Latest news with #CastleLagerIncomingSeries

IOL News
4 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Springbok No 8 Jasper Wiese cops four-match man, but is available to face the All Blacks
Springbok No 8 asper Wiese has been suspended for four matches after hsi red card against Italy. Picture: BackpagePix Springbok No 8 Jasper Wiese has been suspended for four matches following a World Rugby disciplinary hearing on Tuesday for the red card he received in last week's 45-0 victory against Italy. Wiese will be back in contention for selection for the last three Castle Lager Rugby Championship matches in September and October. The ban will rule him out of the closing Castle Lager Incoming Series match against Georgia in Nelspruit on Saturday, as well as the first three Castle Lager Rugby Championship Tests against Australia in Johannesburg and Cape Town respectively (16 and 23 August), and the first game against New Zealand in Auckland (6 September).


The Citizen
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
Springboks and Georgia tickets still available
With only four days left until the Castle Lager Incoming Series test between the Springboks and Georgia, tickets are still on sale, starting at R150. Ticket sales have been good for the Georgia test, having crossed the 72% mark on Monday. Kick-off is at 17:10 on July 19, which will give test-goers the chance to experience one of Mbombela Stadium's signature sunsets, which is always stunning from inside the venue. Tickets are only available online at and are not being sold at the Stadium itself. Ticketmaster is the only accredited seller of the tickets for this test. The fixture will be utilising an improved park-and-ride transport system again this year, which will make use of nine pick-up points. The Government Complex and Valley Hyper are the only non-school-based pick-up points this year. ALSO READ: IN PHOTOS: Wave of green and gold welcomes Springboks back to the Lowveld In Mbombela there are six pick-up points at schools: Curro Mbombela, Hoërskool Nelspruit, Laerskool Nelspruit, Hoërskool Bergvlam and Nelspruit Primary, Lowveld High School, and Laerskool Laeveld. In White River there will be a pick-up point at White River Primary School and Rob Ferreira High School. At all of the school-based pick-up points it will cost R100 to park your vehicle there while you make use of the park-and-ride to and from the stadium. The buses will start running to the stadium at 12:00 and the last buses will depart from the stadium between 21:00 and 21:30 after the match. Buses will depart once full otherwise every 15 to 30 minutes. Other than the parking fee at schools the park-and-ride service is free for all match ticket holders. All the buses follow a circular route to drop off at all points, you will need to make sure you disembark at the correct one. When leaving the stadium ensure that you get on the bus at the same gate you were dropped off at before the game. The Bokke are in fine form, taking on the Georgians off the back of two victories over Italy in the Castle Lager Incoming Series so far. Georgia meanwhile will be hell-bent on revenge, having suffered a tough loss at the hands of the Toyota Cheetahs last weekend. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!


