All Blacks legend's Super Rugby plea to South African teams
SOCIAL SPOTLIGHT: All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams has called on South African franchises to make a return to Super Rugby.
South African teams have been absent from the southern hemisphere competition since 2020, after shifting north to compete in the United Rugby Championship and Europe’s elite club tournaments.
While the Springboks continue to contest the Rugby Championship alongside New Zealand, Australia and Argentina, the country’s leading franchises now ply their trade in northern hemisphere competitions.
The Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers are all competing in the URC this season.
In Europe, the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers are featured in the Champions Cup, with the Lions and Cheetahs involved in the Challenge Cup.
Williams’ comments came in response to a clip shared on X of Sharks scrumhalf Grant Williams scoring against the Saracens on Saturday.
The 40-year-old former world champion posted:
“Can the South African teams stop playing hard to get and come back to Super Rugby? Asking for a mate.”
Can the South African teams stop playing hard to get and come back to super rugby? Asking for a mate 😅😂 https://t.co/od36tb7Mun
— Sonny Bill Williams (@SonnyBWilliams) December 14, 2025