Battle for national netball title is wide open, says Mangaung coach K…

After her team got off to a winning start on Thursday, Mangaung head coach Karla Pretorius believes the race for the title at the Spar National Netball Championships could go down to the wire. fish-roadgame.com

With Johannesburg having lifted the trophy for the last four years in a row, the defending champions had a tame start on the opening day of the week-long domestic showpiece, drawing 44-44 against the visiting Namibia team in a friendly match.

The Cape Town district side, who were runners-up last season, also opened their campaign with a friendly fixture, claiming a 58-47 victory against Botswana.

But some of the other contenders made statements in official matches, with Mangaung beating eThekwini 54-47, Tshwane defeating Dr Kenneth Kaunda 55-47, and Nelson Mandela Bay securing a convincing 56-38 victory over Alfred Nzo in an Eastern Cape derby clash.

“That’s what you want in a competition like this. You don’t want one or two teams just dominating, and I think we’re in a position this year where any of the top five teams can be medal contenders and win the championship,” Pretorius said.

“It’s about who rocks up on the day and puts the best performance out there… and we need to make sure we’re on top form every time we step out on court.”

Learning from Proteas coaches

Pretorius, who represented the Proteas at the recent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, admitted she didn’t have as much time as she would have liked with her Mangaung squad in the build-up to the tournament because she was on national duty.

However, the experienced international star felt her developing coaching skills had benefited from spending time with the SA team’s coaches in Glasgow.

“The national coaches are very good at the way they provide information, and you learn from those things,” Pretorius said.

“The Commonwealth Games is still fresh in my mind, so I’m learning from that and making it my own, and then hopefully applying it on this side.

“At the end of the day netball really stays the same. It’s about the strategies you put in place and then how well you execute it, and that’s what we all want to bring together.”

La Confédération africaine de football (CAF) a procédé ce mercredi au tirage au sort des premier et deuxième tours préliminaires de la Coupe de la CAF 2026-2027. Les clubs engagés connaissent désormais leurs adversaires et leur parcours potentiel vers la phase de groupes.

Les affiches du premier tour préliminaire

• Mogadishu City (Somalie) – Kitara FC (Ouganda)
• Zed FC (Égypte) – Telecom FC (Djibouti)
• Al Hilal Al Sahil (Soudan) – Welwalo Adigrat (Éthiopie)
• KMKM (Zanzibar) – Al Ahly Tripoli (Libye)
• Al Ahly Madani (Soudan) – Tusker FC (Kenya)
• Al Ghazala Wau (Soudan du Sud) – Singida Black Stars (Tanzanie)
• Panthers (Éthiopie) – ASPAC (Bénin)
• ASBSI (Tchad) – Kokorogou (Côte d’Ivoire)
• Les Douanes (Burkina Faso) – Hafia Conakry (Guinée)
• El Kanemi Warriors (Nigeria) – Oudjib (Bénin)
• FC Amadou Diallo (Côte d’Ivoire) – East End Lions (Sierra Leone)
• Shooting Stars (Nigeria) – CS Sfaxien (Tunisie)
• Mostakbal Gabès (Tunisie) – Diambars (Sénégal)
• Vitesse FC (Burkina Faso) – Real Bamako (Mali)
• Diarra AC (Mali) – Nations FC (Ghana)
• AS SAAM (Niger) – ASKO de Kara (Togo)
• Université de Namibie (UNAM) – Kabuscorp de Palanca (Angola)
• Red Arrows (Zambie) – FC Rouge (Congo)
• Durban City (Afrique du Sud) – Rukinzo FC (Burundi)
• Port-Louis 2000 (Maurice) – Jwaneng Galaxy (Botswana)
• Panthère Sportive (Centrafrique) – Rayon Sports (Rwanda)
• Atomic FC (Niger) – Black Bulls (Mozambique)
• DC Virunga (RD Congo) – Bazar Brothers (Seychelles)
• Green Mamba (Eswatini) – Primeiro de Agosto (Angola)

