Toulouse lock Thibaud Flament has been ruled out for several weeks with a shoulder injury, French outlet L’Equipe have reported.

The 29-year-old played the full 80 minutes of Toulouse’s 45-34 Top 14 win over Bayonne on Sunday but has since been sidelined, with L’Equipe reporting that the issue will keep him out of France’s November programme.

That means Fabien Galthié will be without both Flament and Emmanuel Meafou, possibly his preferred second-row partnership – for the upcoming Tests against Fiji, South Africa and Argentina, as well as the final weekend of the Nations Championship at the end of the month.

The timing is particularly damaging ahead of the November 13 meeting with the Springboks in Paris, a fixture France will view as one of the defining matches of their Nations Championship campaign with an eye on the World Cup next year.

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Meafou is already expected to miss the November window after suffering a knee injury last month, leaving Galthié without the second-row pairing that had been expected to anchor his pack against the world champions.

Flament’s absence is also a major setback for Toulouse, who begin their Investec Champions Cup campaign this weekend.

The French champions face Exeter Chiefs on Sunday and will now head into Europe without Flament, Meafou and Clément Vergé, further stretching their resources in the second row.

Toulouse high-performance manager Jérôme Cazalbou said this week that Flament was being rested because of a shoulder issue, but the latest reports suggest the problem is more significant than first indicated.

France are already dealing with uncertainty elsewhere in the squad, with Bordeaux-Begles flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert also sidelined by a thigh injury and facing a race to return for the start of the Nations Championship.

For Galthié, the loss of Flament compounds an increasingly difficult build-up to November, particularly with South Africa’s powerful pack looming in Paris.

Courtney Lawes and Ellis Genge have called on England to end their ban on selecting overseas-based players for Test rugby.

RFU regulations prevent players at clubs abroad being considered for international selection, a move designed to maintain the quality of the English Prem and give England coach Steve Borthwick greater control over his squad.

But with relegation no longer a feature of the Prem, critics of the RFU's position argue it harms England as the national side are denied access to top players at clubs in leading rugby nations such as France, such as Toulouse's Jack Willis, who has been voted best player in the Top 14 two years running.

Now former Test captains Lawes and Genge have become the first senior England internationals to break ranks by urging the RFU to move to a position adopted by several other countries, where players who have won a certain number of caps can still be available for Test duty.

Loose forward Lawes, now 37 and a veteran of 105 England caps, recently returned from a two-year spell in French club rugby with second division side Brive and is now pushing for a place in the England squad for next month's Nations Championship matches.

"I know in Wales they do the 25-cap thing," Lawes told The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast, in a reference to how Wales can select anyone beyond their borders if they have made 25 or more international appearances.

"It's not a terrible idea because then you can keep your young players if they want to be part of the England team and once they've cut their teeth and earned their stripes, you've got the opportunity to go elsewhere and still play for your country.

"I think that might not be a terrible compromise."

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Genge revealed he had spoken to RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney about a rule whose purpose he struggles to understand.

The British and Irish Lions prop, who has won 83 England caps, has played all of his club rugby in England at Leicester and Bristol.

But Genge believes the experience of leading England footballers Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane, now with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich respectively, demonstrates the benefits of playing abroad.

"I don't think it's fair to say 'you aren't allowed to do it'," said Genge. "It's a sick [good] experience, and the stuff that comes with it is incredible as well.

"If you look at football, Jude Bellingham going over to the other leagues - look how much better he got – and Harry Kane, the captain of the country now playing in Germany -- experience of different leagues brings out the best in players."

He added: "I sort of agree with what Courts [Lawes] has said. If you had a cap rule where you do, say, 50 or 60 caps, so if you're involved in the English international game and you have 60 caps and then you go to France."

Jack and Tom Willis, Dave Ribbans, Kyle Sinckler, Manu Tuilagi, Jonny Hill, Zach Mercer and Billy Vunipola are among the England players currently barred from England duty ahead of next year's World Cup in Australia as a result of playing for clubs in France's Top 14.

The Lions come off a demoralising 15-57 defeat to the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in the third round of the United Rugby Championship and now have the daunting task of facing the former two-time Champions Cup winners in their backyard.

For Loubscher and the team, the result against the Bulls wasn't a true reflection of the Lions as a whole, and he said the team will start on a clean slate this coming Saturday.

"It was a tough, honest review on Monday where we looked at the things we need to do better," Loubscher told the press.

"It was good to walk out of that meeting knowing that, from our point of view, we were not ourselves, not good enough and made too many errors against the Bulls.

"We know this weekend is a different challenge facing one of the top teams in Europe, so our main thing is that we're looking for a response from the team."

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Loubscher touched on the challenges of playing in France, having coached in the country during his stint with Stade Francais, and what the Lions need to do to get a positive result.

"One of the big things in France is the pre-game atmosphere; there's a massive vibe and the French teams play with a lot of passion, especially at home.

"The important thing for us is to start well and make sure we silence the crowd because they love to get their supporters behind them.

"We know the conditions will be a big part of the game; they like to play unstructured rugby and score tries from everywhere on the field, but from our point of view it's all about our intent; what we take into the game, and our execution must go up a level."

The Lions are notorious for inconsistency, something that they will seek at one of the toughest club venues in the world at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre.

"The big focus against La Rochelle is just to ensure we play according to our different menus," Loubscher said.

"There's a menu for attack, defence, but it all comes down to our intent in terms of our execution in our jobs.

"If we can get that right with more alignment and clarity in terms of our way of playing, we can turn those opportunities around into points."

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Scrumhalf Steyn echoed Loubscher's sentiments.

"We can't look back on last week's game against the Bulls and hammer on it the whole time; we need to put that behind us.

"We know La Rochelle are a strong French team with a heavy pack, but for us it's about getting back to the Lions way of doing things - moving the ball around and playing towards our strengths and we should be fine for the match."

The combined side will face the French at the Principality Stadium on August 27.

France, ranked fourth in the world, have long been the closest challengers in European women's rugby union to world champions England, who are on a 41-game unbeaten streak.

They should provide a stern test for a Lions side coached by former Australia women's boss Jo Yapp, herself a former England captain.

The Lions face a Black Ferns XV the following weekend in Whangarei before the first of three Tests with New Zealand on September 11.

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"There are moments in sport that only come around once - and this is one of them," said Yapp as the France fixture was announced.

"For our British and Irish Lions Women's team to step on to the field for the first time, on home soil and in front of our fans, is going to be incredibly special."

France beat World Cup runners-up Canada in the WXV Global Series in September.

France were also semifinalists at the 2025 World Cup and have finished runners-up to England in the last seven Six Nations championships.

Men's Lions tours, featuring players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, have taken place since 1888.

But Yapp's squad, if picked purely on merit, is set to be dominated by England internationals such is the gap in standard between the Red Roses and their Celtic counterparts.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus famously deployed a six-two forward-heavy replacement bench split during the 2019 World Cup, including the Final, which proved to be a masterstroke as the Boks claimed a comprehensive 32-12 win over England.

Initially, that tactic had tongues wagging in the rugby fraternity, but as time went on, several international and club teams started going that route to the point where it's become the norm in the modern game.

The Stormers are no exception; they've deployed the same tactic in the last couple of seasons, which includes their last two United Rugby Championship matches against Edinburgh and the Sharks.

Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson admitted that it's a game model the Capetonians are looking to deploy on a regular basis.

"The Springboks have done some cutting-edge stuff over the last couple of years," Dobson told the press on Tuesday.

"We took some lessons, like having two locks on the bench is a nice formula with the six-two split."

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Dobson explained the importance of balance and versatility when selecting a replacement bench of that nature.

"But you do need the hybrid; we got Deon Fourie [covering hooker and flank] and Hacjivah [Dayimani] has done a lot of work to move onto the wing.

"So those are some things we took from the national team; there's actually some stuff we did today [Tuesday] in training.

"It's useful to have a national team that's an example to us in that regard."

The Stormers announced their team early in the past couple of weeks, but Dobson said it had nothing to do with the Springboks' way of doing the same thing.

"The Springboks operate at the top of the world rugby table, but it's not necessarily the case of copying them in that regard.

"There could also be some elements of the Fijian sevens side we might like, for instance, that we can implement.

"Obviously having a national team that's so successful at the moment is easy to copy in all aspects, but the early team announcements have nothing to do with trying to be like the Springboks.

"We're just trying to give our fans a reason to come to the stadium by letting them know who is playing, and allow them to plan their weekends and let them decide if it's a game they want to watch live.

"It's not a tactic to emulate the Boks' style of announcing a team early and send a message to the opposition to tell them they should come and try and beat us, which is a great statement as well.

"It's fantastic; we're sitting in the rugby world at the moment where South Africa is the best rugby country, and it's an enormous pride.

"The more we work together and draw inspiration from each other, the better, and it's fantastic."

Dobson added the value the Boks bring to the URC sides in terms of selecting players with a handful of franchise caps.

"I'll be honest, to give an example - if it wasn't for the Boks backing Zachary Porthen, I'm not sure we would've pushed him as far as the Boks did.

"It's great for him, and he came back to the Stormers a different player, so we're working nicely together in that respect."

The Stormers will open their Champions Cup campaign against Bristol Bears at DHL Stadium on Saturday.

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The two South African teams have a prime opportunity to make the most of their start to the 2026/27 Champions Cup season when they kick off their campaigns at home.

The Bulls will open the South African proceedings against French juggernaut Stade Francaise at Loftus on Saturday afternoon, while the Stormers will take on Bristol Bears at Cape Town Stadium later the same day.

*READ: Hits & Misses of the SA Derbies 

The Lions, meanwhile, face a daunting task against La Rochelle in their Champions Cup debut at Stade Marcel-Deflandre.

While Ivan van Rooyen's team traveled to France for the start of the premier club competition, the tier-one experienced Bulls and Stormers will enjoy a double boost - opening their campaigns at home and having their Springbok compliment available for selection.

The Sharks will run out against Lyon in the second-tier Challenge Cup for the second time after finishing outside the URC top eight. The Cheetahs will be in action against Aviron Bayonnaise.

While the Bulls have enjoyed home starts in all three of their previous campaigns, the Stormers have never kicked things off in Cape Town, having faced Toulon in their opener in Gqeberha a couple of seasons ago.

The early home-ground advantage combined with the availability of their Springboks can provide a big boost for the two United Rugby Championship powerhouses.

*READ: The big concern for SA teams in Euro openers

Unlike last season, when the competition kicked off in December, the Stormers and Bulls have their full Bok contingent, a luxury they did not have last season as the European competition fell after the November Tests.

The Champions Cup has produced disappointment upon disappointment for the South African teams until now.

And it's not surprising; they haven't taken it seriously.

The quarterfinal has been their peak, with the Stormers, Bulls, and Sharks only getting to that stage.

The Stormers reached the quarterfinals in the 2022/23 season, while the Bulls made the final eight the following year.

The logistical issues of fielding two top-strength teams in both the URC and Champions Cup has been the South African teams' Achilles heel.

The URC remains SA's day job, in part because a top-eight finish is needed to qualify for the Champions Cup. But they haven't been able to go the distance once they got to the Champions Cup, so what really is the point of going all out to get there yet not prioritising it once they're there?

But things seem different this time around.

The Stormers and Bulls haven't held back on their squad selections, and it should also help that they were rampant in their local derbies against the Lions and Sharks, with their Springbok returnees at the forefront of their dominance.

The resumption of the Champions Cup in December after the Nations Championship Tests will likely come with mandatory rest periods for the Boks, so they absolutely have to make use of the double advantage this weekend.

Bagging maximum points in your home games is vital in any competition, even more so in one as competitive as the Champions Cup, especially with the new format.

This season, the top three teams in each of the four pools qualify for the Round of 16, with the next four teams with the most points, regardless of pool or standing, completing the first knockout roster.

The competition has also adopted the Rugby Championship bonus-point system, with teams getting a bonus point for scoring three or more tries than the opposition.

So, it won't be easy against Stade Francaise and Bristol Bears, but the best chance the Bulls and Stormers have at securing maximum points is at home, with their Springboks, in Round One.

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With the usual attrition rate associated with a demanding tour, reinforcements will be sent over as the campaign progresses.

These will include the Sharks’ Springboks, who are currently on mandatory rest following a gruelling few months of rugby.

Pietersen will select a EPCR Challenge Cup team from the 28 players named for Saturday’s Group Three clash against Lyon Olympique Universitaire Rugby at the 35,000-seater Stade de Gerland.

*READ: Pietersen counts cost of Bok duo's injuries in Stormers defeat

The major talking point is the absence of Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth, who suffered a lower-limb injury during the Sharks’ 22-39 defeat to the Stormers at DHL Stadium in Cape Town.

The Sharks confirmed that Etzebeth is awaiting further medical examinations to determine the extent of the injury.

Vusi Moyo and Makazole Mapimpi are the other Springboks not included in squad.

Moyo sustained a shoulder injury during the clash against the Stormers, while Mapimpi remains sidelined with a long-term hamstring injury.

Captain Springbok Andre Esterhuizen, Ox Nche, Thomas du Toit, Ethan Hooker and Edwill van der Merwe are the Springboks on mandatory rest.

There is, however, some positive news for Pietersen, with Vincent Tshituka and Jaco Williams having recovered from their respective injuries and earning places in the touring squad.

Sharks begin European campaign

Lyon, the 2022 Challenge Cup champions, currently sit eighth on the Top 14 log after six rounds. They welcome the 2024 champions, the Hollywoodbets Sharks on Saturday.

Following the Challenge Cup encounter, the Durban-based side will travel to Wales to face Cardiff before heading to Ireland to take on ninth-placed Munster at the end of October.

The clash against Munster will bring the Sharks’ three-match overseas tour to a close.

Sharks squad

Forwards: Cameron Dawson, Deon Slabbert, Eduan Swart, Emile van Heerden, Esethu Mnebelele, Ethan Bester, Hanro Jacobs, Jason Jenkins, Manu Tshituka, Matt Romao, Nemo Roelofse, Nick Hatton, Phatu Ganyane, Stephan Lewies, Tinotenda Mavesere, Vincent Koch, Vincent Tshituka.

Backs: Bradley Davids, Gianni Lombard, Ivan van Zyl, Jaco Williams, Jaden Hendrikse, Jordan Hendrikse, Jurenzo Julius, Litelihle Bester, Murray Koster, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Zekhethelo Siyaya.

Injury list 

Eben Etzebeth - Lower limb injury - awaiting a further medical examination to determine the extent of the injury.
Fez Mbatha - Lower limb injury
Hendre Stassen - Tendon injury
Makazole Mapimpi - Hamstring injury
Phepsi Buthelezi - Shoulder injury
Vusi Moyo - Shoulder injury
Yaw Penxe - Peck injury

Louw suffered a near career-ending knee injury as a result of the hip-drop tackle early last year. He returned to action last November but has since struggled to regain his form.

The new laws will come into full effect on November 1. World Rugby says the offences will be added to the foul play law and sanctioned with at least a penalty kick.

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A hip-drop tackle occurs when a tackler uses their bodyweight to pull a ball carrier to the ground and drops onto their legs from behind.

Meanwhile, the knee-drop tackle involves a player dropping to one or both knees before tackling.

Although Louw has moved on from the injury that sidelined him for almost a year, he welcomes the changes and believes they will help protect players.

"I think they've implemented that rule in a few different sports," he said.

"I know it's also against the laws in the NFL, so I think it's a great adjustment to rugby.

