Boots & All gets the boot

SuperSport’s long-running rugby show Boots & All has been shelved to make way for two new shows, TMO and Phaka

Boots & All, which ran to almost 1,000 episodes over 20 years, has been done away with by SuperSport, but familiar analysts will continue to offer their expertise on the new shows.

SuperSport's executive rugby producer Louwrens Rensburg explained the decision: 'Boots & All was a wonderful programme for a long time, but the immediacy of news and the nature of social media made us question the relevance of reviewing rugby on a Thursday, many days after the action. We’re moving with the times and looking for something fresh and exciting.'

TMO will be a two-part show, making appearances on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 7pm for a half hour. Tuesday nights will be a review of the previous weekend's rugby, while Thursday will preview the upcoming fixtures. Tuesday's slot will be hosted by Xola Ntshinga, while Elma Smit will be taking the reins on a Thursday. 

Phaka is a show intended to celebrate black rugby, and will be hosted by popular Xhosa commentator Kaunda Ntunja and one of the patriarchs of black rugby, Makhaya Jack, on Tuesday evenings. 

Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images