to play flatter and more visibly, and France’s attack in 2026 looked like a team choosing to rip you open in-phase, not just punish you when you overplay.

The simplest summary

Dublin 2025: France were ruthless in chaos – even while defending for long spells.
Paris 2026: France were ruthless in control – more territory, more breaks, more metres, and Ireland cracked.

This is where the regression is most obvious – and most damaging.

FIERY FRENCH APPLAUDED 

1) Physical dominance at the contact point

Ireland’s biggest slide is brutally simple: they are no longer winning collisions consistently.

Against France in Paris, Ireland were regularly knocked backwards in contact, which killed their ability to play fast, accurate phase rugby. Once that happens, everything else collapses – tempo, shape, decision-making.

A season earlier in Dublin, Ireland could still absorb France’s power and recycle quickly. In 2026, France dictated the gainline on both sides of the ball and Ireland were playing from behind bodies instead of on top of them.

This is the clearest regression because Ireland’s entire system is built on fast ruck ball. Take that away and the system has no oxygen.

2) Defensive resilience under sustained pressure

Ireland used to bend without breaking. They now bend, fracture, and then leak tries.

The missed-tackle spike in Paris wasn’t about effort – it was about:

• repeated reloads

• fatigued edge defenders

• centres and back-three players making late, reactive reads

In Dublin 2025, Ireland could survive France’s big moments and reset. In Paris 2026, once France scored early, Ireland never regained defensive authority. The scoreline at halftime wasn’t a fluke it was the logical outcome of structural stress.

3) Attacking clarity without Johnny Sexton

This is not about nostalgia – it’s about control.

Ireland have regressed in:

• in-game management

• territory selection

• when to slow down a match

In Paris, Ireland chased the game far too early, forcing passes under pressure instead of building pressure. Sexton’s absence isn’t about individual brilliance – it’s about knowing when not to play.

Ireland still have quality decision-makers, but they don’t yet have a single, dominant conductor who can steady the ship when momentum is gone.

4) Backline punch against elite defences

Ireland’s backs no longer frighten top-tier defences the way they did in 2022–2024.

Against France:

• line breaks were rare

• defenders were not fixed

• edge space was never clean

France could defend honestly and aggressively, without having to overfold or gamble. That is a massive red flag.

A year ago, Ireland could create indecision. In Paris, France defended with certainty.

5) Psychological authority

This is subtle – but it matters.

Ireland used to walk onto the field believing they could impose themselves on anyone. In Paris, once France landed early blows, Ireland looked like a team hoping the storm would pass rather than one capable of changing the weather.

The best Ireland sides of recent years could absorb momentum swings and reassert control. This version struggled to do either.

The uncomfortable truth

Ireland haven’t fallen off a cliff – but they have slipped off a plateau.

They are no longer physically dominant, tactically inevitable, or psychologically imposing against the very best.

FRANCE 36 IRELAND 14: EVERY PLAYER AND TEAM STAT 

AFRICA PICKS: YOUR BEST MONEY-MAKING SIX NATIONS BETS

*CHAT supported 

Conviction in the performance, but caution in the storytelling summarised the French media reaction to their brutal 36-14 Six Nations win against Ireland Paris. For the Irish, it was a case of alarm bells ringing.

France had destroyed the Irish in Dublin 42-27 a season ago having led 42-15 with 10 minutes to play. Two late tries added some comfort for Irish supporters. Then came the defeat to the All Blacks in Chicago and the humiliation against the Springboks in Dublin.

Paris was equally damning for Ireland as they were steamrolled.

France led 22 nil at half time and 29 nil after 57 minutes.

Two Irish tries between the 60th and 65th minutes offered more caution to France than hope to Ireland and the hosts finished the final five minutes attacking the Irish try line before crossing for their fifth try.

France are the bookies’ favourites to defend the Six Nations title won last season.

I asked my mate at ChatGPT to do a round up of how the Irish and French Rugby Media reacted to the match.

The Irish Times

Tone: bruised realism.
Summary: framed it as a throwback “Parisian beating” and a reminder of “bad old days” patterns, with Ireland blown away early and left trying to salvage dignity late.

Irish Independent

Tone: alarm bells, big-picture worry.
Summary: leaned into “new reality” language: Ireland didn’t lose a classic, they lost a mismatch, and the margin could have been uglier without the late rally.

Irish Examiner

Tone: sharp critique of Ireland, plus the French pace-setter angle.
Summary: sold it as France starting and finishing with a flourish while Ireland were “abject” for too long; a fast French start “filleted” Ireland before the game ever became a contest.

The Times

Tone: statement win, title warning shot.
Summary: framed it as France sending a message to the championship, with the emphasis on the bonus-point dominance, the early avalanche to 29–0, and Ireland being outmuscled and out-thought until the contest was gone.

L’Équipe (“Le Quippe”)

Tone: controlled praise with a small caution.
Summary: credited a brilliant, accurate French first-half and “seductive” spell, then noted France were less sovereign after the break when they conceded two tries that slightly stained the overall polish.

Rugbyrama

Tone: France’s tempo and discipline as the headline.
Summary: stressed how France’s pace exhausted Ireland, how clean the first-half was (discipline/accuracy), then pointed out Ireland only found daylight when France dropped intensity after building the lead.

SA Rugby Magazine

Tone: acknowledgement of quality and statement intent.
SA RugbyMag’s headlines framed the result as France making a statement in their Six Nations title defence, highlighting coach Fabien Galthié’s praise of France’s attacking display in Paris. The emphasis was on the dominance and intent shown by the defending champions rather than harsh analysis of Ireland’s shortcomings.

Rugby365

Tone: bold and definitive.
Rugby365 was unequivocal: France “made a statement” in this opener, labelling the performance a demolition job on one of the Six Nations’ traditional heavyweights. Their report leaned into the idea that France weren’t just winning they were announcing their intentions for the tournament from the first whistle.

Planet Rugby (South African audience perspective)

Tone: tactical and analytical.
Planet Rugby’s reaction, widely read by South African fans, focused on key takeaways from the match: France’s first-half masterclass, sharp player ratings (with Sam Prendergast singled out as struggling for Ireland), and how the French backs and playmakers ran the Irish defence ragged. They combined phrase-by-phrase insights with ratings and analytic angles rather than pure storytelling.

Overall SA reaction themes

South African rugby media weren’t interested in gentle language and they saw France’s dominance as clear and meaningful:

• Statement performance: France announcing themselves as early title favourites.