"I think there are a lot of injuries. We saw last weekend against New Zealand and Australia, again an ankle injury with the hip drop, so I think it's a great addition to the laws."

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The changes also hit close to home for Louw, who knows first-hand how devastating a serious injury can be.

"It does hit me quite personally, but just for future players' safety, I'm very happy that they changed the law."

Louw returned to action for the Bulls in their 57-15 victory over the Lions last week.

Before that, he featured for the Springboks against Argentina and was part of the team that lost to Australia in Perth last month.

"Playing for the Boks was almost as good as the first time I played for the Boks.

"To get back into the setup after the injury was tough mentally for me. Some people just get back and play to the best of their ability, but I think I took a while to get back some of my form.

"I don't think I'm there yet, to be honest, but just to get an opportunity to be in the Springbok setup again was massive for me."

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Louw is set to feature for the Bulls this Saturday when they open their Investec Champions Cup campaign against Stade Français at Loftus Versfeld.

Having suffered several last-16 exits in the competition, Louw says the Bulls are determined to go further this season.

"We let it slip last season at home," he remarked.

"We want to try and win all the games at home and then make a statement overseas.

"I think there's a lot of misconception about this competition and the South African sides.

"We take it as seriously as any other team, and we want to win it; that's definitely our mindset."

Stade Français will arrive in Pretoria with two wins in their last three French Top matches.

They've also suffered some massive blows on the injury front, losing Lucas Peyresblanques, alongside No.8 Yoan Tanga and centre Noah Nene against Montpellier last week.

The Bulls have had the better of the French outfit before, beating them 47-8 in their last meeting. Louw, however, expects a tough battle.

"They have a big forward pack, a heavy forward pack, and they rely a lot on scrums, mauls and set-piece, so I think that's a massive battle for us.

"They have a lot of flair in the backline; you look at that French team, and how they play, that's definitely what we expect."

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Thumped 19-50 last Saturday in Auckland, Australia has a shot at Bledisloe Cup redemption, if not quite the chance to regain the prized trans-Tasman trophy, in the return bout in Sydney.

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While remaining tight-lipped about how the Wallabies can reverse a 31-point deficit in seven days, Suaalii is confident they will win the all-important aerial battle at Accor Stadium after losing the high-ball contest at their Eden Park burial ground.

After winning the aerial shootout 8-3 against the world-champion Springboks three weeks ago, the Wallabies crashed back to earth as the savvy New Zealanders dominated Les Kiss's men 8-3 in the bombing raids.

The All Blacks deliberately allowed Australia's back three first access to the high balls while bustling them into error and continually cleaning up the loose balls.

"I don't really want to speak about it because I don't want to give them our game plan going in for this week," Suaalii said.

"For us, it's watch the game back and, yeah, we know what we need to do, going into this Saturday.

"I'm very confident in our coaches and us as boys to really focus on that area, and I feel like we'll be great this weekend."

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Winger Harry Potter was a touch more expansive, acknowledging the high-ball battle had become more important than ever, and that the Wallabies had been working overtime to correct last Saturday's blunders.

"Over the last two years it's been a really interesting evolution of what the tactics are," Potter said.

"There used to be escorts and people; teams got really, really good at that. Teams have tried retreating catches, going up for it, as you saw New Zealand were putting sometimes two people into the contest.

"So it's constantly evolving, and it's always been an important part of the game. The tactics are the thing that's changing quite rapidly."

The Bledisloe gone for a 23rd straight year, the Wallabies are also coming off a loss for the first time in the Kiss era post Joe Schmidt.

"The first five games, really positive, like four wins and a draw," Potter said.

"And then the first time in the changing room with Les with a loss after the weekend. It was a tough one to take. Going to Eden Park, losing by 50 points was really hard.

"We didn't exactly need Les to tell us how to feel. We were certainly feeling it, but he's been really pragmatic this week. He's given us a really good review over the last couple of days, and we've got some solutions and a great game plan to go this weekend."

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The Stormers will face Bristol Bears in the opening round of the Investec Champions Cup at DHL Stadium this Saturday without the services of the in-form Hacjivah Dayimani, who suffered a concussion in their 39-22 United Rugby Championship victory over the Sharks.

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"He has a concussion, I don't know what his return-to-play timeline is, but he could be back next week [against Scarlets]," Dobson said in an online media conference on Tuesday.

"We've got a bit of a crisis at loose forward with Hacjivah, Ben-Jason Dixon, Marcell Theunissen, Ruan Ackermann and Keke Morabe all sidelined.

"And we're lucky that we can still field a loose trio of this quality with Deon Fourie on the bench.

"It's a reflection on our squad; this is where we will start to get tested on whether we can compete on two fronts in our first game of the Champions Cup."

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Giliomee arrived in Pretoria a week ago after spending the early stages of his professional career with the Durban-based franchise.

The 20-year-old is one of the most exciting prospects in South African rugby and introduced himself to the world in style on his United Rugby Championship (URC) debut against Munster last season.

He also featured for the Junior Springboks at the U20 Rugby Championship and played for the SA 'A' team against Zimbabwe in June.

Giliomee was scheduled to join the Bulls prior to the season starting but had to fulfil his contract obligations with the Sharks.

Despite joining the Bulls a few weeks into the season, Giliomee says he has settled in well at Loftus, with several Springboks helping him feel at home.

"It's been a flippin' good experience," he told reporters.

"I arrived on Sunday, got to training on Monday; the other guys were still on tour. Luckily enough, I had the privilege of being welcomed by the Springbok players.

"I had the privilege of training with them; I had a couple of walk-throughs with them and did my medicals with them. They showed me around and accepted me with open arms."

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While he has settled in well at Loftus, the 20-year-old admits that joining a new team after pre-season comes with its own challenges.

One of those is getting to grips with the Bulls' calls and playing systems.

"It's definitely an experience joining another team in the middle of the season.

"I believe I've done my best; I'm still trying to do my best to understand their calls and to be part of the Bulls' system.

"I'm just trying to make the rest of the guys comfortable playing with me."

Although his move to Pretoria was already on the cards, Giliomee finished his Sharks stint on a high, producing two impressive performances in his final two outings.

He was superb against the Ospreys on his way to being named man of the match and topped that up with another impressive performance against Leinster.

Despite preparing to leave the Sharks, he says he wanted to bow out in style.

"My mindset [for those games] was kind of like 'I have an opportunity this weekend', and I had great coaches that backed me.

"I realised that no matter the fact that I'm going to the Bulls, I still get the chance to perform, and they're backing me to perform.

"That was the motivational point for me, just to say thank you and to perform to the best of my abilities."

The Ceres-born star is in line to make his debut for the Bulls this Saturday against Stade Français in the opening round of the Investec Champions Cup.

He's described the competition as 'amazing' and hopes to make his mark against some of the best clubs in the world.

Beyond making an immediate impression, Giliomee is eager to learn from the experience around him and continue developing his game.

When asked which area of his game needed the most attention, the youngster refused to single one out.

"I think I need to improve on all aspects just to become better and start levelling up on everything.

"I'm gradually becoming a versatile player, and maybe there are some attack pointers that I can learn from the guys here.

"Defence pointers as well, and some key things I want to integrate into my game. I just want to become a better player."

Insaaf Levy has been called into the squad as Malinga’s replacement, while Anacadia Minnaar will also rejoin the group when the Springbok Women assemble in Stellenbosch on Wednesday to prepare for their two-Test series against Ireland.

The matches, scheduled for October 24 and October 31 at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town, will bring the 2026 WXV Global Series to a close for the hosts.

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Co-coaches Laurian Johannes-Haupt and Franzel September have otherwise opted for continuity, retaining the bulk of the squad that returned from a successful European tour, where South Africa faced Wales, Italy and Spain on consecutive weekends.

The Springbok Women finished the tour strongly with victories over Italy and Spain, building momentum ahead of their home Tests against the fifth-ranked Irish.

Minnaar was a late withdrawal from the European tour and returns in place of Felicia Jacobs. She has been part of the squad throughout the year and last featured against the Black Ferns just over a month ago.

Levy, meanwhile, featured in two of South Africa’s three Rugby Africa Women’s Cup Tests in Kenya in May before touring Brazil with the SA Women A team in August.

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“We opted for continuity as we have good momentum from the last couple of matches on tour, hence the call to stay with the same group of players,” said Johannes-Haupt.

“Anacadia could unfortunately not travel to Europe, but we are happy to have her back, while we also want to bring Insaaf closer to the action and tap into her skill set. Ireland are not the fifth-ranked team in the world for nothing – they will really test us.”

The squad will begin preparations on Thursday before travelling to Cape Town on Sunday to continue their build-up to the series.

“We are pleased with how the season progressed and want to finish it strong at home,” Johannes-Haupt added.

“Athlone Stadium has been a happy hunting ground for us in recent years, and it is a perfect setting for us to close out the season.”

Both Tests will kick off at 15:00 (SAST)

Free State Women centre Aisha Camara and Western Province prop Anothando Katshwa have also been invited to train with the squad during the camp.

Springbok Women squad for Ireland Tests

Forwards (18)

Aseza Hele (Boland Dames) – 38 caps, 90 points (18 tries)
Logan Welman (Western Province) – 9 caps, 30 points (6 tries)
Lerato Makua – 22 caps, 20 points (4 tries)
Sizophila Solontsi – 39 caps, 50 points (10 tries)
Catha Jacobs (Golden Lions Women) – 34 caps, 10 points (2 tries)
Aphiwe Ngwevu (Border Ladies) – 39 caps, 85 points (17 tries)
Sinelitha Noxeke (Bulls Daisies) – 10 caps, 5 points (1 try)
Nomsa Mokwai (Western Province) – 22 caps, 0 points
Danelle Lochner (Harlequins Women) – 27 caps, 10 points (2 tries)
Vainah Ubisi (Bulls Daisies) – 30 caps, 45 points (9 tries)
Babalwa Latsha (captain; Western Province) – 47 caps, 40 points (8 tries)
Nombuyekezo Mdliki (Border Ladies) – 19 caps, 10 points (2 tries)
Xoliswa Khuzwayo (Golden Lions Women) – 16 caps, 10 points (2 tries)
Yonela Ngxingolo (Bulls Daisies) – 49 caps, 20 points (4 tries)
Sanelisiwe Charlie (Bulls Daisies) – 35 caps, 10 points (2 tries)
Anushka Groenewald (Western Province) – 13 caps, 10 points (2 tries)
Lindelwa Gwala (Sharks Women) – 43 caps, 90 points (18 tries)
Micke Gunter (Leicester Tigers) – 20 caps, 15 points (3 tries)

Backs (12)

Jakkie Cilliers (RC Toulon Provence Méditerranée) – 29 caps, 168 points (12 tries, 48 conversions, 8 penalty goals)
Alichia Arries (Western Province) – 12 caps, 25 points (5 tries)
Patience Mokone – 7 caps, 20 points (4 tries)
Maria Tshiremba – 3 caps, 25 points (5 tries)
Maceala Samboya (Boland Dames) – 14 caps, 30 points (6 tries)
Naima Hlatshwayo (Bulls Daisies) – 3 caps, 10 points (2 tries)
Shiniqwa Lamprecht (Boland Dames) – 5 caps, 0 points
Byrhandré Dolf – 33 caps, 90 points (9 tries, 21 conversions, 1 penalty goal)
Mary Zulu (Sharks Women) – 19 caps, 45 points (1 try, 20 conversions)
Unam Tose (Bulls Daisies) – 34 caps, 17 points (3 tries, 1 conversion)
Anacadia Minnaar (EP Queens) – 9 caps, 3 points (1 penalty goal)
Insaaf Levy (Western Province) – 2 caps, 0 points

The Bulls confirmed that Moodie has been ruled out of Saturday's clash at Loftus Versfeld due to head injury assessment (HIA) protocols.

Moodie was one of 10 Springbok players who featured in the Bulls' emphatic 57-15 victory over the Lions in the United Rugby Championship Round three clash on Saturday.

*READ: Ackermann outlines Bulls' Champions Cup approach

The versatile back was forced off the field early in the second half after undergoing an HIA.

Before his departure, Moodie made his presence felt, scoring a try, competing brilliantly in the air and threatening the Lions' defence with several line breaks.

His absence is a blow for the Bulls as they turn their attention to the Champions Cup, where they will look to make a strong start to their campaign.

The Pretoria-based outfit have been South Africa's standard-bearers in the competition over the past three seasons, consistently outperforming their domestic rivals.

Last season, they reached the knockout stages despite winning just one of their pool matches, before suffering a last-16 exit at the hands of Glasgow Warriors.

Their best run came in the 2023/24 campaign, when they reached the quarterfinals before suffering a heavy 22-59 defeat to Northampton Saints.

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Bulls 2026/2027 Champions Cup squad:

Forwards: Alu Tshakweni, Gerhard Steenekamp, Sti Sithole, Dylan Smith, Francois Klopper, Mornay Smith, Khuta Mchunu, Jean Erasmus, Hencus van Wyk, Johan Grobbelaar, Akker van der Merwe, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Ruan Vermaak, Cobus Wiese, Jaco Grobbelaar, JF van Heerden, Reinhardt Ludwig, Marco van Staden, Marcell Coetzee, Nizaam Carr, Elrigh Louw, Hanro Liebenberg, Cameron Hanekom, Jeandre Rudolph.

Backs: Embrose Papier, Paul de Wet, Keagan Johannes, Handre Pollard, Curwin Bosch, Luan Giliomee, Harold Vorster, Sango Xamlashe, Pieter van der Merwe, Stedman Gans, Demetri Erasmu, Stravino Jacobs, Sebastian de Klerk, Canan Moodie, Cheswill Jooste, Dylan Maart, Willie le Roux, Hakeem Kunene

The Springbok loose forward returns from a hamstring injury for the blockbuster clash.

Roos’ comeback comes at a timely moment for the Cape side, with Hacjivah Dayimani ruled out due to concussion.

The only other changes to the starting line-up from last week’s clash against the Sharks see an entirely new front row selected.

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Vernon Matongo, JJ Kotzé and Sazi Sandi will run out just behind captain Ruhan Nel at DHL Stadium, with André-Hugo Venter, Ntuthuko Mchunu and Zachary Porthen set to make an impact from the replacements bench.

The starting backline is unchanged, with Warrick Gelant among the replacements.

Director of Rugby John Dobson said that his team is determined to make a strong start to the competition.

“We saw last season how important collecting points in the pool phase is in the Investec Champions Cup, which makes your home matches crucial.

*ALSO READ Hacjivah Dayimani's to-do list as Bok talk heats up

Dobson said that anticipation is building within the camp for another great day out at DHL Stadium on Saturday.

“The team is still buzzing from the incredible atmosphere created by our fans last week and we can’t wait to experience it all again as we take on a strong Bristol side that showed they understand what it takes to win in South Africa with a notable victory at Loftus Versfeld last season,” he added.

Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Sazi Sandi, 2 JJ Kotzé, 1 Vernon Matongo.
Replacements: 16 André-Hugo Venter, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Connor Evans, 20 Riley Norton, 21 Deon Fourie, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Warrick Gelant

Date: October 17, 2026
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
Kick-off: 16.15 SAST; 15.15 BST; 14.15 GMT
Referee: Kevin Bralley (France)
Assistant referees: Vincent Blasco Baque (France), Flavien Hourquet (France)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)

Exeter Chiefs boss Rob Baxter is set to bolster his squad after agreeing to sign André Goedhals from Jimmy Stonehouse's Pumas to strengthen his injury-hit second row.

