Latest news with #AyandaNdamane
IOL News
10 hours ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Why Rassie Erasmus cut Springboks' holiday short ahead of Rugby Championship
SPRINGBOK stars Jesse Kriel and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu are among the players coach Rassie Erasmus has called up for Australia Tests. | Ayanda Ndamane/Independent Media Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Media SPRINGBOK coach Rassie Erasmus says cutting short the Springboks break doesn't necessarily relate to their performances against Italy and Georgia, but more to do with working with a streamlined squad ahead of the Rugby Championship. Erasmus and his staff had close to 50 players in camp for the two-Test series against Italy and the one-off match against Georgia. But the squad of players have since been cut to 37 ahead of their opening two Rugby Championship matches against Australia at home next month. Erasmus admitted that this week's training camp was not originally part of their schedule, as the players were supposed to enjoy a two-week break after the win over Georgia at the Mbombela Stadium. But the players were called back a week earlier to prepare for their Rugby Championship opener against the Wallabies at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on August 16. The Springboks and Aussies will then travel to Cape Town for their second match a week later on August 23. Many supporters and pundits feel that the Springboks weren't quite at their best against Italy and Georgia, despite putting up 45-point winning margins in the final two Test matches against the visiting teams. But such are the expectations surrounding the Boks and standard they have set over the last few years as the best team on the planet, that supporters demand perfection in almost every Test. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ However, Erasmus says calling the players back a week earlier was more about working closely with individuals, which is something that they struggled to do with the amount of players who were in camp during the incoming tours. 'These two weeks of camp will give us time to align as coaches, as well as on the conditioning aspects for the players and to take stock from a medical perspective, so it's important in assisting us to get to where we want to be against three good countries in the series,' Erasmus said. 'If you just look at the scoreboard, almost 200 points for us and 40 against us, you can probably say that's not too bad,' Erasmus added, referring to the matches against Italy and Georgia. 'We didn't cut the squad to drop guys, because this is only for the Australian Tests, but we can have a lot more one-on-one time with players. 'We always knew, having such a big squad in the beginning, it will be tough. But the positive will be, if you do get injuries during the Rugby Championships or on the End-of-Year Tour, you have a player who is comfortable and will be able to play.' 'But you do lose a bit of attention individually.' Erasmus says he is not surprised by Australia's performance in the second Test against the British and Irish Lions. The Wallabies suffered a heartbreaking late defeat in the second Test in Melbourne to concede the series But they really showed up in the physical stakes, with returning lock Will Skelton and No 8 Rob Valetini making a big impact in the first half against the touring team. 'We always knew that our first few matches would not be as tough as the Rugby Championship, even though the opposition (Italy and Georgia) was competitive and physical, but we are now going up against teams with solid game plans and a different intensity,' Erasmus said. 'Australia would have also come off a British and Irish Lions series by playing high-intensity matches by the time we face them. So it will be a challenging tournament.' On the injury front, Erasmus confirmed that they don't have any new injury concerns. Utility back Canan Moody was struggling with a hand injury, but is back at training, while star wing Cheslin Kolbe is expected to be up and running from a knee injury on Monday.
