Rassie: Springboks have already rotated plenty this season

After initially saying he would rotate the squad regardless of the result in Soweto, head coach Rassie Erasmus opted to make only two changes for Saturday’s fourth and final Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry clash in Baltimore. grenadier.co.za

The Springboks lead the series 2-1 after their 29-24 victory at FNB Stadium, and are playing to prevent a series tie.

After using 30 players in the first two Tests, Erasmus said he expected to use about six more by the end of the series.

But as it happened, there were no new personnel in the third Test, and unless there is a late adjustment, there will be none for the fourth Test either.

Boks out to win series

Kurt-Lee Arendse, who had already featured at Ellis Park, came in for the injured Damian Willemse in the third Test. Willemse then returned for the injured Cheslin Kolbe in Cape Town, while the starting scrumhalf was also changed for the fourth Test.

“Peaking in games three and four was always the plan, trying to get continuity. Because it is not often that you get the opportunity to try and win a series against New Zealand,” Erasmus said after naming his team on Monday night.

Handré Pollard and Canan Moodie were among those expected to be selected for Baltimore, with Grant Williams also returning from injury.

Pollard and Moodie have each played twice for the Boks this year, while Williams has featured four times. Erasmus said the squad had already been largely rotated, but continuity was always going to be important for the third and fourth Tests against the All Blacks.

“So we felt gas in the tank is so important. That’s why we managed the guys so much in the Nations Championship, which only has six games [before the finals weekend].

“I think we’ve really chopped and changed this year.”

Springboks past their injury crisis

Erasmus referred to the injury woes the Springboks faced at the start of the season, when considering whether they have met their goal of expanding squad depth.

At the time, most of the Springbok locks and scrumhalves were either out injured or racing to return to fitness.

Meanwhile, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman and Ruan Venter would miss the whole international season.

“I think we’ve been depleted in areas without a doubt at some stage,” Erasmus said.

“We were down to [SA U20] Riley Norton and [flanker] Ben-Jason Dixon started playing lock. Now we’re in a healthy position.”

Lood de Jager returned from injury, and Franco Mostert and Salmaan Moerat are just about playable. All the scrumhalves are also available now.

“Ruan Nortjé has established himself as one of our solid No 5 locks who can play at any level. We gave Cobus Wiese a run there.

“Luckily, now most of the older guys are injury-free. I think Franco will get a game against Australia.

“Then at scrumhalf we weren’t too sure how the legs would hold up for Cobus Reinach. But at 35, he’s definitely doing the job.”

He said they had a look at Faf de Klerk in the Barbarians game, and gave Embrose Papier a run against Scotland.

“We’ve got three proper flyhalves. Damian [Willemse] can also play flyhalf, and a guy like Quan Horn is coming through with Fassi and the guys [at fullback].

“I don’t think there’s an area we are in trouble in. I think we are okay.”

NAIROBI, Kenya Sept 8 – In a historic milestone for African women’s football, Zambian captain Barbra Banda and Malawian goal-poacher Temwa Chawinga have been shortlisted for the 2026 Women’s Ballon d’Or.

Their inclusion among the 30 elite nominees isn’t just a victory for their respective nations; it’s a firm statement that elite women’s football is shifting rapidly toward relentless, world-class African talent.

Both strikers have enjoyed an astonishing 12 months, terrorizing defenses across the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the United States and the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations.

Barbra Banda: The Unstoppable Force

Playing for Orlando Pride in the United States, Banda has established herself as one of the most lethal number nines on the planet.

Over the past year, her blistering speed, physical dominance, and ice-cold finishing have seen her bag 13 goals in just 18 matches in the 2026 NWSL campaign.

On the international stage with Zambia’s Copper Queens, Banda remains the beating heart of her country’s football identity.

After a staggering Olympic campaign in which she made global history by scoring three career Olympic hat-tricks, Banda carried that form into the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) fixtures.

Her ability to carry Zambia on her shoulders in high-stakes fixtures, including a memorable four-goal masterclass against Egypt, solidified her status as an undeniable Ballon d’Or contender.

Temwa Chawinga: The Record-Breaker

Equally deserving of her spot on the 30-woman shortlist is Kansas City Current forward Chawinga.

Chawinga’s rise has been nothing short of meteoric. Having already made history as the NWSL Golden Boot winner and breakout star, she continued her frightening scoring efficiency into 2026, delivering 9 goals and 2 assists in under 800 minutes of club action.

For Malawi’s Scorchers, Chawinga is a national icon. Making her long-awaited WAFCON debut, she put Europe and Africa on notice by scoring 5 goals in 6 international appearances, including a breathtaking brace against continental giants Nigeria.

