Jordie poses triple threat to Boks

Jordie Barrett’s all-round game and versatility make him the cornerstone of
the All Blacks backline, writes CAMPBELL BURNES in SA Rugby magazine.

You can bet the Springboks will have some plan in place to shut down or at least dull the effectiveness of Jordie Barrett during the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series. cricket-ipl.in

The 29-year-old is very much what they these days call a “triple threat”. He can hurt you with either his running, passing or kicking game. The latter includes his goal-kicking from long distance, if perhaps not quite in the Frans Steyn category for long bombs off the tee.

Barrett is one of just three certainties when naming an All Blacks backline, along with scrumhalf Cam Roigard and fullback Will Jordan. That is as much a reflection of the uncertainty and lack of fluency shown by the All Blacks backs through much of 2024-25 in the troubled Scott Robertson tenure as it is about Barrett’s status in the team. New assistant coach Mike Blair, along with new head coach Dave Rennie, will be tasked with sorting this out and helping the All Blacks back division regain its mojo.

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They needn’t worry about Barrett, though. We know he has played fullback, wing and No 10 for the All Blacks, so his versatility is palpable,but he’s coming off a superb season at No 12 for the Super Rugby Pacific-winning Hurricanes, where he was the fulcrum of everything good that their backline produced, be it firing cutout passes off either hand, carting the ball up in the midfield or banging away long touch-finders.

Funnily enough, the competition MVP was Quinn Tupaea, a man who occupies the same inside centre position as Barrett. But it’s a measure of the latter’s standing (from 78 Tests at the start of the international season) that any attempt to start Tupaea will have to involve shoehorning him into outside centre or coming in if Barrett goes down injured.

We spoke on Barrett’s first day in All Blacks camp in late June, having just come down off the high of the Hurricanes’ triumph, his first in nine seasons with his club.

“I’m really proud of the season we had with the Hurricanes,” he says. “Winning a Super Rugby title is no easy feat and I feel like I was playing some of the best rugby of my career, which is nice. So hopefully I can recapture some of my form if given the opportunity with the All Blacks.”

Those last seven words are redundant, of course. He will be given every opportunity in black.

Jordie Barrett’s mother Robyn was pregnant with him when the All Blacks last undertook a full-scale tour of South Africa in 1996, playing eight matches and winning a series (2-1) for the first time there. But Jordie did partake in the time-honoured Kiwi rugby ritual of rising in the early hours of the morning, invariably with his father Kevin and four other brothers, including Beauden and Scott, to watch on TV as the All Blacks locked horns with the Boks through the 2000s and 2010s.

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“They were probably my earliest rugby memories, getting woken up at three or four in the morning and watching the Tests in South Africa,” says Barrett. “Personally, they were the best ones to watch. Even in Beaudy’s early days of Super Rugby, we’d watch him playing in South Africa for the Hurricanes and it was special to get the opportunity to do that before the South Africans went north.”

Barrett would have to check old clips on YouTube of how former All Blacks No 12s performed in South Africa: Joe Morgan’s slashing solo try in Bloemfontein in 1976 or Walter Little’s solidity on the 1996 tour, for example.

This tour, when first mooted, elicited a positive response by Barrett, so used to the endless treadmill of international rugby where you tend to play the same opponents on the same type of tour.

“When they floated the idea of going to South Africa for six to seven weeks, it was pretty exciting and one you wanted to be part of as a player.”

Barrett debuted for the All Blacks in 2017, but was injured when they infamously blanked the Boks 57-0 in Albany. South Africa were going through a difficult period under Allister Coetzee as head coach.

Times have changed, and how. The Boks are now two-time defending World Cup champions and hold the world No 1 ranking.

“They were probably going through a transition period at that time, but they’re an unbelievable side now with a lot of depth. So it’ll be a great challenge for us when we face the Springboks,” Barrett says. “It’ll be one that fans from both nations and around the world will be watching with a keen eye.”

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His own record against the Boks is mixed, just four wins from 12 Tests.

In his first, at fullback in Wellington in 2018, he famously threw the loose pass that gave the Boks momentum to win a tight one, 36-34.

In the lockdown era of 2021, in the neutral venues of Townsville and the Gold Coast, the two Tests were split 1-1, Barrett again at the back.

It was the same in 2022 in South Africa, the All Blacks saving Ian Foster’s bacon with a determined victory at Ellis Park.