The second row has been a problem area for Baxter, with Italian star Andrea Zambonin on the sidelines after a shoulder operation. Although he is closing in on a return to action, he could still be weeks away, as is Lewis Pearson.

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But he is looking to solve his problem by landing Goedhals, who holds a British passport after being born in Devon while his parents lived and worked in England, making him English-qualified.

Goedhals, 21, returned to South Africa when his family settled in Riversdale, a farming community in the Western Cape, before he finished his schooling at the renowned Oakdale Agricultural High School.

He was highly rated as a schoolboy and won Springbok Under-20 honours, but moved to the Pumas after fading and failing to live up to his early promise in the highly competitive Stormers setup.

Continues below...

Goedhals becomes the third member of the Pumas side to move to the PREM this summer after lock JJ Scheepers joined Sale Sharks, and prop Sampie Swiegers was snapped up by Harlequins.

Another Pumas ace, flanker Ruwald van der Merwe, has been taken to Scotland by Glasgow Warriors boss Franco Smith, and it continues Baxter’s shopping spree after last week announcing the signing of Carwyn Tuipulotu from Pau under the noses of Bristol Bears.

He hopes to have better luck with Goedhals than with Khwezi Mona, who played only nine games before being released in the summer, along with Kwenzo Blose, who made 24 appearances in two seasons at Sandy Park.

Former Springbok hooker Joseph Dweba, who moved to Devon at the start of last season, is yet to appear for the Chiefs in this campaign despite being in full training.

The Chiefs, who won their first game of the season against Newcastle Red Bulls on Sunday, will also welcome All Black Dallas McLeod from Canterbury at the end of the month after helping them reach the National Provincial Championship semifinals, where he scored seven tries in nine games.

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However, Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson believes the explosive loose forward still has work to do before earning a national call-up.

*Also read: Can Dayimani plug the Kwagga Smith gap?

Dayimani was one of the stars of the Stormers' 39-22 win over the Sharks in their Round Three United Rugby Championship clash.

The loose forward scored a brace of tries at DHL Stadium, while a Damian Willemse knock-on in the build-up denied the electric forward a hat-trick.

The 29-year-old also delivered impressive performances in the opening two rounds against Connacht and Edinburgh, earning the Stormers' player-of-the-match award in both outings.

"We have a players' man of the match, which always differs from what SuperSport [fan vote] comes up with.

"In the first two games, Hacjivah was a convincing winner," said Dobson after the win over Sharks in Cape Town.

Known for his incredible pace and skills, Dayimani is an exceptionally talented player. He previously enjoyed a stellar season with the Stormers and appeared poised to break into the Springbok set-up.

However, that dream did not materialise, and the loose forward subsequently headed to France and joined Racing 92 in 2024

Since returning to Cape Town, Dayimani appears to have added another dimension to his game, with Dobson particularly impressed by his physicality.

"What's changed about Hacjivah [since his return from France] is his stopping power.

"I don't know whether it's because he's decided what the gym is or because he's got more determined. But in that All Blacks [Rugby's Greatest Rivalry] game [in August], he was physical.

"Against Connacht, physical. The other thing I've enjoyed about him is his leadership."

Dayimani's versatility is another major asset. He can cover positions across the back row, while his pace and agility also make him a useful option on the wing and at centre.

"He's played a good number of Top 14 games on the wing. He moved onto the wing in the All Blacks game, and did really well. We're always going to be a 6-2 [bench] team, and you need one of the forwards to be able to play up there, so Hacjivah on the wing, that's the plan," said Dobson.

With Dayimani capable of covering multiple positions and Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus known to value versatile, hybrid players, talk of a national call-up is far from far-fetched.

"He's metamorphosised," Dobson said, adding: "I can't speak to his national [prospects].

"However at 29 years old and when you talk about hybrids, a guy who can run [the 100m sprint in] 10.80 and has stopping power, he has got to be in anybody's [selection] frame eventually.

"But look, he needs to do this [play consistently well] for a whole year because he hasn't ever given much hope before, if you know what I mean. He's had flashes of brilliance. He needs to build a proper innings. He's just at the start of it. If he carries on like this, I've got no doubt about it [his Bok chances]."

After three rounds of URC, the focus shifts to the opening round of Europe's premier competition, the Investec Champions Cup, and the secondary Challenge Cup.

With the Nations Championship resuming in just weeks, the European openers feature a distinct France versus South Africa clash.

The Bulls host French giants Stade Français at Loftus Versfeld, while the Stormers play at home against English outfit Bristol Bears.

The Lions, who will debut in the Champions Cup after spending years in the second-tier Challenge Cup, have the toughest task, as they travel to France to face Stade Rochelais at Stade Marcel Deflandre.

Stade Rochelais' crowning successes are highlighted by their historic back-to-back Champions Cup titles in 2022 and 2023, orchestrated by their Irish coach Ronan O'Gara.

They are currently in strong form, occupying fourth place in the French Top 14 standings, after a commanding 28-16 away victory against Lyon Olympique Universitaire.

Lyon Olympique Universitaire, or LOU as they are more commonly known, host South Africa's Sharks at the Matmut Stadium in Lyon.

(Continue below ....)

For the South African teams, there are plenty of pointers from the opening rounds of the URC, factors that will have a significant impact on their European campaigns.

Back to that 'blue line' in the URC stats.

The Bulls' 126 points (the only team with triple digits) and 19 tries (average of six per match) put them at the top of the tournament's attacking stats.

After a 47-13 rout of Zebre, they fell just short (22-26) away to Munster and then trampled the limp Lions (57-15) in the Trans-Jukskei derby this past weekend.

While their attacking form is to be applauded, the premonitory line comes by the way of their defensive stats.

Of their 374 attempted tackles, they missed 44 - a tackle success rate of just 80 percent.

Along with the 45 turnovers conceded, it leaves them hovering in a lowly 14th place.

The Stormers, placed fifth in the attack column and joint third with the Bulls on the URC standings (counted down to fourth on points difference), paint a slightly different picture.

Their 81 points and 11 tries may be significantly lower than that of the Bulls, but the Stormers are seventh on the defence ranking and have an 83 percent success rate.

[caption id="attachment_323780" align="alignnone" width="677"] These numbers make for some interesting reading[/caption]

As for the Lions, a team that openly favours an expansive approach, the picture looks dire.

They make their debut against one of Europe's giants at a terrifyingly intimidating venue on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, where Stade Rochelais maintains one of the strongest home-ground records in the game, anchored by a historic streak of 112 consecutive sold-out Top 14 league matches from January 2016 through January 2026.

Stade Marcel-Deflandre regularly sees La Rochelle concede fewer than 20 points across the majority of their home fixtures, turning the venue into a difficult fortress for both domestic Top 14 and European opponents.

The Lions' attack record is paltry, or rather 'toothless', if I may use the pun. Their 77 points and 11 tries have them in last place.

As for their defence, with 70 missed tackles (a tackle success rate of 76 percent) and 43 turnovers, they are only 10th.

Even more concerning for the Lions is their discipline. Twelve of their 30 penalties came from scrum offences, an aspect of the game they used to dominate against all comers.

Finally, the Sharks, who have a tricky trip to the Matmut Stadium in Lyon.

Their 10th place in the attack stats is from 89 points and 12 tries, with defence slightly superior (ranked ninth), including 56 missed tackles (79 percent tackle success rate) and 32 turnovers.

After some early season promise, with victories over Ospreys (41-24) and Leinster (26-20), their humbling loss to the Stormers (22-39) resulted in some questions about their ability to sustain significant form to be title contenders.

The trip to France is going to answer some of those questions.

@JanDKrugby

[caption id="attachment_323781" align="alignnone" width="595"] This spells trouble for some teams[/caption]

The All Blacks trio are benefitting from a World Rugby law change to represent a second nation, in time for the tournament starting in Australia next October, with Samoa having failed to reach the quarterfinals since 1995.

Fullback Stevenson, No.8 Akira Ioane and unrelated flyhalf Josh Ioane are expected to make their debuts during November's Nations Cup campaign which includes Tests against Zimbabwe, Portugal and Spain.

*READ: Jake White gets Fiji gig 

"I think it's massive, especially with the World Cup around the corner," La Rochelle's McFarland told AFP.

"They're quality players.

"I think the main thing is just getting to have cohesion.

"You can have all the talent, but I think the main thing for us is to play a bit more games with them and build ourselves leading into the World Cup," added McFarland, who turns 31 on Friday.

The recent additions have offered Samoan rugby some respite during ongoing off-field issues.

During the summer a new rugby union was launched in the country of 205,000 people due to an impasse between the current Lakapi Samoa body and the national government.

"I don't really know what's going on," 24-time Test player McFarland said.

"As a player, I feel like that's out of my control. My job is just to be ready for whenever I get the call and play the game of rugby to the best of my ability representing Samoa.

"That's my thought process on it," the former Samoa basketball international added.

Out of comfort zone

He has played three out La Rochelle's six games so far this campaign, crossing for a try against Clermont earlier this month.

La Rochelle are fourth in the Top 14 table after four wins from six this term, including an impressive away win over Lyon last Saturday.

"I felt like it was the right moment to get out of my comfort zone and experience something new," he said.

"La Rochelle got in touch with me and it just felt like it was the right club to come to after speaking with O'Gara.

"I felt it was the right option to come here and develop more as a player."

McFarland has adapted quickly to life in France, learning enough of the language to order coffees in the port town on his days off.

"It just feels like I'm back at home, back in Samoa," McFarland said.

"With the sun, it's a nice day, you get up in the morning and you're ready to seize the day. All of that adds up really."

This weekend, McFarland's side launch their bid for a third Champions Cup trophy, having won the trophy in 2022 and 2023, as they host the Johannesburg-based Lions.

"These are the sort of games that you get hyped up for," he said.

"There's a lot of confidence going into this week's first round. We're definitely looking forward to the challenge."

Nawaqanitawase is the most talked about talent in either game after crowning his spectacular two-season stint in the NRL with a game-breaking two-try haul in the Sydney Roosters' 19-18 grand final triumph over Newcastle.

Unless he opts for a shock allegiance switch to either lesser lights Italy or Fiji, who he is also eligible to play for through his grandmother and father respectively, the dual international shapes as a genuine rival to Suaalii for a Wallabies wing spot at next year's World Cup in Australia.

First-year Wallabies coach Les Kiss shifted Suaalii from the centres for last week's Bledisloe Cup I loss to the All Blacks in Auckland.

As well as Nawaqanitawase, Kiss will be trying to find room in the Wallabies backline next year for fellow Roosters premiership winner and one-time Australian schoolboys centre Angus Crichton, an ex-teammate of Suaalii.

Rather than fear for his own spot, Suaalii says bring the challenge on and reckons having Nawaqanitawase and Crichton on deck can "100 per cent" only boost Australia's World Cup chances.

"The more internal competition we have, the better our team's going to be," he said after Wallabies training in Sydney on Tuesday.

"For Marky and Gussie to come across, and Gussie coming to the Waratahs, he'll be a great addition for us.

"Then also Marky's skill set, you've seen what he's done over in NRL. He was great. Not many people have done what he's done in the game for two years.

"Watching him from afar, he did things that not many people can do. For him to come and bring that over here, it will be great for us."

*ALSO READ 'An incredible honour': Jake White lands head coach role ahead of World Cup 2027

Nawaqanitawase officially finishes his contract with the Roosters on October 31 to join the Saitama Wild Knights and said last month that he was committed to taking a holiday with family and friends before linking with his Japanese club.

"Having that respect just to start up a new club and find my feet there," he said.

"It'll be my first time living out of home, so I just get my head around cooking for myself, working out how things work around the house."

Kiss said last week he planned to speak with Nawaqanitawase and Suaalii welcomed the prospect of the freakish talent being available ASAP for the Wallabies.

"You want your best players here," Suaalii said.

"We brough Jordan (Petaia) over from Japan. He's been a great addition for us as a group. You want your best players training, playing. Yeah, we're one year to the World Cup now, so each game's very important. We know what it does each week.

"But Les is the man who makes the call."

Kiss's more immediate call will be whether or not to make any changes to his side walloped 50-19 in Auckland, leaving the Wallabies to surrender the Bledisloe Cup for a 23rd straight year ahead of Saturday's return bout in Sydney on Saturday night.

White, who helped the Springboks lift the Webb Ellis trophy in 2007, was announced by the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) on Tuesday after beating a strong field of applicants including Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards.

He replaces Senirusi Seruvakula, who was appointed to the position on an interim basis in April and oversaw the Flying Fijians' mid-year Tests in July, as well as the 2026 Pacific Nations Cup last month.

White coached South Africa from 2004 to 2007. More recently, he was the Bulls' Director of Rugby between 2020 and 2025.

His international experience includes a technical advisory role with Tonga in 2014 and he has also coached in France and Japan.

With the World Cup starting on October 1, Fiji have been drawn in a pool alongside Spain, Canada and Argentina and will look to improve on their quarterfinal showing in 2023 in France, which included a historic win over the Wallabies.

The 62-year-old will also get a chance to face his former team when Fiji take on South Africa in a warm-up match in September on the NSW Central Coast, as the Springboks eye a third consecutive Rugby World Cup title.

"It is an incredible honour to be given the opportunity to lead the Flying Fijians," said White.

"Fiji holds a special place in world rugby. There are very few nations where the game means so much to its people, and where the players bring such extraordinary natural ability, courage and passion to the field.

"Having coached at the highest level, including at a Rugby World Cup, I understand the preparation, discipline, belief and collective commitment required to compete against the best teams in the world.

"What excites me most about Fiji is the potential. This is a nation that has already shown it can challenge the world’s rugby powers.

"My responsibility is to work with the players, coaches and everyone involved in Fiji Rugby to build on that foundation and turn potential into consistent performances.

"I am not coming to Fiji to change what makes Fijian rugby special. I want to protect that identity, strengthen it and combine it with the structures, discipline and winning habits that will allow these players to express their talents on the biggest stage.

"Our journey begins immediately with the historic Test against Japan, followed by important challenges against France, Ireland and Italy in November.

"Every one of those matches will be an opportunity to learn, improve and establish the standards we need heading towards Rugby World Cup 2027.

"I know what winning a Rugby World Cup means to a country. I have seen how it can unite a nation and inspire generations.

"The talent is here. The passion is here. Now we must put in the work to build something truly special."

Additional sources: AAP & Fiji Rugby Union

With the Stormers at a critical juncture in their season, at the start of their European campaign, Stormers Director of Rugby John Dobson revealed that his 'planning' has been meticulous.

With the brutal lessons of last season's disappointing Round of 16 departure from the Champions Cup, Dobson has devised an unyielding blueprint - a 'critical four-week path' in October.

Their Euro journey kicks off with an electrifying showdown against the formidable Bristol Bears from the English Premiership, setting the stage for a dramatic opening round.

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For Dobson, the concept of squad rotation has evolved beyond simple management.

It is now an essential strategy in this high-stakes environment.

As the team gears up for a new campaign, the directive from leadership is clear and unwavering: victory in this inaugural match is non-negotiable.

In the fiercely competitive landscape of the Champions Cup, their home ground must serve as an impenetrable fortress, and the quest for maximum points is vital in securing a prized home play-off position.

The 'critical path' involves the management of their Springboks, who still have a gruelling four-week Nations Championship campaign coming up in November.

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"We will have them up to the game against Ulster," he said about the Champions Cup outing against Bristol Bears, along with URC encounters with Scarlets and the Irish province, Ulster, all in Cape Town.

