logo
Springboks overcome Wiese red card to crush Italy

Springboks overcome Wiese red card to crush Italy

France 24a day ago
Wiese was sent off after 22 minutes for head-butting prop Danilo Fischetti in a penalty-riddled match that also saw one South African and two Italians yellow-carded.
At one stage in the second half at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium it was 13 versus 15 after Springboks prop Wilco Louw was yellow-carded.
Fischetti followed Louw to the sin bin three minutes later and replacement loose forward David Odiase was yellow-carded in the closing stages.
"I am really pleased, and I am sure my teammates are also thrilled that we could deliver a performance like that," said Springboks captain and lock Salmaan Moerat.
"We knew the threat the Italians posed. They are a quality side who made it really hard for us last week, and also this week, especially when we were down one man early in the game.
"I thought we did really well to show character and pull through. The boys really played with heart tonight."
le Roux becomes centurion
Italy captain and lock Niccolo Cannone said: "It was a very tough game, we know the level of the Springboks. I am proud of my team, but we have to improve many things because this is a high level.
"We fought until the end, but we fell too far behind in the fist half to have a realistic chance of victory and levelling the series."
Amid the disciplinary mayhem, full-back Willie le Roux became the eighth Springbok to win 100 caps. He received rapturous applause when substituted midway through the second half.
Back Ethan Hooker and forwards Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Cobus Wiese -- a brother of Jasper -- made their Test debuts off the bench in a second half that became increasingly scrappy.
A South African side showing 11 changes to the starting line-up after a mixed first Test performance last weekend scored seven tries to the delight of the capacity 44,282 crowd.
Winger Edwill van der Merwe, recalled after a 13-month absence, scored twice in the first half and won the player of the match award. Scrum-half Grant Williams and centre Canan Moodie also crossed the tryline.
After missing his first two conversions with kicks that veered left of the near post, fly-half Manie Libbok succeeded with the next two and South Africa led 24-0 at half-time.
The record four-time Rugby World Cup winners added another three tries in the second half through hooker Malcolm Marx, winger Makazole Mapimpi and replacement hooker Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
Libbok converted them all to finish with a personal tally of 10 points, and his mix of kicking and running was impressive in an electric atmosphere.
Italy, fielding only five of the starters in a narrow Six Nations Championship loss to Ireland last March, rarely threatened to score and conceded many penalties.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Ireland prop Clarkson called up by Lions as front row cover
Ireland prop Clarkson called up by Lions as front row cover

France 24

timean hour ago

  • France 24

Ireland prop Clarkson called up by Lions as front row cover

England hooker Jamie George had already been called up by the Lions on Saturday after Luke Cowan-Dickie suffered a suspected concussion in the 48-0 win against a combined Australia-New Zealand XV in Adelaide. A day later, the Lions announced they would bring in more reinforcement in the front row by flying in tighthead prop Clarkson from Lisbon, where he was part of an Ireland team that beat Portugal 106-7 on Saturday. Clarkson's call-up swells the Irish contingent in the Lions squad, led by Ireland head coach Andy Farrell, to 18 players. The 25-year-old Clarkson was given his Ireland debut by Farrell in November and has won eight caps. His Ireland teammate Jamie Osborne, who can play centre or full-back, is already with the Lions in Brisbane after being summoned from Portugal as cover for Blair Kinghorn, who injured his knee last week. Scotland's Kinghorn, widely regarded as first-choice Lions fullback, landed awkwardly in the 36-24 win against ACT Brumbies last Wednesday but scans on the knee showed no serious damage. "We're hopeful that he will take some part in training (this week)," said Lions defence coach Simon Easterby of Kinghorn. "Then it will be a little bit of a waiting game in terms of whether he's available for the first Test." The Lions, winners of all five warm-up matches in Australia leading into the first Test, have already lost Welsh scrum-half Tomos Williams to a torn hamstring and English fullback Elliot Daly with a broken arm.

