It may seem a little tardy to only be previewing 2026 and drawing up my rugby wish list now, what with the first month of the year almost in our rearview mirrors already. But let’s be honest, January is kind of like a free trial month anyway, when we’re all just feeling the new year out and deciding whether it’s worth the subscription. That’s my excuse anyway (and possibly why I haven’t taken my Christmas decorations down yet either…). It’s also possible that I should spend more time thinking...

As I write this, we’re in that weird no man’s land week between Christmas and New Year. A time when no one really knows what day it is, and people are primarily subsisting on left over roast potatoes, cheese, and Quality Streets (if you can find them in SA – those things have become as rare as a French TV camera angle showing the home side’s wrongdoing…). None of the South African sides were in action in the URC over the weekend, so we really are in the lull. It seems like a fitting time to...

I watched the RWC 2025 quarter final between the Springbok Women and the Black Ferns with some guys who had never watched any women’s...