Author: Toby Shapshak

Against minnows Italy, coach Rassie Erasmus has given his dirt trackers a run…. Including double World Cup-winning flyhalf Handre Pollard, Andy Capostagno tells Toby Shapshak. Andy Capostagno has been talking and writing about South African rugby for more than three decades. He’s been my emotional support person for rugby since I was lucky enough to meet him when I was unexpectedly made the sports editor of the Mail & Guardian newspaper many moons ago. Welcome to Stuff Rugby. Listen to Stuff Rugby on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

Captain courageous Kolisi leads from the front – and the sidelines – as we saw in his 100th Test when Lood de Jager’s red card saw him sacrificed at half time. Along with Andre the Giant, the newest hybrid player, the 14-man Springboks turned Le Grudge match into a triumph for centurion Kolisi, Andy Capostagno tells Toby Shapshak. Andy Capostagno has been talking and writing about South African rugby for more than three decades. He’s been my emotional support person for rugby since I was lucky enough to meet him when I was unexpectedly made the sports editor of the Mail…

Siya Kolisi, the captain of South Africa, is running out for his 100th Test in coach Rassie Erasmus’s 50th game in charge. After the extraordinary Springbok win in the 2023 World Cup quarter final (called the best rugby match ever by some), the losing team are calling this a “grudge match”, Andy Capostagno tells Toby Shapshak. Andy Capostagno has been talking and writing about South African rugby for more than three decades. He’s been my emotional support person for rugby since I was lucky enough to meet him when I was unexpectedly made the sports editor of the Mail & Guardian newspaper…

I have discovered that I belong to a certain user group. I’m not quite sure how I feel about it yet. I only recently realised this when I was walking around Menlyn Shopping Mall in Pretoria last week, just looking at the amazing Lego creations on display. It was the annual Lego Brickfair, a two-day event showcasing Lego fans and their creations. They’re truly amazing. Some are extraordinary, some even mind-blowing. And I haven’t gotten to the Star Wars sets yet… I was fascinated, and my eight-year-old son even more so. Although I’m the one who took 248 photos. I know that Lego fans think of themselves as being part of a user group after I spotted enough T-shirts with “LUG” on…

Rassie Erasmus’ bold selection of 21-year-old tighthead Zachary Porthen has set tongues wagging, even as the coach leaves legends at home. The changing of the guard is fully underway, Andy Capostagno tells Toby Shapshak. Andy Capostagno has been talking and writing about South African rugby for more than three decades. He’s been my emotional support person for rugby since I was lucky enough to meet him when I was unexpectedly made the sports editor of the Mail & Guardian newspaper many moons ago. Welcome to Stuff Rugby. Listen to Stuff Rugby on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Previous episode: Springboks retain Rugby Champs.…

If ever you needed confirmation about the lack of common sense in how government departments approach practical problems, then the ongoing debacle of analogue TV signals being switched off is it. The international deadline for this was July 2015. South Africa is a full decade overdue in releasing these useful frequencies to cellular operators. The opportunity losses for the cellular industry are incalculable, brought on by simple incompetence. Now, with just 67,943 households remaining, the Department of Communications has asked Parliament for another R803 million to finish a job it says they’ve already spent R2 billion on. As the youth text, “WTF?”.…

Sleep is so important for our health that Discovery is incentivising its health and insurance customers to get more of this “nightly program that keeps the brain and body working”. Discovery has run a three-year research project on sleep and matched that data with all the other data Discovery collects from its members and policyholders. This includes data from health trackers, smartphone apps, vehicle telematics, and all the insurance claims (health and vehicle) and other data it collects. If you understand how Vitality Active Rewards work (I never did), then you will get Vitality Sleep Rewards. This is calculated on…

Of course, the Boks won the Rugby Championship against Argentina at Twickenham, with the country’s next World Cup side beginning to take shape, Andy Capostagno tells Toby Shapshak. Andy Capostagno has been talking and writing about South African rugby for more than three decades. He’s been my emotional support person for rugby since I was lucky enough to meet him when I was unexpectedly made the sports editor of the Mail & Guardian newspaper many moons ago. Welcome to Stuff Rugby. Listen to Stuff Rugby on Apple Podcasts or Spotify Previous episode: Is Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu the next best thing since sliced bread?…

There is no doubt that Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is a “generational” talent – after his record-setting 37-point individual score in a Test. Poor Argentina, like both Australia and New Zealand, had no answer to South Africa’s mercurial 23-year-old prodigy, who scored a hat-trick of tries and 37 points, Andy Capostagno tells Toby Shapshak. Andy Capostagno has been talking and writing about South African rugby for more than three decades. He’s been my emotional support person for rugby since I was lucky enough to meet him when I was unexpectedly made the sports editor of the Mail & Guardian newspaper many moons ago. Welcome…

Documentaries Chasing the Sun 2 and School Ties, drama series Koek (cake), and Charlotte Hope in Catch Me a Killer for Best Performance by an Actress have all been nominated for International Emmy Awards. A fifth nomination for Playroom Live on channel 300 was also nominated in the ‘Kids: Factual’ category, gives South Africa its highest list of nominations. “As the International Emmys continue to recognise the very best in television, the creativity and calibre of this year’s nominees, from a record 26 countries, reflect the global strength of our industry,” said International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences president…