The Southern United Herald
Squad17 Aug 2026
Tempers go at Southern United
Francis Rufer was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
Southern United rebuffed over Adam Bell
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Auckland City have kept their man, and Southern United go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad17 Aug 2026
A row about effort at Southern United
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Cameron Singh was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
The manager makes an example of Bill Rufer
“If you cannot run for the shirt, somebody else will wear it.” No name was used and none was needed; every player in that room knew who it was for.
Transfer targets17 Aug 2026
Southern United try to borrow Ryan De Vries
Hawke's Bay United have been asked whether they would lend him. Loans are agreed quickly or not at all, and this one will be one or the other by the weekend.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Cameron De Vries signs a new deal
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Cameron De Vries commits to Southern United for another 3 years.
Market17 Aug 2026
Southern United put Ben Boxall up for sale
The list is a quiet document with a loud meaning. Ben Boxall may talk to anybody who asks, and everybody at the club understands what that means.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
Cameron De Vries knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Cameron De Vries trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Market17 Aug 2026
Callum Fenton runs his contract down
7 months remain and no agreement is close. Every week without a signature costs Southern United money.
In brief
- Squad The training reports on Michael Nelson are not good
- The dugout The manager plants his flag on Francis Rufer