Loftus a buzz as Boks kick off season against Italy
7m ago
17m ago
21m ago
Pollard on Bok mate Jesse Kriel: 'That's a kind of guy you want to play for'
Springbok flyhalf Handre Pollard said teammate Jesse Kriel is a deserving recipient of the Springbok captaincy for Saturday's first Test against Italy at Loftus Versfeld.
READ MORE
24m ago
Teams:
South Africa
15 Damian Willemse, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Lood de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche
Substitutes: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Franco Mostert, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Faf de Klerk, 23 Willie le Roux
Italy
15 Jacopo Trulla, 14 Louis Lynagh, 13 Tommaso Menoncello, 12 Marco Zanon, 11 Simone Gesi, 10 Giacomo De Re, 9 Alessandro Fusco, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Manual Zuliani, 6 Alessandro Izekor, 5 Andrea Zambonini, 4 Niccolo Cannone (captain), 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Tommasso Di Bartolomeo, 1 Danilo Fischetti
Substitutes: 16 Pablo Dimcheff, 17 Mirco Spagnolo, 18 Muhamed Hasa, 19 Matteo Canali. 20 Ross Vintcent, 21 David Odiase, 22 Alessandro Garbisis, 23 Giulo Bertaccinini.
30m ago
Welcome to News24's coverage of the first Test between South Africa and Italy at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
Kick-off is at 17:10.
Go to top
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Springboks hold off Italy 42-24 at Loftus
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — The blowout expected from world champion South Africa didn't eventuate as it scratched out a 42-24 win over Italy at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. The Springboks led 28-3 at halftime, dominating every facet. But even the 'bomb squad,' which entered to a roar of acclaim, could not press home the advantage into a scoreline their fans are used to against the Azzurri. The depleted Italians stunned with a comeback that unleashed three converted tries with two more tries ruled out. They got within 11 points of South Africa until Marco van Staden crashed over with seven minutes to go. Even that didn't temper Italy's fire, with the visitor attacking in South Africa's 22 at fulltime. The Springboks averaged 49 points in their last three matches against Italy and set themselves up for another rout. They largely retained the strong side which whipped the Barbarians 54-7 last weekend. The Boks bench, alone, had more caps than Italy's entire matchday 23. Italy struggled to find 23 fit players. The warmup win over Namibia cost them two players, and a fifth player went home early during the past week when seven more frontline players were hurt in training. Coach Gonzalo Quesada reluctantly picked a 6-2 forwards-heavy bench to combat the Springboks bomb squad, gave international debuts to four players including both hookers, and named scrumhalf Alessandro Fusco as the flyhalf backup if Giacomo Da Re was injured. It looked as if it was going to script as South Africa reached 28-0 at halftime on the back of forward power. New captain Jesse Kriel was the first try-scorer after four minutes, though he appeared to be in front of the kicker, his midfield partner center Damian de Allende. Scrumhalf Morne van den Berg scored twice off the back of the scrum, one a pushover try between the posts, and winger Kurt-Lee Arendse ran great lines to another try. By halftime, Italy had made 123 exhausting tackles. But then it made South Africa start really working. Italy's first try, to flanker Manuel Zuliani, prompted the 'bomb squad' introduction of all five tight forwards. One of them, Vincent Koch, scored next. And with Handre Pollard not missing off the tee, it was 35-10. But South Africa then needed a try-saving tackle by wing Cheslin Kolbe to stop Simone Gesi, whereupon the Italian forwards used a rolling maul to get over Pablo Dimcheff, whose test debut was only a minute old. Lock Niccolo Lorenzo, inspiring in his first test as captain, had seen his younger brother Lorenzo taken off on a stretcher. Niccolo got Italy's second try by smashing Kolbe and squashing Pollard between the posts. The late Van Staden try ensured South Africa's win, but the margin was the smallest at home against Italy in 15 years. ___ AP rugby:
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Cameron Norrie and Sonay Kartal flying the home flag at Wimbledon
