As the curtain falls on 2025, South African rugby stands at a fascinating crossroads. On the one hand, the Springboks have cemented their status as the world’s number one-ranked team, boasting a dominant scrum and a trophy cabinet that now includes another Rugby Championship title. On the other, the Bulls—one of South Africa’s most storied provincial franchises—find themselves mired in a worrying slump, with their supporters’ patience stretched thin after a string of painful defeats.
Let’s start in Pretoria, where the Bulls’ loyal fans have endured a rough ride lately. December 21 saw the Bulls fall 21-12 to the Sharks in Durban, marking their fifth consecutive loss across all competitions. The defeat capped a run that included three straight United Rugby Championship (URC) setbacks (against the Glasgow Warriors, the Lions, and the Sharks), as well as opening losses in the Investec Champions Cup to Bordeaux-Begles and Northampton Saints. For a club accustomed to challenging for silverware, the current five-match losing streak feels like uncharted territory.
Against the Sharks, the Bulls appeared poised to snap their skid. They led 12-7 with just 10 minutes to play, thanks to the reliable boot of Springboks fly-half Handre Pollard, who slotted four penalties to keep the scoreboard ticking. The Bulls’ formidable pack dominated the scrums, earning several penalties and putting the Sharks under real pressure. Yet, despite controlling the forward exchanges, the Bulls’ attacking play faltered at critical moments. Two late converted tries from Siya Kolisi and Edwill van der Merwe turned the contest on its head, handing the home side a dramatic 21-12 victory in the dying minutes.
Head coach Johan Ackermann, who took the reins after last season’s URC final defeat to Leinster and the departure of Jake White, has called for calm and resilience from fans. He understands the frustration but insists his players are giving their all. “We understand that our supporters will feel let down, but sometimes you go through struggles for a reason,” Ackermann said after the Sharks defeat. “People who are struggling because they do not have work, and do not have food. They keep on going, so how can we give up? We won’t, and I felt our players fought to the end.”
Ackermann stopped short of blaming his squad, instead emphasizing the need to learn quickly and convert effort into results. “I can’t fault the effort. The players kept fighting right to the end. But when you lose, there are things you have to fix. People want results, and that’s what we need to deliver. We have to learn quickly. The effort is there – now we need to turn pressure into points.”
Despite their scrum dominance, the Bulls couldn’t capitalize on their opportunities. Ackermann pointed to a recurring issue: “We got penalties from the scrum, kicked to the line-out, and then we’d lose the lineout or lose the breakdown a phase or two later. We didn’t use our opportunities. That’s the reality. In the second half, we got turnovers and some reward, but we didn’t capitalise. Two or three phases later, we’d give the ball away again.”
He also highlighted the cruel nature of sport when luck deserts a struggling side. “Then there were crucial moments – a penalty on halfway, a breakdown, an aerial contest – and suddenly we were pushed back and they scored. It’s one of those things that’s hard to explain. The harder you try, it feels like nothing wants to come your way. Every little bounce, every 50-50 decision, it just didn’t go for us.”
Contrast the Bulls’ woes with the Springboks’ year, and it’s a tale of two South African rugby realities. The national team finished 2025 as the world’s top side, having retained the Rugby Championship and delivered a series of statement victories. Their 43-10 demolition of the All Blacks in Wellington was historic, while a 73-0 thrashing of Wales in Cardiff set a new record. The Springboks’ scrum, a source of national pride, was simply relentless—dismantling the Ireland pack in Dublin and delivering under pressure time and again.
Coach Rassie Erasmus, now contracted until 2031, has overseen a period of both consistency and evolution. More than 50 players wore the green and gold in 2025, and the team won 12 of their 14 tests, dropping only a rare home game to Australia in Johannesburg and another to the All Blacks in Auckland. Under attack coach Tony Brown, the Springboks have also developed a more expansive attacking game, as evidenced by the emergence of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. The young first five-eighth racked up nine tries between September and November—more than any Springbok in his position over such a short span, eclipsing legends like Morne Steyn and Handre Pollard.
Individual accolades followed team success. Hooker Malcolm Marx captured the World Rugby Player of the Year award, while loosehead prop Ox Nche drew widespread praise as a scrummaging force, narrowly missing out on the same honor due to an untimely injury. The Springboks’ ability to seamlessly rotate players in the forward pack without losing their edge has left international rivals searching for answers ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Elsewhere, France claimed the 2025 Six Nations Championship, though their year was mixed, and England emerged as a surging power—finishing just a point shy of Six Nations glory before stringing together 11 consecutive test wins. On the women’s side, England triumphed at Twickenham in the Women’s Rugby World Cup final, defeating Canada 33-13 before a record crowd of over 81,000, a testament to the growing popularity of the women’s game.
As for the Bulls, the immediate challenge is to halt their losing streak and restore confidence. Their scrum remains a weapon, and with a bit of luck and sharper execution, they could soon turn the corner. Ackermann’s message to supporters is clear: stay the course, because the players are fighting for every inch.
For South African rugby, then, 2025 is a year of contrasts—national dominance and provincial struggle. The Springboks inspire hope for more global triumphs, while the Bulls’ faithful wait for their team to rediscover its winning ways. With the new year approaching, all eyes are on Pretoria: can the Bulls rally and give their fans something to cheer about once again?