He added that he offered all his Boks one game off, but almost to a man they turned it down.

After the November break, when the Boks will be heavily involved in four weeks of Nations Championship fixtures, the South African franchises return to URC and European action.

Dobson admitted that it will be a tall order for the Boks, after a gruelling month of international action, to back up when the franchises restart on December 5.

The Sharks host the Stormers at Kings Park, in Durban, before travelling to France to face defending Champions Cup champions Union Bordeaux Bègles and return to Cape Town for a URC derby against the Lions.

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"I can't see, even if they are available, that it is fair for them to play against the Sharks, after four weeks in Europe and the emotion of the Nations Championship," the Stormers boss said, adding: "We'll have to give them off that Sharks week."

Then the Boks are available, barring injury, through till February, when the Stormers face Bordeaux Bègles, Lions, Bulls (URC in Cape Town), Gloucester (Champions Cup, Kingsholm Stadium), Racing 92 (Champions Cup, Cape Town), Cardiff (URC, Cape Town) and Zebre (URC, Cape Town).

During the Six Nations window, there will be a couple of domestic derbies they will miss.

"After the Sharks it will be 'full metal jacket' through to the end of January," Dobson said.

"We have a thing we call the 'critical path', documenting the next four games," the Stormers' Director of Rugby said, hinting that the 13-17 away loss to Edinburgh would have been the weakest team they will field this season.

"The main group will all get game time in the next four weeks," he added.

@JanDKrugby

The Bulls will begin their quest for European glory when they host French outfit Stade Français at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

Ackermann's troops will head into that clash flush with confidence after their emphatic derby victory, with their Springbok stars firing on all cylinders.

The Bulls have been South Africa's standard-bearers in the competition over the past three seasons, consistently outperforming their domestic rivals.

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Last season, they reached the knockout stages despite winning just one of their pool matches, before suffering a last-16 exit at the hands of Glasgow Warriors.

Their best run came in the 2023/24 season, when they reached the quarterfinals but suffered a heavy 22-59 defeat to Northampton Saints.

While his side is yet to crack the top four, Ackermann rates the competition highly and believes the winner can lay claim to being the best club team on the planet.

"I personally think it's one of the best, if not the best, competitions in the world," he said.

"Purely because, apart from Australia and New Zealand, you play every country, and if you lift that trophy, you probably can say you're the best club team in the world.

"If you play Toulouse, you're playing against a French side; if you're playing Leinster, you're playing against an Irish side, and it challenges you in your squad depth."

The Bulls will play two pool matches at home and two away.

The home games will be against Stade Français and Bath. Ackermann stressed the importance of making their fixtures at Loftus count.

"The bottom line of the Investec Champions Cup is that you must win your home games," he added.

"If you win your home games, you will be in the play-offs probably, but then if you can get one away win you'll get a home play-off.

"That will be ideal [home play-off], but first of all, win your home games. Anything can happen; hopefully our injury front will allow us to pick a strong team to compete in that competition."

Despite the importance of home advantage, Ackermann knows the Bulls cannot afford to take anything for granted.

"Every home game won't make you relax; the pressure is always on when you play at home.

"People will expect you to win, and I think in theory, if you win your home games in any competition, you give yourself at least a chance.

"The pressure will be on; I don't think we will afford to be relaxed."

The story continues below...

Ackermann is also weighing up his selection options for Saturday's clash, with the Bulls coach considering whether to stick with a similar matchday squad or introduce fresh faces.

The Bulls have welcomed recruits in recent weeks, with Luan Giliomee and Hencus van Wyk among the players who could feature soon.

Ackermann also revealed that he used the derby against the Lions to familiarise the new players with the team's processes.

"We had a few guys on purpose being backup players.

"Guys like Dylan Maart, Luan Giliomee, Hencus and Sango [Xamlashe] because we used the opportunity to show them if they do play, this is what we do before the game, during the game and how the process works.

"So that if they get selected, it's not something new. Those guys have to be patient, and if they get the opportunity, then they can show their qualities."

The WRU confirmed the appointment of Welsh businessman Lyndon Faulkner.

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Faulkner says he has used his athletic determination and team leadership, forged as a young player in the amateur era on rugby pitches throughout Wales, to drive success in the business world during his distinguished career.

“I know personally how important Welsh rugby is in many different ways to the nation,” said Faulkner, who will be in place at the helm of the WRU by the time of its next Annual General Meeting on Sunday, November 22.

“So, it is a huge privilege for me to return to Welsh rugby as chair of the WRU and give something back to a sport which has helped define me and means so much to me, my family, friends and the people of Wales.

“Empowered by the high standards and scrutiny of the interview process that recruited me, I look forward to meeting member clubs at our AGM in November and listening and learning from all of the major stakeholders across both the community and professional game in the coming weeks.

“This is a pivotal time for the game, and I will start by listening to those around me and of course remaining open to credible challenge.”

Faulkner’s mandate as the new independent chair of the Welsh Rugby Union is to continue to lead the Board in setting the strategic direction for the game in Wales and to hold its executive team and staff to account for its implementation.

He will dedicate significant time to the role on a weekly basis in a professional capacity and will also represent the WRU in an ambassadorial capacity at the highest level around the global game.

WRU vice-chair John Manders said: “We are delighted to welcome Lyndon to lead the WRU Board.

“To be able to attract someone with such obvious high-calibre business credentials, who is also steeped in Welsh rugby heritage, is a major coup for us and a testament to the strength of the very proactive recruitment process we have been engaged in.”

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The Johannesburg-based side suffered a brutal 15-57 loss to the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in the United Rugby Championship but will have little time to dwell on the result as they prepare for a demanding three-week European tour.

*READ: Lions coach after Bulls defeat

The Lions have named a 30-player squad for the trip, which begins with a heavyweight clash against French giants La Rochelle this Saturday. The squad will depart for France on Monday.

However, the Lions have suffered an injury blow, with prop Sebastian Lombard ruled out of the tour after sustaining an ankle injury during Saturday's defeat.

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There is better news elsewhere, with flyhalf/centre Bronson Mills, lock Etienne Oosthuizen and wing Erich Cronje all returning from injury and earning places in the touring squad.

Oosthuizen and Cronje also took part in the team's warm-up ahead of the Bulls clash as they continued their recovery.

The team will be captain by Francke Horn.

With three demanding fixtures in quick succession, the Lions will need to regroup quickly, manage their resources carefully and address the shortcomings exposed by the Bulls if they are to make a strong impression on the European stage.

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Lions squad:

Forwards: Hyron Andrews, Morne Brandon, PJ Botha, Ruan Delport, Batho Hlekani, Francke Horn (captain), SJ Kotze, Tiaan Lange, Siba Mahashe, Sikumbuzo Notshe, Etienne Oosthuizen, Siba Qoma, JC Pretorius, RF Schoeman, Dylan Sjoblom, Ruan Swart, Conrad van Vuuren, Boan Venter.

Backs: Ethan Adams, Zian Cilliers, Boeta Chamberlain, Erich Cronje, Quan Horn, Richard Kriel, Bronson Mills, Kelly Mpeku, Nico Steyn, Chris Smith, Morne van den Berg, Henco van Wyk.

Head coach Johan Ackermann named 24 forwards and 18 backs ahead of their Round One EPCR Champions Cup clash against Stade Francais at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

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*Also read: Hits & Misses: Rampaging Hanekom and Krappie's costly brainfart

The squad includes World Cup winner Handre Pollard, Curwin Bosch, and Luan Giliomee as the primary playmakers alongside fullbacks Willie le Roux and Hakeem Kunene.

The second row consists of Ruan Vermaak, Cobus Wiese, Jaco Grobbelaar, JF van Heerden, and Reinhardt Ludwig, who are getting the nod.

In the loose trio, Marco van Staden and Marcell Coetzee cover the flanks alongside Nizaam Carr, Elrigh Louw, and captain Hanro Liebenberg, with Cameron Hanekom and Jeandre Rudolph named as the No.8s.

Bulls 2026/2027 Champions Cup squad:

Backs: Embrose Papier, Paul de Wet, Keagan Johannes, Handre Pollard, Curwin Bosch, Luan Giliomee, Harold Vorster, Sango Xamlashe, Pieter van der Merwe, Stedman Gans, Demetri Erasmu, Stravino Jacobs, Sebastian de Klerk, Canan Moodie, Cheswill Jooste, Dylan Maart, Willie le Roux, Hakeem Kunene

The Boks are currently at the top of the southern conference in the Nations Championship.

If they beat Italy, France and Ireland in the coming Tests, they may qualify for the Grand Final in London at the end of November.

That said, coach Rassie Erasmus may view the upcoming tour to Europe as a final opportunity to experiment ahead of the 2027 World Cup.

Squad development has been a priority since the beginning of Erasmus' tenure, and as a result, the Boks have three or four quality options across most positions.

And yet, the search for a like-for-like alternative to Kwagga Smith continues.

The versatile player – who covers all three back-row positions as well as centre and wing – was sidelined with a serious knee injury earlier this year. He won't return to action until 2027.

Over the past few months, Erasmus has attempted to plug the gap left by Smith on the Bok bench.

Cameron Hanekom – who covers all three back-row positions – certainly made the most of his opportunities in the marquee matches against the All Blacks to stake a claim for a place in next year's World Cup squad.

While the Boks will need players like Hanekom in Australia, they may also need an alternative to Smith, should the veteran succumb to another injury.

The inclusion of a player like Smith gives the Boks so many more options on their bench and ultimately across their "finishing XV".

As seen in many Tests over the past nine years, Smith has often been the key to a six-two or seven-one split.

Perhaps the time is right to consider another player who is good enough to contribute in the forwards as well as the backs, namely Hacjivah Dayimani.

The Stormers hybrid has been one of South Africa's form players during the first three rounds of the United Rugby Championship.

As Bok flanker turned commentator Schalk Burger noted after the recent win against the Sharks, Dayimani has started to deliver for the Stormers in the trenches, and is a more complete player than was the case when he won the URC title with the Cape side in 2022.

While Dayimani has scored three tries in three matches, it's his work-rate against Connacht, Edinburgh and the Sharks that has caught the eye.

The Stormers lost to Edinburgh in Round Two, but Dayimani made 17 tackles – including four dominant hits.

The versatile player has been one of the Stormers' top carriers in recent fixtures, and has been deployed "up the guts" rather than on the edges where his speed is typically maximised.

As Stormers coach John Dobson observed after the win against the Sharks, Dayimani has lost none of his pace, and it will be interesting to see how his role changes once the team's first-choice No.8 – Evan Roos – returns from injury.

Dayimani may move back to No.7, or take up a Smith-type role on a Stormers' bench that often features six forwards.

Whatever the case, he will give the Stormers more options and amplify their threat.

There's still time for the 29-year-old to break into the Bok set-up, even if he doesn't travel with the team to the World Cup next year.

The story continues below...

In 2028, many of the older Boks will move on, and Erasmus will rebuild the squad with a view to peaking at the next global tournament in 2031.

But with Smith nursing a serious injury at present, it may be time for Erasmus to consider what Dayimani can offer as a rare type of hybrid that plays in the forwards and backs.

This is not to suggest that Dayimani should jump the queue and start the big Tests this November.

Paul de Villiers, Hanekom, Elrigh Louw and a few other second- and third-choice players will be desperate for an extended run before 2027.

There may be value, however, in bringing Dayimani into the national set-up sooner rather than later.

Better that the Boks have a look at Dayimani now than in July next year, if the worst-case scenario comes to pass, and Smith breaks down with another injury that rules him out of the World Cup.

While Dayimani has a special skill-set, he will certainly benefit from some direct feedback from the Bok coaches.

Every player who attends a national alignment camp or training session receives a "road map" or breakdown of their work-ons.

If Dayimani joins the squad this November, he will get a direct answer to the question of what more he needs to do to become a capped Bok.

At the same time, Erasmus and company will find out whether Dayimani is ready to serve as Smith's understudy, and whether he deserves more opportunities in 2027.

The Boks have had a successful season to date, but in a sense, their options have been limited in the absence of key Bomb Squad regulars like Smith and RG Snyman, who is also sidelined with a serious injury.

Smith should be back in 2027, but perhaps it's time to look at a contingency plan and an alternative in that specialist role.

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In Cape Town, the Stormers denied the Sharks an opportunity to make it three wins on the trot (and three against them) as they soared to a comprehensive 39-22 victory, while the Bulls hammered the Lions 57-15 in Pretoria to hand them their first defeat of the season.

The returning Springboks played a massive role in the success of the Stormers and the Bulls, while there were also Boks who would have hoped for a stronger outing, like props Ox Nche and Thomas du Toit who failed to make the impact everybody expected at scrum time.

*Also read: Sharks boss' take on scrum struggles against Stormers

With the URC taking a one-week break to accommodate the opening round of the Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup next weekend, a positive result would certainly have been the goal for all teams.

We look at the highs and lows from Round Three of the URC.

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Hits:

Stormers' set-piece salvation

One of the worst things about their defeat in Scotland was that they could have certainly come away with a win and made it two-out-of-two in Europe after beating Connacht in the opening round.

Their maul is one of their biggest strengths, and the fact that they couldn't even secure their own throw-ins at the line-out made a powerful maul nothing more than a pipedream.

In their first game at home, however, they sure made up for it.

The Stormers owned the scrums, with Wilco Louw and Ntuthuko Mchunu humiliating Nche and Du Toit, who conceded a handful of scrum penalties in the first half alone.

The Sharks got no relief in the second 40, with the Stormers getting a pushover try early on after the break.

Their line-out improvement, however, was key.

With Andre Hugo-Venter back in the starting berth, there was promise of an improved line-out, and it delivered, with the hosts winning 15 of their 16 throws, while they poached three of the Sharks'.

John Dobson’s men also scored two tries from powerful drives to the back end of the first half.

Those weren't the only ones, and seeing one of the Stormers' biggest strengths back to its full potency was a highlight in their superb effort.

Continues below...

Misses:

Lions' costly yellow

It was a moment of madness from Van den Berg, who slapped the ball from Paul de Wet's grasp as the Bulls were surging towards the try line.

Johan Grobbelaar got the try anyway, and Van den Berg was sent to the sin bin to boot.

From there on, the Bulls ran away with it, scoring two tries through Hanekom in Van den Berg's absence.

It was a crushing loss for the Lions after a fantastic start to the season, with victories over the Ospreys and reigning champions Leinster in the first two rounds.

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Courtnall Skosan called time on a 16-year professional career via social media on Sunday.

Skosan represented South Africa in 12 Tests in 2017 and scored two tries during his international career.

He started his youth career with the Bulls in 2010 before making his senior debut for the Pretoria-based franchise in the Currie Cup in 2011, where he donned the light blue jersey for two seasons and scored seven tries in 12 appearances.

His career took off when he joined the Lions in 2014 under Johan Ackermann, representing the Johannesburg-based side on 84 occasions, which included three Super Rugby finals and scoring 38 tries, before joining Northampton Saints in 2021, where he scored a hat-trick on debut.

He also formed part of the 2015 Lions team that won the Currie Cup against Western Province at Ellis Park.

His final chapter came in 2023 when he returned to his home province to join the Stormers, where he notched up seven appearances and four for Western Province (Stormers XXIII) in 2024.

Continues below...

In his social media post, Skosan said: "It took me three months to summarise the best 16 years of my life. Thank you, rugby!

"From a small-town boy in Northpine, Cape Town, to living a dream I once could only pray about. Today I close one chapter of my life with a heart full of gratitude," Skosan said before highlighting his career path.