• Clinical attacking rugby: emphasis on the French backs and strategic intensity that pushed Ireland on the back foot.

• Confirmation of expectations: the result was consistent with pre-match previews and broader Six Nations narratives.

AFRICA PICKS: WHAT TOTAL POINTS WON YOU IN CASH

KEO & ZELS CALLED A DOUBLE DIGITS FRANCE WIN

Antoine Dupont is the flex in a fantastic French match 23 that will be too powerful for Ireland in Paris in the Six Nations season opener.

Dupont alters the physics of the contest, and he adds an extra layer of muscle, authority and inevitability to a side already designed to win Test matches through force. His long injury absence is irrelevant now. What matters is what he brings back with him, and that is control, collision dominance and an edge.

Dupont is the best scrumhalf in the world and he he is the national team’s talisman.

But it is up front where all the work will be done for Dupont to play conductor. France’s selection confirm intent and physicality. It is a pack chosen for confrontation.

Jean-Baptiste Gros, Julien Marchand and Dorian Aldegheri are a front row built to scrum, carry and squeeze the life out of opponents, while locks Charles Ollivon and Mickaël Guillard bring physical presence, aerial dominance and edge in the tight exchanges. The back row of François Cros, Oscar Jegou and Anthony Jelonch are physically relentless and they feed off collisions.

This is a French pack that creates the tempo and then Dupont determines the range of this tempo.

Ireland’s pack has peaked and France coach Fabian Galthie would have studied their capitulation to world champions South Africa in Dublin last November. The Boks destroyed Ireland in the scrums and the collisions.

Props Thomas Clarkson and Jeremy Loughman face an enormous examination against Gros and Aldegheri, and if Ireland concede scrum dominance, their entire game model collapses because it is built on control, rhythm and precision rather than chaos.

The French halfback pairing only amplifies that threat. Matthieu Jalibert plays flatter and faster than the Ireland flyhalves of recent seasons, and Dupont’s presence ensures defenders are constantly torn between folding around the ruck or drifting early, a dilemma that France exploit ruthlessly.

Ireland’s continued struggle to replace the authority and game management of Johnny Sexton remains an issue. Sam Prendergast is a talent, but opening a Six Nations campaign in Paris against this French pack is a brutal assignment, and he will be targeted physically and mentally.

ALL THE 2026 SIX NATIONS FIXTURES

The Irish backline, stripped of key personnel, looks noticeably less imposing as a unit. Without Hugo Keenan at fullback, without the aerial pressure and edge of Mack Hansen and James Lowe on the wings, and without the direct power of Bundee Aki at inside centre, Ireland lack the punch that previously allowed them to play beyond the gain line.

France, by contrast, look balanced and settled, with Thomas Ramos offering control and goal-kicking, Louis Bielle-Biarrey providing genuine pace, and Jalibert bringing attacking ambition, supported by centres and wings comfortable in a collision-heavy Test.

Add the significance of the Stade de France on opening night, where French energy multiplies and visiting teams feel pressure accumulate with every lost carry and every retreating scrum, and the advantage tilts decisively towards the hosts. When France dominate the gain line and Dupont starts probing around fatigued forwards, Ireland will be forced to chase a game they are no longer structurally equipped to chase.

This is not about flair or reputation, it is about force, physical authority and control, and France hold the upper hand in the pack, at scrumhalf, off the bench and in the stands.

Just as they did in last season’s match-up in Dublin, which they won comfortably 42-27, having led 42-15 with five minutes to play.

AFRICA PICKS: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW FOR YOUR FRANCE V IRELAND BETTING

My call: France 33 Ireland 22.

DuPont on Jalibert’s influence 

The Sharks host the Stormers in one of two South African URC derbies to end the first half of the league season. The Lions are at home to the Bulls in the northern derby. Here’s everything you need to know for the weekend’s Round 11 showdowns.

The South African teams have all chosen the best available squads in the last Saturday of the month and the last Saturday of URC action until the league resumes in the last weekend of February.

The Six Nations takes priority in February, with the first three rounds played before the URC starts up again for the last eight league matches and the play-offs.

The Stormers, beaten for the first time in the league last Saturday, get the chance of redemption in Durban. It was the Sharks who beat them in Cape Town. The same is true of the Lions and Bulls derby. The Lions earlier in the league, won at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.

Several of the Northern Hemisphere clubs are severely understrength for Round 11, as the leading current internationals have been in camp with their respective national teams preparing for next weekend’s Six Nations opening round.

It makes for a punter’s nightmare in these matches because the form guide is not a measurement with so many frontline players missing.

WATCH: KEO & ZELS ON SHARKS, STORMERS, LIONS & BULLS

AFRICA PICKS RUGBY: Keo calls the South African derbies 

Bordeaux arrived at Loftus as reigning Investec Champions Cup winners and played like a side intent on keeping the crown. The French giants dismantled a disjointed Bulls outfit 46-33, producing a display that was composed, ruthless and dripping with international class, writes Mark Keohane.

And yes – the Bulls somehow led 33-22 at halftime.

The hosts scored five tries in 40 minutes yet never looked in control. The scoreboard offered false comfort and little else.

Bordeaux’s rhythm, tempo and accuracy suggested they were always the side dictating the contest, even when chasing the game.

Bordeaux travelled with 16 internationals in their match-day squad and their stars delivered. With Maxime Lucu and Matthieu Jalibert running the game like seasoned Test generals, and with Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey finishing with the brutality expected of world-class wings, the Pretoria crowd saw the gulf between elite European champions and a South African side still searching for cohesion.

It was breathless early on.

Bordeaux were seven points clear inside three minutes. The Bulls replied, faltered, struck back again, conceded again, and then surged with three late first-half tries. It looked dramatic on paper, but on the field the French were calmer, more accurate and operating with a clarity the Bulls could not match.

Jalibert toyed with the defence, his footwork and timing repeatedly opening space for a slick midfield. Bielle-Biarrey crossed twice, Penaud added to his outrageous tournament tally, and Bordeaux’s pack kept supplying clean, quick ball.

Once the second half kicked off, the Bulls vanished as an attacking threat. The champions tightened their grip, erased the deficit, and moved into a commanding lead with the kind of composure that wins knockout matches.

The Bulls had chances to claw it back to a single-score game, but their basics imploded. A crucial line-out was lost, the scrum wobbled, and the handling in the backline betrayed panic rather than purpose. Bordeaux, on the counter, could easily have added more.