In 2023, with the No 12 jersey on his back, Barrett had a win and two losses in three Tests, the second loss being the World Cup final, a 12-11 cliffhanger in which he missed a late long-range penalty goal, while Handré Pollard was unerring off the tee.

In 2024, despite losing both Tests in South Africa, the All Blacks did not feel far away from the Boks. Then in 2025 we saw contrasting displays by the All Blacks, a brutal, gritty 24-17 win at Eden Park (to extend the unbeaten streak there to 50 at the time) when the Boks were not on song, and then a 43-10 second-spell capitulation in Wellington, the worst defeat, in more ways than one, in All Blacks Test history.

Understandably, Barrett was not keen to dwell on the Wellington result.

“It was hard to take, but a week earlier we beat them at Eden Park and that was one of my greatest memories as an All Black,” he says. “It’s easy to look at losses, and they are ones that do stay with you in your career, but also keenly reflect on some of the good wins I’ve had against the Springboks. It shows that it is possible.”

Barrett used to mark the gifted counter-attacker Willie le Roux earlier in his career when he was cast as a fullback.

In more recent times he has come up against the seasoned and highly effective midfield duo of Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel. Another option now is the hybrid, André Esterhuizen. None of that trio will freely give Barrett a moment’s peace on the field.

“Damian de Allende, in particular, has been outstanding for a long time, Jesse Kriel has been there for a number of years, André Esterhuizen too. They are guys I have marked for a good part of my career and I have a lot of respect for,” he says.

Barrett agrees that Test rugby against the Springboks is the hardest physical match-up that he faces. It has been that way for 105 years. This versatile performer, who could raise the 100 Test mark at next year’s World Cup, looms as a key figure in the latest chapter of this storied rivalry.

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Photo: Hannah Peters/Getty Images

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NAIROBI, Kenya, August 10, 2026 – Nyali Golf Club’s Adel Taufiq Balala secured back-to-back titles on the Kenya Amateur Golf Championship (KAGC) circuit after winning the 2026 NCBA Karen Challenge at Karen Country Club on Sunday.

Balala finished the 54-hole championship at level-par 216, edging Nakuru Golf Club’s John Kamaisi by two shots after three rounds of contrasting fortunes.

Royal Nairobi Golf Club’s Mwathi Gicheru finished third on three-over-par 219.

The victory comes just a week after Balala won the Kenya Amateur Matchplay Championship at Limuru Country Club, making the Karen Challenge his second KAGC title in as many weeks and underlining his strong run of form on the circuit.

Balala set the pace from the opening round on Friday, firing an impressive six-under-par 66 to take an early lead.

He struggled to maintain the momentum in Saturday’s second round, carding a seven-over-par 79, but recovered strongly in the final round on Sunday with a one-under-par 71 to finish on 216 and secure the title.

The Nyali golfer’s final-round recovery proved decisive as he held off Kamais, who finished on two-over-par 218 after rounds of 73, 70 and 75. Gicheru completed the podium on 219 after rounds of 75, 71 and 73.

Speaking after his victory, Balala said the win was particularly satisfying given the difficult second round and the pressure of defending his position at the top of the leaderboard.

“It feels great to win again, especially after the Matchplay Championship last week. The second round was difficult, but I knew I still had a chance if I stayed focused and played my game. I am happy with how I responded in the final round and managed to get the job done,” Balala said.

He further said the back-to-back victories have given him confidence as the KAGC season progresses.

“Winning two titles in a row gives me a lot of confidence. It shows that the hard work is starting to pay off, but there is still a long way to go. I want to keep improving, remain consistent and see how far I can go this season,” he said.

Kamaisi mounted a strong challenge after improving from a first-round 73 to a two-under-par 70 in the second round, but a final-round 75 left him two shots behind Balala.

Gicheru, meanwhile, stayed in contention throughout the championship, following his opening-round 75 with a one-under-par 71 before closing with a 73 to finish third.

Sigona Golf Club’s Junaid Manji Ayaz was fourth on four-over-par 220 after rounds of 75, 74 and 71, while home player Joseph Olwali finished fifth on five-over-par 221 after posting rounds of 74, 73 and 74.

Muthaiga Golf Club’s Jay Sandhu, who recently won the Kenya Amateur Strokeplay Championship and became the first amateur to secure a ticket to the Magical Kenya Open 2027, finished sixth on six-over-par 222.

The Karen Challenge forms part of the 2026 KAGC calendar and provided another important opportunity for amateur golfers to earn ranking points and strengthen their positions as the season progresses.

