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Siya expects England to bring it
Springbok captain Siya Kolisi isn’t buying into the narrative that England’s young team will be easy pickings in their opening Test match of the year at Ellis Park on Saturday. CLINTON VAN DER BERG reports. forestarrow.help
“It’s going to be a tough game. The contest between us and England usually starts up front, at the set-pieces, and England take a lot of pride in how they operate there. We’ll make sure our forwards are ready, especially at scrum and lineout. That’s going to be massive,” he said at a media briefing on Friday.
Kolisi was in top form, smartly avoiding a verbal hand grenade in the form of a sharp question about Tom Curry’s incident with Bongi Mbonambi in the 2023 World Cup semi-final.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’d honestly forgotten about that,” he said, appearing genuinely bemused.
“A lot has happened since then. It’s a new game. If you’re still thinking about something like that, it means your mind isn’t in the game, so we’ve moved on and we’re excited to play against a tough team.
“He’s one of the toughest opponents I’ve ever played against. He’s a special player, and I’ve always enjoyed playing against him. Tomorrow will be no different.”
BORTHWICK: Pollock brings joy, enormous energy
Asked about the prevailing public sentiment about England being underdone, Kolisi wasn’t buying it.
“Luckily, we listen to our coaches. We’ve played rugby for a long time and we’ve been written off before, so we know what that feels like. But we’ve prepared like we do for any Test match.
“Given the talent and competition we have in South Africa, we never walk into a Test match assuming we’ll win. If we did, we wouldn’t have prepared the way we have this week. We haven’t been listening to outside noise; we’ve been focused on our own preparation.”
ALSO: Siya recalls ‘tough, emotional’ captaincy debut
Given that he made his debut as Springbok captain at Ellis Park in 2018, Kolisi said the ground held a special place in his heart.
“I didn’t watch it live, but of course I think of the 1995 World Cup final. There have also been big Tests we’ve played at that stadium since.
“When I think of Ellis Park, I think of ’95, how big that moment was, not just for rugby but for South Africa as a whole. So many of our dreams were born there.
“Every time I see the photos, I have to pinch myself – some of the legends who played that day were amazing human beings, and it’s where our dreams were born.
ALSO: England amped to step into Bok arena
“Since then this has become the team everybody dreams of being part of. We carry all of that with us when we play, and we try to create our own moments as we go, so that one day our kids will look back on the moments we created for them. But that ’95 moment will always be special.”
More history beckons on Saturday.
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
The post Siya expects England to bring it appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
‘ElevateHER’ to hold basketball-themed fashion event to lift women sports in Kenya
NAIROBI, Kenya, July 3, 2026 – ElevateHER Sports and Entertainment will hold its second ever event on July 25, at the Nairobi Street Kitchen as it pushes on with its objective of empowering women’s sports marketing and commercial growth.
The event, dubbed “For All The Stars Nairobi”, will merge basketball culture with African fashion, featuring a runway show where ten players from the Kenya Women’s Basketball Premier League will model outfits designed by local tailors.
Speaking on Capital FM’s The Fuse, ElevateHER Chief Executive Officer Claire Wamboi said the event is part of its envisioned role as an intermediary, generating commercial value not only for female athletes but also for referees, technical staff, and leagues.
“I saw that this is a gap that has to be bridged and the right way to do this is to do it commercially so to build those structures that will in turn now bring that visibility revenue and opportunity for women’s sports,” Wamboi said.
She said the organisation — founded in April 2026 — is a direct response to the disparities observed between men’s and women’s sporting events in the country.
While men’s games frequently attract significant crowds, visibility, and commercial traction, women’s events often struggle to secure similar corporate backing or audience attendance.
Beyond sports marketing, the agency focuses on the holistic well-being of female athletes, including financial literacy and mental health.
In June 2026, ElevateHER hosted an educational summit where experts from institutions like Safaricom guided athletes on wealth management and investment.
Wamboi emphasized the need for sustainable financial planning for athletes.
“We want something that there’s longevity to it not just a one-time thing and it’s done,” she said.
To build public trust and connection, the agency is utilizing personal narratives to profile athletes outside of the sporting arena.
“We are trying to lean into storytelling and this is where we’re going to humanize a certain athlete so to build the trust it’s for us to be with you from your journey from the start till the end because these are people who go compete out there, they represent us but no one knows their name,” Wamboi said.
For Kenyans, the commercialization of women’s sports presents new avenues for community engagement, local corporate investment, and viable career opportunities for young girls.
Confirmed: Anthem singers for Springboks-England at Ellis Park
The Springboks’ 2026 international season is upon us, and with ticket sales increasing for match attendance at Ellis Park – more on this later – there will be interest from fans to know who will be singing the national anthems prior to kick off.