This was a thorough reminder of what a title-winning squad looks like. Seven tries, four conversions and a penalty told the story.

Handré Pollard was solid early, kicked four from five, but a yellow card and two poor decisions shifted momentum the wrong way. De Klerk and Moodie worked tirelessly on the wings, and the loose trio put in the hard metres, but collectively the Bulls were outclassed.

And the biggest red flag: defence.

It hasn’t been good in the URC and it was worse here. Too many missed one-on-one tackles. Too little scramble. Too little structure. Bordeaux didn’t so much pick locks as walk through open doors.

With just 7,300 supporters turning up, the Bulls needed to deliver something worthy of their faithful. Instead, they teased with ten minutes of excellence and followed it with forty minutes of confusion and concession.

Bordeaux left Pretoria looking every bit a team chasing consecutive European titles. The Bulls left with more questions than answers, too few of them comforting.

Scorers

Bulls
Tries: Sebastian de Klerk, Reinhardt Ludwig, Akker van der Merwe, Canan Moodie, Jeandré Rudolph
Conversions: Handré Pollard (4)

Bordeaux
Tries: Damian Penaud, Louis Bielle-Biarrey (2), Maxime Lamothe, Boris Palu, Matthieu Jalibert, Salesi Rayasi
Conversions: Jalibert (3), Maxime Lucu
Penalty: Jalibert

BULLS – 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 David Kriel, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Sebastian de Klerk, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Marcell Coetzee (c), 7 Reinhardt Ludwig, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Cobus Wiese, 3 Mornay Smith, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Alulutho Tshakweni.
Bench: 16 Johann Grobbelaar, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Ruan Nortje, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Jeandré Rudolph, 22 Embrose Papier, 23 Stravino Jacobs.

BORDEAUX BÈGLES – 15 Romain Buros, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Nicolas Depoortere, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Maxime Lucu (c), 8 Temo Matiu, 7 Cameron Woki, 6 Bastien Vergnes-Taillefer, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Boris Palu, 3 Carlü Sadie, 2 Maxime Lamothe, 1 Jefferson Poirot.
Bench: 16 Gaetan Barlot, 17 Matis Perchaud, 18 Ben Tameifuna, 19 Jonny Gray, 20 Tiaan Jacobs, 21 Arthur Retiere, 22 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 23 Salesi Rayasi.

John Dobson’s super Stormers are starting to dream of Investec Champions Cup glory after a stunning away win against Bayonne in France in the 2025/26 season’s opening round.

The Stormers won 26-17, despite being a player down for the final half hour.

Dobson was thrilled with the win, coming a week after a history-making first win the URC against Munster in Limerick, Ireland.

The Stormers, who are six from six in the URC, return to South Africa to play another French giant, La Rochelle next weekend. It won’t be in Cape Town as the DHL Stadium is not available and the match will be played at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha.

Dobson mixed and matched for the Bayonne showdown, but pre-match insisted he had picked a match 23 good enough and talented enough to win against Bayonne, who had lost just once at home in the 2024/25 season in all competitions.

Dobson entrusted the talented 21 year-old scrum half Imad Khan to start and the former Bishops pupil and SA Schools star produced a Player of the Match performance. Loose-forward Paul de Villiers, the former SA under 20 captain, was against outstanding, having been the Player of the Match in Limerick a week ago.

WATCH: MATCH HIGHLIGHTS OF THE STORMERS WIN V BAYONNE

Several of the Stormers backs are not regular starting options, which makes the win that much more impressive, but Dobson said it was a credit to the depth within the squad that results like the one in Bayonne are possible without the likes of Springboks Damian Willemse, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cobus Reinach and Warrick Gelant, with the backline quartet not in action in Bayonne.

The Stormers made twelve line breaks to Bayonne’s two, but will lament not being more accurate in their finishing.

SA TEAMS CHASE THEIR FIRST STAR

Loose-forwards De Villiers (14 tackles), BJ Dixon (10) and Ruan Ackermann (7) were strong defensively and lock Connor Evans made 11 tackles. Dixon secured five line out takes, the most for the Stormers, and De Villiers’ all-round contribution was impressive, winning two turnovers, one offload, a line break, nine carries, and 21 metres on attack. He also beat four defenders, as did fullback Simelane.

Dixon (70 minutes), Ackermann (48) and Roos (42), were strong in their carries.

AFRICA PICKS: PICK THE STORMERS TO WIN

Clinton Swart, in his first start at flyhalf kicked two conversions and four penalties for 16 points, while fullback Wandisile Simelane made the most attacking metres (94).

The Stormers line out return was 100 percent.

Bayonne:
Tries: Mori, Erbinartagaray, Paulos
Con: Segonds

DHL Stormers:
Tries: Khan, De Villiers
Cons: Swart 2
Pens: Swart 4

DHL Stormers: 15 Wandisile Simelane, 14 Dylan Maart, 13 Jonathan Roche, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Clinton Swart, 9 Imad Khan, 8 Ruan Ackermann, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 Connor Evans, 4 Salmaan Moerat (captain), 3 Neethling Fouché, 2 JJ Kotzé, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 Lukhanyo Vokozela, 17 Ali Vermaak, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Adré Smith, 20 JD Schickerling, 21 Evan Roos, 22 Dewaldt Duvenage, 23 Ruhan Nel.

BREAKDOWN OF ALL STORMERS AND BAYONNE”S PLAYER AND TEAM STATISTICS

The Bulls are backing their Boks to bully champions Bordeaux of France in this weekend’s opening round of the Investec Champions Cup, writes Mark Keohane.

Every Bulls player on tour with the Springboks in November will be involved as the Bulls look to maker a statement performance against last season’s champions.

Bordeaux and the Bulls played each other at Loftus in the 2024 Pool Stages, with the Bulls winning a 12-try thriller 46-40. Both teams scored six tries two seasons ago and the difference ultimately proved two penalty kicks.

Handre Pollard, the king of kickers, returns to Loftus for his first start in the Champions Cup in the colours of the Bulls. Pollard’s previous Champions Cup history had been with French club Montpellier and English club Leicester.

Pollard will be significant to any Bulls challenge in the greatest club competition in the world, but it is the potency of a power bench that will be the determining factor in this match.