Speaking at the event, NCBA Bank Galleria Branch Manager Lydia Mwangi said the bank was pleased to support a platform that continues to provide amateur golfers with opportunities to compete and develop their game.

“The Karen Challenge has once again demonstrated the quality and competitiveness of amateur golf in Kenya. At NCBA, we believe in creating opportunities that empower people to pursue their ambitions, and our support for the KAGC circuit is part of our commitment to growing the game at this level,” Mwangi said.

Aston Villa left-back Lucas Digne has joined Paris Saint-Germain on a three-year deal, the European champions announced Sunday.

The 33-year-old French international, who grew up in the Paris region, returns to PSG, where he played for two seasons between 2013 and 2015.

“I am very honoured to be returning to Paris Saint-Germain,” Digne said in a statement on the Ligue 1 champions’ website.

“I am particularly impressed by how the club has developed over the years.

“I can’t wait to start this new chapter and put all my experience at the service of the team.”

After PSG, Digne spent time on loan in Serie A with Roma before signing for Spanish giants Barcelona, who were then coached by current PSG boss Luis Enrique.

He moved to the Premier League in 2018, firstly with Everton, then four years later joining Aston Villa.

At Villa Park, he won the Europa League under Unai Emery last season.

Capped 64 times by his country, Digne became France’s first-choice left-back over the course of the 2026 World Cup.

Digne is PSG’s second major signing of the summer transfer window after fellow French international Maghnes Akliouche arrived from Monaco.

He could make his debut for his new club against his former employers Aston Villa on Wednesday in the UEFA Super Cup in Salzburg.

However, long term it is likely his principal role will be to provide cover for PSG’s starting left-back, Nuno Mendes.

Garsfontein go into the Noordvaal Cup play-offs on a nine-game winning streak, while EG Jansen’s woes have been compounded by relegation to the tournament’s plate division.

Affies, Monument and Noordheuwel also won their last regular-season games in the Noordvaal Cup, while top Western Cape schools Boland Landbou and Oakdale played a scintillating final regular-season contest against each other.

Boland edged Oakdale 40-36 at home, something that will also help with their annual rankings.

Meanwhile, EG Jansen, whose players were part of a fight at Menlopark that went viral the week before, saw many of these players suspended by the tournament committee.

They went on to suffer a 76-5 hammering away to Garsfontein, finishing the league phase on 197 points. Four points behind Waterkloof, EG Jansen have effectively been relegated before the play-offs are even played.

The Citizen will publish all the play-off fixtures on Friday.

Selected results

Western Cape

Hugenote 39 Hopefield 34

Hopefield 14 Swartland 24

Brandwag (EP) 12 Nico Malan 26

Boland Landbou 40 Oakdale 36

Brackenfell 29 Hugenote 39

Hermanus 33 Strand 31

Tygerberg 22 Melkbosstrand 15

DF Akademie 44 HTS Belville 17

Robertson 25 Worcester Gim

KwaZulu-Natal

Maritzburg College 64 Glenwood 7

Eastern Cape

Brandwag (EP) 12 Nico Malan 26

Queen’s 28 Graeme 31

Selborne 28 Dale 17

Marlow 57 Bergsig 13

Grey High School 113 Muir 5

Cambridge 19 Hudson Park 52

Ooskus Gim 22 Stirling 22

Free State – Griquas

Sentraal 29 Framesby 28

Grey College 45 Outeniqua 17

Duineveld 19 Upington 36

Welkom Gim 64 Beth Voortrekker 28

Trio 34 Hentie Cilliers 19

Noordvaal Cup

Monument 40 Waterkloof 36

Garsfontein 76 EG Jansen 5

Rustenburg 42 Menlopark 41

Noordheuwel 31 Middelburg

Montana 12 Zwartkop 29

Nelspruit 20 HTS Middelburg 12

Oos-Moot 49 Klerksdorp 34

Kempton Park 23 Wesvalia 27

Lichtenburg 39 Eldoraigne 35

Pietersburg 52 Piet Retief 10

Heidelberg VS 49 Ligbron 12

Secunda 17 Ben Vorster 15

Centurion 26 Potch Volkskool 17

Potch Gim 13 Midstream 6

Standerton 60 Wonderboom 50

Hans Strijdom 34 Alberton 14

Ellisras 47 Oosterlig 7

Pretoria Noord 40 Wagpos 32

Noordvaal

KES 12 Durban High School 22

Pretoria Boys High 18 Affies 45

Jeppe 54 Parktown 27