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The Star
20 hours ago
- Sport
- The Star
Rugby-Springboks leave out experienced trio for Australia tests
FILE PHOTO: Rugby Union - Rugby Championship - South Africa v New Zealand - Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg, South Africa - August 13, 2022 South Africa's Lukhanyo Am in action REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko/File Photo (Reuters) -South Africa have named their squad for the two Rugby Championship tests at home to Australia next month as they begin the defence of their title, with no place for double World Cup winners Lukhanyo Am, Faf de Klerk and Makazola Mapimpi. The experienced trio are on a stand-by list in case of injury as coach Rassie Erasmus named a 37-player group on Wednesday to meet the Wallabies in Johannesburg on August 16 and in Cape Town a week later. Recent new caps Ethan Hooker (utility back), Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Boan Venter (both props), Marnus van der Merwe (hooker) and Cobus Wiese (utility forward) have all been included. Bath prop Thomas du Toit has been granted a compulsory two-week rest as agreed with the English Premiership, while number eight Jasper Wiese, the brother of Cobus, is serving a four-week suspension. Erasmus has already used almost 50 players in three tests this year as he looks to add depth to the squad with the 2027 Rugby World Cup in mind. "It's always challenging to reduce the squad, especially given how the expanded group of players put up their hands (in wins over Italy and Georgia this month), but we always said we would select a smaller, more manageable squad during the Rugby Championship," Erasmus said. "We probably have three players who can cover each position. One of our key pillars as a team is to build squad depth, and there is no better way to see what some of the younger players are capable of than to expose them to some of the top teams in the world." The Springboks have also invited three players from South Africa's victorious side at the recent Under-20 World Cup to train with the team to gain experience. They are loose-forward Bathobele Hlekani, wing Cheswill Jooste and scrumhalf Haashim Pead, the stand-out performer in the tournament. South Africa squad: Forwards: Lood de Jager, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jean-Luc du Preez, Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi, Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Franco Mostert, Ox Nche, Ruan Nortje, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman, Marnus van der Merwe, Marco van Staden, Boan Venter, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese. Backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian de Allende, Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker, Jesse Kriel, Cheslin Kolbe, Willie le Roux, Manie Libbok, Canan Moodie, Handre Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Edwill van der Merwe, Morne van den Berg, Grant Williams, Damian Willemse. (Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
Perth Now
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
S Africa leave out experienced trio for Australia Tests
South Africa have named their squad for the two Rugby Championship Tests at home to Australia next month as they begin the defence of their title, with a trio of dual World Cup winners missing out. There was no place for 2019 and 2023 World Cup winners Lukhanyo Am, Faf de Klerk and Makazola Mapimpi when coach Rassie Erasmus released his squad on Wednesday. The experienced trio are on a stand-by list in case of injury as Erasmus named a 37-player group to meet the Wallabies in Johannesburg on August 16 and in Cape Town a week later. Recent new caps Ethan Hooker (utility back), Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Boan Venter (both props), Marnus van der Merwe (hooker) and Cobus Wiese (utility forward) have all been included. Bath prop Thomas du Toit has been granted a compulsory two-week rest as agreed with the English Premiership, while number eight Jasper Wiese, the brother of Cobus, is serving a four-week suspension. Erasmus has already used almost 50 players in three Tests this year as he looks to add depth to the squad with the 2027 Rugby World Cup in mind. "It's always challenging to reduce the squad, especially given how the expanded group of players put up their hands (in wins over Italy and Georgia this month), but we always said we would select a smaller, more manageable squad during the Rugby Championship," Erasmus said. "We probably have three players who can cover each position. One of our key pillars as a team is to build squad depth, and there is no better way to see what some of the younger players are capable of than to expose them to some of the top teams in the world." The Springboks have also invited three players from South Africa's victorious side at the recent Under-20 World Cup to train with the team to gain experience. They are loose-forward Bathobele Hlekani, wing Cheswill Jooste and scrumhalf Haashim Pead. SOUTH AFRICA SQUAD: Forwards: Lood de Jager, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Jean-Luc du Preez, Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi, Wilco Louw, Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi, Franco Mostert, Ox Nche, Ruan Nortje, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Kwagga Smith, RG Snyman, Marnus van der Merwe, Marco van Staden, Boan Venter, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese Backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse, Damian de Allende, Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ethan Hooker, Jesse Kriel, Cheslin Kolbe, Willie le Roux, Manie Libbok, Canan Moodie, Handre Pollard, Cobus Reinach, Edwill van der Merwe, Morne van den Berg, Grant Williams, Damian Willemse
