{"id":264765,"date":"2025-07-04T13:33:29","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T11:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\/"},"modified":"2025-07-04T13:35:30","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T11:35:30","slug":"historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Historic first: First official Springbok store opens in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

JOHANNESBURG<\/strong>\u00a0– South African rugby fans now finally have a dedicated home for official Springbok merchandise after the country’s first-ever Springbok store opened its doors this morning at Sandton City shopping centre in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The groundbreaking retail venture was officially inaugurated at a ceremony on Thursday, attended by Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie and Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi, signaling government support for the historic development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“In retrospect, it is amazing that we have not had such an offering before now,” said Mark Alexander, president of the South African Rugby Union, at the shop launch. “Before today, if you’d asked the question ‘where is the Springbok shop?’ you’d have been met by blank faces.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alexander highlighted the stark contrast with other world-famous sports teams, noting that supporters can visit Paris St Germain’s shop on the Champs Elysee, Bayern Munich’s store at Munich airport, or Manchester United’s megastore near Old Trafford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But if a visitor to South Africa wants to take home with him or her a memento of one of Africa’s most famous sports teams where was the Springboks store? Now we have an answer,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The store will stock official Nike replica teamwear alongside an exciting new range called “Springboks” \u2013 off-field supporters clothing designed for everyday wear, from office to braai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"SA
South Africa now has it’s first dedicated Springbok merchandise store.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Combating counterfeit crisis<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The store opening represents the successful completion of a goal set by SARU’s Executive Council at the start of 2024, driven largely by the need to combat rampant counterfeiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer explained that the explosion of fake merchandise since 2019 had flooded e-commerce channels with counterfeit products exploiting Springbok colors and iconography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The Exco recognised there was a gap in the market that others were exploiting and that there was an opportunity and a need for SA Rugby to meet that demand and retain the value for the benefit of rugby,” Oberholzer said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The CEO emphasized that this is just the beginning, with plans for additional stores across the country and an expanded clothing range that allows fans to show their Springbok pride beyond match days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“That we have got here so quickly \u2013 within 18 months of setting the goal \u2013 is a tribute to the hard work of the team that has gone on behind the scenes,” Oberholzer noted. “This is the start of an exciting new chapter for the Springboks and will take the brand into places it has never been before.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The store is located at Protea Court in Sandton City, most easily accessible from the Rivonia Road entrance. The full product range is also available online at www.springbokretail.com<\/a> for both local and international supporters.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JOHANNESBURG\u00a0– South African rugby fans now finally have a dedicated home for official Springbok merchandise after the country’s first-ever Springbok store opened its doors this morning at Sandton City shopping […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":264767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"68","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"30","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"3","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[7955,8311,8312,91],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-264765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-sport","tag-springbok-rugby","tag-springbok-store","tag-top"],"yoast_head":"\nHistoric first: First official Springbok store opens in South Africa | Kouga Express<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"South African rugby fans now have a dedicated home for official Springbok merchandise with the opening of the first Springbok store.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Historic first: First official Springbok store opens in South Africa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"South African rugby fans now have a dedicated home for official Springbok merchandise with the opening of the first Springbok store.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kouga Express\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-04T11:33:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-04T11:35:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/minister-gayton-mckenzie-springboks-store.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"945\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"472\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Novus Media\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Novus Media\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Novus Media\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/395912058d452b1e4028fd7e3b854216\"},\"headline\":\"Historic first: First official Springbok store opens in South Africa\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-04T11:33:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-04T11:35:30+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":470,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/minister-gayton-mckenzie-springboks-store.