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Bulls claim bragging rights in Paarl
The Bulls got the better of the Stormers in a pre-season north-south derby at Faure Street Stadium in Paarl on Friday afternoon.
Johan Ackermann’s Bulls, who included Springboks Willie le Roux and Nizaam Carr and new recruit Hanro Liebenberg, tested combinations ahead of the new season while securing a 38-26 win.
Stormers boss John Dobson blended youth and experience in a match-day 31 that included six URC winners and was captained by Hacjivah Dayimani. tr-sport.click
The hosts struck first through fullback Dylan Miller, who cut inside onto Jurie Matthee’s pass, but the flyhalf missed the conversion.
No 8 Jeandré Rudolph replied for the visitors from a driving maul, before speedster Lleyton Davids raced down the right flank for the Stormers’ second try. Matthee converted to restore their lead.
WATCH: Stormers kit rated ‘fire’
Liebenberg then powered over from close range, with No 10 Ruben Groenewald converting to level the scores.
The Bulls moved ahead when winger Thaakir Abrahams gathered Le Roux’s chip over the defence to score in the left corner. Groenewald missed the conversion as the visitors led 17-12 at half-time.
The Stormers regained the lead early in the second half when Miller finished in the left corner, with Matthee converting.
The Herd responded against the run of play as replacement flyhalf Viaan Mentoor broke away to score and converted his own try.
A penalty try from a powerful Stormers driving maul put Dobson’s men back in front, but the Bulls finished strongly. Loose forward JJ Theron crashed over for their fifth try before winger Sebastian de Klerk, returning from a long-term injury, crossed for the sixth.
Mentoor converted both as the Bulls secured a comfortable win.
The Stormers open their URC campaign against Connacht in Galway on Friday, 25 September, while the Bulls begin theirs away to Italian club Zebre Parma on Saturday, 26 September.
STORMERS – Tries: Dylan Miller (2), Lleyton Davids, penalty try. Conversions: Jurie Matthee (2).
BULLS – Tries: Jeandré Rudolph, Hanro Liebenberg, Thaakir Abrahams, Viaan Mentoor, JJ Theron, Sebastian de Klerk. Conversions: Ruben Groenewald, Mentoor (3).
Photo: Cole Cruickshank/Gallo Images
The post Bulls claim bragging rights in Paarl appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
RD Congo : des nouveautés dans la liste de Desabre pour les matchs contre la Guinée équatoriale et le Zimbabwe
Sébastien Desabre veut donner un nouvel élan aux Léopards. À l’approche des éliminatoires de la prochaine Coupe d’Afrique des nations, le sélectionneur de la RD Congo a dévoilé deux groupes pour les rassemblements de septembre et octobre. Plusieurs nouveaux visages font leur apparition, parmi lesquels Kevin Pedro, Jorthy Mokio et Junior Kadile.
Une jeunesse qui monte en puissance
Pour ces deux rassemblements, Sébastien Desabre a choisi d’élargir son groupe en misant notamment sur de jeunes joueurs issus de la diaspora. Kevin Pedro, âgé de 20 ans et considéré comme l’un des espoirs de l’AS Saint-Étienne, figure dans les deux listes.
Le défenseur de Côme Willy Kambwala et le latéral gauche de Fribourg Jordy Makengo sont également convoqués pour ces deux rendez-vous. La sélection congolaise accueille ainsi plusieurs profils capables d’apporter de nouvelles solutions au sélectionneur.
D’autres joueurs font leur apparition ou retrouvent le groupe, comme Stanis Idumbo, qui évolue à Monaco et s’est récemment illustré contre le PSG, ainsi qu’Ezechiel Banzuzi, joueur de Leipzig. Stephy Mavididi, Noah Mbamba et Anthony Musaba sont également concernés.
Jorthy Mokio constitue l’un des noms les plus attendus. Le jeune talent de l’Ajax Amsterdam, qui compte déjà une sélection avec la Belgique A, a choisi de représenter la RDC. Junior Kadile, pensionnaire du RC Lens, complète cette nouvelle vague.
Deux rassemblements, deux objectifs
Le calendrier des Léopards s’annonce particulièrement chargé. Du 21 au 29 septembre, un premier groupe disputera deux rencontres des éliminatoires de la CAN 2027, face à la Guinée équatoriale le 24 septembre puis au Zimbabwe le 28.
Un second rassemblement est ensuite prévu du 28 septembre au 6 octobre. Cette fois, la RDC disputera deux matches amicaux contre l’Ouganda, les 2 et 5 octobre.
À travers cette organisation, Desabre dispose d’une occasion idéale pour élargir ses options et observer différents profils. L’objectif est également d’intégrer progressivement les nouveaux venus tout en préparant les prochaines échéances de la sélection.
Les cadres toujours au rendez-vous
Malgré ce renouvellement, plusieurs joueurs expérimentés conservent leur place. Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Arthur Masuaku, Chancel Mbemba, Axel Tuanzebe et Gaël Kayembe font notamment partie des cadres appelés à accompagner cette nouvelle génération.
Desabre cherche ainsi à trouver un équilibre entre expérience et jeunesse. Avec Pedro, Mokio, Kadile et les autres nouveaux profils, le sélectionneur dispose de nouvelles cartes pour dynamiser son groupe.
