Ken Borland

The last time the All Blacks played in Durban was on October 8, 2016, and the final round fixture of what had been a disappointing Rugby Championship for the Springboks began positively enough as Morne Steyn kicked two penalties to claim an early 6-0 lead.

What followed was an absolute bloodbath as New Zealand slaughtered the Springboks 57-15, inflicting the then biggest ever defeat in terms of points conceded on their greatest rivals. The visitors scored nine tries and the hosts zero, with Steyn’s five penalties being their only, sorry points.

The sense of depression over Kings Park was huge and even the famous outer fields after-match parties were relatively muted. A side note on a personal level is that it was the first Springbok Test my wife watched live, at the stadium. Although she remains a fan and will watch their games at home or at the pub, she has not returned to a stadium.

It was an ugly stain on the Springboks and coach Allister Coetzee struggled on for another year, ‘improving’ on the biggest defeat record by losing 57-0 to the All Blacks in Albany. The Rassie Erasmus era from 2018 has seen those bloody memories gradually fade and South Africa can now claim to have the upper hand in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, having won five of their last six meetings.

But that 57-15 scoreline is close to what I expect to happen when New Zealand play the Sharks at Kings Park.

Sharks rugby is in the doldrums, much like Springbok rugby a decade ago, having failed to make the playoffs of the United Rugby Championship last season. And coach JP Pietersen, whose 70^th and final Test was at the end of 2016 against England at Twickenham, has named a largely inexperienced side. Injuries have forced his hand in many cases, but the absence of players like Bongi Mbonambi, Jaden and Jordan Hendrikse and Makazole Mapimpi is still shrouded in some mystery.

Of the 23 who will run out to face the All Blacks at Kings Park on Tuesday night, only seven can probably feel confident that they will be involved in the first-choice URC squad for the coming campaign – Vincent Koch, Phepsi Buthelezi, Emmanuel Tshituka, Vusi Moyo, Jurenzo Julius, Ivan van Zyl and Luan Gilliomee.

The 44-year-old former All Blacks legend Ma’a Nonu has been a controversial selection on the bench, having been appointed as a high-performance mentor for the Sharks last month.

But the injury curse continues to plague Pietersen as two key players were late withdrawals from the Sharks team the day before the game – young lock Emile van Heerden, who was their player of the season in the 2025/26 URC, and Springbok utility forward Vincent Tshituka.

“We’ve had a bit of a run of injuries, which is understandable considering we are midway through our pre-season. We have a few props out and there are lock issues as well. But the young boys have got youth and energy on their side and they will definitely show that and fight too. They’ll give it a good go and be competitive for the full 80,” Pietersen said yesterday.

“It’s the strongest team we could put out and it’s going to be a great test for them, youth versus experience, and it should be a great contest against a high-quality team. The occasion will be massive, facing the haka, that’s what players dream of. They can make memories.

“Ma’a Nonu’s name and what he has achieved says it all. He has helped the younger players with how they prepare for the game and their skill sets. He’s also given them a feel for what the All Blacks may give us, he’s given them a good picture.

“He’s slotted in like he has been here a long time. It will be emotional for him because it’s the first time he’ll play against the All Blacks. He’s got the experience, with our younger centres Murray Koster and Jurenzo Julius starting, and our other centres are not available,” Pietersen said.

One area where the Sharks could trouble New Zealand is in the aerial game, especially if the All Blacks back three misses as many contestables as they did in the opening tour match against the valiant Stormers.

The Sharks are used to the humidity of Durban making the ball slippery, but this time it’s a big cold front and rain which will provide even trickier conditions.

“Durban is always humid and the ball is slippery, so we are prepared for it,” Pietersen said. “I think both teams will adjust and there will be more kicking. The All Blacks pride themselves on ball-possession though, so it’s going to be interesting to see how they hold on to the ball in those conditions … “

Flanker Luke Jacobson will captain the All Blacks against the Sharks and he said they expect another aerial bombardment.

“We know how South African teams play – maul, scrum and an up-front battering. We took some awesome lessons out of the Stormers game, it gave us a great taste of what we’re going to get on this tour. We haven’t had a whole lot of time to preview the Sharks, but we know they’ll be up for the battle, they’ll be looking to play their best rugby.

“We expect to be kicked on again, the Sharks have a really good kick-and-chase game, and we’ve put a big emphasis on the outside backs and how the other players work off the ball. You also have less time in the rain and the defences will be up higher. But that’s what we train for,” Jacobson said.

The Stormers produced a top-class display against the tourists and still fell 17 points short. A powerful set-piece, a focus on lineout drives and a strong kicking game were all part of a highly-competitive showing. But the Cape Town powerhouses fielded a URC-strength side, with five Springboks in the pack.

The Sharks have a couple of internationals starting and another pair on the bench in Nonu and scrumhalf Ivan van Zyl. But they are up against what could be a shadow Test side, with the first clash against the Springboks looming on August 22.