Daily Maverick
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Maverick
Dead robots, dirty Ubers and high hopes — getting to the rugby on time
While Gqeberha is known as the 10-minute city, this will almost certainly not hold true for Saturday's rugby. Getting to the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on time might be tricky, to say the least. Getting to the rugby on time to see the Springboks take on Italy on Saturday might be difficult as spectators will have to navigate myriad dead traffic lights, road closures and potentially dodgy e-hailing vehicles. It has been four years since the last Springbok rugby game was hosted at the stadium, so for those who need it, a quick refresher on the rugby rules by Daron Mann can be found here. If you already know all there is to know, read Jon Cardinelli's preview of the clash. Kick-off time Kick-off time is at 5.10pm and the match ends at 7.30pm. Gqeberha-born Belinda Davids will sing the South African national anthem before the starting whistle. Gate times On Thursday, the municipality sent out a notice that several roads around Nelson Mandela Bay would be closed from 9am on Saturday and would reopen only from 11pm. According to information provided by the municipality, the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium will open its gates at 11am and close at 10pm. Robots None of the traffic lights near the stadium work. We drove from the Settlers Freeway and found that every traffic light between the arterial route and the stadium was out of order. Most traffic lights along Govan Mbeki Avenue were dead and functioned as four-way stops. Nelson Mandela Bay metro spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya said that should the traffic lights be fixed on Friday, they would be vandalised by match day. On Thursday morning, contractors could be seen working on power lines along Gqeberha's main street; however, there was no indication whether these lines powered the traffic lights. The nearest functioning traffic lights to the stadium were at the intersection of Mount Road and Govan Mbeki Avenue, 1.5km away. However, the traffic lights on either side of the crossing were not operational. General power supply While the metro is fast becoming known for its power outages, the municipality sent out a statement saying that it had deployed the Rapid Response Task Team after a faulty electrical pole in Sydenham was identified. According to the statement, the pole 'posed a risk to the area's electricity supply'. 'In response, the Electricity and Energy Department acted promptly to repair the fault and restore stable power to the area. Their swift intervention ensured that the much-anticipated Castle Lager Incoming Series test match could proceed without disruption,' the statement said. Road closures Nelson Mandela Bay communications director Sithembiso Soyaya said the following roads would be closed on Saturday from 9am: Prince Alfred Road between Milner Avenue and Quick Street; Milner Avenue between Stebonheath Street and Sydenham Road; and Fettes Road between York Road and Stockelbach Street (stadium side) Traffic officials Forty traffic and metro police personnel will be deployed on the day, including 27 officers on point duty. The Metro Police will deploy 15 officers focused specifically on enforcing municipal by-laws and supporting crime prevention operations. In addition, a municipal tow truck will be on standby to immediately remove any illegally parked vehicles causing obstruction. 'Public safety is our top priority. We are committed to creating a safe, welcoming environment for both residents and the thousands of visitors expected in the city. Events like these boost our local economy and reinforce our reputation as a premier sporting destination,' Executive Mayor Babalwa Lobishe said. Tickets No tickets will be available at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium ticket office. Tickets are still available through the Ticketmaster website. By Thursday afternoon, there were 1,000 tickets left. Uber, or other e-hailing services Designated drop-off and pick-up zones for taxis, e-hailing services and buses will be located in North Street between Innes Street and Bagshaw Street, with the New Law Courts parking area serving as the official pick-up and drop-off point for Uber and metered taxis. Concerns have been raised, however, about the state of e-hailing vehicles in Nelson Mandela Bay. In a letter addressed to Uber, the CEO of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, Denise van Huyssteen, wrote: 'We have received numerous complaints from business people who have highlighted that there appears to be no quality control over the standard of Uber operators in Nelson Mandela Bay. 'In particular, it seems that there is no moderation over the quality of Uber vehicles, which are often in a poor state of repair, and not compliant with safety standards (lights not working, lack of seatbelts, dings and damage to vehicle etc). This not only reflects poorly on the image of Uber, but also that of our metro to domestic and international business visitors and tourists. Apart from the influx of rugby fans, Van Huyssteen also highlighted that the Naacam Show would be held in the Bay during the week of 11 August 2025, and SA Automotive Week would follow during the week of 29 September 2025, resulting in significantly increased use of Uber over this period by visitors who would come from around the country, and other parts of the world. She has not received a response. Neither has Daily Maverick. Daily Maverick journalist Nkosazana Ngwadla took a few Ubers from her home to the airport, the stadium and to Summerstrand. This is what she found: Uber 1: If you're going to request an Uber from around the Pinelands area, prepare for a long wait. And when you are finally connected to a driver, he might just ask where you're going before actually making his way to you. 'That's because you people who live in these apartments are too lazy to walk to the mall, now I must drive far just for a trip that is not even R30,' the driver explained. His Renault Kwid was in an acceptable state. Uber 2: When you're at the airport, you'll have many Ubers readily available for you – it's a hot spot, naturally. However, this driver was not very friendly, and his vehicle had dents and a windscreen that looked like it had taken too many of life's hard knocks. His boot, when he finally agreed to open it due to safety concerns, was filled with all kinds of personal belongings, including a 5-litre bottle with yellow liquid inside it. You decide for yourself what that might've been. This experience begs the question: given that he was picking me up from the airport, where would all my luggage go if I had any? Uber 3: Summerstrand is also an Uber hot spot, with an average two minutes' waiting time. This vehicle had a few forgiveable dents. The fuel light was on, but the driver said that it was not an issue – 'it happens all the time'. Uber 4: The final Uber was a pleasure. His driving was fine, the vehicle looked and smelled good, and the driver was very friendly and professional. He even had sweets and hand sanitiser on hand for his customers. Drunken driving and other shenanigans Metro Police Commissioner Andrew Moses said they were looking forward to an exciting weekend. 'We are ready for the engagements. We have been meeting with SA Rugby daily with regard to the safety protocols for the event. We take this event very seriously. We will be doing high preventative patrols outside the perimeter of the stadium. We will be dealing with crowds. We will also check on open fires and the illicit sale of tickets. 'We want our communities to be safe when arriving. If you are driving to the game, make sure your vehicle is in a roadworthy condition. Don't arrive drunk,' he said. 'Please do not consume alcohol and then leave the stadium. We will be out in full force. 'We do not want to arrest people for drinking and driving – but we will be there … to look after you and make sure you get home safely. We take safety very seriously. Do not do anything that will compromise the enjoyment of the game. Adhere to the by-laws of the city,' he said. DM