Le principal défi sera désormais de permettre à ces joueurs de trouver rapidement leurs automatismes, alors que les Léopards devront enchaîner rencontres officielles et matches amicaux. Une nouvelle page commence pour la sélection congolaise.
La liste du premier stage, du 21 au 29 septembre
Gardiens : Epolo (Standard Liège), Bertaud (Forge), Ndibu (Les Aigles du Congo).
Défenseurs : Wan-Bissaka (Aston Villa), Gédéon Kalulu (Aris), Kevin Pedro (ASSE), Kayembe (Genk), Kapuadi (Widzew Łódź), Masuaku (Konyaspor), Makengo (Fribourg), Mbemba (Al-Diriyah), Tuanzebe (Auxerre), Kambwala (Côme), Batubinsika (FCS Bucarest).
Milieux : Sadiki (Sunderland), Moutoussamy (Atromitos), Kayembe (Watford), Mukau (Lille), Mbamba (Lorient), Banzuzi (Leipzig), Mbuku (Saint-Trond), Cipenga (Almería), Elia (Alanyaspor), Bongonda (Al-Faisaly), Idumbo (Monaco).
La liste du deuxième stage, du 28 septembre au 6 octobre
Gardiens : Epolo (Standard Liège), Bertaud (Forge), Ndibu (Les Aigles du Congo).
Défenseurs : Gédéon Kalulu (Aris), Kevin Pedro (ASSE), Kayembe (Genk), Kapuadi (Widzew Łódź), Makengo (Fribourg), Mbemba (Al-Diriyah), Kambwala (Côme), Batubinsika (FCS Bucarest).
Milieux : Sadiki (Sunderland), Mokio (Ajax), Ndezi (Dijon), Maghoma (Norwich), Mbamba (Lorient), Banzuzi (Leipzig), Mavididi (Watford), Kadile (Lens), Idumbo (Monaco).
Attaquants : Pululu (Al-Hazem), Musaba (Norwich), Muleka (Konyaspor), Essende (Young Boys).
The post RD Congo : des nouveautés dans la liste de Desabre pour les matchs contre la Guinée équatoriale et le Zimbabwe appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.
Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry is bigger than the Lions
The British & Irish Lions remain rugby’s most romantic tourists, but Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry has become the bigger series.
Zels and I agreed on the latest episode of Keo & Zels that a Springboks-All Blacks tour is now the ultimate contest outside of a World Cup.
It is the best against the best.
The Lions are selected from four countries and asked to become a Test team in a matter of weeks. That was unique and cutting-edge in the amateur era, but professionalism has changed the contest.
The analysis is more detailed, the science is more advanced and combinations are built over years. A composite Lions team cannot replicate the cohesion of a Springbok or All Blacks side that has evolved through an entire World Cup cycle.
There is also no manufactured rivalry when the Boks and All Blacks meet.
It is 105 years of history.
It is South Africa against New Zealand. It is the two most successful nations in World Cup history and the two biggest international brands in the sport.
The Lions visit South Africa once every 12 years, but the All Blacks will not return for another four-Test series until 2034. The Springboks go to New Zealand in 2030.
That 2030 tour will be monstrous.
Winning a World Cup remains rugby’s greatest prize, but there may be no more demanding assignment than winning a Test series against the All Blacks in New Zealand. There is no neutral venue and nowhere to hide. The Boks will have to beat New Zealand in New Zealand, repeatedly.
Win that series and the players write their names into rugby history forever.
This first edition of Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry has already shown why the concept works.
The All Blacks arrived in South Africa with a new coach and a team attempting to recover from one of the darkest periods in their history. They were widely expected to lose the series heavily.
Instead, they won the opening Test 33-16 at Ellis Park and remained competitive in Cape Town and Soweto, despite the Springboks increasingly taking control physically.
South Africa responded like double world champions. They won the next two Tests, secured the South African leg 2-1 and produced a dominant second half at the FNB Stadium when the series demanded their best.
The fourth Test in Baltimore is different. It is being played on neutral ground, before a potential crowd of 71,000, and offers a taste of the conditions both teams will encounter at the 2027 World Cup.
The Boks and All Blacks have met eight times at neutral venues. They have won four each, with South Africa scoring 157 points and New Zealand 156.
It does not get closer.
Rassie Erasmus has selected 22 of the 23 players involved in Soweto. That tells us Baltimore is no exhibition for the Springboks. They want to win the series 3-1, land another psychological blow and show they can deliver a complete 80-minute performance away from home.
The All Blacks have made eight changes to their starting XV, but Richie Mo’unga returns at flyhalf, with Beauden Barrett and Rieko Ioane offering more than 200 Test caps from the bench.
Their backs remain electric. Their problem is up front.
New Zealand scored 13 tries to South Africa’s eight in the first three Tests, but their set piece could not consistently withstand the Springbok pack. Until the All Blacks find the heavies to match South Africa at scrum and maul, their attacking ambition will always be compromised.
Baltimore brings this chapter to a close, but the series has already delivered its verdict.
The Lions still have their history and romance.
The Boks against the All Blacks have history, relevance and the two best Test teams in the world.
Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry is bigger. This series proved it.
Watch the full episode of Keo & Zels previewing the Baltimore Test between the Springboks and All Blacks.