Rugby fever grips Gqeberha ahead of Bok showdown

Story audio is generated using AI

Gqeberha is in the grip of rugby fever as it prepares to host the world’s best players in a showpiece match featuring the Springboks and a star-studded Barbarians side at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.

Though the clash does not enjoy official Test match status, it will boast all the characteristics usually associated with a full-scale international.

Fixtures involving the Barbarians are rare and highly anticipated worldwide, and they bring together some of the most exciting names in rugby for a one-off showdown.

Bok coach Rassie Erasmus says Gqeberha will be ground zero for his team in 2026, and he wants the opening match to set the tone for the rest of the season.

Some of the world-class players set to line up against the Boks are Scotland’s SA-born wing Duhan van der Merwe, New Zealand’s TJ Perenara and Australia’s Andrew Kellaway.

The Springboks have never lost at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, winning eight of their nine Tests at this iconic venue, while one clash ended in a draw.

This impressive statistic will add to the Boks’ resolve to make a winning start to a jam-packed season which also includes the Greatest Rivalry series against old foes New Zealand.

Gqeberha rugby fans showed their passion for the game in 2025 when a crowd of 44,282 packed the stands to watch a clinical Springbok performance as the home side beat Italy 45-0.

The action starts early on Saturday when a powerful SA A team take on the Zimbabwe Sables in a curtain-raiser to the Barbarians clash.

Any perceptions that the Boks’ opening game might be a low-key exhibition affair were kicked into touch by Barbarians coach Felipe Contepomi.

He said the BaaBaas would treat the game as a Test and wanted to erase memories of the 2025 clash between the teams when the Boks ran out 54-7 winners in Cape Town.

If the Barbarians live up to their famous creed of prioritising flair over dull defensive tactics, a dazzling feast of crowd-pleasing running rugby is on the cards.