Nortjé braces for lineout battle

Ruan Nortjé knows exactly where Saturday’s third Test at FNB Stadium could be won or lost, and it isn’t just at the coalface. CLINTON VAN DER BERG reports. iwanktv.club

The Springbok lock has identified New Zealand’s lineout as the fight within the fight, and he’s not shy about naming the man pushing him hardest.

“Some weeks they’ve got your number, some weeks you’ve got theirs, that’s the quality you’re up against,” Nortjé said at the team hotel in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

His answer to that unpredictability is simple, unglamorous work.

“It’s about making sure that when we’re in camp we work as hard as possible, put plans in place to put them under pressure, and I’m sure they’ll have their own plans for this weekend too.”

ALSO: All Blacks get double boost to beat the noise

Adaptability, he says, will decide who blinks first.

“It’s about handling it when they put us under pressure and adapting as quickly as possible, especially in that situation in the game.”

Then there’s Fabian Holland, the towering lock who has been one of the form players of the series. Nortjé doesn’t try to talk him down.

“Fabian Holland is a world-class player, he’s shown that the last two weeks,” he said. “A lot of respect to him, it’s always a privilege to play against him.”

DAAN: Boks don’t want to walk around scrum

The stage for all this is FNB Stadium, and Nortjé is bracing for a crowd that dwarfs last week’s.

“I think it’ll be an amazing experience. Last week was 56,000 people, this week it might be 85,000 or 90,000. We can only imagine how awesome that will be.”

Even so, he insists the scale won’t change the approach for his 23rd Test match.

“No matter where we play, we know what we have to do and what we have to stick to. It’ll just be awesome to have that many people supporting you, feeding off them, getting energy from them, and enjoying every moment.”

WATCH: How All Blacks cheat at scrum

Away from the lineout, Nortjé also opened up on the unglamorous side of leadership, managing referees, a skill he’s sharpened as part-time Bulls captain.

“I’m only captain at the Bulls, so I can speak to that. You’ve got to understand where the referee is at in the game and how he’s communicating,” he said.

“Certain referees have different styles, different profiles, different ways of communicating and running the game, so it’s important to understand the person you’re working with, and what the best way and the best time is to talk to him, and when not to.”

His philosophy when decisions go against him is restraint rather than reaction.

“If you feel like you’re not getting the rub of the green from the ref, for me it’s about standing back a bit, making sure you work through your own actions in the game, play as close to the laws as possible, and then leave it to him to make his decision rather than putting too much pressure on him.”

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images

The post Nortjé braces for lineout battle appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

New coach Pitso Mosimane has welcomed the challenge of leading Bafana Bafana again.

The South African Football Association (SAFA) officially unveiled Mosimane as the new Bafana head coach on Tuesday at SAFA House.

The 62-year-old makes his return to the job, 14 years after he was sacked by SAFA after Bafana Bafana failed to qualify for the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations.

A costly miscalculation in the final qualifier against Sierra Leone, where a draw was accepted when a win was required, proved decisive. Word is that the SAFA leadership felt embarrassed after videos of Bafana players celebrating that draw at the Mbombela Stadium in October 2011 went viral.

Much has changed in terms of Mosimane since that embarrassing day as he rejoins the national team as a proven winner after winning multiple trophies including the CAF Champions League, which he won three times – once with Mamelodi Sundowns and twice with Al-Ahly.

Speaking during the press conference to announce his appointment, Mosimane accepted the special opportunity to lead his country again.

“I have been given the privilege of leading our national team again. I take this responsibility knowing that I still have something to give in football, especially in my country,” said Mosimane.

“I know this is simply not a coaching job; it is bigger than Pitso Mosimane. I understand the weight of this role, the expectations that come with it, and what this team means to South Africa. With pride and determination, I accept the challenge,” he added.

Why Pitso snubbed Mkhalele

Meanwhile, Mosimane has explained why he decided against keeping Helman Mkhalele, who was Broos’ assistant for five years, in his position.

“Everyone and every coach has his own technical team. Right? And I always want to refer to practical questions,” said Mosimane.

“And I’ll tell you about (Carlo) Ancelotti. You know who he takes with? He takes his son. And they have won a lot of trophies. If I had my son next to me here instead of…I think you would be saying some other things.

“He’s got his son and they have won trophies, right? And the world is not looking at Ancelotti and his son, right? It’s looking at the work to be done.

“So, for us, it’s the work done, right? And I have people that have done the FIFA World Cup with me here. Four of them,” commented Mosimane.