It is the first meeting between the All Blacks and the Black-and-Whites since 1992, when New Zealand were in South Africa to celebrate the return from isolation. South African rugby were in for a rude awakening during that tour and a Natal team that went on to dominate the decade locally, were beaten 43-25, with a rampant Va’aiga Tuigamala [PICTURED ABOVE] battering them relentlessly on the wing.

I was in the stands that day for my first view of the All Blacks in the flesh, having been dazzled by watching Bruce Robertson and Sid Going on TV in 1976. A great respect for the All Blacks was born that day, and I expect a callow Sharks team to be taught a lesson this evening.

When Herschel Jantjies said returning to the Springbok team that played against Wales on Saturday in Durban “felt like my debut”, it was not the throwaway line it often is when players want to express their gratitude for another chance at international level.

And Jantjies took advantage of the opportunity, coming off the bench in the 51st minute and scoring a try in the 63^rd minute as South Africa won 43-0 at Kings Park.

The 30-year-old scrumhalf last played for South Africa on August 5, 2023, coming off the bench against Argentina in Buenos Aires as the Springboks won 24-13 in their first warm-up match for the World Cup.

In what Jantjies admitted was a “heartbreaking” call, he did not, however, make the World Cup squad and has been in the wilderness up until this year’s Nations Championship. Little wonder then that he likened his absence to being deprived of life-giving food.

“It’s like I’ve been starved for three years and it feels like my debut all over again this weekend,” Jantjies said during the week. “It’s been an amazing up-and-down journey since that last game against Argentina, and I also moved clubs from the Stormers to Bayonne, which was a hard decision.

“So I’m very grateful to be back. I know my game is not perfect, I know what my work-ons are, sometimes that’s even things you are good at. And the work doesn’t stop now because I am back here with the Springboks. It means I do even more work, I need to work harder to stay here and make sure I’m in contention for the Greatest Rivalry Tour against the All Blacks.

“It was unbelievably heartbreaking to miss out on the 2023 World Cup and I still remember the squad announcement when coach Rassie put the names on a board in the team room. Obviously it wasn’t lekker to not be on the list, but the guys who were in the group were next level. The guys chosen as scrumhalves were all amazing players – Faf de Klerk, Grant Williams, who can cover wing as well, Cobus Reinach and Jaden Hendrikse.

“Rassie did come to me afterwards and said I mustn’t think it’s the end of the world. I allowed myself time to grieve – but not too long – and later I understood that he meant I must work harder to bring my game and myself to the pitch,” the 2019 World Cup winner said.

Fellow scrumhalf Embrose Papier has been out of the Springbok picture for even longer and Jantjies said the Bulls star, who returned to the Green and Gold in last weekend’s win over Scotland, has been an inspiration.

“Embrose last played for the Springboks eight years ago, so he has been an inspiration – he didn’t give up, so why should I? And then to play the way he did, he had a really good game. Imagine the nerves he had, it just makes me want it even more.

“It’s about making sure I make the right decisions. It’s up to myself to make it work and there are no guarantees. But being back in the Springbok squad has reignited the spark. I’m not personally competing with Embrose because I can’t just beat one guy. There’s still scrumhalves like Morne van den Berg and Jaden Hendrikse who aren’t even here. I can’t spend time worrying too much about the competition, I just need to focus on myself,” Jantjies said.

So how have the Springboks changed in Jantjies’ time out of the picture?

“From the outside, you can tell the Springboks have become an all-court team. In 2019, people would say South Africa just kicked and mauled and used their scrum. But now, if I had to play against the Springboks, I wouldn’t know where to focus to stop them. Coaches like Jerry Flannery, Tony Brown, Felix Jones, Rassie Erasmus and Mzwandile Stick are all megaminds.

“And the depth is incredible, and not just at scrumhalf, it’s in any position. I’ve been amazed to see the growth and evolution in the team since 2019. There’s tight competition for places, so you can’t take any single moment for granted,” Jantjies said.

Given New Zealand’s recent struggles and Ireland’s waning, unconvincing performances, France is shaping as the biggest threat in next year’s World Cup. Jantjies said part of the reason for that is the rude health of the French domestic game.

“It wasn’t an easy decision to leave the Stormers because that is home. I left on 98 caps as well, so hopefully one day I can come back and complete the one-hundred. But from a personal point of view, it has definitely helped my game, as well as allowing myself and my family to explore a different part of the world.

“It’s a different system of rugby over there and I’ve been able to pick the brains of international veterans at Bayonne like Manu Tuilagi and Maxime Machenaud. I’ve really learnt the French way of playing. The way they play speaks to me, it brings out the best in me, I’m able to display myself.

“You always play well off confidence and preparation creates that. After one or two good games in France I was able to remind myself of that. They’ve all been so welcoming at Bayonne and I can just play my game.