By James Toney at Wimbledon Cameron Norrie's intense dedication to an exhausting fitness regime is famed on the ATP Tour, while his idea of relaxation is a game of backgammon. On court, there have been two Camerons too – lethal one day and lacklustre the next. Advertisement And there's another L-word that forms a crucial part of his game: loyalty, Norrie's rise to the world's top ten masterminded by close friend Facundo Lugones. However, form and fitness saw unseeded Norrie arrive here outside the world's top 50, prompting suggestions he should make a change. Top players are not known for reflecting for long, with the job security of a tennis coach measured in months, not years. Norrie and Lugones – who nicknames the British No. 3 'chicken' – were friends and team-mates at Texas Christian University and have worked together since 2017, when he made his Grand Slam debut at the All England Club. Advertisement The son of a Welsh mother and Scottish father, born in South Africa, raised in New Zealand, studied in the United States, representing Great Britain and coached by an Argentine, Norrie is certainly the Boutros Boutros-Ghali of tennis. 'I didn't know what to expect when we started working together but the important thing was, we had trust,' said Norrie. 'It's a really unique relationship. He's passionate about tennis like me, and I never feel like we are sick of each other. 'He knows what it takes to be a top player and we've got confidence in each other. I think he does a good job of being a friend and coach. Advertisement 'I trust in all my team and it's not just about doing that when things are going well.' Norrie has certainly ridden the rollercoaster since the high of his semi-final appearance here three years ago but that's nothing compared to fourth round opponent Nicolás Jarry, with either defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or Andrey Rublev waiting for the winner. Jarry hit the world's top 16 in 2022 but soon after was diagnosed with vestibular neuritis, a condition which affects his vision and balance, pretty essential for a deep run in Grand Slam tennis. You'd have got long odds on Norrie and Sonay Kartal being the last British players in their respective singles draws on middle Sunday. Advertisement Kartal is charting new territory in a Grand Slam last 16 with Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova her opponent, just one place separating them in the rankings at number 51 and 50 respectively. But the British number three has been playing without fear this week, happy to fly under the radar, with the focus on Emma Raducanu and Jack Draper. Karaoke-loving Kartal is happily writing her own tune at the All England Club and the winner of this encounter will face either Linda Noskova or Amanda Anisimova in the quarter-finals. Since the age of six, Kartal has been coached by Julie Hobbs, who as Julie Pullin reached the second round here a quarter of a century ago. She spotted something immediately in the ambidextrous 23-year old but unlike Raducanu, who benefited from LTA support from a young age, Kartal had to earn her funding, though insists fighting for recognition improved her game. Advertisement 'When I was growing up, I did quite a lot of tournaments on my own just because I couldn't afford to pay a coach week in and week out," she said. 'It helped me develop as a teenager, grow up super-fast, made me much more mature, hold myself accountable to a lot of things. 'The LTA have helped me massively since and are a great supporter, but it was when I started to come on the scene and was putting together a few good wins consistently.' For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Springboks hold off Italy 42-24 at Loftus
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — The blowout expected from world champion South Africa didn't eventuate as it scratched out a 42-24 win over Italy at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. The Springboks led 28-3 at halftime, dominating every facet. But even the 'bomb squad,' which entered to a roar of acclaim, could not press home the advantage into a scoreline their fans are used to against the Azzurri. The depleted Italians stunned with a comeback that unleashed three converted tries with two more tries ruled out. They got within 11 points of South Africa until Marco van Staden crashed over with seven minutes to go. Even that didn't temper Italy's fire, with the visitor attacking in South Africa's 22 at fulltime. The Springboks averaged 49 points in their last three matches against Italy and set themselves up for another rout. They largely retained the strong side which whipped the Barbarians 54-7 last weekend. The Boks bench, alone, had more caps than Italy's entire matchday 23. Italy struggled to find 23 fit players. The warmup win over Namibia cost them two players, and a fifth player went home early during the past week when seven more frontline players were hurt in training. Coach Gonzalo Quesada reluctantly picked a 6-2 forwards-heavy bench to combat the Springboks bomb squad, gave international debuts to four players including both hookers, and named scrumhalf Alessandro Fusco as the flyhalf backup if Giacomo Da Re was injured. ___