She inspired Malawi to the final of the WAFCON on their debut, where they lost 3-0 to Cameroon.

Chawinga’s rare combination of direct running, explosive change of pace, and tactical intelligence makes her virtually unmarkable in transition.

The presence of African talent at the highest individual level is no accident, but rather the continuation of a trail blazed just a few years ago.

Nigerian icon Asisat Oshoala made history in 2022 as the first-ever African woman to earn a Ballon d’Or nomination following an extraordinary, title-winning campaign with Barcelona, where she finished as joint-top scorer in the Spanish league.

Building on that landmark moment, Chawinga is following directly in the footsteps of her sister, Tabitha, who broke barriers herself when she was shortlisted in 2024 alongside Banda after a dominant season in France with PSG and Lyon.

Crucially, this is far from a first rodeo for either player. Banda has become a permanent fixture in global rankings, securing a historic 12th-place finish in 2024, the highest rank ever achieved by an African female footballer, before backing it up with a 14th-place finish in 2025.

For Temwa, this 2026 nod marks her second consecutive nomination after she crashed the shortlist last year following an unbelievable 41-goal season across all competitions.

Notably missing from the list is Barcelona and Spain playmaker, Aitana Bonmatí.

After making history by winning three consecutive Ballon d’Or awards, Bonmatí has failed to make the 30-player shortlist for the first time in her career.

While the African duo headlines our local focus, several other standout nominees on the 2026 shortlist deserve praise:

Selma Bacha (France / Lyon): The French full-back remains the gold standard for modern, overlapping defenders. Her elite crossing accuracy and defensive tactical awareness played a massive role in Lyon’s domestic and European dominance.

Mariona Caldentey (Spain / Arsenal): Fresh off a masterclass club season, Caldentey’s creative output, vision, and ability to unlock deep defensive blocks make her one of the most complete midfielders in the world.

Klara Bühl (Germany / Bayern Munich): Bühl’s blistering form on the wing, combining lethal long-range shooting with high-volume chance creation, made her an indispensable anchor for both club and country.

The 2026 Ballon d’Or race highlights a glorious truth: women’s football is no longer dominated by a single continent. With Banda and Chawinga leading the line, Africa’s footballing royalty has officially taken its place among the absolute best in the world.

Springbok legend John Smit has described Malcolm Marx as the bane of existence for every team he faces after another big outing from the best player on the planet.

Reigning World Rugby and SA Rugby Player of the Year, Marx starred on and off the ball as South Africa beat the All Blacks 29-24 last week to go 2-1 up in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series before Saturday’s finale in Baltimore.

Speaking on the I Love Rugby podcast with Wallabies great George Gregan and ex-Scotland lock Jim Hamilton, Smit extolled the values of arguably his best successor.

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“There are a couple of things about Malcolm that make him the best in the world, certainly the best who’s worn the No 2 shirt in South Africa,” the 111-cap hooker said.

“He’s a beast. He’s a monstrous man. He’s big, athletic, fast. He carries well, he steals, he scrums, he’s got an unbelievable throw. There’s no real chinks in the armour.

“He’s the kind of guy who gets in there and serves. He provides a level of confidence that when you sit in a change room before a big Test match and you look around and you see [him], you think, ‘I’m going to be OK.’

MORE: Ex-Wallabies chime in on Bok scrum wooha

“Probably his first Test [of 2026] was the quietest we’ve seen him because he hadn’t played a bit for a while, and I think he took that to heart. And he just got better and better.

“The last thing I’ll say about Malcolm is that he must be the bane of existence for every opposition team that plays against him. But I don’t think there’s one person in world rugby who doesn’t like him as a human afterwards … that says a lot about the guy.”

The Boks went 12-5 down at FNB Stadium and found a way to fight back through a first-half penalty try from a scrum that settled a week of back and forth between coaches Rassie Erasmus and Dave Rennie.

ALSO: ‘Boks don’t need to manipulate scrum’

“The thing that stands out for me in that Test is that every South African, every ‘green goblin’, was waiting for the scrum to deliver,” Smit added.

“South Africa need that weaponised scrum to create their confidence and get that psychological benefit.

“I actually called it sitting next to Vincent [Koch], who was watching with me, and I just said, ‘If this scrum is par or New Zealand get a penalty, I can promise you we’re in for a dogfight’.

“We took a bet and I said, ‘Hundred bucks it’s a penalty try’. And he said, ‘Hundred bucks it’s nothing’. So I’m a hundred rand richer, guys.”

Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images

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