“French rugby is a different league and I really feel my game has improved. The season is so long and you are thrown in the deep end when you play away from home with the Academy boys. But it teaches you to adapt and learn on the fly. A scrumhalf like Maxime, adding to what is already in his arsenal at the age of 37, just shows amazing mindset,” Jantjies said.

The DP World Lions Ladies team has had a month off from HollywoodBets ProSeries action, but it’s not as if they have been enjoying tubs of ice-cream and refreshing swimming pools during this festive period: the focus has been squarely on preparing for this weekend’s crucial visit to Durban to take on the Dolphins.

It’s a vital weekend for the DP World Lions with their hosts enjoying an unbeaten season in both the Pro50 and T20 competitions. World Sports Betting Western Province are also unbeaten in the shortest format, so victory for #ThePrideOfJozi in Sunday’s T20 match will keep them in touch with the leaders.

In the 50-over competition, victory for the DP World Lions will bring them within one win of the HollywoodBets Dolphins, with a game in hand.

“INTENT” is the message coach Shaun Pretorius has been thumping home in the DP World Lions’ build-up to this crunch weekend.

“After playing Western Province, we had a week off and then we did some nice team-building and played some golf. But we started three weeks ago with our prep for the visit to Kingsmead, just to make sure the players keep their loads up. It’s been good to have a bit of a break, but if there’s any sort of holiday mindset then we won’t achieve success,” Pretorius says.

“We need to be switched on all the time, that’s when things tend to go your way. Against the unbeaten Dolphins, it’s going to be all about intent and I keep reminding the ladies of that and the way we finished last season. We didn’t beat the Dolphins in the 50-over match, but in the T20 we really took them on and the results were phenomenal.

“So we need the same mindset this weekend and we can’t allow their bowlers to settle. As #ThePrideOfJozi, we are happy to take on that challenge. We need to take away their ability to dictate terms by manipulating the field, we must determine the pace of the game,” Pretorius says.

Shorn of the batting abilities of Tazmin Brits, Karabo Meso, Diara Ramlakan and Sinalo Jafta (who are all away with the Proteas or the SA U19 team in India), there is obviously some pressure on the experienced duo of Kirstie Thomson and Sunette Viljoen-Louw to lead the charge of the DP World Lions batting line-up.

So far the contributions of the top-order have been dwarfed by the middle and lower-order, but Pretorius is hoping the run of good starts not being converted comes to an end this weekend.

“Once our top-order comes through then we will really be a major force to be reckoned with. We’re just missing those valuable partnerships up front at the moment.

“Kirstie and Sunette are obviously vital for us. It’s been really good to see Sunette take responsibility in the middle-order and she is the leading run-scorer in the Pro50. Sunette just wants to embrace every moment that’s left in her career, and that’s why, after we signed Tazmin Brits, we wanted to keep her in the squad. We asked her to move to the middle-order and she has worked really hard on her skills there,” Pretorius says.

The absence of Proteas pace bowler Tumi Sekhukhune and SA U19 all-rounder Fay Cowling has been offset by the availability of Ayabonga Khaka, who continues to perform impressively in white-ball cricket for the national team.

The DP World Lions ladies team will be hoping for two days of sun and better basics as they take on the Six Gun Grill Garden Route Badgers in Johannesburg this weekend, following their disappointing trip to Durban three weeks ago.

The Lions were frustrated to have their one-day match against the Dolphins abandoned due to rain, seeing them slip to fifth in the standings, and they then suffered a 10-wicket defeat in the T20 game.

But it’s not like coach Shaun Pretorius hit the roof or anything, he knows our DP World Lions ladies are not far off from winning form. Just one win in the One-Day Cup will lift them back up to third.

“Things didn’t go according to plan in Durban, and there were small things that we can learn from; the only way you’re going to learn those lessons is on the park,” Pretorius said.

“I’m quite confident actually that if we stick to the basics and follow our game-plans, then we have got enough ability to win this weekend. There are still good things happening around the team, there’s no stress.

“If we execute in the right phases of the game, if we get a grip on the game and then hang on to it, then we are capable of a bonus point win which has a massive effect on the log. It’s about handling situations, not overthinking things. We must focus on the ball being delivered now and not look too far ahead. One ball can change the game,” Pretorius said.

They may be feeling a little blue after recent results, but Pretorius has been reminding our #PrideOfJozi of past successes and epic performances like chasing 250 twice at the DP World Wanderers Stadium before.

Our Pride will be without Chloe Tryon and Shabnim Ismail, who are in India for the IPL, and young stars Karabo Meso and Jenna Evans, who are representing South Africa at the Africa Games in Ghana.

But the DP World Lions are not about individuals, but the system, and Pretorius backs the squad for this weekend to put their hands up in the key phases of the game.

Proteas star Tazmin Brits battered a century off the Lions in their meeting in Oudtshoorn in November, but our Pride will not be overly focused on her. Besides, the DP World Lions have experienced, quality Proteas batters of their own in Kirstie Thomson, Sunette Viljoen-Louw and Nonkululeko Thabethe.