The England men's national rugby union team represents the Rugby Football Union in men's international rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. England have won the championship on 29 occasions, winning the Grand Slam 14 times and the Triple Crown 26 times, making them the most successful outright winners in the tournament's history. They are currently the only team from the Northern Hemisphere to win the Rugby World Cup, having won the tournament in 2003, and have been runners-up on three further occasions.
Jacobus Petrus "Os" du Randt is a former South African rugby union loosehead prop who retired as the most-capped forward in the history of the Springboks. For most of his career, he played in the domestic Currie Cup for the Free State Cheetahs, though he spent one season with the Blue Bulls. In Super Rugby, he represented the Free State Cheetahs when South Africa sent its top Currie Cup teams to the competition instead of franchised sides, later represented the Cats franchise, spent one season with the Bulls before returning to the Cats, and still later played for the Cheetahs. He ended his career as one of the last remaining international-level players from the amateur era of the sport and the last active member of the 1995 World Cup-winning squad. His final match was the 2007 Rugby World Cup final, which the Springboks won, with Du Randt playing the entire 80 minutes. He is one of 43 players who have won the Rugby World Cup on multiple occasions, only 24 of whom are South Africans.
Scott Mathie is a rugby union current coach and former player. He played as a scrum-half for the Blue Bulls, Sharks, Leeds Carnegie, Sale Sharks and Eastern Province Kings. He retired in October 2013. He is the current head coach of the New England Free Jacks in Major League Rugby (MLR).
In 1955 the British Lions rugby union team toured Southern and Eastern Africa. The Lions drew the test series against South Africa, each team winning two of the four matches. They won the first test by a single point and the third by three points and lost the second and fourth matches by wider margins. As well as South Africa, the tour included a match against South West Africa, two games against Rhodesia and one versus East Africa.
Jack Bassett was a Welsh international rugby union full back who played club rugby for Penarth. He won 15 caps for Wales and was selected for the 1930 British Lions tour of Australia and New Zealand. He captained the Welsh team on nine occasions.
Coenraad Victor Oosthuizen, nicknamed 'Coenie' or 'Shrek', is a professional rugby union player for Sale Sharks in the English Premiership. He previously represented the Free State Cheetahs and Sharks in the Currie Cup, the Cheetahs and Sharks in Super Rugby and also was chosen for the Springboks squad in 2010, 2011 and 2012, making his test debut in the first test against England in Durban in 2012.
The 2014 Currie Cup Premier Division was the 76th season in the competition since it started in 1889 and was contested from 9 August to 25 October 2014. The tournament is the top tier of South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition.
Kensuke Hatakeyama is a Japanese rugby union player who plays for the New England Free Jacks of Major League Rugby (MLR).
Seabelo Mohanoe Senatla is a South African rugby union player for the South African Sevens Side. He also plays for Stormers in Super Rugby and Western Province in the Currie Cup. His regular position is winger.
Joseph Dweba is a South African professional rugby union player for Stormers in the United Rugby Championship competition. He previously played for Cheetahs in the Pro14 and the Free State Cheetahs in the Currie Cup. His regular position is hooker.
Retshegofaditswe 'Tshego' Nché – more commonly referred to as Ox Nché – is a South African rugby union player for the Sharks in the United Rugby Championship and the South African national team the Springboks. His regular position is prop, and he is one of the world’s most revered scrummagers.
Ockert Jacobus Jacques du Toit is a South African professional rugby union player for Zebre Parma in the United Rugby Championship, and previously for Bath in Premiership Rugby. His regular position is hooker.
Mthokozisi Cyprial 'Zee' Mkhabela is a South African rugby union player for the Sharks in the Super Rugby and the Sharks XV in the Rugby Challenge. His regular position is scrum-half.
In June 2018, England played a three-test series against South Africa as part of the 2018 mid-year rugby union tests. The series was part of the sixth year of the global rugby calendar established by World Rugby, which runs through to 2019.
Erich Estiaan de Jager is a South African professional rugby union player for the New England Free Jacks of Major League Rugby (MLR). His regular position is prop. His nickname is "Tarzan" started by his teammates.
The New England Free Jacks are a professional rugby union team in Major League Rugby (MLR) based in the Greater Boston area. They were announced in September 2018 and began to compete professionally in October 2018. They competed in their first season in MLR in the 2020 season. On July 8, 2023, they became the MLR Champions for the 2023 season, after defeating San Diego Legion in a closely fought match.
In 2019, the Sharks participated in the 2019 Super Rugby competition, the 24th edition of the competition since its inception in 1996. They were included in the South African Conference of the competition, along with the Bulls, Jaguares, Lions and Stormers.
Wayne van der Bank is a South African rugby union player for the New England Free Jacks in Major League Rugby (MLR) in the United States. His regular position is centre.
Slade McDowall is a New Zealand rugby union player who plays for the New England Free Jacks in Major League Rugby (MLR) and for the Highlanders in Super Rugby. His playing position is flanker.