Otago Daily Times
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Celebrate this test before it's too late
Test week! That is how we used to feel about it, anyway. In ye olden days, before The Last Word got weary and literally everything about the world got worse, the build-up to an All Blacks test in Dunedin genuinely deserved an exclamation mark. There was no ludicrous clash between club and international rugby, so both home and visiting teams were at full strength. Both teams would also — ALWAYS — arrive in Dunedin on the preceding Sunday, and do public trainings and be out and about in the city, which really helped the buzz grow. From tent villages at Bathgate Park to shops (with plenty of carparking) competing with one another to ''black out'' in greater style, there was such an incredible atmosphere here that many argued Dunedin was the best place to have an All Blacks test. It is a little different now, and without sounding too cynical, the changes have not been for the better. Let me stress that an All Blacks test is still brilliant, still far and away the biggest sports event we can hold, and we should be grateful Dunedin gets one most years. But the All Blacks do not arrive in our city until Tuesday night, the French do not even bother to come here until Thursday night, and there is not the slightest sign of rugby test buzz in town, and that makes me a little sad. International void While I am really winding up my levels of bitterness — note to self: must embrace positivity more — here is another thought. Two things each year are guaranteed to make my heart sink briefly, but it appears they cause mostly shrugged shoulders around Otago. The Silver Ferns announce their home schedule, and Dunedin is not part of it; and New Zealand Cricket reveals its schedule and the University Oval misses out on a test again. Let's get out and march in the streets over this appalling development. Dunedin has not hosted a Silver Ferns test since 2008 — the one before that was in 1998, when your man was in his first year at this fine newspaper — and the Black Caps have not played a test here since 2017. International hockey has not been seen in the city since 2007, the Tall Blacks have not played here since 2006 and the Tall Ferns since 2007, and the Kiwis test here in 2014 was the first in 86 years. The All Whites broke a 25-year drought when they played in Dunedin in 2013, though the city has seen top-level football thanks to the Fifa Women's World Cup in 2023 and the Under-20 World Cup in 2015. New Zealand Rugby, for its faults, still appears to value Dunedin as a venue — that cracking stadium helps — with the All Blacks coming most years, and the Black Ferns playing here just two years ago. A word of warning, though. Christchurch will open its fancy new house next year. The All Blacks now regularly play a ''home'' test overseas. And with an old-school tour of South Africa coming next year, and the World Cup the year after, there will be fewer home tests. Is it possible this French test will be the last time we see the All Blacks in Dunedin until 2028? Grudging acknowledgement The Crusaders are Super Rugby champions again. How wonderful for their long-suffering fans. Seriously, Chiefs: you had one job! Bazball again That was another stunning effort by the English cricketers as they chased 371 in the final innings to take a 1-0 lead in the test series against India. Hat tip to Michael Wagener, one of the cricket tragics I follow on X, for this outstanding snippet of information. He says that, in 148 years of test cricket, there have been just eight instances of a team chasing down a score of 250-plus to win a test while maintaining a run rate of better than 4.5 runs per over. Five of those eight chases have come from England since our Brendon McCullum became their coach. Plucky little amateurs This was the point when I assumed I would be mentioning Auckland City getting destroyed again, and mocking their presence at the bloated Club World Cup. My bad! It is legitimately amazing that New Zealand's battlers at the Fifa tournament managed to draw with Argentine powerhouses Boca Juniors. Bravo, lads. That lad again Sprint sensation Gout Gout continued his rapid rise by smashing the Australian 200m record in the Czech Republic earlier this week. The 17-year-old Usain Bolt Mark II clocked a sizzling 20.02sec. Only a matter of time before he is challenging Bolt's legacy. Birthday of the week Adolfo Carlos Julio Schwelm-Cruz would have been 102 today. Heck of a name, obviously. But the most interesting thing about the Argentine racing driver is that he was given a single race in a Formula One car, at his home nation's Grand Prix in 1953. One race! Even Red Bull gave Liam Lawson more than that.