The Bulls: Where the door opened

Winning the 2013 Varsity Cup with Tuks.

Winning the 2015 Currie Cup trophy.

"The man who inspired me to play rugby. Some victories mean more than the silverware."

Springbok debut

He concluded: "To every coach, teammate, club, supporter, friend and family member who played a part in this 16-year journey: thank you.

"For the opportunities, the lessons, the love and the memories, I am forever grateful. The boots may be hung up, but the purpose remains.

"From Northpine to the world, this chapter has been more than I could ever ask for. The best is yet to come."

Kellaway scored 14 tries for the Wallabies after making his international debut against France in Brisbane in 2021.

The former NSW Waratahs back confirmed the news in a post on Instagram, reflecting on 12 years in the game.

“Closing the curtain on 12 incredible years. Special people, special places and lots to remember,” Kellaway wrote.

“Big thank you to everyone who supported along the way and those that played a part. It’s been real.”

Kellaway was not selected for the Wallabies this year following the Waratahs' struggles in Super Rugby and came off contract with the Sydney-based franchise at the end of the 2026 season.

However, the former Test star had already begun preparing for life beyond rugby, taking up part-time work at a foreign exchange company in 2024.

*Continues below...

Kellaway told nine.com.au in 2025 that he was excited about the next chapter of his career.

“My career after rugby in a weird way really excites me... try and excel and work your way up exactly like you did in rugby. Hopefully, it provides a bit of balance, and we’ll see where we go,” he said.

“It’s still a little bit like first day at school in the office at the moment. I don’t know what to do with my hands, and it’s a bit weird, but no, it’s good.”

Kellaway also joked about finding his feet in the corporate world, wondering whether he should write something on the office board to demonstrate that he was contributing.

Kellaway leaves behind impressive rugby career

His talent was evident from an early age. He broke into The Scots College first XV while still in Year 10 before earning selection for Australian Schools and the national Under-20 side.

Kellaway announced himself on the international stage at the 2014 World Rugby Under-20 Championship, scoring 10 tries in five matches to set a tournament record jointly held by future All Blacks Julian Savea and Zac Guildford.

His career also included a stint with the Rebels, whose collapse in 2024 paved the way for his return to Sydney to be closer to his wife, Claudia, and their two young children.

After 49 Tests, 14 international tries and 12 years in professional rugby, Kellaway now turns his attention to life beyond the game.

The Bulls and the Stormers came out on top in their respective derbies against the Lions and the Sharks, with the Stormers exacting revenge over the Sharks with a commanding 39-22 win at Cape Town Stadium and the Bulls obliterating the Lions 57-15 at Loftus.

While the results were important for the winning sides after both suffered defeats away from home in Round Two, with the Stormers going down to Edinburgh and the Bulls falling short against Munster, the individual performances that secured those results were equally important for the Springboks.

The Boks will resume their Nations Championship campaign in November, with Tests against Italy, France, and Ireland on their schedule for the Northern Hemisphere leg of the global tournament.

While they top the combined log after three Nations Championship wins against England, Scotland, and Wales during the July window and followed it up with a win over Argentina in Buenos Aires and three straight victories over the All Blacks in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, there were a number of players who were far from their best.

The story continues below...

Experimenting and testing combinations has been a major focus for Springbok boss Rassie Erasmus, and while there is a pretty clear picture of who his front-rankers are building up to the 2027 World Cup, some questions still linger as to his back-ups are a little over a year out from the global showpiece in Australia.

The mass return of Springboks were the driving force behind success for the Stormers and the Bulls, while some, like Sharks props Ox Nche and Thomas du Toit, had a forgettable afternoon as they were utterly outplayed (and outscrummed) by Wilco Louw and Ntuthuko Mchunu.

So, not all Boks delivered, but those who did were superb.

Cameron Hanekom started at No.8 for the Bulls and had an absolute blinder.

While Jasper Wiese owned the back of the scrum position this season, his back-up wasn't as obvious, and the same could be said for a number of other Bok positions.

But a real claim was staked at the weekend.

Hanekom was in such a rampant mood against the Lions that he looked in a league of his own at times, and that's saying something considering how polished and clinical the Bulls were as a collective.

From that hand-off that had Richard Kriel shooting in the opposite direction to his lectures in physicality, Hanekom made a statement with that outing.

Canan Moodie was another standout and put up a show that was graceful and constantly threatening at the same time, and perhaps the most pleasing aspect of his devastating stint was how clean it was.

When you get involved everywhere like that, a mistake or two is bound to slip in, but not in this case. And with guys like Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse at the front of the wing queue - and with Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel an established centre pairing - a performance like this one was much needed by Moodie to make his name a more prominent feature in the Bok-wing discussions.

Down in the Cape, Feinberg-Mngomezulu returned to form in sensational fashion with a masterful performance at 10.

His individual performance was perhaps the most important one in the national frame.

The 24-year-old started in all four Tests against New Zealand despite being way off the mark by his own standards, but his performance for the Stormers in Cape Town in his first match back at his franchise should provide a massive confidence boost ahead of his upcoming international assignments.

Based on his latest display, you'd never have guessed that as little as a month ago he struggled to emulate the form that saw him become the Boks' first-choice 10.

He was all class against a Bok-laden Sharks outfit, setting up opportunities for those around him and for himself, with terrific kicking from hand and a running game that showed just why he is such a highly-rated presence.

He had the confidence, he had the influence, and the mental boost he got from this derby might just have been what he needed to get back on track for the Boks.

It wasn't flawless from the Bok contingent as a whole, but those who had to deliver, did. And they did it in style.

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Australian coach Les Kiss has been forced to search far and wide for centre cover after Len Ikitau's concussion and Jordan Petaia's (ankle) training injury ruled them out of this Saturday's Sydney rematch.

Victory extended the All Blacks' hold on the Cup to 24 years and improved their Eden Park unbeaten run against all-comers to 54 games. It was also the side's 11th-straight defeat of the Wallabies, who haven't won a Test in New Zealand since 2001.

Petaia shaped as a likely replacement in Sydney for reigning player of the year Ikitau, who left Saturday's 50-19 Eden Park loss with concussion inside the first half hour.

But the former Queensland Reds talent, who since had an NFL cameo, A season in French rugby and is currently signed in Japan, boarded a separate flight to Brisbane wearing a moon boot on Sunday morning.

Kiss is already without the suspended Hunter Paisami, while influential lock Josh Canham (hamstring) and the unavailable Europe-based forwards Taniela Tupou and Tom Hooper were missed in Auckland.

Centre options Josh Flook (Achilles) and Treyvon Pritchard (ankle) are both recovering from long-term injuries.

Instead, speedy winger Corey Toole and his ACT Brumbies teammate Kadin Pritchard, a centre and Treyvon's older brother, will join the squad in Sydney later on Sunday.

It will be 22-year-old Pritchard's first time in Wallabies camp.

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, who had been establishing himself as a wing threat, was moved back into the centres after Ikitau's injury to partner Isaac Henry.

Versatile back Filipo Daugunu is another option currently with the squad.

*Continues below...

The All Blacks on Sunday ruled out four of their own, with Asafo Aumua and Anton Segner (concussion), Leroy Carter (ankle) and Ethan Blackadder (calf) - who wasn't even playing but hurt himself in the warm-up - all casualties.

Hurricanes flanker Du'plessis Kirifi is among those added to the squad, displaying the depth at coach Dave Rennie's disposal.

Ikitau's absence in particular only adds to the task ahead of a side that scored first and could have led again early in the second half, before the All Blacks completely dominated the final 30 minutes.

Australia's aerial game that was so impressive in a win against South Africa a fortnight ago was nowhere to be seen at a venue they remain winless at since 1986, 24 Tests ago.

Donaldson, wearing the No.10 for the third-straight Test after waiting almost two years between starts, pulled off a brilliant tip-pass that sent Tom Wright over for the game's opening try.

And his exchange with Harry Wilson sent the captain over for a try late in the first half to make it a three-point game.

But his and halfback Ryan Lonergan's in-game kicking did not compare to All Blacks halfback Cam Roigard's, while Damian McKenzie ran riot in the No.10 and centre Jordie Barrett was a monster in defence.

"They're the small margins, right? Me and Lonners (Lonergan) were just having a chat in there," Donaldson said.

"Against the Boks our kicking game we thought was quite good and then today, you know, might be 10 per cent off, but that adds up in the end."

Carter Gordon is recovering from a broken leg and Kiss is reluctant to call in a veteran playmaker like James O'Connor or Bernard Foley, with Declan Meredith and uncapped Harry McLaughlin-Phillips the other No.10s in the squad.

"You never know how many opportunities you're going to get and you don't want to mess up that opportunity that you do get," Donaldson said.

"But if you're thinking about messing it up or failing or whatever, you're probably already gone.

"So I dial into my prep and then come out and just have fun on game day.

"Les has given me full license just to play from wherever; kick, run, pass.

"There was some good patches but myself and the team were far from our best."

The 35-year-old former England wing, who spent three seasons in American football with the NFL's Buffalo Bills, now needs just one more try to equal the retired Ashton's record, set in April 2023.

Ashton and Wade are the only two players to have scored a century of Prem tries.

"Christian is a really good man," Newcastle boss Dan McFarland told the BBC.

"In terms of what he brings on the field, he's got the dancing feet, he's got the speed and he's got a danger out there that has to be marked."

Wade scored the bulk of his tries during his seven-year spell at Wasps before leaving Rugby Union for American football in 2018.

He joined the Bills in 2019 and scored a touchdown on his very first play in a pre-season game.

But he did not break into the team's NFL roster and was released in April 2022.

Wade then moved to France, playing for Paris-based Racing 92. He returned to England in 2024 with southwest side Gloucester and after a short spell joined Newcastle in 2025.

"For a guy who's not one of the new age of 6ft 3in [1.90 metre] wingers, he can dominate the aerial battle, so he's done a really good job for us there," said McFarland.

Exeter boss Rob Baxter admitted Wade was still a tough opponent, saying: "Fair play to him, now he's still performing well and he's obviously still got a great top-end pace."

Meanwhile, Harlequins coach Jason Gilmore said his side had restored pride despite a 24-28 loss away to Sale on Sunday that condemned them to their third straight league defeat this season.

Fit-again England playmaker Marcus Smith marked his return from injury with two early tries for Quins, who suffered a humiliating 0-48 loss to Gloucester last weekend.

But Sale snatched victory with a penalty try seven minutes from time.

"It's disappointing," said Gilmore.

"We probably created three chances in the first half which we didn't take which came back to bite us. Two bonus points on the road up here is, I wouldn't say pleasing, but I'm just happy for the boys that they got some reward out of their work."

See below for Sunday's scores and scorers!

Sale 28-24 Harlequins

For Sale:
Tries: Canakaivata, Warr, Bamber, Penalty Try
Cons: Ford 3

For Harlequins:
Tries: Riley 2, Smith 2
Cons: Smith 2

Exeter 34-28 Newcastle

For Exeter:
Tries: Vintcent 2, Slade, Harris, Tchumbadze
Cons: Slade 3
Pen: Slade

For Newcastle:
Tries: Wade 3 Hicks
Cons: Henry 4

The Springbok hooker is awaiting the outcome of a long disciplinary process for alleged misconduct during a pre-season team-building trip at a private lodge.

The incident occurred before the Sharks' clash against the All Blacks on August 11.

[rp-mc-game id="243|952390|2027"][/rp-mc-game]

According to the Rapport, the 35-year-old did not follow coach JP Pietersen's rules relating to socialising on one particular evening. Team members Trevor Nyakane, Fez Mbatha and Eduan Swart were also involved.

The reports reveal that Pietersen told the players they could socialise on a Tuesday evening. However, those players mentioned above continued socialising into Wednesday morning.

It is believed that Mbatha and Swart received written warnings, while Nyakane is set to avoid punishment as he was not present when Pietersen stipulated the rules.

Mbonambi's status as a senior member of the squad is believed to be a factor in the drawn-out disciplinary process, and he has not featured for the Sharks in the United Rugby Championship so far.

The last time he took the field was in a Champions Cup game in January.

He is set to learn his fate in the next two weeks.

The Sharks fielded a formidable front row, featuring Springbok props Thomas du Toit and Ox Nché alongside hooker Eduan Swart.

However, the Durban side struggled during the Round Three clash, conceding multiple scrum penalties against the Stormers pack and handing the hosts a significant advantage.

The result leaves the Sharks with several areas to address, particularly after their scrum impressed in the Round Two victory over Leinster.

"It was probably two of the best scrumming packs in the competition, so it’s always going to go 50-50," Pietersen told reporters when asked about the scrum battle.

"It was quite a pressure situation for the referee and the TMO, so it was definitely a proper contest at scrum time."

Pietersen acknowledged that the contest swung both ways but admitted that the penalties conceded on their own put-in proved costly.

"Sometimes we got them and sometimes they came back and scrummed us. We will work on it, especially the two against us on our ball. I think that hurt us.

"We were just outside our 22 and defended well to get the ball back. You give yourself up and then a scrum penalty, not even a reset scrum penalty, they went in the corner. The maul was great from the Stormers.

"We must give credit. I think we must get better on our contesting. That’s something we need to work on."

*READ: Eben is in pain

Technical issues under scrutiny

"I heard, it’s a technical thing.  I think it was more the hookers.

"Eduan Swart stated it [the scrum penalty] was first his brake foot and he scrummed down.

"I will have to chat to the scrum coach.

"I don’t want to make excuses, but it’s technical things.

"[Nonetheless] it was Wilco Louw and Ntuthuko Mchunu, along with Andre-Hugo Venter on the [Stormers'] side, so it was a good challenge."

The Sharks will now look to address those shortcomings as they prepare for the Challenge Cup opener against Lyon next week.

The All Blacks retained the Bledisloe Cup with a 50-19 win at Eden Park, their 12th-straight Test defeat of the Wallabies extending their unbeaten streak at the venue to 54.

Valetini's desperate effort on Carter to stop a try in the 67th minute forced the winger off the park.

Coming from behind, Valetini's weight appeared to fall on Carter's legs as he fell to the ground.

"It didn't look good. Sort of like a hip-drop type tackle, landed on the back of his ankle," New Zealand coach Dave Rennie said.

World Rugby, after years of serious injuries in similar tackles, followed the NRL and NFL and moved earlier in the week to add specific mention of the hip-drop in the global game's rule book.

Currently there is nothing in the laws to penalise the action but, as of November 1, it will result in at least a penalty kick and potential suspension.

"I'll leave that for the officials," Rennie said when asked if the tackle should be punished.

"I'm sure it's not intentional, but that's the way the game's going."

Captain Codie Taylor said the All Blacks, coming off three-straight losses to South Africa, were spurred on by a Tana Umaga "spray" earlier in the week.

Umaga, now an assistant coach, had been in sides that have won and retained the Bledisloe in the late 1990s early 2000s.

"Appropriate fear," Taylor said of how it fired up the side.

"Which is what you need when you're playing for the Bled at Eden Park."

Wallabies centre Len Ikitau failed his head injury assessment and is set to miss the Sydney rematch next Saturday, while All Blacks lock Scott Barrett was also concussed but Rennie was hopeful he would pass protocols to feature.

Van Wyk joins the Bulls on loan from the Stormers, with head coach Johan Ackermann revealing that the deal will last 'a couple of months'.

The 34-year-old has been roped in to provide cover for the injured duo of Mawande Mdanda and Mornay Smith, both of whom are expected to return to action later this year.

