In a statement that will have certainly caught the attention of Springbok fans, and indeed all rugby followers, SA Rugby have confirmed that there will be a groundbreaking announcement on Thursday.
It is stated that this will be hosted in conjunction with the Ministries of Communications and Digital Technologies, and Sport, Arts and Culture, as well as SuperSport and the SABC in Sandton.
The announcement will be broadcast live on both networks from 17:00 on Thursday, and in attendance will be Mark Alexander (President of SA Rugby), Rendani Ramovha (CEO of SuperSport), Nomsa Chabeli (Group Chief Executive Officer of the SABC).
It’s said to be an announcement in relation to the broadcast of matches, and one can imagine that the national broadcaster could well be in line to enjoy more rights to showcase Springbok matches.
Springboks currently preparing for first Test of the year
The Springboks will get their international season under way against Italy at Loftus this Saturday. The match will kick off at 17:10, and will be broadcast on SuperSport.
Could it now also be on SABC?
Watch this space.
How excited are you about the potential of this announcement?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211.
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Springbok record against Italy:
Played 16; Won 15; Lost 1; Points for: 764, Points against: 195; Tries scored 102, Tries conceded 16; Highest score 101-0; Biggest win 101 points. Win % 94%.
Miscellaneous:
- The Boks have played Italy seven times in South Africa, but this will be the first Test between the sides at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, where the hosts have a 78% win record (32 wins from 41 Tests).
- Eben Etzebeth will extend his record as the most capped Springbok to 132 caps when he takes the field.
- Damian Willemse will play his first match for the Springboks since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand, which the Boks won 12-11.
- Should Willie le Roux take the field, it will mark his 99th Test match for the Springboks, putting him in line to become only the eighth Springbok centurion in history. He made his Test debut against Italy in Durban in 2013.
- The Springboks have faced Italy 16 times and won 15 of those matches. Their only defeat was in Florence in 2016 where Italy pipped the Boks by 20-18.
- In the 15 matches the Springboks have won against Italy, they only scored fewer than 30 points on three occasions.
- The total Test caps for the Springbok starting line-up is 738.
- There are 351 caps in the backline, with 377 caps among the forwards. On the bench there are a further 466 caps.
- The average caps per player in the backline is 50, the forwards 47, while the players on the bench average 58.