Les affiches du deuxième tour préliminaire

• Vainqueur Mogadishu City – Kitara FC vs Al Ahly (Égypte)
• Vainqueur Zed FC – Telecom FC vs Azam FC (Tanzanie)
• Vainqueur Al Hilal Al Sahil – Welwalo Adigrat vs Vainqueur KMKM – Al Ahly Tripoli
• Vainqueur Al Ahly Madani – Tusker FC vs Vainqueur Al Ghazala Wau – Singida Black Stars
• Vainqueur Panthers – ASPAC vs USM Alger (Algérie)
• Vainqueur ASBSI – Kokorogou vs AS FAR (Maroc)
• Vainqueur Les Douanes – Hafia Conakry vs CR Belouizdad (Algérie)
• Vainqueur El Kanemi Warriors – Oudjib vs Raja Casablanca (Maroc)
• Vainqueur FC Amadou Diallo – East End Lions vs Vainqueur Shooting Stars – CS Sfaxien
• Vainqueur Mostakbal Gabès – Diambars vs Vainqueur Vitesse FC – Real Bamako
• Vainqueur Diarra AC – Nations FC vs Vainqueur AS SAAM – ASKO de Kara
• Vainqueur Université de Namibie – Kabuscorp de Palanca vs Maniema Union (RD Congo)
• Vainqueur Red Arrows – FC Rouge vs Kaizer Chiefs (Afrique du Sud)
• Vainqueur Durban City – Rukinzo FC vs Vainqueur Port-Louis 2000 – Jwaneng Galaxy
• Vainqueur Panthère Sportive – Rayon Sports vs Vainqueur Atomic FC – Black Bulls
• Vainqueur DC Virunga – Bazar Brothers vs Vainqueur Green Mamba – Primeiro de Agosto

Les matchs du premier tour préliminaire se disputeront du 4 au 6 septembre (aller) et du 11 au 13 septembre (retour). Le deuxième tour est programmé du 16 au 18 octobre pour les manches aller et du 23 au 25 octobre pour les rencontres retour. Les vainqueurs de ces confrontations décrocheront leur qualification pour la phase de groupes de la Coupe de la CAF.

The post Coupe de la CAF : les affiches des tours préliminaires dévoilées appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.

Patrick Tuipulotu describes what having the legendary Tana Umaga as coach means for him, as he gears up to lead the All Blacks in Friday’s Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry opener.

Umaga led New Zealand in 21 of his 74 Tests, and is now helping prepare the All Blacks as defence coach ahead of Friday’s clash against the Stormers at Cape Town Stadium.

Tuipulotu said the former outside back’s leadership continues to inspire the squad, particularly with the challenges that lie ahead for the Kiwis against the Springboks.

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“You look at the experience he’s had being captain, and the amount of games he’s played, a lot of those have been pretty gnarly, tough games because of the Springboks,” the 56-cap lock told reporters on Thursday.

“He’s always been that voice for a lot of us coming up through Super Rugby; to have him here in the All Blacks setup, that hasn’t changed.

“I know his impact in terms of our defence is strong and his voice in the back [of our heads], it’ll help us get along if we need to, especially in those tough times.”

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The Blues skyscraper expects a stern challenge from a tough Stormers outfit he remembers from Super Rugby days.

“I’ve been to South Africa a few times and understand how the club teams play; I’m looking forward to leading this group of men out tomorrow,” he said.

“A lot of them haven’t had a chance to play against South African sides. It’ll be a big challenge in terms of physicality.

“[The Stormers] are a big physical pack, quite common here in South Africa, and keen to get stuck into your lineout, maul, breakdown and ball carrying.”

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The All Blacks have been forced into a starting XV change on the eve of the Cape Town clash, flanker Anton Segner replacing Wallace Sititi (illness), and Peter Lakai moving to No 8.

Tuipulotu insisted it has done little to disrupt preparations. “We’ve been together for a week-and-a-half, everyone’s in line, and to slot someone like Anton in there, it’s an easy change for us.

On what the German-born Segner, two matches into his Test career for his adoptive country, brings to the team, the 33-year-old added: “A lot of energy, very fit, some good lungs on him so we know he can go for 80-plus minutes.

“He’s good at his core role around the park and in the breakdown and offers some versatility with his ball carrying and defence as well.”

Photo: Joe Allison/Getty Images

The post All Blacks hear Umaga’s voice in ‘gnarly’ times appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.