Jannik Sinner: Quiet man of tennis basks in the limelight
Jannik Sinner: Quiet man of tennis basks in the limelight

France 24

time9 hours ago

  • France 24

Jannik Sinner: Quiet man of tennis basks in the limelight

The Italian beat his fierce rival Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the latest instalment of their captivating rivalry to claim his fourth Grand Slam at the age of 23. The pair are the new dominant forces in men's tennis, sharing the past seven Grand Slams between them as the memory of the "Big Three" era fades. While Alcaraz is the flashy showman of the game, adored by the fans for his high-risk, high-reward tennis, Sinner stays ice-cold on the court and mild-mannered off it. His game is based on relentless power and accuracy from the baseline, resembling that of 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic. The Italian is getting used to life at the top, reaching his fourth successive major final at Wimbledon this year -- a run that started with the US Open last season. Sinner defended his Australian Open title in Melbourne in January but his career was put on hold after that as he served a three-month ban for twice testing positive for banned anabolic steroid clostebol last year. Sinner has always maintained the product entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing it to treat a cut. The World Anti-Doping Agency said "Sinner did not intend to cheat" but that he would serve his suspension as he is responsible for the actions of his entourage. Alcaraz rivalry Sinner returned to the court in May, reaching the final of the Italian Open, where he was beaten by Alcaraz. Next on his schedule was the French Open and again he reached the title match, this time suffering heartbreak as Alcaraz came back from two sets down, saving three match points to defend his title. That gave the Spaniard an 8-4 lead in the rivalry between the pair and was his fifth straight win. But the tables were turned on Sunday as Sinner showed impressive mental strength to come back after losing the first set. Sinner was born in German-speaking San Candido, in northern Italy, near the border with Austria. A career in professional tennis was not a given. He was a champion skier as a youngster and still enjoys the sport in the off-season. He was also a keen footballer. The right-hander, who stands six feet 3 inches (191 centimetres) tall, won his first title indoors in Sofia in 2020. The 2024 season was his breakthrough year as he collected his first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, and followed up with seven other titles including the US Open. He became world number one -- and the first Italian to reach top spot -- in June last year. Sinner's super-power is his extraordinary ability to stay calm on court. "I know he's just 23 years of age, but sometimes it feels like he's much older and wiser than what we are," said his coach Darren Cahill. "He's an incredible young man." Sinner makes no secret of the fact that he loves the job he has chosen. "I'm very lucky because tennis started off a hobby when I was young, and now it becomes my job," he said. © 2025 AFP

Sinner downs Alcaraz to win first Wimbledon
Sinner downs Alcaraz to win first Wimbledon

France 24

time9 hours ago

  • France 24

Sinner downs Alcaraz to win first Wimbledon

The world number one is the first Italian to win at the All England Club and now has four Grand Slams to his name at the age of 23. The tennis world has been captivated by the emergence of the new rivalry to follow the storied "Big Three" era of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Sinner and two-time defending Wimbledon champion Alcaraz have now shared the past seven Grand Slam titles between them, with the Italian winning four of those. Defeat in Paris last month was a bitter blow for Sinner, who led by two sets and squandered three match points in the final. Prior to Sunday's victory, he had lost five consecutive times against Alcaraz, including the final of the Italian Open in the first tournament he played after returning from a three-month doping ban. But this time he turned the tables in impressive fashion. Both players were solid on serve until the fifth game, when Alcaraz sprayed a forehand long to hand Sinner the first break of the match. But the Spaniard levelled at 4-4 to the delight of the Centre Court crowd, which included Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales. Sinner double-faulted to hand Alcaraz a second set point. The Italian laced a searing forehand down the line but Alcaraz produced a magical backhand winner, pointing his finger to his ear as the crowd rose to their feet. Momentum shift Sinner, still wearing a protective white sleeve after his nasty fall in his fourth-round match against Grigor Dimitrov, broke in the first game of the second set and led 3-1 after play was briefly halted by a flying cork. Sinner shook his racquet after winning the first point as he served for the set and was rewarded with cheers before levelling the match with a whipped forehand. The third set was a tense affair that went with serve until the ninth game when Sinner broke as Alcaraz slipped over on the baseline and he went 2-1 up. The momentum was now all with Sinner and he broke again in the third game of the fourth set to take the match by the scruff of the neck. The chance was always there that Alcaraz would produce the magic he found at Roland Garros but Sinner stayed ice-cool. The Spaniard had two break points to hit back in the eighth game but Sinner shut the door impressively. Sinner stepped up to serve for the championship amid a cacophony of noise, staying focused to seal the deal on his second championship point. The Italian cruised through the first three rounds at Wimbledon, losing just 17 games -- equalling an Open era record set in 1972. But he got lucky in the fourth round against inspired Bulgarian 19th seed Dimitrov, who was leading by two sets when he suffered an injury that forced him to quit. Sinner got back into the groove against 10th seed Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals before demolishing seven-time champion Djokovic in the last four. Alcaraz had been aiming to become just the fifth man in the Open era to win three consecutive Wimbledons after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Federer and Djokovic.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store