The starting front row from the Springboks 73-0 against Wales in Cardiff a week ago, are on the bench in Gerhard Steenekamp, Johann Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw. Ruan Nortje, the Boks form lock, is among the replacements, as are Elrigh Louw and Embrose Papier, who have played for the Springboks.

AFRICA PICKS: HOW TO CASH IN ON BULLS, SHARKS AND STORMERS

Louw will start his first match in a year after a lengthy spell out of the game because of injury.

Springboks flyer Canan Moodie links up with Springboks Test Centurion Willie le Roux in a back three complimented by the talents of winger Sebastian de Klerk and current Bok Marco van Staaden joins former Bok Marcelle Coetzee in the back row.

There are 13 Springboks in the match 23, with eight of them part of the Springboks 2025 squads. That includes Elrigh Louw, who was picked in the initial squads but did not play because of injury rehabilitation.

WATCH: KEO & ZELS ON THE BULLS, STORMERS AND SHARKS

The Stormers have also mixed and matched for their opening round at Bayonne, where the hosts only home defeat last season was to the Bulls in the Champions Cup.

Boks back superstars Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Damian Willemse and Cobus Reinach were not considered for the match, given their heavy workloads for the Stormers and Boks over the past two months, but Boks flanker BJ Dixon will play.

The Sharks, who play six-times champions Toulouse, are without several of their current Boks, but will still field a match 23 with international experience.

It is unlikely to be enough to prevent a one-side beating, given the Sharks struggles all season in the URC.

ALL THE WEEKEND’S TEAMS

BORDEAUX BÈGLES – 15 Romain Buros, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Nicolas Depoortere, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Maxime Lucu (c), 8 Temo Matiu, 7 Cameron Woki, 6 Bastien Vergnes-Taillefer, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Boris Palu, 3 Carlü Sadie, 2 Maxime Lamothe, 1 Jefferson Poirot.
Bench: 16 Gaetan Barlot, 17 Matis Perchaud, 18 Ben Tameifuna, 19 Jonny Gray, 20 Tiaan Jacobs, 21 Arthur Retiere, 22 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 23 Salesi Rayasi.

INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP LATEST

SOUTH AFRICA’S INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP TRIO CHASE THEIR FIRST STAR

If ever there was a weekend to revisit Johann van Graan’s time at Munster then this is surely the one. And it could be that history is starting to pass more favourable judgement on his time there, and certainly of him as a coach. It should do.

As Bath host Munster in the Investec Champions Cup, in part this view is coloured by what van Graan has achieved at the Rec. On foot of leaving Munster in 2022, van Graan took over a side marooned at the foot of the English Premiership. Their rise since has been remarkable.

They ended that first season with a four-game winning run to finish eighth and qualify for the Champions Cup, where they reached the knockout stages for the first time in ages.

In his second season, Bath reached the Champions Cup knockout stages again and also finished second in the Premiership, only to lose the final to Northampton 25-21. Perhaps the biggest measure of the esteem in which he is held at Bath is that during that campaign van Graan signed a six-year extension up to 2029-30.

The club’s CEO Tarquin McDonald told TNT Sports: “We brought in an exceptional head coach and, really importantly, backed him. He’s a selfless leader. Genuinely it’s about team first and club first, and that’s so important.

“We extended Johann’s contract out to 2030 and the last time we went into a second cycle with a head coach was Jack Rowell, who was with us from ’78 to ’94; our first golden era as we like to call it, and, crazily, since then we’ve never been through a second cycle with a head coach.

“Where we are now, there’s continuity, which is absolutely vital for sporting success.”

The wisdom in that long-term extension was demonstrated last season, when Bath not only topped the table but hoovered up a treble of Premiership Cup (so ending a 17-year trophy drought), Challenge Cup and Premiership, which was their first league title in 29 years.

This is particularly ironic as the main source of criticism directed at can Graan is that his five seasons at Munster were trophyless. Yet, while Munster won the URC title under Graham Rowntree in 2022-23, is that too crude a yardstick?

Van Graan was derided for pointing to Munster’s 80 per cent winning record in his fifth season there. Yet it is true, and it has never been matched in Munster’s three completed seasons since. Indeed, Munster’s 67 per cent winning ratio overall in van Graan’s five seasons at Munster has dropped to 55.5 per cent in the three campaigns that followed.

Munster were also much more consistent, knocking on the door every season in both competitions. They reached three semi-finals and a final of what is now the URC before invariably running into the machine that was Leinster. In the Champions Cup, Munster also reached two semi-finals, a quarter-final and a round of 16. In the last three seasons they’ve had two last-16 exits and one quarter-final after that epic win in La Rochelle. That was their only knockout win in the Champions Cup since van Graan moved on.

His Wikipedia page says: “Van Graan’s Munster legacy is debated”. It adds: “While he took them to five semi-finals and a final, he never won a trophy. Some critics perceived his style as overly conservative.

“However, figures such as Simon Zebo have defended his record, describing Van Graan as a ‘master tactician’.”

Zebo told The Irish Times this week: “He goes into unbelievable detail. I would rate him very highly as a coach. He’s very good at finding little gaps or weaknesses in the opposition and he’s unbelievable at filling you with confidence and detail. He creates a very good environment. I enjoyed working with him and he’s a gentleman.”

Current players and coaches at Munster have said the same these past few weeks. In discussing his time at Munster, Tadhg Beirne told me, without being prompted: “I thought Johann was incredible when he was in there. I thought at times he got a hard rap for what he did, but in terms of the circumstances and what he was producing, it was very impressive.”

Beirne is not surprised by what van Graan has achieved at Bath.

“No, but if you look at his track record at Munster, he was getting us to semi-finals and finals all the time. I thought he was an unbelievable coach.

“I got on unbelievably well with him, and I thought he managed the group quite well. I thought he got the best out of a lot of players. I know, obviously, there’s going to be a lot of players who dislike him, because that’s like any coach, if you’re not playing, I suppose, as well, it’s easier not to like someone.

“I don’t know what the situation was in Munster at the time, but he probably wasn’t able to bring in the people he would have liked to have brought in. But what he achieved with us was still pretty impressive. It’s just you would have liked to have seen him have silverware on top of it, because I think he was deserving of it.”

John Hodnett was given his first Munster cap by van Graan, and admits his view is coloured by that.

“You always remember the coach that gave you your first cap, and he gave me my first cap. So yeah, I’d have good time for him. He’s a nice way about him. He’s a very nice man. He has a good plan in place. He gets good people in.”