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Sport\",\"Springbok rugby\",\"Springbok Store\",\"Top\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\\\/\",\"name\":\"Historic first: First official Springbok store opens in South Africa | Kouga Express\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/minister-gayton-mckenzie-springboks-store.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-04T11:33:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-04T11:35:30+00:00\",\"description\":\"South African rugby fans now have a dedicated home for official Springbok merchandise with the opening of the first Springbok store.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/minister-gayton-mckenzie-springboks-store.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/07\\\/minister-gayton-mckenzie-springboks-store.jpg\",\"width\":945,\"height\":472,\"caption\":\"Minister van Sport, Gayton McKenzie, eis dat die ho\u00eb koste van Springbok-kaartjies vir tuiswedstryde moet daal om hierdie wedstryde meer toeganklik te maak vir almal.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Historic first: First official Springbok store opens in South Africa\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Kouga Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Kouga Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PEExpress1\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\"],\"description\":\"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.\",\"email\":\"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"042-992 5650\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/395912058d452b1e4028fd7e3b854216\",\"name\":\"Novus Media\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Novus Media\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/kougaexpress\\\/author\\\/novusmedia\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Historic first: First official Springbok store opens in South Africa | Kouga Express","description":"South African rugby fans now have a dedicated home for official Springbok merchandise with the opening of the first Springbok store.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Historic first: First official Springbok store opens in South Africa","og_description":"South African rugby fans now have a dedicated home for official Springbok merchandise with the opening of the first Springbok store.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\/","og_site_name":"Kouga Express","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","article_published_time":"2025-07-04T11:33:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-07-04T11:35:30+00:00","og_image":[{"width":945,"height":472,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/minister-gayton-mckenzie-springboks-store.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Novus Media","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Novus Media","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\/"},"author":{"name":"Novus Media","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/395912058d452b1e4028fd7e3b854216"},"headline":"Historic first: First official Springbok store opens in South Africa","datePublished":"2025-07-04T11:33:29+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-04T11:35:30+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\/"},"wordCount":470,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/minister-gayton-mckenzie-springboks-store.jpg","keywords":["Sport","Springbok rugby","Springbok Store","Top"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\/","name":"Historic first: First official Springbok store opens in South Africa | Kouga Express","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/minister-gayton-mckenzie-springboks-store.jpg","datePublished":"2025-07-04T11:33:29+00:00","dateModified":"2025-07-04T11:35:30+00:00","description":"South African rugby fans now have a dedicated home for official Springbok merchandise with the opening of the first Springbok store.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/minister-gayton-mckenzie-springboks-store.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/minister-gayton-mckenzie-springboks-store.jpg","width":945,"height":472,"caption":"Minister van Sport, Gayton McKenzie, eis dat die ho\u00eb koste van Springbok-kaartjies vir tuiswedstryde moet daal om hierdie wedstryde meer toeganklik te maak vir almal."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/historic-first-first-official-springbok-store-opens-in-south-africa\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Historic first: First official Springbok store opens in South Africa"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","name":"Kouga Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#organization","name":"Kouga Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/kouga-express-site-icon-1.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Kouga Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/"],"description":"Kouga Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kouga area since 2004. Established with the goal of keeping the Kouga and Koukamma communities informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 20,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door every week. Kouga Express\u2019 distribution area includes Jeffreys Bay, Humansdorp, St. Francis Bay, Cape St. Francis, Aston Bay, Patensie, Hankey, Storms River, Tsitsikamma, Misgund, Joubertina, Krakeelrivier, Louterwater, Kareedouw, and Uniondale.","email":"kougaexpress@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"042-992 5650","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/395912058d452b1e4028fd7e3b854216","name":"Novus Media","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Novus Media"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/author\/novusmedia\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/minister-gayton-mckenzie-springboks-store.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":265618,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/mckenize-braak-gal-oor-buitensporig-hoe-springbok-rugbykaartjies\/","url_meta":{"origin":264765,"position":0},"title":"McKenzie braak gal oor buitensporig ho\u00eb Springbok-rugbykaartjies","author":"Novus Media","date":"17 July 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Gayton McKenzie het die ho\u00eb koste van Springbok-kaartjies vir tuiswedstryde skerp gekritiseer en ges\u00ea dat pryse meer bekostigbaar gemaak moet word vir die Suid-Afrikaanse publiek.