"We're just in a bit of a shortage of tightheads at the moment," Ackermann said after his side's 57-15 win over the Lions on Saturday.

"Mornay is injured, Mdanda is injured, and our next jump is to look at 21-year-olds."

Among those being considered for the future is 21-year-old Jean Erasmus, who has been training with the Bulls squad.

Ackermann believes the youngster has benefited from scrumming with the Bulls pack, but says Van Wyk's experience could prove crucial over the coming weeks.

"Jean Erasmus has got so much potential; he's in his phase of developing and learning.

"Especially this week, when we got back Gerhard Steenekamp, it was a great test for him when we did a bit of scrums.

"But we just feel that in the next couple of games, if we do need experience, if we need maybe to have somebody playing at tighthead, then Hencus can help us in that sense.

"He wasn't getting game time, so he was available, and we're grateful we could've loaned him for a couple of months."

Van Wyk has already arrived in Pretoria and was put through his paces in a fitness test with other recruits before the Bulls clashed with the Lions at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

Then two challenging Vodacom United Rugby Championship encounters await against Scottish rivals Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors, currently the number one and two in the standings.

The Johannesburg side will head to France on Monday looking to bounce back from a brutal 15-57 defeat to the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld, with coach Ivan van Rooyen admitting his team have plenty of work to do.

However, it will not be a walk in the park. Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle picked up their fourth victory in six matches so far this season and their second away from home, easing to a comfortable 28-16 bonus-point win over Lyon at Stade Gerland to consolidate their early season place in the Top 14’s top six.

*Continues below...

Van Rooyen will be hoping for a quick response from his squad, particularly after the Lions failed to secure even a try-scoring bonus point against the Bulls.

“One of the biggest disappointments today is that we didn’t manage to score four tries to at least get a try-scoring bonus point,” he said.

“Our first game in the Champions Cup is next weekend, so obviously we would like to start that strongly.”

The Lions coach expects a physically demanding opening against La Rochelle before the tour shifts to Scotland, where colder and wetter conditions could present a different challenge.

“We spoke about it today and next week being a really physical test, and then the last two games, we know it’s going to be quick and it’s going to be a little bit of a different game,” Van Rooyen said.

“As I said, we need to respond well. We need to learn quickly on Monday. We need to get on the plane and collectively, we’ve got a big three weeks ahead of us.”

Van Rooyen confirmed that the Lions would take 30 players on tour, with squad rotation likely to play an important role across the three fixtures.

Given the physical demands of the Bulls encounter and the challenges awaiting them in Europe, the coach intends to use his travelling squad effectively and ensure players receive sufficient game time.

“Just by the nature of today, plus the heat, plus what we faced physically, the moment you play two or three consecutive physical games, it does take a bit of a toll,” he said.

Lombard injury concern ahead of La Rochelle clash

The Lions will assess the extent of the injury before departing for France, with his availability for the Champions Cup opener still uncertain.

Van Rooyen indicated that Lombard was the only immediate injury concern from the Bulls match.

The coach is also hopeful that flyhalf/centre Bronson Mills, lock Etienne Oosthuizen and wing Erich Cronje will be available after injuries earlier in the season.

“Bronny is coming on nicely. We’ll probably use Monday to really assess him,” Van Rooyen said of Mills.

“He is moving a lot better in the last week than what he did. It’s touch and go.”

Oosthuizen and Cronjé also took part in the team's warm-up before the Bulls match as they continue their recovery.

Van Rooyen said he had yet to discuss their clearance protocols with the medical team but was encouraged by what he saw.

“They seem to be running okay,” he said.

With three demanding fixtures in quick succession, the Lions will need to regroup quickly, manage their resources carefully and address the shortcomings exposed by the Bulls if they are to make a strong impression on their European tour.

However, what caught Dobson by surprise was how comprehensively his team dominated that facet of play, setting the perfect platform for their Round Three victory.

The Stormers outscored the Durban side six tries to three, securing a bonus-point win in the Round three clash.

The result also handed the Sharks their first defeat of the season and avenged the Stormers’ back-to-back defeats in last season’s coastal derby.

Speaking after the match, Dobson praised his forward pack, admitting that the extent of their scrum dominance was unexpected, particularly against a Sharks side featuring Springbok props Ox Nché and Thomas du Toit.

The pair came under pressure against Stormers props Wilco Louw and Ntuthuko Mchunu, with the Sharks penalised at scrum time on several occasions.

The Stormers maintained that pressure in the second half, with Springbok Neethling Fouché and youngster Vernon Matongo helping to keep their opponents on the back foot.

"I didn’t think we’d get it so easily, so quickly, is the truth," Dobson told reporters after the match in Cape Town.

"I know we gave penalties away where they got dominance on us in the first half, but the one in the second half was a tight one.

"But I didn’t expect it, especially if you look at the [Sharks’] personnel. But that’s a nice reminder of the beauty of rugby. It’s a collective effort, and it’s a team thing the way our back-five brought it. And then, one time we didn’t, the Sharks got us.

"But I didn’t expect that we would get like five or six scrum penalties.

"Well done to [scrum coach] Brok Harris and the forwards."

[rp-mc-teams-set-plays id="204|951200|2027"][/rp-mc-teams-set-plays]

Stormers address line-out concerns

After struggling at the line-outs during last week’s defeat to Edinburgh, the Cape side produced a more assured performance in that department, addressing one of the key issues that had undermined them in Round Two in the defeat to Edinburgh.

Dobson credited assistant coach Rito Hlungwani, lock JD Schickerling and the forwards for their response, highlighting the team’s physicality and defensive resolve.

"It was a pretty compelling performance by us. I never thought we were in trouble.

"Credit to [assistant coach] Rito Hlungwani, [lock] JD Schickerling and the forwards.

"[There was] the obvious fault correction from last week, but I thought physically and defensively we stood up."

The Stormers also found a rhythm that had eluded them during their opening tour against Connacht and Edinburgh.

"We sort of had a bit of a flow, which we hadn’t had on the tour [against Connacht and Edinburgh]."

He added: "To me, without being arrogant, the process justified the outcome."

The Cape side will now turn their attention to the Investec Champions Cup, where they will face Bristol Bears in Cape Town on Saturday.

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The Bulls were clinical across the park, dominating the Lions in a contest that was largely one-sided.

Ackermann's troops outscored the Lions by nine tries to two, and five of those were scored in the first half as the Bulls raced to a handy 31-10 lead.

The hosts continued to pile on the pressure after the break, with tries by Canan Moodie, JF van Heerden, Cheswill Jooste and Sebastian de Klerk putting the result beyond reach.

*Article continues below...

In his assessment of the match, Ackermann said he was pleased by the fight shown by his side.

"I'm just proud of the guys," he told reporters.

"We knew we had to be at our best to beat a side that's in form. The focus was on making sure we start well, and we have our set piece sorted out.

"Credit to the players, the mental strength and maturity they showed out there to start well and stay in the fight even though things didn't go our way. We lost a few balls where we had opportunities, but we just stayed on the task."

Springbok stars step up

Man of the match Cameron Hanekom and hooker Johan Grobbelaar both scored braces, while Moodie also crossed the whitewash.

Ackermann was thrilled with how his national players stepped up after just having a week to get up to speed with how the team wanted to play.

"I'm very pleased [with how they gelled]. It shows the character and the quality of the players to buy into what we want to do.

"The coaches put a lot of effort into sending them stuff on Monday, and then on Tuesday they had meetings with them separately to bring them up to speed.

"They learned everything quickly, and on Wednesday we had a day off, and on Thursday we trained. It wasn't perfect; there were mistakes, but you could see that they were buying into what we wanted to do, and quickly settled in."

Ackermann was equally impressed by his replacements, who helped see out the game in the final 20 minutes.

"I think there are so many tries where there were players involved that created something, and then the Boks showed their class as well.

"It's good that those guys contributed, but what pleased me as well was the bench. The guys came on and made a difference, and kept the pressure on the Lions."

Cameron Hanekom: A quality player

Instead, he pointed to the work done by those around him, which gave Hanekom the platform to play to his strengths.

"Every player has got his strengths, and Cameron has shown his strengths that stood out in some of the phases today.

"But again, you must look at how the opportunities were created; there are a lot of players involved in that.

"He hasn't played with us for a long time, and he came in and slotted in nicely. I'm just proud of his effort; he's a quality player."

Key improvements from Munster defeat

The skipper admitted his side took time to settle into the game but stressed the importance of making their opportunities count once they found their rhythm.

"The first 10 to 15 minutes were a bit nervy," he shared.

"I think the boys found their feet, and after we found our feet, we had a few opportunities even in the first half which we didn't capitalise on.

"As soon as we got our opportunities again, we took them better; that was the main work on for us from the Munster game. We knew this wasn't going to be an easy game."

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Forwards Asafo Aumua, Anton Segner (both concussion) and Ethan Blackadder (calf) will all miss game two in Sydney.

Wing Leroy Carter could face a longer stint out after injuring his ankle while scoring a try in the 50-19 first Test win in Auckland on Saturday.

Several key players were already ruled out of the two Wallabies Tests, many of them injured in the recent 3-1 series loss to South Africa.

Assistant coach Mike Blair said the latest setbacks created an "exciting" chance to measure the All Blacks' depth a year out from the World Cup.

"You're going to get through numbers during your international season," Blair told reporters on Sunday.

"It's a brilliant opportunity for guys to come through and step up and build depth into the World Cup. We want to keep the motivation high within the group."

There are recalls for hooker George Bell, lock Jamie Hannah, back-rower Du'Plessis Kirifi and midfield back Anton Lienert-Brown for the upcoming match on Saturday.

Carter's high ankle sprain could also rule him out of November's four Nations Championship Tests after he fell awkwardly in a Rob Valetini tackle New Zealand coach Dave Rennie said "didn't look good".

Rennie and Blair did not want to comment on what appeared to be a "hip drop" tackle from Valetini, in which the defender swings behind the ball carrier and lands on his lower legs, sometimes resulting in serious injury.

World Rugby this week announced the tackle technique would be outlawed, but not until November 1, meaning Valetini is likely to escape sanction.

Meanwhile, Australia will be without influential centre Len Ikitau for the rematch after he exited Eden Park in the first half with a head knock.

New Zealand attack coach Blair praised his team's dynamic display, with experienced back Damian McKenzie the spearhead after switching to flyhalf following injuries to Ruben Love and Richie Mo'unga.

Blair said the diminutive McKenzie showed his attacking class after starting all seven previous Tests this year at fullback.

"Damian's running game, his understanding of manipulation of space was brilliant, there was some good balance to our game," Blair said.

"He's a brave player as well. He was throwing his body into tackles, and breakdowns."

The Parma side have picked up only one point this season, but they took the lead when Alessandro Fusco crossed for a 12th-minute try after James Grayson had sent over an early penalty for Edinburgh.

The try came with Edinburgh down to 14 men after a yellow card for Malelili Satala, but the visitors turned the tables late in the first half through tries from Matt Currie and Freddy Douglas, with Fusco in the sin-bin.

A 15-5 lead was then extended further by a 56th-minute try from Magnus Bradbury, converted by James Grayson.

Zebre responded after Harri Morris had been shown a yellow card for the Scottish side, with Giacomo Ferrari scoring their second try.

But Ewan Ashman crossed in the final minute to secure the bonus point for Sean Everitt's side and complete a strong afternoon at a venue where they have often struggled.

Ulster make Munster pay

Ulster had trailed 5-26 at the interval after the visitors crossed four times in a dominant first period.

Alex Kendellen’s opening score for Munster was cancelled out by Jacob Stockdale, but Marnus van der Merwe restored their lead.

Munster then took advantage of the sin-binning of Cormac Izuchukwu to move further ahead before the break through Dan Kelly and a second try for Kendellen.

Stockdale, making his 150th appearance for Ulster, began the recovery when he claimed his second and Dave McCann set up a rousing finish when he touched down after 68 minutes.

McCloskey crashed over to bring Ulster within two points before Jack Murphy landed his third conversion, matching the efforts of JJ Hanrahan, to secure a remarkable draw.

Meanwhile, Sam Costelow slotted a late penalty as Scarlets secured a first victory of the United Rugby Championship season by overturning a 14-point half-time deficit to beat Benetton 27-26 in Llanelli.

In Dublin, defending champions Leinster also got their first win when they outplayed Cardiff on their way to a 29-5 victory.

See below for Saturday's scores and scorers!

Zebre Parma 12-29 Edinburgh

For Zebre:
Tries: Fusco, Ferrari
Con: Allan

For Edinburgh:
Tries: M. Currie, Douglas, Bradbury, T. Currie
Cons: Grayson 3
Pen: Grayson

Teams:

Zebre: 15 Giovanni Montemauri, 14 Mirko Belloni, 13 Giulio Bertaccini, 12 Damiano Mazza, 11 Simone Gesi, 10 Giacomo Da Re, 9 Alessandro Fusco (captain), 8 Davide Ruggeri, 7 Samuele Locatelli, 6 Alessandro Ortombina, 5 Leonard Krumov, 4 Matteo Canali, 3 Juan Barbotti, 2 Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, 1 Sergio Pelliccioli.
Replacements: 16 Francisco Minervino, 17 Federico Pisani, 18 Filippo Alongi, 19 Giacomo Ferrari, 20 Bautista Stavile, 21 Patricio Baronio, 22 Tommaso Allan, 23 Marco Zanon.

Edinburgh: 15 Piers O’Conor, 14 Malelili Satala, 13 Matt Currie, 12 Mosese Tuipulotu, 11 Geordie Gwynn, 10 James Grayson, 9 Hector Patterson, 8 Magnus Bradbury, 7 Freddy Douglas, 6 Liam McConnell, 5 Glen Young, 4 Callum Hunter-Hill, 3 Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman.
Replacements: 16 Harri Morris, 17 Jamie Stewart, 18 Paul Hill, 19 Marshall Sykes, 20 Tom Currie, 21 Conor McAlpine, 22 Cammy Scott, 23 Rory McHaffie.

Referee: Adam Jones (Wales)
Assistant referees: Clara Munarini (Italy), Riccardo Angelucci (Italy)
TMO: Keith David (Wales)

Ulster 26-26 Munster

For Ulster:
Tries: Stockdale 2, McCann, McCloskey
Cons: Murphy 3

For Munster:
Tries: Kendellen 2, Van der Merwe, Kelly
Cons: Hanrahan 3

Teams:

Ulster: 15 Ethan McIlroy, 14 Robert Baloucoune, 13 Jamie Benson, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Jack Murphy, 9 Nathan Doak, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Nick Timoney, 6 Cormac Izuchukwu, 5 Eli Snyman, 4 Ben Donnell, 3 Keynan Knox, 2 Tom Stewart (captain), 1 Eric O’Sullivan.
Replacements: 16 Henry Walker, 17 Tom O’Toole, 18 Tom McAllister, 19 James McNabney, 20 David McCann, 21 Matthew Devine, 22 Jake Flannery, 23 Chay Mullins.

Munster: 15 Ben O’Connor, 14 Shane Daly, 13 Alex Nankivell, 12 Dan Kelly, 11 Seán O’Brien, 10 JJ Hanrahan, 9 Craig Casey, 8 Gavin Coombes, 7 Alex Kendellen, 6 Jack O’Donoghue, 5 Tadhg Beirne (c), 4 Evan O’Connell, 3 Kieran Brookes, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Jeremy Loughman.
Replacements: 16 Diarmuid Barron, 17 Josh Wycherley, 18 Jack Aungier, 19 Tom Ahern, 20 Brian Gleeson, 21 Ben O’Donovan, 22 Charlie O’Shea, 23 John Hodnett.

Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)
Assistant referees: Jack MacNeice (Ireland), Max Weston (Ireland)
TMO: Aled Griffiths (Wales)

Scarlets 27-26 Benetton

For Scarlets:
Tries: Lousi, Murray, Mee 2
Cons: Costelow 2
Pen: Costelow

For Benetton:
Tries: Maile, Ratave, Lamaro, Lynagh
Cons: Umaga 3

Teams:

Scarlets: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Ellis Mee, 13 Eddie James, 12 Joe Hawkins, 11 Macs Page, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Dane Blacker, 8 Osian Williams, 7 Josh Macleod, 6 Sam Lousi, 5 Alex Groves, 4 Will Evans, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Ryan Elias, 1 Kemsley Mathias.
Replacements: 16 John McKee, 17 Sam O’Connor, 18 Harri O’Connor, 19 Harvey Cuckson, 20 Fletcher Anderson, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Joe Roberts, 23 Johnny Williams.

Benetton: 15 Matt Gallagher, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 François Mey, 12 Leonardo Marin, 11 Onisi Ratave, 10 Jacob Umaga, 9 Alessandro Garbisi, 8 Michele Lamaro (captain), 7 Federico Ruzza, 6 Giulio Marini, 5 Mattia Midena, 4 Niccolò Cannone, 3 Giosué Zilocchi, 2 Siua Maile, 1 Mirco Spagnolo.
Replacements: 16 Bautista Bernasconi, 17 Matias Medrano, 18 Simone Ferrari, 19 Sootala Fa’aso’o, 20 Jadin Kingi, 21 Louis Werchon, 22 Jean Smith, 23 Federico Zanandrea.

Referee: Peter Martin (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Ben Connor (Wales), Marcus Caudle (Wales)
TMO: Leo Colgan (Ireland)

Leinster 29-5 Scarlets

For Leinster:
Tries: Keenan, O'Brien 2, Conan, Osborne
Cons: Prendergast 2

For Scarlets:
Try: Grady

Teams:

Leinster: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Joshua Kenny, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Jamie Osborne, 11 Jimmy O’Brien, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Oliver Coffey, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Scott Penny, 6 Max Deegan, 5 James Ryan, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan (captain), 1 Alex Usanov.
Replacements: 16 Rónan Kelleher, 17 Peter Dooley, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Alan Spicer, 20 Josh Ericson, 21 Fintan Gunne, 22 Caspar Gabriel, 23 Robbie Henshaw.

Cardiff: 15 Matty Young, 14 Jacob Beetham, 13 Harri Millard, 12 Le Roux Malan, 11 Mason Grady, 10 Callum Sheedy, 9 Aled Davies, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Dan Thomas, 6 Alex Mann, 5 Teddy Williams, 4 Josh McNally, 3 Javan Sebastian, 2 Liam Belcher (captain), 1 Danny Southworth.
Replacements: 16 Evan Lloyd, 17 Rhys Barratt, 18 Sam Wainwright, 19 George Nott, 20 Semisi Paea, 21 Johan Mulder, 22 Jarrod Evans, 23 Steffan Emanuel.

Referee: Sam Grove-White (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Keane Davison (Ireland), Jonathan Erskine (Ireland)
TMO: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)

Winger Canan Moodie was forced off the field early in the second half and underwent a head injury assessment (HIA).

Moodie, who was one of 10 Springbok players who featured in Johan Ackermann's matchday squad, had an impressive showing before his departure.

The Bok star scored one of his team's tries in the second half, competed brilliantly in the air and had several line breaks to mark his return for the Bulls.

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He was replaced by youngster Cheswill Jooste, who also got on the scoreboard later in the game.

Bulls coach, Johan Ackermann, shed light on Moodie's knock after the game.

"It looks like he is okay," he said.

"At this stage, he unfortunately has to follow protocol regarding the HIA and see if he's back.

"That process starts on Monday, so hopefully he's got no symptoms, and he can be available. If he's not, we will follow the protocols, and time will tell."

Apart from Moodie's knock, Ackermann's side suffered no other injuries on the day.

The coach also provided an update on several players who missed out on the Lions match after picking up knocks against Munster last week.

"Stravino [Jacobs] will be back [next week]; he recovered from his injury, but he got sick yesterday, so that forced him out of selection.

"Marcell [Coetzee] got injured; he will have to go through testing on Monday to see if he has recovered. It looked well yesterday from a rehab point of view.

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"They were happy that his knee settled, but he still couldn't run. It was a precaution to keep him out of the running, but he got sick as well last night, so he wouldn't have been able to play anyway.

"Embrose [Papier] will be back next week, Akker van der Merwe is still out.

"Reinhardt Ludwig got sick; he would've played today, but hopefully he will be fine on Monday."

The Bulls coach welcomes the prospect of several players returning ahead of the Investec Champions Cup, although he admits it will present some tricky selection decisions.

"It's tough on selection at the moment because apart from one or two guys we've got a full squad. It doesn't make it easy, but I'd rather be in that position than the other way around."

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The Durban-based side crossed for three tries but conceded six as they left Cape Town empty-handed in Round Three of the competition.

However, the result was compounded by two major injury concerns, with Moyo forced off in the 18th minute before Etzebeth departed in the 33rd minute.

Moyo was later spotted on the replacement bench with his arm in a sling, raising further concerns about the extent of his injury.

Speaking after the match, Sharks head coach JP Pietersen admitted that losing the Springboks duo had a significant impact on his side, particularly with the game still finely balanced.

"Vusi has a dislocated shoulder, and he tried to fight it off," Pietersen told reporters after the defeat at DHL Stadium.

"Eben, it looks like a knee or upper leg. I'm not a doctor, but he couldn't run, so we needed to make a replacement."

The Sharks' discipline also proved costly, with Matt Romao and Manu Tshituka both sent to the sin bin in the first half.

"When we lost Vusi and Eben, the score was still 8-8 and in the balance.

"We had a scrum penalty against us on our ball. We got two yellow cards also in the first half, so it put us under massive pressure.

"Losing momentum with two key guys. A No.10, obviously, and Eben with the forwards.

"While defending with 13 men is always going to be a tough ask."

Romao received his yellow card in the 34th minute for a dangerous grasscutter tackle on Stormers centre Jonathan Roche.

"It's quite a technical penalty for a yellow card. Romao tried to wrap his arms around him, but it looks dangerous. Obviously, when he came off, we didn't react quickly enough," Pietersen explained.

Despite the injury concerns and disciplinary setbacks, the Sharks coach was determined to take some positives from the defeat as his side prepare for next week's European Challenge Cup opener against Lyon.

"There are some positive things," Pietersen said.

"However, as a coach, you always see the negative things. It is what it is. I think we need to look deeper into what we can do better.

"Nonetheless, there is some good stuff we can look at. The team have really shown resilience.

"A few years ago, we would easily lose by 60 points with 13 men, but we showed character and should build on that."

Pietersen also acknowledged the quality of the opposition, insisting the Stormers deserved credit for their performance.

"I think we shouldn't forget what Stormers team we played against. They're a team that won the URC. They played two finals. Last year, they made a semi-final. We shouldn't forget what the Stormers have.

"They're cool players. They made very few mistakes. We made a lot of mistakes.

"We have to give credit to the Stormers."

Eighteen tries were scored in total in what was the PREM’s second-highest scoring match of all time, with Saints bouncing back from defeat at Bristol Bears last week in spectacular style.

It was they who struck first after seven minutes when Fin Smith glided through a gap for the opener, which he could not convert.

Bath’s response was excellent and swift as Finn Russell’s off-load sent Arthur Green into space, with his pass inside giving Tom Carr-Smith an easy finish and Russell a simple conversion.

The visitors were over again three minutes later following a tapped penalty as Carr-Smith whipped a pass left for Charlie Griffin to finish in the corner, with Russell converting brilliantly.

The Saints were quickly back in business, though, as some wonderful quick hands led to Tommy Freeman off-loading to James Pater, whose long pass put Sleightholme in the clear, Smith’s conversion making it a two-point game.

After Bath had Josh Bayliss sin-binned for killing the ball close to his own line, Northampton took the lead when Smith’s pass put Freeman under the posts.

Despite being down to 14 men, Bath hit back hard again as they levelled at 19-19 when tighthead Archie Griffin barged his way over from close range down the right.

And they led when Kepu Tuipulotu broke through some flimsy tackling before putting Green in the clear, although Saints soon squared proceedings once more when their captain, Fraser Dingwall, glided through.

Continues below....

Russell’s penalty with the final kick of a breathless first half had Bath 29-26 ahead at the break, and they extended their lead within two minutes of the restart when Carr-Smith set up Green’s second of the afternoon.

Saints were momentarily back within three points when Pater ran in after Santi Carreras fumbled Russell’s pass, but the Argentinian soon made amends when Russell’s looping ball gave him a walk-in.

Back came Northampton again when Josh Kemeny scored in the corner from Alex Coles’ pass to make it a dozen tries shared between the two teams in 51 minutes.

And Saints led again when Alex Mitchell scored a lovely individual try by collecting his own kick ahead before Sleightholme’s second score brought up 50 points for the hosts.

There was just no let-up as Sleightholme ran in under the posts to complete his hat-trick, with Bayliss pulling a score back for Bath before Smith’s strong carry allowed Coles to get in on the act.

There was time for one more try as more quick hands from Rory Hutchinson and Anthony Belleau put Freeman in for his second, and Northampton’s 11th, of an extraordinary afternoon.

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Scorers:

For Northampton Saints:
Tries: Smith, Sleightholme 3, Freeman 2, Dingwall, Pater, Kemeny, Mitchell, Coles
Cons: Smith 8

For Bath:
Tries: Carr-Smith, Griffin 2, Green 2, Carreras, Bayliss
Cons: Russell 5
Pen: Russell

Yellow cards: Josh Bayliss (Bath, 25'), Ollie Lawrence (Bath, 62')

Teams:

Northampton Saints: 15 James Pater, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Rory Hutchinson, 12 Fraser Dingwall (captain), 11 Ollie Sleightholme, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Alex Mitchell, 8 Callum Chick, 7 Henry Pollock, 6 Josh Kemeny, 5 JJ van der Mescht, 4 Alex Coles, 3 Cleopas Kundiona, 2 Curtis Langdon, 1 Emmanuel Iyogun
Replacements: 16 Robbie Smith, 17 Danilo Fischetti, 18 Ion Neculai, 19 Tom Lockett, 20 Ed Prowse, 21 Josh Taylor, 22 Archie McParland, 23 Anthony Belleau

Bath: 15 Santi Carreras, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Max Ojomoh, 12 Cameron Redpath, 11 Charlie Griffin, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Tom Carr-Smith, 8 Arthur Green, 7 Miles Reid (c), 6 Josh Bayliss, 5 Ross Molony, 4 Will Jeanes, 3 Archie Griffin, 2 Kepueli Tuipulotu, 1 Scott Kirk
Replacements: 16 Tom Dunn, 17 Beno Obano, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Charlie Ewels, 20 Ted Hill, 21 Ieuan Davies, 22 Ollie Lawrence, 23 Jaco Coetzee

Referee: Matthew Carley
Assistant referees: Sara Cox, Veryan Boscawen
TMO: Andrew Jackson

Saracens bounce back against Bristol Bears

Noah Caluori made a try-scoring return for Saracens as Bristol saw their bright start to the Prem hit the buffers in a comprehensive 7-30 away defeat.

Making his first appearance of the season after undergoing wrist surgery, England wing Caluori produced the opening try to continue the blistering form that catapulted him to fame in 2025-26.

Alex O’Driscoll and Jack Bracken also crossed on top of a penalty try as Saracens reacted to their disappointing loss to Sale last Saturday by taking Bristol apart in the second half, with Ben Earl and Maro Itoje particularly influential.

Two penalties and a conversion from Owen Farrell, who was also making his season debut, helped ensure the Bears are still searching for a first win at StoneX Stadium in eight visits.

The only disappointment for Saracens was the large number of empty seats in only the club’s second home game of the campaign.

Bristol were missing Benhard Janse van Rensburg, Kalaveti Ravouvou and Ellis Genge as part of a lengthy list of absentees, and their flat performance was a step backwards after opening the Prem with successive bonus-point wins.

It did not take long for Caluori to leave his imprint on Pat Lam’s side, but it was an excellent long pass from Farrell that made the try possible, with Sione Va’enuku creating doubt in the defence.

Continues below...

Caluori sprinted onto the ball, and moments later he was over with an outstretched arm, and when Farrell kicked a penalty, Saracens were 8-0 up.

Bristol thought they had been offered a way back into the game when Olamide Sodeke was shown a yellow card for a dangerous tackle on George Taylor, but instead the home pack tightened their grip on the forward battle.

There was an eye-catching Caluori break, and Va’enuku’s physicality was causing problems, but it was the forwards who were making the difference, and a second Farrell penalty rewarded their work.

A match lacking competitive edge because of Bristol’s failure to fire a shot in the first half came alive when the visitors created a try out of nothing when Harry Randall and Aidan Boshoff combined beautifully down the touchline for Randall to cross.

The score stung Saracens back into action, and with Earl carrying hard and Farrell fizzing out passes, they hit back with replacement prop O’Driscoll going over.

Bristol’s scrum started to creak, and they were then outmuscled at the line-out with the home pack forcing a penalty try that resulted in Lovejoy Chawatama being sent to the sinbin.

Saracens were now in full flight, and once their scrum had powered forwards again, Bracken was sent charging down the left touchline before finishing in the corner to complete the rout.

Scorers:

For Saracens:
Tries: Caluori, O'Driscoll, Penalty Try, Bracken
Con: Farrell
Pens: Farrell 2

For Bristol Bears:
Try: Randall
Con: Williams

Yellow cards: Olamide Sodeke (Saracens, 14'), Lovejoy Chawatama (Bristol Bears, 60')

Teams:

Saracens: 15 Max Malins, 14 Noah Caluori, 13 Lucio Cinti, 12 Sione Va’enuku, 11 Jack Bracken, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Charlie Bracken, 8 Ben Earl, 7 Toby Knight, 6 Maro Itoje (c), 5 George Martin, 4 Olamide Sodeke, 3 Alec Clarey, 2 Jamie George, 1 Phil Brantingham
Replacements: 16 Eoghan Clarke, 17 Alex O’Driscoll, 18 Corné Weilbach, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Andy Onyeama-Christie, 21 Tomos Williams, 22 Fergus Burke, 23 Angus Hall

Bristol Bears: 15 Tom Jordan, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 Max Clark, 12 James Williams, 11 Aidan Boshoff, 10 Sam Worsley, 9 Harry Randall (captain), 8 Benjamin Grondona, 7 Luka Ivanishvili, 6 George Taylor, 5 Joe Batley, 4 Harry Wells, 3 George Kloska, 2 Gabriel Oghre, 1 Jake Woolmore
Replacements: 16 Tomas Gwilliam, 17 Lovejoy Chawatama, 18 Jimmy Halliwell, 19 Joe Owen, 20 Fitz Harding, 21 Kieran Marmion, 22 Jack Bates, 23 Gabriel Ibitoye

Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe
Assistant referees: Richard Gordon, Simon Harding
TMO: Dean Richards

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The hosts outscored the Sharks by six tries to three, with the visitors leaving Cape Town empty-handed.

The Stormers' scrum proved to be the difference, with the Sharks winning 50 percent on their own feed during the first half and 57 percent in the game overall after a slight improvement in the second half.

