Year in rugby: South Africa dominate, France win Six Nations, England on the rise

South Africa started and finished ‌2025 as the world’s No 1-ranked side, and their extraordinary depth and monstrous scrum suggest they will be the team to beat at the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

The Springboks retained the Rugby Championship title, inflicted a record test defeat on old foes New Zealand, completed comprehensive wins in France and Ireland, and racked up a record score against an ailing Wales side in Cardiff.

It was not a perfect 12 months, however, with a second-half capitulation at Ellis Park against ⁠Australia, who claimed a rare win in Johannesburg, and a poor performance in defeat by New Zealand as they failed to break an 88-year Auckland hoodoo.

But having used more than 50 players in 2025, South Africa managed to win 12 of their 14 tests, most of them easily, all the while bedding in a more expansive playing style under attack coach Tony Brown that secured a historic 43-10 win in Wellington over the All Blacks.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu emerged as the new star, ‍racking up the most tries ever by a Springbok fly-half with nine between September and November alone, surpassing Morne Steyn and Handre Pollard.

It was the ‍continued evolution of their scrum, however, no matter who made up the forward pack, that will sound alarm bells for rivals. When the Springboks needed a penalty, the set-piece almost always delivered.