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Minister van Sport, Kuns en Kultuur Gayton McKenzie het die ho\u00eb koste van Springbok-kaartjies vir tuiswedstryde skerp gekritiseer en ges\u00ea dat pryse meer bekostigbaar gemaak moet word vir die Suid-Afrikaanse publiek.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/minister-gayton-mckenzie-springboks-store.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/minister-gayton-mckenzie-springboks-store.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/minister-gayton-mckenzie-springboks-store.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/minister-gayton-mckenzie-springboks-store.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46005,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/springbok-hero-manie-libbok-to-visit-kouga-20231108\/","url_meta":{"origin":264765,"position":1},"title":"Springbok hero Manie Libbok to visit Kouga","author":"Kouga Express","date":"9 November 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Kouga Municipality is proud to announce a special public event, in collaboration with Graslaagte Primary School and the South African Police Service (SAPS), to honour Manie Libbok, the South African Springbok rugby player who achieved remarkable succ","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/4054d492808d4d529f036a81bcc51912.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":265930,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/oudste-springbok-des-van-jaarsveldt-sterf-op-96\/","url_meta":{"origin":264765,"position":2},"title":"Oudste Springbok, Des van Jaarsveldt, sterf op 96","author":"Novus Media","date":"22 July 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Mark Alexander, President van SA Rugby, het Maandag hulde gebring aan voormalige Springbok-kaptein en flank Des van Jaarsveldt, wat vroe\u00ebr die dag op die ouderdom van 96 jaar oorlede is. Desmond Charles van Jaarsveldt was die oudste lewende Springbok en het sy merkwaardige rugby loopbaan in 1947 op die ouderdom\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Des-van-jaarsveld-jean-de-villiers-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":264746,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/springboks-dream-comes-true-for-congolese-refugee-vincent-tshituka\/","url_meta":{"origin":264765,"position":3},"title":"Springboks dream comes true for Congolese refugee Vincent Tshituka","author":"Lise Beyers","date":"4 July 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The remarkable rise of flanker Vincent Tshituka from a child refugee to the Springboks Test team will be completed on Saturday when he faces Italy in Pretoria. He fled to South Africa from the Democratic Republic of Congo with his family in 2002 to avoid politically-induced violence. Later, while studying\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Features"","block_context":{"text":"Features","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/features\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"From child refugee to Springbok, Vincent Tshituka's remarkable rise culminates Saturday against Italy.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20240524__34TV9C9__v1__HighRes__776147541.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20240524__34TV9C9__v1__HighRes__776147541.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20240524__34TV9C9__v1__HighRes__776147541.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20240524__34TV9C9__v1__HighRes__776147541.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20240524__34TV9C9__v1__HighRes__776147541.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AFP__20240524__34TV9C9__v1__HighRes__776147541.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":45980,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/community-celebrates-as-manie-libbok-visits-home-town-humansdorp-20231114\/","url_meta":{"origin":264765,"position":4},"title":"Community celebrates as Manie Libbok visits home town, Humansdorp","author":"Kouga Express","date":"15 November 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The communities of Humansdorp and Jeffreys Bay could not contain their excitement as Springbok fly-half, Manie Libbok who was born and raised in Humansdorp, visited the two towns on November 11.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2c0b19997a944f9c8f5e0ceba64c7470.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2c0b19997a944f9c8f5e0ceba64c7470.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2c0b19997a944f9c8f5e0ceba64c7470.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2c0b19997a944f9c8f5e0ceba64c7470.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46020,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/watch-manie-libbok-beacon-of-hope-to-many-in-his-hometown-humansdorp-20231102\/","url_meta":{"origin":264765,"position":5},"title":"WATCH | Manie Libbok: Beacon of hope to many in his hometown, Humansdorp","author":"Kouga Express","date":"6 November 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"As the Springboks travel through the country as part of their Webb Ellis Trophy tour, the community in Humansdorp, a small town in the Kouga Municipality, Eastern Cape, is celebrating the success of local rugby player, Manie Libbok who has become a \u201cbeacon of hope\u201d to many after his debut\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8160f88f5b6246ec97924e988de87dbf.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8160f88f5b6246ec97924e988de87dbf.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8160f88f5b6246ec97924e988de87dbf.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/8160f88f5b6246ec97924e988de87dbf.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"NovaNews","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/85"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=264765"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264765\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/264767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=264765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=264765"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=264765"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=264765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}