The Springboks will not boycott the rugby Tests against Ireland, captain John Smit revealed on Monday. Smit put to rest rumours that the team would go on strike ahead of the Tests against Ireland ”because of a declared dispute between the South African Rugby Football Union and the South African Rugby Players Association”.

Jake White’s new-look Springboks had to overcome a shaky first half before they ran amok in the second stanza against the Central Unions XV for a 62-19 victory in a warm-up match at the Absa Stadium in Kimberley on Wednesday evening. South Africa’s performance in the first half an hour or so was littered with unforced errors.

The South African men’s hockey team are going to the Athens Olympic Games, after the Court of Arbitration of Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland, rejected the Hellenic Hockey Association’s appeal on Wednesday. The decision brought to an end months of anxious waiting for both countries.

Another bright new dawn for Springbok rugby was initiated on Sunday with the announcement of Jake White’s 22-man squad for the Tests against Ireland and Wales next month. The squad includes two overseas-based players — Leicester’s Jaco van der Westhuyzen and Percy Montgomery of Newport — and six players of colour.

The Lions put in a superb second-half performance to emerge victorious 35-16 against the Blue Bulls in the Vodacom Cup final at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon. The Lions scored four tries to one in an entertaining second half after they held a narrow 9-6 lead after a tight first period.

The Cats fought valiantly, but in the end their huge effort on the night failed to prevent South Africa’s fourth Vodacom Super 12 defeat of the weekend as they were beaten 35-28 by the Blues at Ellis Park on Saturday evening. Competitive and determined in the first stanza, the second half saw the Cats concede 22 points.

The Lions had to dig deep before emerging narrow 22-18 victors over the Falcons in a hard-fought Vodacom Cup match played at the Pam Brink Stadium in Springs on Saturday afternoon. The visitors led 9-6 at the break, but trailed by nine points with a little less than 30 minutes remaining.

South African Rugby Football Union (Sarfu) president Brian van Rooyen — speaking at a Black Management Forum meeting in Sandown, Johannesburg, on Tuesday night — blasted the ”mentality” of rugby administrators in this country. Van Rooyen also reiterated his earlier statements that Sarfu is in a shambles and needs a complete overhaul.

Contrary to a report in a Sunday newspaper, the South African national rugby team will continue to use the Springbok as its official emblem and will still be known as the Springboks. The Sunday Times reported that, ”Rugby’s Springbok emblem is on its way out after almost 100 years”, but a Sarfu spokesperson said that was not entirely accurate.

The South African Rugby Players Association (Sarpa) on Monday warned that strike action could not be discounted in the wake of recent comments attributed to SA Rugby Football Union’s president Brian van Rooyen.