Asked about van Graan’s legacy at Munster this week, Denis Leamy said: “Johann is a brilliant coach. He’s very highly rated. One thing that I’ve noticed here, you’ll never hear anyone say anything bad about Johann. He’s always spoken about in a really positive light.

“My own experiences with him have been nothing but insightful and he’s very generous with his knowledge. I worked with him here for maybe three months when I was working with the academy and I just thought he was a fountain of knowledge.

“It’s great to see him push on and achieve such great things with Bath over the last couple of years. They won three trophies last year, so fair play to him. It’s a great sign of his progression.”

Gerry Thornley, Irish Times Rugby Newsletter

South Africa, at Test level, rules the rugby world, but in the Investec Champions Cup, the toughest club competition in the sport, the winning of the golden star has remained elusive for South Africa’s top club trio, writes Mark Keohane.

Toulouse, with six stars (titles), are the most successful club in the history of the Investec Champions Cup. Ireland’s Leinster have four stars and Toulon and Saracens have three each. For the rest, it has been a fight to get on the board and just 13 of the 40 clubs from Europe and South Africa have won the title.

It shows just how tough it is to succeed in the most battle hardened and complex knockout tournament in world rugby.

Saracens and England veteran Jamie George described the tournament as a World Cup knockout played over six months, with each match, from the opening league match, to the final, a knockout.

Home wins, in the league stages are non-negotiable, and wins on the road are as golden as the star the players are chasing.

Northampton’s Saints last season travelled to Pretoria and stunned the Bulls in the league stage, which proved crucial to their play-offs, where the English club won at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin against Leinster, before being edged 28-20 by France’s Bordeaux.

The defending champions are in South Africa to start the defence of their historic first ever Investec Champions Cup title. They play the Bulls at Loftus in Pretoria on Saturday, revisiting the scene of their dramatic 46-40 league defeat to the Bulls on the 20th January, 2024. It is the only time the two teams have met in the competition.

Both teams scored six tries in a 12-try thriller, with Bordeaux finishing the stronger.

Bordeaux, winners of the title in Dublin last season, beat their French rivals Toulouse in the semi-finals, but lost in the final of the Top 14.

The Bulls also lost in the final of last season’s United Rugby Championship, beaten by Leinster in Dublin, and both teams have had an indifferent start to their local competitions. The Bulls are three from six in the URC, having lost their last two matches, including a stunning home upset against the South African Lions last Saturday, while Bordeaux are also three from six in the Top 14, including successive defeats in the past fortnight, at home to Pau (33-34) and away to Montpellier (24-28).

The defending champions have a star-studded international squad with French flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert and flying wingers Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Damian Penaud among the best in the world.

South African prop Carlu Sadie is a regular in the Bordeaux set-up, as is the popular former All Blacks and current Tongan captain and 150 kilogram prime rugby beef Ben Tameifuna.

French scrum half Maxime Lucu is the general of a squad that includes a handful of imports from Australia and the Pacific Islands.

The Bulls, with 20 Springboks, past and present in their Champions Cup squad, will have their imposing Bok quartet of Gerhard Steenekamp (loosened prop), Johan Grobelaar (hooker), Wilco Louw (tighthead prop) and Ruan Nortje (lock), back for the tournament.

All four featured prominently in the Springboks five successive Tests wins in the Northern Hemisphere during November.

Springboks double World Cup winner Handre Pollard is another who will significantly improve the Bulls prospects of being the first South Africa team to wear an Investec Champions Cup star.

The struggling Sharks have the toughest of starts, away to Toulouse this weekend, while the in-form Stormers are in France to play Bayonne, who last season lost just once at home. That defeat was to the Bulls.

For all the latest EPCR Investec Champions Cup News

Follow the news on the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers

Investec Champions Cup fixtures (Round 1, SA times)
Friday, 5 December
Bayonne vs Stormers, 10pm
Sale Sharks vs Glasgow Warriors, 10pm
Saturday, 6 December
Saracens vs Clermont, 3pm
Bulls vs Bordeaux Begles, 5:15pm
La Rochelle vs Leicester Tigers, 7:30pm
Leinster vs Harlequins, 7:30pm
Scarlets vs Bristol Bears, 10pm
Bath vs Munster, 10pm
Sunday, 7 December
Pau vs Northampton Saints, 3pm
Toulouse vs Sharks, 5:15pm
Gloucester vs Castres, 5:15pm
Edinburgh vs Toulon, 7:30pm

ALL THE SEASON’S INVESTEC CHAMPIONS CUP FIXTURES

The global rugby press reaction to the Springboks 73-0 slaughter of Wales in Cardiff was split three ways: awe at the Boks, horror at Wales, and anger at the red-carded Eben Etzebeth.

The global rugby media didn’t so much report on South Africa’s 73–0 demolition of Wales as conduct a post-mortem.

Eleven tries, a clean sheet and a performance dripping with menace left the Welsh press stunned, the English papers grim, and the New Zealanders nodding with familiar respect. For the Springboks, it was another ruthless reminder of the standard they set.

For Wales, it was a national reckoning.

WalesOnline labelled it the “darkest day in Welsh rugby”, a humiliation years in the making. Their writers spoke of sadness and inevitability as a proud Test nation was “pulverised” in its own cathedral.
The Times questioned whether “men against boys” even captured the mismatch, praising South Africa’s precision while condemning Eben Etzebeth’s moment of madness as the only stain on an otherwise brutal masterclass.
The Sunday Telegraph called Wales “pointless” in every sense: a non-contest, a miscalculated fixture, and a record defeat that exposed the gulf in class.
The Rugby Paper described an “avoidable mismatch” that taught Wales nothing about their future and reinforced everything about South Africa’s relentlessness.

From a South African lens, the tone was clinical rather than triumphant.

SA Rugby Magazine, TimesLIVE and Keo.co.za all stressed that this was the full stop on an unbeaten tour and another data point in Rassie Erasmus’s expanding blueprint. Fringe players flourished, structure and brutality blended seamlessly, and the trademark refusal to concede even a consolation point in the 80th minute said more about this team’s identity than the scoreline.

Even in New Zealand, the reaction was clear: NZ Herald credited a “superpower doing superpower things” and noted that South Africa end the year not only as world champions, but as the sport’s pace-setters.

The world didn’t just witness a hiding. It witnessed a statement.
South Africa’s standards are non-negotiable. Their depth is frightening.

And Wales – under-strength, underpowered and overwhelmed.