TheSouthAfrican has now learned that the SA anthem prior to the Springboks’ game will be sung by Jodi Fredericks.
An accomplished South African singer, songwriter and session vocalist hailing from Cape Town, Fredericks boasts more than a decade in the industry. She is known as highly versatile performer, particularly within the jazz, neo-soul, and collaborative music scenes.
In 2019, her career gained significant momentum when she won the Grand West and Heart 104.9 Open Mic Jazz Competition and was named a semi-finalist for the prestigious SAMRO Overseas Scholarship.
Fredericks is a regular on premier South African stages, and has collaborated with prominent European jazz musicians. The track ‘Better Off (Without You)’ was a standout commercial success in collaboration with the South African production duo Do Not Disturb (DND), which received heavy rotation on national radio stations like Heart FM and KFM, and earned international playlisting on Apple Music.
All eyes will be on the anthem singers prior to the battle between the Springboks and England at Ellis Park
Meanwhile, the England national anthem will be performed by Thabiso Masemene. A highly accomplished South African opera singer and tenor, he is known for his incredible vocal range and versatility, while his career has spanned traditional classical opera, sacred music, and major international musical theatre productions.
Beyond his solo classical work, he is a key member of the successful vocal group The Gaabo-Motho Tenors.
The clash between the Springboks and England kicks off at 17:40 on Saturday.
What crowd can be expected at Ellis Park?
Over the last week there have been a lot of questions over the ticket sales and prices for the Test at Ellis Park, but on Friday there was a stern statement released by SA Rugby to insist that a big crowd was expected.
“Predictions that the attendance would be little more than 21 000 were entirely erroneous and misinformed,” a statement read.
“SA Rugby hopes to get close to the historic average against England in SA of 91% of the stadiums’ capacity in a market in which tickets are on sale for four Test matches and two provincial matches against the touring All Blacks.
“Assertions of lack of interest are unfounded and not supported by the actual sales data.”
Tickets are still available – CLICK HERE.
Somalie: la Mission de l'Union africaine menacée par un arrêt des financements américains?
Des documents diplomatiques consultés par RFI indiquent que Washington a informé l'Union africaine (UA) que les États-Unis ne maintiendront pas leurs financements au Bureau d'appui des Nations unies en Somalie (UNSOS), au-delà de fin-2026. Cela privera donc de ressources essentielles la Mission de l’UA pour la stabilisation et le soutien aux opérations en Somalie (Aussom), qui compte près de 12 000 hommes engagés dans le soutien au gouvernement de Mogadiscio, face aux miliciens d'al-Shebab, liés à al-Qaïda.
England amped to step into Bok arena
Steve Borthwick has challenged his England team to bring their “best versions of themselves” to Ellis Park when they face the Springboks on Saturday.
Fronting up to the media in the build-up to what promises to be an epic Nations Championship opener for both nations, the England boss was quizzed on whether tempo would be key to unlocking a result against the world champions.
Borthwick, though, shifted the focus onto his players’ character rather than any tactical blueprint.
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“Rather than talk about tempo I’d rather talk about the players and wanting them to bring all their character, personality and talent onto the pitch on Saturday,” he said.
“We know South Africa are a wonderful side, they’ve been the benchmark of world rugby for a considerable period of time. We’re playing against the best in the world and it’s what we talked about with the players – bringing their very best versions of themselves onto the pitch on Saturday, in such an incredible arena.”
BORTHWICK: Pollock brings joy, enormous energy
With England having struggled during the 2026 Six Nations, Borthwick addressed what has been done to restore belief in his group ahead of a daunting task in the Republic.
“That’s one of the great challenges, particularly the England side. I believe we’ve got a load of great talent and my job, along with all the other coaches, is to be supportive of that, to embrace them and encourage them, and then step into the arena,” he said.
“These players are excited about the challenge, [South Africa] is a wonderful place to play rugby, very few of them have experienced Ellis Park before and I think there’s a freshness, a real energy around that.
“There’s nothing from the past with them, they just want to go and they’ve been supported by some brilliant senior players. My encouragement is always to bring their talent onto the pitch, put the shirt on and feel the energy of the millions of supporters in England that we have.”
KEO: Manie has nothing to prove
Borthwick also pointed to the growing partnership between Northampton Saints duo Tommy Freeman and Fin Smith as central to accelerating cohesion in a youthful backline.
“We’ve talked many times about looking for the right partnerships, the right blend of players who spend time together and play together and clearly they have,” he said.
“We’re well aware that our backline is young … the team’s a lot younger. We also know the number of caps we have are several hundred less than where South Africa are, so that’s why we spend so much time talking about the relationships and understanding between players because we need to accelerate that.”
Photo: Action Images via Reuters/Paul Childs
The post England amped to step into Bok arena appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.