The Star
23-06-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Singapore could host Fifa youth competition, says Fifa chief Gianni Infantino
Fifa chief Gianni Infantino (right) and Football Association of Singapore president Forrest Li met after the second session of the Fifa executive football summit in 2025. - GIANNI INFANTINO/INSTAGRAM SINGAPORE: A Fifa youth tournament, potentially a festival for Under-15s, could be held in Singapore in the future, while the Lions could participate in the cross-confederation Fifa Series friendly tournament in 2026. The ideas emerged at a meeting between Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Football Association of Singapore (FAS) president Forrest Li during the June 19-21 Fifa executive football summit 2025 in Miami, one of the host cities of the ongoing Club World Cup in the United States. Infantino confirmed the discussions about the two competitions and told the Fifa website on June 21: 'FAS President Forrest Li and I had a constructive discussion in Miami on how we can continue collaborating to take football forward in his beautiful country. 'When I visited Singapore in 2021, I felt the great passion people in the country have for football, and it reflected in the work being done to grow the game. 'Fifa has an established, fruitful relationship with the FAS through Fifa Forward and Fifa Football for Schools, and I offered Fifa's full support to President Li and his team while congratulating him on his recent election.' As early as 2013, Singapore had expressed its desire to host the Youth World Cup. In 2023, the FAS signed a letter of intent to discuss and consider co-hosting with Indonesia the Under-20 World Cup in 2025 and the Under-17 World Cup between 2025 and 2029. Indonesia had won the hosting rights for the Under-20 World Cup, but lost them after it opposed Israel's participation in the tournament. They eventually held the Under-17 World Cup in the same year. Meanwhile, the Fifa Series is a biennial international tournament featuring friendlies between teams from various continents and held in different countries. Croatia emerged champions of the pilot edition in 2024, and the next edition is slated for the March international window in 2026. It remains to be seen if the Lions can accommodate for the Fifa Series as it will host Bangladesh in their final Asian Cup Group C qualifier on March 31. The Straits Times has contacted the FAS for more information, while Li told the Fifa website that he and Infantino had discussed the possibility of Singapore hosting an international event for U-15s. He said: 'We talked about the summer – new initiatives from Fifa about the Fifa Series and also the concept of a Fifa festival for Under-15s,' said Li. 'I think that's a great initiative to get more (Fifa member associations) involved and to help the players feel included and get the chance to experience the best of Fifa's football experience. So, I think that is very exciting.' Li, who is also chairman of Singapore Premier League and Singapore Cup champions Lion City Sailors, who made local football history by finishing as Asian Football Confederation Champions League Two runners-up last season, added that the ongoing Club World Cup, an expanded edition featuring 32 teams, is a 'great initiative'. He said: 'Finally we see a lot of excitement… and you see the best clubs from different continents finally playing together. So, this is great.' - The Straits Times/ANN
IOL News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Hugo Broos encourages South Africa's Under-20 heroes to aim for Bafana Bafana selection
Broos has words of encouragement Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos speaks at the ceremony to welcome home the South Africa Under-20 team after they won the CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations title on Sunday. Photo: Phakamisa Lensman/BackpagePix 'Everything starts now for you,' Broos said when greeting the players at OR Tambo International in Johannesburg. 'You are on a crossroads. If you take the right direction I'll be seeing you back next year in Bafana Bafana in big stadiums here in South Africa, or maybe abroad. The all-conquering Amajita arrived back in South Africa on Tuesday afternoon after beating Morocco in Sunday's CAF Under-20 Africa Cup of Nations final in Cairo. Not only did they win the continental crown, they also booked their spot in the Under-20 World Cup in Chile later this year. 'Or you can take the other way and that's the wrong way. You have every opportunity to enjoy a fulfilling career as a professional football player for the next 10 to 12 years, and believe me it's the nicest profession you can imagine. 'But you still have to work very hard in the next months. I hope you guys take the right lifestyle this is very important to achieve.' Broos also had some words for coach Mdaka, who had to scramble to put the team together after some key players were withdrawn by their clubs ahead of the tournament. 'I followed every game, and I have to congratulate you coach first of all for the motivation you did in that team. When you saw them playing, they were motivated they wanted to do a big result. 'I say congratulations for the tactical moves you had, for the fantastic mentality that showed on the field. I think you did a very great job to bring this trophy here to South Africa.' IOL Sport