KEO & ZELS – SIYA’S BOKS PURR WITH PERFECTION 

WalesOnline – “Welsh team crumble in record home defeat”

WalesOnline’s match coverage framed this as the darkest day in Welsh rugby at the Principality: 11 unanswered tries, first time “nilled” at home in decades, and a scoreboard that felt like an execution rather than a contest. Their pieces stressed how under-strength Wales were, but made it clear that selection politics and WRU mismanagement created the circumstances for this humiliation. The tone mixed shock and resignation – the sense that this 73-0 was years in the making. Follow-up reaction columns spoke of “very real sadness” and a tragic unravelling of a proud Test nation in front of its own people. Flashscore+1

Welsh Sunday voice – Nation.Cymru / Welsh reaction

As a distinctly Welsh lens outside the big UK dailies, Nation.Cymru’s weekend take treated 73-0 as a national reckoning. The piece stressed that the result wasn’t just about missing Premiership-based players; it was about a structural decay in Welsh rugby – from pathway to finances – exposed brutally by the world champions. The article highlighted a fanbase oscillating between anger and apathy, a stadium with worrying gaps in the stands and a governing body “out of answers”. It argued that the scoreline must force WRU members to confront whether the current model can produce anything other than more days like this. The Independent+1

The Times / Sunday Times (London) – Steve James

In The Times (from the same London stable as the Sunday Times), Steve James called it “every bit as grim as feared”: a physical mismatch that made “men against boys” feel like understatement. He emphasised the Boks’ scrummage and aerial dominance, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s 28-point masterclass and Wales’ inability to execute even basic set-piece chances. But his central theme was Etzebeth: the eye-gouge described as a “blatant act of thuggery” that soiled a magnificent team performance and will likely bring a long ban. For Wales, he portrayed a low ebb – empty seats, fragile confidence and shallow depth laid bare. The Times

Sunday Telegraph – James Corrigan

For The Sunday Telegraph, James Corrigan’s live report and follow-up hammered home one idea: “pointless Wales”. His copy stressed how uncompetitive the hosts were from the opening scrum, how quickly South Africa’s power game turned into a procession, and how little value the fixture offered anyone by the final quarter. Corrigan underlined that this was Wales’ worst home defeat and first Cardiff whitewash since the 1960s, and questioned the wisdom of scheduling such a mismatch outside the Test window. He also leaned into the Etzebeth incident, arguing that an 11-try rout did not need to be accompanied by such unnecessary nastiness. Telegraph+1

The Rugby Paper (UK) – weekend broadsheet

The Rugby Paper’s headline – “Steve Tandy’s pointless side put to shame in 11-try thrashing” – captured its harsh verdict. Their report stressed how this was a weakened Wales, stripped of Premiership-based players, but insisted that didn’t excuse the scale of collapse. The analysis described South Africa as operating in a different weight division, with their bench alone out-capping the entire Welsh match-day 23. The paper portrayed the game as a damaging non-contest that taught Wales nothing, eroded public faith and raised serious questions about WRU strategy. The Etzebeth red card was the grim coda to what they saw as a “needless mismatch”. Ground News+1

Planet Rugby – Winners & Losers

Planet Rugby’s “Wales v Springboks Winners & Losers” piece leaned into the contrast: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Andre Esterhuizen and the Bok pack among the big winners; Eben Etzebeth and the sport’s image squarely in the losers column. They praised South Africa’s “floor-filling tunes” in attack – the variety of their strike plays and the fluency of a heavily rotated side – and highlighted Esterhuizen as the poster boy of Rassie’s hybrid revolution, this time unleashed as a classic ball-carrying 12. On Wales, the verdict was that an under-powered side were “out of their depth” and that 73-0 will haunt the WRU for years. Planet Rugby+1

Rugby365 – Warren Fortune & Leezil Hendricks

On Rugby365, Warren Fortune’s match report and Leezil Hendricks’ player ratings built a coherent picture: South Africa ended their Nations Series with a “73-0 command performance”, scoring 222 points across the tour and conceding just 51. The site stressed how thoroughly the Boks dominated the collisions and set piece, and how many so-called fringe players enhanced their 2027 World Cup credentials. Follow-up video pieces focused on Rassie Erasmus’ reaction to Etzebeth’s red – Erasmus admitting the card was justified and that “the optics weren’t great”. At the same time, Rugby365 emphasised how ruthlessly the Boks defended their line in the closing minutes to protect the nil. Rugby365+3Rugby365+3Rugby365+3

Keo.co.za – Mark Keohane

On Keo.co.za, your “Andre the Giant & his fellow Boks slay the Dragons” column framed 73-0 as the ultimate expression of Rassie’s “no let-up” mentality. You leaned into the symbolism of the Boks still fighting for a turnover in the 79th minute with the score already at 73-0, arguing that this spoke to the aura and internal standards of this group. The piece highlighted the dominance of the forwards, the impact of Esterhuizen in his new hybrid role, and the statement made by finishing an unbeaten tour with a record win. Etzebeth’s red was acknowledged, but the core theme was character and ruthlessness rather than controversy. KEO.co.za+2KEO.co.za+2

Sunday Times South Africa / TimesLIVE

Within the Sunday Times SA / TimesLIVE stable, coverage underlined the professional coldness of the Bok performance rather than the chaos of the scoreline. The Business Day/Sunday Times reports talked of a “clinical” and “commanding” demolition that completed a clean sweep on tour and cemented South Africa’s No 1 ranking. They emphasised how many combinations Rassie experimented with across Japan, France, Italy, Ireland and Wales, yet still produced an 80-minute performance in Cardiff. The Etzebeth incident was treated as an ugly, isolated flashpoint in an otherwise near-perfect collective exhibition from a side that “simply don’t do dead rubbers”. Business Day+2Sunday Times+2

SA Rugby Magazine – Borchardt & co.

