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- Bulls coach Jake White will share the stage with Lions assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher at News24's On The Record Summit to discuss the Springboks' 2023 Rugby World Cup prospects.
- The summit, in Johannesburg at the end of August, will feature a special rugby segment facilitated by News24 Sport ahead of the World Cup in France.
- On The Record is a thought leadership event, sponsored by Nedbank, aimed at driving future-focused discussions about South Africa's biggest obstacles.
- Click here to purchase your summit tickets before they are sold out.
It's the burning question on the minds of many South African sports fans after a series of unconvincing Bok performances: Do the Springboks have a solid shot at another Rugby World Cup (RWC) victory?
Bulls coach Jake White and Lions assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher will be among the rugby specialists joining News24 Sport editor Lloyd Burnard for a panel preview exploring South Africa's RWC prospects at the Johannesburg edition of On The Record with News24.
White, the mastermind behind South Africa's 2007 World Cup success in France, is the Director of Rugby at the Bulls while Loubscher previously worked with the national side as an assistant coach at the 2015 showpiece.
News24's thought leadership summit, hosted in partnership with Nedbank, will take place at the Kyalami International Convention Centre in Midrand on Thursday, 31 August. The event is a gathering of leaders in business, politics, sport and civil society to exchange insights and plans on how change South Africa's trajectory.
News24 editors and senior journalists, including editor-in-chief Adriaan Basson, specialist legal writer Karyn Maughan, and writer-at-large Sikonathi Mantshantsha, will host various panel discussions on the pertinent issues affecting SA's future, from mafia state fears to the impact of the AI boom.
Other speakers on the day include the National Prosecuting Authority's Investigating Directorate head, advocate Andrea Johnson, Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) CEO Leila Fourie, Prasa whistleblower Martha Ngoye, and Flux Trends founder Dion Chang.
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Burnard, who's the author of the 2020 book Miracle Men: How Rassie's Springboks Won the World Cup, will sit down with White, Loubscher and News24 senior sports journalist Simnikiwe Xabanisa to examine a range of talking points, such as the readiness of the Bok squad, team selection strategy, player ratings, and the future of the national side, given the resignation of head coach Jacques Nienaber, and many other post-World Cup departures.
The expert discussion will take place just days before the global tournament, which runs from 8 September until 28 October in France, where the Boks will feature in Pool B alongside Ireland, Scotland, Tonga and Romania.
"There is always such huge interest in the Springboks in a World Cup year, and that is only heightened in 2023 as defending champions," said Burnard.
"We'll be tackling a range of issues - selection, goal-kicking, life after Jacques Nienaber - and we'll seek to answer the most important question: Can the Springboks become the first team in history to land four Rugby World Cups?"
- Moderator: Lloyd Burnard
- Jake White, Bulls coach
- Ricardo Loubscher, former Bulls and Bok coach
- Simnikiwe Xabanisa, News24 senior sports journalist
Jake White is the head coach of the Pretoria-based Bulls and a former Springbok head coach, who led the national squad to the Rugby World Cup title in 2007 and the Tri Nations (now known as the Rugby Championship) in 2004. He has also worked at the Sharks, Brumbies and Montpellier and is one of the most respected coaches in the world.
Ricardo Loubscher is an assistant coach with the Lions team based in Johannesburg. Loubscher is a former Springbok fullback and also served as the Boks' Springbok backline coach between 2012 and 2015. He has a wealth of local and international experience, having previously worked at the Sharks, Bulls, Springboks and Stade Francais in France.
Simnikiwe Xabanisa is a senior sports journalist at News24, who joined the publication in July. Xabanisa has been a sports writer for almost 20 years, covering rugby, cricket and athletics at the Olympics, the Rugby World Cup, the Cricket World Cup. He's established himself as a respected rugby writer with bylines in various publications, including City Press, TimesLIVE, Mail & Guardian, SA Rugby Mag, Rugby Pass and New Frame. He won the Vodacom Sports Writer of the Year Award in 2008, and was Columnist of the Year at the SAB Sports Media Awards in 2017.
If you're keen to hear fresh perspectives from White, Loubscher, Xabanisa and many more leading South African minds, buy your On The Record tickets and join us in Johannesburg later this month.