IOL News
4 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
WATCH: SA's Super Rugby departure a huge loss for New Zealand, says All Blacks icon Carlos Spencer
All Blacks legend Carlos Spencer (left) at the girl's rugby clinic held at Schotsche Kloof Walmers RFC ground in Cape Town this week. Picture: Ayanda Ndamane Indepedent Media Image: Ayanda Ndamane Indepedent Media NESTLED at the foot of Table Mountain lies the Green Point Track, home of Schotsche Kloof Walmers RFC, a significant venue not only in the realm of rugby but as a bastion for non-racial sport in South Africa. This historic ground has witnessed legends, most notably Fagmie "Fluffy" Solomons, whose skills electrified the pitch during the politically charged 1980s when rugby transcended mere sport to become a symbolic platform for change. Solomons, a flyhalf characterised by his vision and creativity, was a beacon for a generation that could only dream of watching their hero parade his skills with the likes of the Du Plessis brothers and Rob Louw in the Currie Cup down at Boundary Road in Newlands. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Our generation was deprived of witnessing Solomons in his prime, which forced us to look elsewhere for heroes even as Apartheid succumbed to a new era in the early 1990s. This period ushered in the unification of the game, professionalism, and ultimately the inception of Super Rugby halfway through the decade. Despite the early morning starts Down Under, everyone would rise often before the sun had, for there was one figure from Down Under who captured the imagination of fans worldwide: Carlos Spencer. The proud Maori, doubled-down with the ink emblazoned on his chiseled-perfect chest, lit up the screens with all his creativity and X-factor that revolutionised the game and transformed the Auckland Blues into a domestic superpower. He was everything current Stormers and Springbok flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is and more, with the pass between the legs, double pump passes, knee kicks, reverse and behind-the-back passes and, of course, the banana kick. 'It was just about expressing myself, just enjoying it. I love the game, I love having fun, and having fun for me was really about it. I just love expressing myself and I just love creating stuff,' the All Black legend told Independent Media in an exclusive interview at SK Walmers Rugby Club this week. 'The luxury of having good players around me which allowed me to do that, but it's just that fun. I took to the game early, it started at a young age and it stuck with me right through my professional career. I enjoyed every minute of it.' Much time has passed since Spencer, affectionately known as 'The King', razzled and dazzled, running rings around defenders clutching at air whilst trying to catch up to the mercurial pivot. Spencer's son Payton, now playing for his father's self-same Blues, does not play against South African teams in Super Rugby Pacific with local franchises affiliated to the United Rugby Championship (URC) in the northern hemisphere now. Spencer, who went to play in South Africa for the Lions and coach the now-defunct Southern Kings in the Eastern Cape, feels the absence of South African teams, such as the Stormers, Bulls and Sharks, has left a major hole in New Zealand rugby. 'We're definitely missing them,' he said. 'I think that was always the big question when the South African teams decided to move on. I think New Zealand rugby has shown that we've missed them over the last few years. 'I think not only as players, but I just think as a fan base as well. It's a huge loss for New Zealand rugby. It's unfortunate for us as New Zealanders because the Bokke are one of our biggest rivals. 'We just love playing against the South Africans. So, without a doubt, it's a massive loss for New Zealand rugby.' How good to have Carlos Spencer back in South Africa 👑 He's an assistant coach with the Black Ferns XV and spoke to us about the coaching clinic they attended in Cape Town and growing women's rugby 🗣️👏 📺 Saturday | 17:00 Kick-Off | Variety 3#SSRugby | #HereForHer — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 24, 2025 The landscape has changed to such an extent that its Spencer's former All Black teammate, and fellow flyhalf, Tony Brown is now the mastermind behind the double world champion Springboks' new-found attacking gameplan, guiding the decision-making of Bok playmakers Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Manie Libbok and Handre Pollard. 'Like we said earlier, the game's changing. Coaches are moving around. He's (Brown) got all the skillset. He's got a great attacking mindset,' the 49-year-old said. 'I think he's shown that within the Boks. He's shown that within the Highlanders. He's just one of those intelligent coaches that is innovative. He doesn't mind bringing something different to the attack. 'It's good for New Zealand rugby when you see coaches moving on and doing things for other countries. It's awesome.' Spencer, equally, has enjoyed a much-travelled post-playing career that has seen him coach the Men's game in New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, USA and soon in Ireland. However, his current role has seen him switch to Women's Rugby, where he works with his beloved Blues on the North Island and now also with the Black Ferns XV. It is the latter that has brought him to Cape Town for a two-match series against the Springbok Women's side, which kicks off at Athlone Stadium on Saturday, in preparation for their Rugby World Cup campaign in England next month. 'It's been the space I've been in for the last few years and I've really enjoyed it,' he said. 'I've been lucky enough to get involved with the Black Ferns 15, which has been good. 'I'm just here as one of the assistant coaches, looking after the attack in the back. We've brought a pretty young team over, so a really good experience, really exciting, great opportunity for some of our young girls.' The Black Ferns XV will have Hannah King running out in the No 10 jumper against the Boks at Athlone Stadium. Don't be surprised if the young pivot attempts an outrageous pass or cross-field kick. She'll only be following in the footsteps of the great King Carlos.