The Citizen
09-07-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Springboks vs Georgia test: Park-and-ride details to know
The Springboks are set to return to Mbombela Stadium to tackle a tough Georgia as part of the Castle Lager Incoming Series, so it's time to grab your tickets and familiarise yourself with the match day park-and-ride arrangements. Tickets have been selling well for the game, which kicks off at 17:10 on July 19. As of Wednesday, ticket sales had already passed the 70% mark, so be sure to get yours soon! Tickets are only available online at and are not sold at Mbombela Stadium. Ticketmaster is the only accredited seller for this test match. An improved park-and-ride transport system will be in operation, using nine pickup points. The Government Complex and Valley Hyper are the only non-school-based pickup points this year. ALSO READ: Marnus van der Merwe makes Lowveld history with Springbok call-up In Mbombela, there are six school-based pick-up points: Curro Mbombela, Hoërskool Nelspruit, Laerskool Nelspruit, Hoërskool Bergvlam and Nelspruit Primary (one point), Lowveld High School, and Laerskool Laeveld. In White River, a pickup point will be at White River Primary School and Rob Ferreira High School. At all school-based pickup points, it will cost R100 to park your vehicle while you use the park-and-ride service to and from the stadium. Buses will start running to the stadium at 12:00, with the last buses departing from the stadium between 21:00 and 21:30. They will leave once full or every 15 to 30 minutes. Apart from the parking fee at the schools, the park-and-ride service is free for all match ticket holders. All buses follow a circular route to drop off at all points, so be sure to disembark at the correct one. When leaving the stadium, ensure you board the bus at the same gate where you were dropped off before the game. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!


The South African
04-07-2025
- Sport
- The South African
When will Siya Kolisi return to action after injury scare?
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi will not be fit to face Italy at Loftus Versfeld this weekend. South Africa plays Italy in the opening match of the Castle Lager Incoming Series on Saturday. Having defeated the Barbarians 54-7 last weekend, the Boks, led by Jesse Kriel, will look for another inspired performance. When asked about Siya Kolisi, Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus explained why the Sharks flanker missed the Barbarians match. 'Siya unfortunately picked up a niggle, but Marco did a good job at flanker last week and he is one of the core players in our team, so we are blessed to have such depth in the squad,' he said as per SA Rugby . 'If one goes through this team, there are so many leaders, and we were impressed with how Jesse accepted the responsibility of wearing the captain's armband last week. He is a player who leads by example on and off the field, and he thoroughly deserves this honour.' The captain is likely to feature for the Springboks on 12 July against Italy at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. At this stage, it is unclear if he will start the match. Springboks XV15 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 39 caps, 56 points (4t, 9c, 4p, 2 dg)14 Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath) – 40 caps, 111 points (18t, 3c, 5p)13 Jesse Kriel (captain, Canon Eagles) – 79 caps, 90 points (18t)12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 87 caps, 55 points (11t)11 Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 24 caps, 90 points (18t)10 Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls) – 80 caps, 772 points (7t, 109c, 168p, 5dg)9 Morne van den Berg (Emirates Lions) – 2 caps, 0 points8 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 34 caps, 10 points (2t)7 Vincent Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – uncapped6 Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 25 caps, 10 points (2t)5 Lood de Jager (Wild Knights) – 66 caps, 25 points (5t)4 Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 131 caps, 35 points (7t)3 Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 16 caps, 0 points2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 76 caps, 105 points (21t) 1 Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 39 caps, 0 points