The match was scrappy at times, but there were also moments of brilliance from both sides as well as the game opened up in the second stanza.

The Sharks' discipline was also an issue, having conceded two yellow cards which the Stormers exploited.

There will be a concern for JP Pietersen and Rassie Erasmus with Springboks Vusi Moyo and Eben Etzebeth going off with injuries during the first half.

*To recap all the action, CLICK HERE!

The Stormers got off to the perfect start when Seabelo Senatla crossed the line in the corner after five minutes of play following a series of penalties conceded by the Sharks.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu stretched the home side's lead to eight points with a penalty goal in the 13th minute after the Sharks conceded a scrum penalty on their own feed.

The Sharks responded immediately with a try by Manu Tshituka after Leolin Zas conceded a soft penalty for being offside inside his 22.

Senatla was denied a brace in the 18th minute after having a foot in touch, before Gianni Lombard on his Sharks debut slotted a long-range penalty to level matters at 8-8 in the 29th minute.

Trouble followed for the Sharks when Matt Romao was yellow-carded for a grasscutter tackle on Jonathan Roche in the 34th minute.

The Stormers punished the Sharks immediately with a rolling maul try through Hacjivah Dayimani in the 35th minute. Feinberg-Mngomezulu's conversion made it a seven-point game.

The home side crossed the line after the halftime siren when Andre-Hugo Venter dotted down off a rolling maul as Feinberg-Mngomezulu slotted the conversion to send his side into the sheds with a 14-point lead.

The Sharks were also down to 13 players when Tshituka was sent to the sinbin following repeated infringements in the red zone from the visitors.

Continues below...

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The Stormers got off to the perfect start when Leolin Zas crossed the line from close range in the 41st minute for the bonus-point try.

The home side extended their lead in the 47th minute when Dayimani grabbed a brace following a dominant five-metre scrum after Ethan Hooker carried the ball back into his in-goal area.

The Sharks responded through Romao with a rolling maul try in the 50th minute, with Lombard adding the extras before Phepsi Buthelezi backed it up with a score of his own to close the scoreboard gap.

The Stormers hit back by means of a rolling maul in the 63rd minute through JJ Kotze before Dayimani was denied a hat-trick following a knock-on by Damian Willemse in the build-up in the 71st minute.

The Sharks had one final opportunity to attack from set-piece but conceded a free kick at the line-out which brought an end to proceedings.

Player of the Match: Leolin Zas' try in the second half, after showing good appreciation of the laws at the breakdown, gave the Stormers a solid buffer to work with for the rest of the game. He made two linebreaks and nine carries as well.

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Scorers:

For Stormers:
Tries: Senatla, Dayimani 2, Venter, Zas, Kotze
Cons: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 3
Pen: Feinberg-Mngomezulu

For Sharks:
Tries: Tshituka, Romao, Buthelezi
Cons: Lombard 2
Pen: Lombard

Yellow cards: Matt Romao (Sharks, 34': Dangerous tackle - No arms in the tackle), Manu Tshituka (Sharks, 40 ': Repeated team infringements in the red zone - collapsing a maul illegally)

Teams:

Stormers: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Neethling Fouché, 19 Riley Norton, 20 Connor Evans, 21 Deon Fourie, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Wandisile Simelane.

Sharks: 15 Zekhethelo Siyaya, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Andre Esterhuizen (captain), 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Vusi Moyo, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Phepsi Buthelezi,7 Manu Tshituka, 6 Matt Romao, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Eduan Swart,1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Esethu Mnebelele, 17 Cameron Dawson, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Jason Jenkins, 20 Stephan Lewies, 21 Nick Hatton, 22 Ivan van Zyl, 23 Gianni Lombard

Referee: Morné Ferreira (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Griffin Colby (South Africa), Stephan Geldenhuys (South Africa)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)

The Johannesburg side conceded eight tries and managed just two in a one-sided encounter that exposed several areas requiring urgent attention.

With little time to dwell on the defeat, the Lions will depart for France on Monday to begin their Investec Champions Cup campaign against La Rochelle.

Van Rooyen acknowledged that his side had plenty to fix, particularly on defence and at scrum time, but insisted they needed to respond collectively rather than dwell on the disappointment.

“It’s one of those frustrating days where even when they drop the ball and we’ve got five guys around it, we seem to knock it on,” he said.

The injury to prop Sebastian Lombard also proved costly.

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“I think that Sebastian’s early injury eventually played a part in the scrums, if I refer to the last 20 to 30 minutes,” Van Rooyen said.

The Lions struggled to retain possession and build attacking pressure, while the yellow card to Morne van den Berg proved particularly damaging as the Bulls scored two tries from first-phase opportunities during that period.

Lombard's availability for the Champions Cup opener remains uncertain after the prop left the field in the opening 10 minutes.

“He seems to have a foot injury. We are jumping on a plane Monday night, so we have to assess quickly,” Van Rooyen said.

“He’s in a boot currently, so obviously the extent of it and exactly what it is, we don’t know yet, but it looks quite sore.”

Van Rooyen demands improvements

“I don’t want to take anything away from the Bulls. I think they were exceptional,” he said, highlighting the difficulty of containing the Bulls when they gained momentum and began carrying hard around the corner.

“It felt like we played against 10 or 12 Springboks today, and they were good,” he said.

“But in saying that, with all the respect in the world, I thought we were really below par. A lot of the fixes, a lot of the things we need to fix, will be on us.”

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Defensive shortcomings will be a particular focus ahead of the trip to France, with Van Rooyen expecting La Rochelle to scrutinise the footage of Saturday's defeat.

“The first fix for us will be our defence, which we haven’t really been exploited on thus far this season,” he said.

He admitted that the defeat had delivered some painful lessons, but hoped the timing would allow his team to learn and adapt quickly.

“We did learn big lessons today. Never nice to learn lessons like this. Never nice to take 50. Is there any good time to take 50? I don’t think so,” he said.

“But if you have to choose it early, take it early and learn the lessons, and hopefully we can adapt quickly.”

The Lions coach acknowledged that the physical challenge would not ease in the weeks ahead, with further demanding encounters against Leinster and Ospreys on the horizon.

Despite the scale of the loss, Van Rooyen stressed that the Lions could not afford to become consumed by the disappointment with their European campaign fast approaching.

“I think it’s up to us to make a decision. We can really sulk about this, or we can collectively pull in and make a decision,” he said.

“But there’s no decision to be made. It’s just to get collectively back onto the horse and jump on the plane and go fight that battle.”

*Continues below...

Horn warns Lions against overreacting

“If you give the Bulls 31 points in the first half, with, I think, three tries that didn’t go past two phases, that puts you under pressure,” Horn said.

“Now you try things and you try harder, and sometimes the easy solution is to actually try less and just do your job better.

“It would also be a shame if the one result determines the whole of the next seven months,” he said.

“Knowing the team and knowing the guys that we have, it won’t happen.”

The Lions captain said the squad would need to take the lessons from Saturday's performance into their European campaign, with composure and discipline essential to their response.

“We just need to be more focused, more clinical. And if things go a bit bad, just calm down and get cool heads and don’t try harder, if that makes sense.”

The hosts ran in eight tries to the Lions’ two, delivering a commanding all-round performance to underline their superiority.

Early on it seemed like the Bulls had made better use of possession and it resulted in Harold Vorster scoring the first try in the 10th minute.

This came after Canan Moodie made good metres before he lost the ball but Curwin Bosch’ clearance kicks kept the Bulls on the front foot as they built momentum.

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But the Lions hit back through a good touch finder by Chris Smith that landed five metres from the tryline, setting up an attacking opportunity for the visitors.

Francke Horn took it cleanly, but then Smith was shut down, however the Bulls were penalised for collapsing.

They opted for another lineout, and the Bulls were in defense mode. This time it went to Dylan Sjoblom, they recycled and again the Bulls were penalised for hands in the ruck.

The Bulls were resolute on defense to disrupt the Lions at the breakdown, but they weren’t out of the woods yet as they conceded the feed-in with a handling error.

The Lions persevered to setup another rolling maul to suck in the defense for Siba Qoma to break away on the blindside and crash over in the corner.

The extreme heat appeared to make the ball slippery, with both sides struggling to hold on to the final pass.

It was a close match-up as they headed into the first 30, but the Lions had used their territorial advantage better.

But then Moodie had a brilliant run out wide, passed to Paul de Wet who nearly made it to the tryline, but he was hauled in. He got rid of the ball, and it was picked up by Johan Grobbelaar who scored.

Morne van den Berg got his marching orders for a deliberate knock-down after he assisted Quan Horn in bringing down De Wet.

And the time the scrumhalf was off the field, was very damaging to the Lions, conceding two tries during his absence.

With the No.9 on the sideline, the Bulls went into overdrive. Jeandre Rudolph turned it over in a ruck, Willie le Roux put through a great kick down field, and as the Bulls followed up, Sebastian de Klerk collected and passed to Cameron Hanekom who scored.

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When Rudolph played the ball on the ground in the next passage of play, Smith slotted a penalty to reduce the deficit to 10-19.

Immediately thereafter Hanekom scored his second, receiving a short pop from Hanro Liebenberg and in the process bumped off Richard Kriel with ease and a smile.

Heading into halftime, the Bulls were in the driving seat by 24-10.

The Bulls were running amok at this stage, winning the collision to get quick recycle of the ball. This resulted in another try by the men in blue, which Bosch converted to head to the sheds leading 31-10.

The Bulls’ attack came out wide and that caught the Lions in sixes and sevens to try and plug the holes.

The Lions’ woes continued early in the second half. Conceding a penalty for offside, Bosch sent it to the corner. From the lineout, they spread it wide quickly and Moodie got over, once again catching the Lions unawares in the trams.

Siba Mahashe, fresh on the field in the place of JC Pretorius, got up to compete in the air with Moodie, and the Bulls wing came down hard.

After an intense discussion between the referee and the TMO, it was decided that it was not foul play and he got off without even a warning, and a scrum was called.

The Lions strung together their first attack in midfield, getting Ethan Evans and Henco van Wyk involved and crossed the advantage line with intent.

When De Klerk was penalised for a high tackle, the Lions pounced and Morne Brandon was the man who got over to score their second try.

Silly mistakes by the Bulls gave the Lions chances on a silver platter. There was 30 minutes left, could the Lions fight back?

Tempers flared and Mahashe was the culprit. A penalty to the Lions was turned around and Bosch could clear for touch.

The Bulls conceded a penalty for hands on the ground at the breakdown and the Lions kicked for a 22m for the throw-in. The Bulls pulled the ball from the lineout, and it was kicked the ball far downfield.

From there the home side marched forward, it got distributed to Handre Pollard, on for Bosch, who sent a kick pass into the hands of Cheswill Jooste to score without being touched.

A call from the TMO indicated that there was obstruction and the try was scratched off.

The Bulls were back on the charge, with immaculate handling allowing them to launch wave after wave of attack. Grobbelaar came close to crossing the line, but it was JF van Heerden who eventually powered his way over.

The Lions lose the ball forward in the tackle then concede the penalty at the scrum and the Bulls can look to turn the screws here.

Alas, there was no fightback left in the tank of the Lions. Williams got the try he missed out of after the Lions lost the ball in the tackle, conceded a penalty at the scrum, allowing the Bulls to turn the screws even more.

With seconds left, the Bulls were barging towards the tryline once more.

De Klerk got over just as the hooter went.

Player of the Match: Cameron Hanekom - the Springbok has the pedigree and he didn’t disappoint. Not just for his two tries, but also his nonchalant hand-off of Richard Kriel without a second thought. He was class.

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The scorers:

For Bulls:
Tries: Vorster, Hanekom 2, Rudolph, Moodie, Van Heerden, Williams, De Klerk
Cons: Bosch 3, Pollard 3

For Lions:
Tries: Qoma, Brandon
Cons: Smith
Pens: Smith

Yellow card: Morne van den Berg (Lions - 26’ deliberate knock-down)

Teams:

Bulls: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Sebastian de Klerk, 10 Curwin Bosch, 9 Paul de Wet, 8 Cameron Hanekom, 7 Hanro Liebenberg (captain), 6 Jeandre Rudolph, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Francois Klopper, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp
Replacements: 16 Marco van Staden, 17 Alu Tshakweni, 18 Khutha Mchunu, 19 Cobus Wiese, 20 Elrigh Louw, 21 Keagan Johannes, 22 Handre Pollard, 23 Cheswill Jooste

Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Ethan Adams, 12 Henco van Wyk, 11 Richard Kriel, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horne (captain), 7 Siba Qoma, 6 JC Pretorius, 5 Hyron Andrews, 4 Dylan Sjoblom, 3 Sebastian Lombard, 2 PJ Botha, 1 Boan Venter
Replacements: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 SJ Kotze, 18 RF Schoeman, 19 JP du Preez, 20 Batho Hlekani, 21 Siba Mahashe, 22 Nico Steyn, 23 Boeta Chamberlain.

Referee: Hanru van Rooyen (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Christopher Allison (South Africa), Jonathan Lottering (South Africa)
TMO: Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa)

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Evan Roos has been withdrawn from the replacement bench following a hamstring niggle.

Deon Fourie will shift into the No.21 jersey to cover the back row, with JJ Kotze drafted onto the replacements bench.

Stormers - revised: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Ruhan Nel (captain), 12 Jonathan Roche, 11 Leolin Zas, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Siya Kolisi, 6 Paul de Villiers, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Adré Smith, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 André-Hugo Venter, 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu.
Replacements: 16 JJ Kotze, 17 Vernon Matongo, 18 Neethling Fouché, 19 Riley Norton, 20 Connor Evans, 21 Deon Fourie, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Wandisile Simelane.

Referee: Morné Ferreira (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Griffin Colby (South Africa), Stephan Geldenhuys (South Africa)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)

The Stormers will also know that a win would give them the boost they need to close the gap on the Sharks in the standings, and possibly leapfrog them with a bonus-point win.

* To read our pre-match predictions, CLICK HERE!

* Our live blog will appear below:

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*Also read: All Blacks blow Wallabies away to retain Bledisloe Cup

Kiss told his Australian side to "return fire" in the second Test against New Zealand after Saturday's heavy defeat ended his unbeaten start as coach.

Following five matches without a loss since taking charge of the Wallabies in July, Kiss and his team copped a reality check at Eden Park in Auckland.

"Once they got their momentum, it was hard to wrestle it back," Kiss said after New Zealand scored five second-half tries.

"The lessons are there. If you can't get your strengths going and their strengths grow, it makes it a difficult game."

Continues below...

Next weekend's second Test in Sydney takes on extra significance because the teams will clash there in the World Cup.

"We'll try and turn the dial in the right areas so we can go to Sydney and return fire," said Kiss.

Despite the emphatic loss, Kiss said his first defeat since succeeding Joe Schmidt shouldn't halt the momentum he felt was building.

He said they didn't get carried away after upsetting South Africa 42-38 two weeks ago and likewise their confidence levels wouldn't be dented by a heavy loss.

A key to victory over the world-champion Springboks was Australia's ability to claim high kicks, but Kiss admitted they were eclipsed by New Zealand in that area.

"You've got to take a hat off to them, they won aerial battles, and they profited off those things very well," he said.

"Their kicks were a lot more accurate than our kicks, that's for sure, so it was just hard to get a footing in that second half.

"The boys always said we've got work to do, and it doesn't change now.

"We'll have a good look at that game like we always have and then get into the nuts and bolts of what we feel we need to get right."

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