IOL News
4 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Springbok Women taking lessons to heart despite expensive school fees
Springbok Women's captain Babalwa Latsha wants to see an improvement in their game when they take on New Zealand at Athlone Stadium. Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Media The Springbok Women's team would have taken a lot of lessons from the defeats they suffered in the two-Test series against Canada. School fees for those lessons were quite expensive, as the South Africans suffered 50-20 and 33-5 hammerings at the hands of the second-ranked Canadians in Pretoria and Gqeberha respectively. But it was the best eye opener ahead of next month's Women's Rugby World Cup in England. Now, ahead of two matches against New Zealand's Black Ferns XV in Cape Town, it's time to learn from the mistakes and implement the lessons learned. The Bok Women have come a long way over the last 18 months, but the gap between themselves and the top rugby nations is still wide. They are ranked 12th in the world, and are 20 ranking points behind New Zealand, who are currently ranked third in the world. Top-ranked England are 29 points ahead of the Bok Women. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The positive aspect is that the Bok Women are aware of their shortcomings and have embraced the lessons learned. The focus now is to improve with each passing game, and use it every minute to get better and to give themselves a chance to be competitive at the global showpiece event. Forward Babalwa Latsha, who will lead South Africa on Saturday against the New Zealanders at Athlone Stadium (5pm kickoff), says they want to sharpen their arsenal for next month's Rugby World Cup. The experienced prop said they will be keen for more improvements around the breakdown and set piece. 'The Rugby World Cup is just 30 days away and we are using this opportunity to fine tune our game, as we will do again next weekend,' Latsha said. 'We worked hard on areas such as the breakdown in order to improve in that aspect of play and that will be a focus area for us tomorrow again. 'The two matches against Canada provided us with valuable learnings and the next two against this very capable Black Ferns XV will do so again.' The Women Boks have been boosted by the return of star lock Vainah Ubisi, who makes a welcome return from injury to the green and gold, having last played for the Springbok Women in last year's WXV 2 tournament at the same venue. The Bulls Daisies' second-rowwer Ubisi is a dynamic player, with a massive presence at lineout time and a top ball-carrier. She will certainly add some much-needed grunt and skill to the Women Boks' forward effort, especially at set-piece time. Latsha said although their set piece worked well against Canada, they are looking for more improvement on Saturday. 'There is no doubt that the Black Ferns XV will test us, they are a very skilful team with a number of very experienced players in key positions, but to be honest, for us this match will be about ourselves and what we want to achieve,' Latsha added. For Latsha, returning to Athlone Stadium is also a treat. In the last two seasons, the Bok Women played at the Cape Town venue in WXV 2. 'Yes, the stadium has now almost become a home base for us,' she said. 'I think it is fair to say that we have managed to build up a support base out there and I hope and believe that the crowds will come out again this weekend to come and support us. We would love nothing more to feed off the energy from the crowd, so I really hope they come in numbers.'
IOL News
6 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
Activist launches bold movement to confront systemic injustice and restore human dignity
Social Impact With Pearl Walsh launched a bold movement to confront systemic injustice and restore human dignity while protesting outside the Western Cape High Court. Image: Ayanda Ndamane/ Independent Media A new justice‑led movement is taking shape in South Africa's legal corridors as human‑rights advocate Pearl Walsh unveiled Social Impact With Pearl, an initiative that vows to expose judicial dysfunction, protect the vulnerable and 'bring humility back to humanity through human dignity'. Walsh, 37, is a Cape Town-based activist whose decade-long track record spans court-reform campaigns, gender-justice litigation, and anti-corruption drives aimed at the Legal Practice Council, the Ministry of Justice, and Parliament. Known for her uncompromising stance and direct challenges to authority, she says the movement is 'not about politics, it's about people'. 'Constitutional rights are not optional. Humanitarian values are not negotiable. Justice must work for everyone or it works for no one,' Walsh told reporters on the Western Cape High court steps, flanked by survivors of domestic violence and parental‑rights disputes. The campaign's launch manifesto pledges to confront 'corruption in the courts, failure in the legal system and injustice committed in the name of law'. It commits to amplifying survivor stories, mentoring youth activists and offering rapid legal‑literacy workshops in communities cut off from legal assistance. Among those standing with Walsh was Belinka Unger, who said a 2013 custody ruling has effectively confined her to Cape Town for 12 years. 'I have tried to protect my daughter and pursue work outside the province, but every time I leave, I'm charged with contempt,' Unger said. 'Meanwhile, her father, a judicial officer, owes maintenance and faces no consequences.' Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Charmalaine Zwiegelaar, embroiled in a five‑year divorce and eviction battle, described repeated abuse. 'My teeth were damaged during assaults, yet I'm the one left homeless,' she said. 'I want justice for myself and my children.' Walsh argues such cases illustrate 'a justice system that serves the few at the expense of the many' and believes public pressure can force institutional change. 'Silence enables harm. Accountability begins with truth,' she said. Raised in Retreat, Walsh traces her activism to witnessing court delays in her mother's domestic violence case. After completing paralegal studies, she worked with women's shelters before launching a court-watch program that logged hundreds of delayed maintenance hearings. Her slogan, 'bringing humility back to humanity through human dignity' now anchors the new movement's branding. Social Impact With Pearl will file an open‑access report on alleged lapses by the Legal Practice Council next month and plans a national listening tour to gather testimony from litigants, beginning in KwaZulu‑Natal on 5 August. Walsh is also lobbying Parliament's Justice Portfolio Committee for public hearings into 'systemic breaches of Section 34 rights to access courts'. She urged citizens to 'rise with us, protect rights, demand truth and rebuild trust', adding that the movement would track institutional responses and publish scorecards online.