Mosimane’s immediate task will be to prepare Bafana for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, which starts next month.

NAIROBI, Kenya, September 1, 2026 – Kenya’s sprint sensation Ferdinand Omanyala will not be competing in any more events this year after suffering a serious injury.

In a statement, the 2022 Commonwealth Games champion says he has incurred a stress fracture that has put paid to his ambition to close his season on a high.

“Unfortunately, due to a stress fracture to the heel bone of my left foot, sustained two weeks before the Commonwealth Games, I won’t be able to compete in my final two races of the season,” Omanyala said.

The 30-year-old was scheduled to compete at the Ultimate Championships in Budapest, this month, right after running at the season-ending Diamond League final in Brussels, this week.

Baring his heart out, Omanyala admitted it was not quite the finish he had envisioned to what had started as a successful season.

“Not quite the finish we had planned, but there is so much from this season to celebrate and be grateful for,” he said.

Omanyala added: “To my coach, my entire team, my sponsors and partners: Thank you for the work behind the scenes, the belief, the support and for continuing to walk this journey with me. None of these milestones happen alone.”

The African record holder for the men’s 100m began the year strongly but has petered out into a season of disappointment.

His high points included four wins within a space of one month (April), during which he also recorded a sub-10 in five consecutive races.

Omanyala’s low point is arguably the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July, where he painfully relinquished his title after finishing sixth in the semi-finals of the men’s 100m – clocking 10.19.

As heads to the treatment table to recuperate from his injury, the 2022 African champion may well use the opportunity to reflect and re-strategise for the competitions ahead.

Springbok scrum coach Daan Human said he had taken offence at accusations that the national team had been scrumming illegally on purpose.

Claims that the Springboks had been ‘walking around’ scrums emerged following the Boks’ 33-26 win over the All Blacks in Cape Town, which levelled the four-match Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series at 1-1.

All Blacks coach Dave Rennie said he had made enquiries with World Rugby for clarity around the matter, while Bok head coach Rassie Erasmus argued that in six years this was the first time these accusations had been made.

‘We don’t want to do it’

Human likewise disputed the claims in the strongest terms.

“Walking around… I can promise you one thing: I have never coached that,” Human said on Tuesday.

“We want to go forward… never walking around. It’s not ideal for us. We don’t want to do it.”

He said he had been hurt by the accusations because he had always tried to coach technique that was “100% by the book”.

“That is the way I have been brought up on the farm. I don’t want to say cheat or walk around.

“We never work like that and I will never coach that. We will work even harder to be precise in what we are doing. It must be legal, straightforward dominance.”

Springboks target scrum dominance

The Springboks enjoyed that dominance, especially in the first Test at Ellis Park until about the 55th minute, when referee Matthew Carley ruled Gerhard Steenekamp had ‘walked around’ during their third set-piece in front of the All Blacks’ posts.

Momentum swung from that moment, and New Zealand turned their 19-16 lead into a 33-16 win.

The scrums were more closely contested in the second Test in Cape Town, though there were periods when the Springboks found dominance.

Referee Angus Gardner kept a close eye on scrums and ensured the teams maintained the hooker ‘brake foot’ rule where other referees had been lenient in the past.

Still, Human said Gardner had been consistent, and had had a word with both teams about what was required before the match.

However, the outside noise, particularly on social media, since then, was troubling.

“It’s looking like every second guy is becoming our scrum coach,” Human joked before saying this was good because the game was open to the public, who were entitled to their opinions.

“The scrum is very important in our team. It’s part of our culture, and I suppose it’s part of the [country’s culture].”

The Bok assistant coach said he would love to hear South African fans chant ‘scrum, scrum’ the way Norway’s football fans chant and perform their viking ‘Ro! Ro!’.

“I can assure you that sometimes one thing [causes] another, and it might happen. Obviously we are not perfect.

“We try to take it right through the middle, straightforward, obviously according to the laws, and show the referee a dominant picture on both sides.”

Arrêtée le 30 août en Tanzanie sur la base d'un mandat congolais, l'influenceuse Denise Mukendi a été transférée dans la nuit à Kinshasa, selon nos informations. Ancienne partisane de Félix Tshisekedi devenue critique virulente du pouvoir et un soutien déclaré de l'AFC/M23, elle est visée par plusieurs dossiers dont les autorités n'ont pas encore précisé le contenu. Le porte-parole du gouvernement a présenté cette arrestation comme la première d'une série à venir.