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Currie Cup qualifying could change
The current Currie Cup Premier Division qualification process will be reviewed later this month.
According to Rapport, presidents, CEOs and coaches of the country’s 14 provincial unions are set to meet at a workshop in Joburg on 29 July to consider South Africa’s domestic competition structures.
Under the existing system, the top four teams in the SA Cup qualify for the Currie Cup Premier Division alongside the Vodacom Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers. tbzikra.com
Missing out can have major consequences, with Premier Division teams reportedly receiving R6.3-million more from SA Rugby than those in the First Division, while also benefiting from greater broadcast exposure and sponsorship opportunities.
Ettienne de Lange, chairman of the South African Rugby Employers’ Organisation, told Rapport that several alternatives would be considered.
“One of them is, and this is something we have discussed earlier this year, to have a Currie Cup qualifying round with 14 teams and then perhaps divide it into eight and six teams,” he said.
“The second round then has a top eight [Premier Division] and bottom six [First Division].”
STONEHOUSE: Not right that SWD not in Currie Cup
De Lange stressed that any change would depend on commercial and logistical considerations.
“The first question is whether there is appetite among the sponsors and the broadcasters,” he said. “The second question is how do we fit it into the rugby calendar.
“And then whether there are enough players to be able to participate in it, especially for your four leading franchise teams, because they play in so many competitions.”
Photo: SWD Eagles/Facebook
The post Currie Cup qualifying could change appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Jan-Hendrik taking his shots at the rock
Watching his Springbok teammates demolish their rivals at scrum time has inspired utility front-ranker Jan-Hendrik Wessels to make every minute on the field count.
The 25-year-old, who has scored two Test tries since debuting against Portugal in 2024, earned his 12th cap off the bench in Saturday’s 43-0 win over Wales in Durban.
The Bok scrum dominated the visitors at Kings Park, laying the platform for the likes of wings Jaco Williams and Kurt-Lee Arendse to strike in the seven-try Nations Championship rout.
“We’ve always prided ourselves in the scrums,” Wessels said. “I don’t think it’s always that easy… maybe you need to take a few shots at the rock before it breaks.
“The front row that was on [on Saturday] set a great standard for us to come off the bench. We don’t want to let the team down, and it motivates us to do as well as they do.”
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However, the humidity in KZN also played its part, with handling errors costing the Boks an even bigger win.
“Even from the bench you could see the ball was very slippery,” Wessels noted. “The guys from Durban know it, and it’s something we don’t always realise.
“On Monday, we thought there would be rain, but the rain dried up. We tried to put a good performance together for 80 minutes.”
KEO: Five Springboks winners against Wales
Wessels has become one of Rassie Erasmus’ most valuable weapons, as the Vodacom Bulls bruiser is able to seamlessly pack down at loosehead prop and hooker.
“The coaches are prepping me really well in training – scrums and lineouts. They don’t throw me into the deep end,” he said. “This week playing loosehead, I trained the whole week at loosehead. I think most of my games at the Bulls were at loosehead.
“In the England game I didn’t play hooker, so I went on at loosehead. The Scotland game I went on at prop first, to calm the nerves and get comfortable with the tempo, then later moved to hooker. I enjoy it.”
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With flanker Marco van Staden and tighthead prop Thomas du Toit also working on their lineout throwing, competition at hooker has intensified.
“I always tease the loose forwards that if they get slow, they’ll have to move to hooker,” Wessels joked. “But being versatile always helps.
“If something happens at hooker you’ve got a guy who can throw in at the lineouts.”
KEO: Five Springboks winners against Wales
Photo: Johan Rynners/Getty Images
The post Jan-Hendrik taking his shots at the rock appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Coupe du monde 2026 : la France concède six buts, une première depuis 1960
La défaite face à l’Angleterre (4-6) lors du match pour la troisième place de la Coupe du monde 2026 restera comme une soirée particulière dans l’histoire de l’équipe de France. Les Bleus ont encaissé six buts dans une même rencontre, une première depuis plus de 65 ans.
Une statistique qui remonte à 1960
Avant ce duel face aux Three Lions à Miami, la dernière fois que la sélection française avait concédé six réalisations dans un match remontait au 12 octobre 1960. À l’époque, les Bleus s’étaient inclinés en amical face à la Suisse sur le score de 6-2.
Depuis cette rencontre, jamais l’équipe de France n’avait encaissé six buts lors d’un même match, jusqu’à cette confrontation face à l’Angleterre en Coupe du monde 2026.
Une première période cauchemardesque
Face aux Anglais, les joueurs de Didier Deschamps ont vécu une première période très compliquée. Dominés dans tous les secteurs, les Bleus ont regagné les vestiaires avec un retard de quatre buts (0-4), après des réalisations de Declan Rice, Ezri Konsa et un doublé de Bukayo Saka.
La réaction française après la pause a permis de rendre le score plus spectaculaire. Portée notamment par Kylian Mbappé, la France a inscrit quatre buts et entretenu l’espoir d’un retour, mais elle a finalement cédé dans les dernières minutes.
Une soirée historique malgré la réaction offensive
Avec ce score final de 6-4, la rencontre entre la France et l’Angleterre est devenue l’une des plus prolifiques de l’histoire récente des Bleus. Si l’équipe de France a montré ses qualités offensives en seconde période, elle a également connu une fragilité défensive inhabituelle.
Cette défaite restera donc comme un épisode rare dans le parcours récent des Tricolores, habitués ces dernières années à afficher davantage de solidité lors des grands rendez-vous internationaux.
The post Coupe du monde 2026 : la France concède six buts, une première depuis 1960 appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.