SA Rugbymag.co.za ran a suite of pieces: Simon Borchardt’s “Brilliant Boks demolish Dragons” match report, features on Rassie being “proud of hungry Boks”, Siya Kolisi hoping the red card wouldn’t overshadow things, and a big-picture “Springboks gaze down on rugby world”. The mag stressed that 73-0 was one more data point in a two-year stretch of dominance, not a freak outlier. They homed in on the hunger of fringe players, the work-rate in chasing the shut-out and the seamless integration of youngsters like Feinberg-Mngomezulu. The red card was acknowledged but framed as a disciplinary headache rather than a stain on the team. SA Rugby magazine+3SA Rugby magazine+3SA Rugby magazine+3

AFRICA PICKS: CASHING IN ON THE BOKS

NZ Herald – Kiwi view on a Bok juggernaut

The NZ Herald piece (“Springboks crush Wales 73-0 in historic test demolition”) was a wire-style report but with a clear Kiwi subtext: respect for a rival superpower doing superpower things. It highlighted Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s Llandovery College link and 28-point haul, noted that this surpassed England’s 68-14 as Wales’ worst home defeat, and pointed out it was the first time Wales had been held scoreless at home in the professional era. For New Zealand readers, the article placed the rout in the context of South Africa closing 2025 with 12 wins from 14 Tests, reinforcing the sense that the Boks remain the team to beat in world rugby. NZ Herald+1

Planet Rugby, RugbyPass & others

RugbyPass, Guardian live, ESPN, RTE and TNT Sports all reinforced the same themes: “men against boys”, a structural Welsh crisis, a Bok machine that finishes the year indisputably No 1, and a sour taste from Etzebeth’s red. Many pundits, notably Dan Biggar on TNT, questioned whether such mismatches should continue to be scheduled; others argued it showed exactly why South Africa are on a different tier to every northern-hemisphere side right now. TNT Sports+4The Guardian+4ESPN.com+4

*Compiled by Keo.co.za & ChatGPT (All references verified)

Springboks No 9 Cobus Reinach plays his 50 Test in Saturday’s season finale against Wales in Cardiff. It is a salute to a remarkable Test career, in which Reinach has shown that patience is a virtue and from patience comes the ultimate rewards, writes Mark Keohane.

I’ve covered enough Test rugby since 1992 to know that some players arrive like fireworks, bright and loud, and then disappear before the smoke has even cleared. And then there are players like Cobus Reinach, who is built on staying power, steel, speed, and a stubborn refusal to ever be counted out.

Reinach’s 50th Test comes 11 years after he debuted for the Boks at Newlands against Australia in 2014. He was 24 then. He is 35 now, and he looks quicker today than he did the afternoon he played his first Test.

That alone tells you everything about the athlete and the attitude.

But to salute Reinach purely as a survivor undersells him because he has thrived wherever he has played, be it in South Africa, England or France, at club level or for the Springboks.

He has done more than most scrumhalves who have ever worn the No 9 jersey for South Africa. Two World Cup titles and a hattrick in four minutes – the fastest in Rugby World Cup history – against Canada in 2019. He has scored 19 tries in 49 Tests.

And then there’s what he has done in the past month: two individual tries, each worthy of its own movie trailer. There was the crucial scorcher against France at the Stade de France in Paris that showcased his straight-line speed, and one as important against Ireland in Dublin, where again instinct and acceleration combined for five points.

Reinach has been electric throughout the Castle Rugby Championship and the November internationals, whether starting or closing out the Test.

Reinach, who made his Stormers debut a fortnight after being part of the Boks’ Rugby Championship title defence, played nine consecutive years overseas, at Northampton’s Saints for four years and then for the past five at Montpellier in France, where he finished on 103 matches. He played 76 for the Saints.

BOKS GO FOR THE KILL AGAINST WALES

He was never a case of  ‘out of sight and out of mind’. He was always a part of the national equation under Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber.

Rassie Erasmus, speaking after the 2019 World Cup pool win over Canada, said: “Cobus is one of the best finishers in world rugby. His speed is one thing, but his attitude is what sets him apart. He never stops working.”

Jacques Nienaber has always maintained: “Cobus brings intensity. Whether he plays ten minutes or 80 minutes, he changes the game. That’s his gift.”

Montpellier’s Philippe Saint-André, upon his arrival at the French club, called Reinach “the fastest scrumhalf in the world – and the most professional player in the squad.”

Teammate Jesse Kriel, ahead of the 2023 World Cup playoffs, said: “Cobus doesn’t age. He trains like a 20-year-old and competes like a Springbok who knows the standard. We trust him with our lives.”

Even the great Aaron Smith, after the Boks beat the All Blacks in Auckland in 2014, commented privately (later repeated in interviews): “That No 9 is rapid. South Africa have something special there.”

WIN WITH THE BOKS & AFRICA PICKS

Everyone who has ever played with him or against him has said the same thing in different ways: Reinach is a game-breaker. You blink and he is gone. You hesitate and he burns you. You switch off and he is already under the posts.

For me, the beauty of Reinach’s Test career is that it hasn’t followed the script. It hasn’t been linear or predictable. He never became the “permanent” Bok No 9, but he became something far more valuable in being the player who can tilt a Test match at any moment, from anywhere on the field. He has been and is a player whose selection is never a gamble, because the return is almost always guaranteed.

KEO & ZELS TALK BOKS AND COBUS REINACH

He is the definition of a 23-man squad player in the modern era: dependable, devastating, disciplined.

Reinach’s route wasn’t easy and many within South Africa felt that he left the country when at the peak of his powers, but he continued to improve at the Saints and Montpellier.

His club mates speak of his lack of ego, his obsession with conditioning, his attention to video detail and his leadership and mentoring of newbies or less experienced players.

Saint-André once joked: “Cobus doesn’t drink wine. He doesn’t eat dessert. He eats speed.”

At 35, playing his 50th Test, he is still eating speed and burning international defences.

When I think of Reinach, I think of the Springboks’ identity under Erasmus and Nienaber, which is one rooted in readiness and not reputation.

There have been exceptional scrum halves playing for South Africa in the past 11 years, which is a statement on its own that Reinach gets to 50 appearances in Cardiff.

Cobus Reinach’s career is a lesson in perseverance, professionalism, and possibility, and a reminder to every wannabe Springboks scrum half in South Africa about consistency and relentless work ethic.

READ SA RUGBY MAG FOR ALL THE BOKS V WALES TEST PREVIEWS

There will be no let off from Rassie Erasmus’s Springboks in their final Test of 2025 in Cardiff against Wales, and that is the attitude there should be from the sport’s best team, the official No 1 team for 2025 and the current World Cup holders, writes Mark Keohane.

Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus has shown Welsh rugby the utmost respect by picking his strongest available match 23 for a Test the Boks are expected to win with a record score.

Wales are without 13 of the players who fronted the All Blacks a week ago, and while the Boks are missing as many, there is no comparison in the quality of depth in both national camps.