IOL News
6 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
National Assembly passes Appropriation Bill, sending it to the NCOP for concurrence
The Second Reading of the Appropriation Bill was agreed to after the MK Party, which changed its support and blamed confusion on mistaking its vote for the Ad Hoc Committee established to probe allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers The National Assembly passed the Budget for 2025/26 on Wednesday before transmitting the Appropriation Bill to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) for concurrence. The Bill was initially passed during the First Reading when it mustered 262 votes against 90 votes. The schedule of all the departmental votes later sailed smoothly when 260 voted in favour and 88 against. The Second Reading of the Appropriation Bill was agreed to after the MK Party, which changed its support and blamed confusion on mistaking its vote for the Ad Hoc Committee established to probe allegations made by KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant-General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi. 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Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ However, the DA became the toast of some parties during the earlier vote for the Human Settlements Department budget. The party had threatened not to vote for the budget of compromised ministers such as Human Settlements Thembi Simelane and Higher Education Minister Nobuhle Nkabane. This was after its former deputy minister, Andrew Whitfield, was fired from the executive for taking an overseas trip without authorisation from President Cyril Ramaphosa earlier this year. It reversed its decision after Nkabane was axed earlier this week amid the scandal over the now-cancelled appointment of Sector and Education Training Authority board chairpersons. EFF leader Julius Malema mused when the budget for Human Settlements Department was up for a vote, saying: 'let's go, let's see'. 'We want to see those ones, there,' Malema said in reference to the DA. ActionSA Lerato Ngobeni said the manipulative chest-pained DA was flip-flopping on principles by declaring it would not support corruption-accused Simelane, only to backtrack days later. 'ActionSA remains consistent. We will vote against the budget riddled with failure, a budget that no rational party with integrity can support. ActionSA will not support vote 33 for the department of refugee camps,' Ngobeni said. National Coloured Congress leader Fadiel Adams said they would also not vote for the department's budget for the same reasons as proposed by ActionSA. 'We watch in anticipation to see the DA sell their last principles of blue lights. But remember, this is the same DA responsible for the housing crisis in the Western Cape, the same people who sent back R1 billion to the National Treasury unspent because squatter camps and filthy Cape Flats are why they exist,' Adams. The vote for the Human Settlements was agreed to with the DA's support after securing 255 votes against 97. After budget votes for other departments, Malema raised the issue of the Human Settlements Department budget. 'I want you to make an emphasis the DA voted for the Human settlements budget,' he said in reference to House chairperson Cedric Frolick. But, DA leader John Steenhuisen said his party's vote for the national Budget marked the successful conclusion of the 2025 Budget process. Steenhuisen said his party played a critical role in shaping the Budget, citing the scrapping of the proposed 2% VAT increase and their insistence on the removal of ministers implicated in unlawful conduct. 'We welcome the president's decision to act decisively against Minister Nkabane by removing her from office. This move was necessary, appropriate, and signals a renewed commitment to restoring the integrity of the GNU,' he said. 'While this is only one step, it is a meaningful one in the broader fight against entrenched corruption. What the country needs now is consistency in applying these principles across the board,' Steenhuisen said. DA deputy chief whip Baxolile Nodada said that when they indicated that they would not support the budget of the Higher Education Department, it was something based on a principle. 'We would never tolerate any form of corruption or mishandling or misleading of Parliament at any given point. Whoever thinks it is cheap political points and does not understand the Constitution and the rules of the House, maybe they should go and study it. Ultimately, the DA supports this vote,' said Nodada.
