Saracens 12 Toulon 24

Munster, Ulster and Leinster have all given steps up to inexperienced squad members in naming their additional players for the European knockout stages next month, as former provincial Heineken Cup winners Peter Stringer and Rocky Elsom boosted squads elsewhere.

WITH just four teams qualified at this stage and all the second-placed sides still mathematically fighting for the knockout stages, the Heineken Cup has delivered once again.

Australia prop Ben Alexander insists South Africa will take the loss of second row enforcer Bakkies Botha in their stride.

South Africa 13 Samoa 5

South Africa 87 Namibia 0

HT: South Africa 31 Namibia 0

South Africa 49 Fiji 3

Bryan Habana and Victor Matfield have been ruled out of South Africa’s World Cup clash against Fiji in Wellington on Saturday.

VETERAN Bakkies Botha is a doubt for South Africa’s World Cup opener against Wales in Wellington on Sunday.

Veteran Bakkies Botha is a doubt for South Africa’s World Cup opener against Wales in Wellington on Sunday.

South Africa coach Peter De Villiers will rely on the core of the squad that became world champions four years ago after naming his 30-man World Cup squad tonight.

Fourie du Preez and Heinrich Brussow have been recalled to the South Africa starting line-up for the first time in 21 months for Saturday’s Tri Nations clash with Australia in Durban.

South Africa head coach Peter de Villiers has named 11 uncapped players in his preliminary 39-man training squad for their Grand Slam tour of Britain and Ireland.

ALLISTER COETZEE insists there is no truth in reports of a planned coup involving himself and Jake White aimed at toppling South African national coach Peter de Villiers.

Allister Coetzee insists there is no truth in reports of a planned coup involving himself and Jake White aimed at toppling national coach Peter de Villiers.

Bath fly-half Butch James is a notable absentee from the South Africa bench for this weekend's Tri Nations encounter against Australia in Bloemfontein.

GRAHAM HENRY expects his New Zealand side to face a much-changed South Africa one when the two countries meet in the Tri-Nations on Saturday.

Inexperienced pair Francois Hougaard and Flip van der Merwe will win their first starts for South Africa after being named in the starting line-up for the Tri Nations encounter against New Zealand in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Front row pair BJ Botha and Tendai Mtawarira are among five player that have been dropped from the South Africa squad to face New Zealand in their Tri Nations encounter in Johannesburg on Saturday.

South Africa coach Peter de Villiers has rung the changes ahead of Saturday’s Tri Nations clash with Australia at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.

SOUTH AFRICA lock Victor Matfield was yesterday despairing at the way Irish referees Alan Lewis and Alain Rolland have policed the breakdown, following his side’s second successive Tri Nations defeat to New Zealand in Wellington on Saturday.

SOUTH AFRICA out-half Morne Steyn insists there will be no knee-jerk reaction to last week’s Tri Nations destruction at the hands of the All Blacks when the sides meet again in Wellington tomorrow (8.35am).

South Africa coach Peter de Villiers has made two enforced changes for the second Tri Nations Test in Wellington on Saturday as his team look to make amends for their humbling loss to New Zealand.

South Africa 42 France 17

Wales 31 South Africa 34

Bulls 25 Stormers 17

John Smit and Victor Matfield are among a group of 10 players to be awarded national contracts by the South African Rugby Union that will run until next year’s World Cup.

Rob Kearney has warned South Africa that Ireland are ready to match them in the physicality stakes at Croke Park tomorrow.

BIGGER THAN the Lions, and bigger than the Tri-Nations decider. That’s how the visiting World Cup champion Springboks are looking at tomorrow’s clash with Ireland in Croke Park, according to assistant coach Gary Gold, who said yesterday that he “had not encountered anything as big as the build-up to Saturday . . . the pressure and expectations are bigger than they were before the first Lions Test in Durban or that final Tri-Nations clash in Hamilton.”

South Africa have made six changes for Saturday’s test at Croke Park against Ireland.

AUSTRALIA have made just one change to their starting XV for Saturday’s autumn international against Scotland.

South Africa coach Peter de Villiers has made four changes from the team beaten by France last weekend for Saturday’s clash with Italy in Udine.

JP Pietersen and Andries Bekker are to return home from Australia after sustaining injuries during South Africa’s 32-25 Tri-Nations victory over the Wallabies in Perth on Saturday.

AUSTRALIA have finalised preparations for today’s Tri-Nations clash with South Africa at Subiaco Oval in Perth and remain confident of a victory to remain alive in the competition.

Ruan Pienaar was today handed a surprise recall to the starting line-up for South Africa’s Tri-Nations encounter against Australia in Perth on Saturday.

Coach Peter de Villiers has scoffed at suggestions that he might be a weakness in South Africa’s armoury.

South Africa coach Peter de Villiers has defended flanker Schalk Burger following his eight-week ban.

SOUTH AFRICA have the players to overcome any challenge the British and Irish Lions throw at them during their three-test tour, former World Cup-winning Springbok coach Jake White said yesterday.

England 6 South Africa 42

South Africa coach Peter de Villiers has made two changes to the team which beat Scotland last weekend for the season-ending Test against England at Twickenham on Saturday.

South Africa have lost scrum-half Fourie du Preez to injury for Saturday’s autumn international against Scotland.

WORLD Cup superstar Bryan Habana has led the tributes to departing Springboks coach Jake White, declaring: “He has taken us on an unbelievable journey.”

South Africa will field nine of their victorious World Cup final starting line-up against Wales at the Millennium Stadium.