Wales have won just two of their last 20 internationals, but there is a high regard within the Boks set-up, especially from Erasmus for what Welsh rugby represents.

There was a time, not long ago, that Wales was smashing the Boks, has been a consistent echoed by Erasmus this week.

In Erasmus’s first tenure as Bok coach, he won just seven from 14 Tests, losing to Wales in Washington DC in his first Test in charge and finishing the season beaten in Cardiff by Wales again.

There was the brutal 16-9 World Cup semi-final win in Japan in 2019, but what followed was a last minute win, via a Damian Willemse penalty at Loftus, a last minute defeat in Bloemfontein and then a tough 30-14 win in Cape Town to seal a 2-1 home series win.

In the past few seasons, it has settled more in Erasmus’s favour and Cardiff has become the happy hunting ground it was for Erasmus as a player.

Erasmus appreciates and recognises tradition and he knows just how passionate the Welsh are about their rugby.

They may be in a slump, but it was only eight years ago and Boks supporters were burning the Boks jersey and Wales were on a winning streak against the Springboks.

Erasmus has honoured the meaning of Test rugby with the strength of his selection, but also showcased how brilliantly he has integrated new squad players, post the 2023 World Cup, and managed the playing demands of veterans he is giving every chance to make it to Australia in 2027 for the challenge of an unprecedented third successive RWC title.

Carifff is a great city for Test rugby fans, none more than the Boks supporters, with so many making the trip down from London and various part of England, Scotland and Ireland.

The Principality Stadium is a rugby cathedral and magnificently impressive in terms of a spectator experience.

I was fortunate to report on the Boks win against Wales in 1996, which was the last time they played at the Cardiff Arms Park, before construction began for the building of the Millennium Stadium, which is now the Principality Stadium, right opposite the famous Angel Hotel, where again I was blessed to stay in the week the Springboks beat the All Blacks in the 1999 World Cup play-off for third place.

Breyton Paulse scored the only try of the play-off.

In my time covering the Springboks and being a part of the management, I have wonderful memories of great wins, even more impressive post-match experiences celebrating and a rich joy at the gift it is to write about and, having been part of, the Springboks.

The 1996 win was sweet and compelling. The Boks won 37-20 in what would be Andre Markgraaff’s last Test in charge.

The next time the Boks beat Wales away from home was at Wembley Stadium in 1998, as the Millennium Stadium had not been finished.

I missed the 1999 once-off visit to the Millennium Stadium when the Welsh stunned Nick Mallett’s Springboks. The Stadium was not yet complete, in terms of the stands, but the day is a historic one for Wales.

I was back with the Springboks under Harry Viljoen, working as Communications Manager, and the Boks won a difficult match 23-13 in 2000. We returned to Cardiff for the last match of the tour to beat a star studded Barbarians 41-31, and then did a Sunday all night season-ending party at the Walkabout in Mary Street. It was glorious.

There were wins for Jake White’s Boks in 2004, 38-36, in a match where Newport-based Percy Montgomery thrived and produced a Player of the Match performance. White’s Boks also won comfortably in 2005 and 2007 and Pieter de Villiers’s Boks enjoyed success in Cardiff in 2008 and 2010.

Heyneke Meyer continued the Boks success story in Cardiff in 2013, but in 2014 his Boks lost 12-6.

This started an unprecedented period of Welsh dominance over the Boks in Cardiff, with Bok coach Allister Coetzee’s team losing in 2016 and 2017.

Erasmus’s Boks lost 20-11 in 2018, but ever since then it has been all South Africa in Cardiff.

Frans Steyn, as a replacement, turned back the clock with a glorious kicking display to engineer a 23-18 escape for the Boks in 2021 and in 2023 Jacques Nienaber’s Boks, en-route to the World Cup, produced the biggest ever win for the Boks against Wales in Cardiff.

The Boks won 52-16 and completed their 2024 season with a 45-12 win.

KEO & ZELS: BOKS TO BURY WOEFUL WELSH

The bookies have given Wales a 38 point start, which means if you bet on them losing by under 38 points you are in the money and if you go with the Boks to win by more than 38 points, you are in the money.

WIN WITH AFRICA PICKS – BACK THE BOKS

If the Boks do win by 38 or more points, then it will represent another record for Erasmus and Siya Kolisi’s already record-breaking world champions.

It’s good to be back in Cardiff, after a decade of missing this match-up from the seats of the Principality’s Press Box.

THE WELSH VIEW 

The city is still humming and selfishly the Boks are the ones on a winning streak and favoured to make it five wins in succession against the Dragons.

READ SA RUGBY MAG FOR ALL BOKS V WALES TEST BUILD-UP

Keo & Zels were as emphatic as the Boks scrum against Ireland that the STECO Power Play was every time the Boks packed down to scrum Ireland into the Aviva turf in Dublin.

STECO is all about power, precision, sustainability and quality, and Keo & Zels, on their Rugby Podcast, said every member of the Boks pack combined to make the collective that much more powerful than any individual effort.

They acknowledge the individual try-scoring genius of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, the individual merits of Cobus Reinach, the relentlessness of Canan Moodie and the power of Damian de Allende.

But when it came to their weeks Springboks STECO Test moment, it was the Boks scrum that won the day, with the Boks feeding the scrum in 12 of the 16 scrums, and winning eight penalties on the 12 put ins. There were also more scrums on resets.

Ireland lost two players to yellow cards because of repeated scrum infringements and conceded a penalty try just before halftime to trail 19-7.

WORLD MEDIA REACTS TO POWER OF THE BOKS SCRUM

The general consensus, post the match, was that Ireland should have lost more players to the sin-bin for deliberate professional fouls at scrum time.

The Boks won 24-13; their first win at the Aviva Stadium during Rassie Erasmus’s eight years at the helm of the Springboks. It was also only the second time the Boks had played at the Aviva Stadium since Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber took charge of the Boks in 2018.

Ireland, who beat the Boks 13-8 in Pool Play at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in Paris, France, also beat the Boks 25-24 in Durban in 2024, a week after losing 27-20 to the hosts in Pretoria in the opening Test of the July internationals.

IRISH LOCK GETS SLAP ON WRIST FOR RED CARD OFFENCE

STECO IS GIVING YOU BACK YOUR POWER

The Powerful Bok scrum earns this week’s @STECO_Global #PowerPlay award! pic.twitter.com/5Cbpy9tHJt

SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) November 25, 2025