English
Indian
العربية
Español
Deutsch
Türkçe
Русский
Français (Afrique)
Beaver: We’ll let Boks win one
Stephen Donald is confident of New Zealand dominating the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series, with the ex-All Blacks flyhalf not even giving South Africa a chance on home soil.
The All Blacks lock horns with the Sharks, Stormers and Vodacom Bulls next month in the Republic before the epic four-Test battle opens at Ellis Park. After a midweek clash against the Lions, New Zealand and South Africa meet again in Cape Town and Soweto before the finale in Baltimore.
Donald is convinced that the men in black can win the first three Tests after Dave Rennie’s men went unbeaten in the Nations Championship. wlop.pl
“I was confident for the last couple of weeks,” Donald said on Sky Sports NZ’s The Breakdown.
“Rennie talked about the kicking game getting the balance right. I reckon last night [against Ireland in Auckland] the boys had to confront slow ball more than they had in the first couple of weeks, and with all the entertainment aspect of a game, they still had the ability and smarts to go right: ‘We are going to kick here, and we are just going to put up a box and start again’.
“So, I love the way we’re playing … confident we might give the Boks the American one; just we might be sick of winning by then. We’ll go first three; my confidence is high.”
MORE: ‘Rassie has Boks operating like a religion’
Fellow former All Blacks scrumhalf Justin Marshall, though, warned that winning a series in Mzansi remains a tough task despite the Kiwis’ encouraging form.
“We’ve been going well, and a good side comes and puts pressure on you. They put you into places you’re not used to being in,” he said.
“I certainly don’t think Dave Rennie is underestimating what is in front of him in South Africa.
“That’s again what you put the boots on for. It’s the toughest challenge in the game to go there and win a series. We’ve only ever done it once in ’96.
MALLETT: All Blacks copying Bok blueprint
“They will be very well grounded in that respect, but I’m confident we can go toe-to-toe with the best teams in the world. No problem whatsoever.
“This is great. It’s set up so well. One and two in the world. Four Tests on the bounce. Can’t wait.”
Photo: Craig Butland/MB Media/Getty Images
The post Beaver: We’ll let Boks win one appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
All Blacks back themselves to topple Boks
The All Blacks believe they have what it takes to beat the Springboks on home soil, despite acknowledging they’ll need to switch to a higher gear to topple the world champions.
New Zealand will depart for South Africa off the back of an unbeaten home Nations Championship campaign, but attack coach Mike Blair admits the Boks have set the benchmark with a string of dominant displays.
“I believe so,” Blair said when asked if the All Blacks could win the four-Test Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
“We’re also conscious of how impressive South Africa have been in these Test matches. They’ve mixed and matched their teams without seemingly skipping a beat.”
MORE: Blistering KLA sets sights on All Blacks
Rassie Erasmus has rotated extensively throughout the Nations Championship, with a host of newcomers impressing as the Boks claimed convincing victories over England, Scotland and Wales.
Blair believes New Zealand must continue to improve if they’re to end South Africa’s recent dominance.
“It’s going to be a big step up for us, so we’re going to have to evolve and improve again.”
RENNIE: Boks a different beast
The All Blacks face a demanding tour itinerary, forcing the coaching staff to strike a careful balance between building continuity and giving players opportunities to stake their claims for Test selection.
“Our challenge is how we get the guys rugby, how we get cohesion,” Blair explained.
“You want to keep a Test group together, but you want to be able to give guys opportunities to play their way into the Test as well. It’s a really fine balance.
“It’s a tough schedule, but we also believe it’s a schedule that’s going to accelerate our learning.”
POLL: Who will win Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry?
Blair also expects the All Blacks to face more than just the Springboks over the next month.
“There’ll be, I’m not too sure, 80-ish of management and players and stuff, and it’ll be literally us against the rest of South Africa, so we’ll have to be tight.”
SPECIAL REPORT: Inside the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour
Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour fixtures
Friday, 7 August: vs Stormers, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Tuesday, 11 August: vs Sharks, Kings Park, Durban
Saturday, 15 August: vs Vodacom Bulls, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Saturday, 22 August: vs Springboks, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Tuesday, 25 August: vs Lions, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Saturday, 29 August: vs Springboks, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Saturday, 5 September: vs Springboks, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg
Saturday 12 September: vs Springboks, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images
The post All Blacks back themselves to topple Boks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
7 expulsions en finale dans l’histoire de la Coupe du monde, dont 4 joueurs argentins
Battue, 1-0 par l’Espagne en finale de la Coupe du monde, l’Argentine a aussi vu deux de ses joueurs expulsés : Enzo Fernandez et Leandro Paredes. Avant eux, dans l’histoire de la compétition, cinq joueurs ont été exclus durant le dernier match du tournoi entre 1930 et 2022.
Les deux premiers cartons rouges lors d’une finale ont été distribués lors de l’édition 1990 à Rome entre l’Allemagne et l’Argentine. L’arbitre mexicain Edgardo Codesal a expulsé les Argentins Pedro Monzón et Gustavo Dezotti durant la finale.
En 1998 au Stade de France, la France remporte son premier Mondial en battant le Brésil (3-0) et termine sa finale à dix. Déjà averti Marcel Desailly est expulsé après l’heure de jeu après une faute sur Cafu. En 2006, un nouveau joueur Français reçoit un carton en finale. Le capitaine Zinédine Zidane est exclu par k’arbitre Horacio Elizondo pour un coup de tête à Marco Materazzi à la 110e minute de la finale France-Italie, remporté par les Transalpins.
En 2010, entre l’Espagne et les Pays-Bas, le défenseur néerlandais John Heitinga rentre aux vestiaires après un deuxième jaune récolté à la 109e minute pour une faute sur Iniesta. Expulsés avec l’Argentine contre l’Espagne, dimanche lors de la finale 2026 du Mondial, Enzo Fernandez et Leandro Paredes portent le total à sept joueurs exclus lors d’une finale d’un Mondial.
The post 7 expulsions en finale dans l’histoire de la Coupe du monde, dont 4 joueurs argentins appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.
Coupe du Monde 2026 : Raphael Varane juge logique la victoire de la Roja « Il y a du talent, un groupe complet »
Raphael Varane juge logique la victoire de l’Espagne, dimanche, en finale de Coupe du monde contre l’Argentine.
L’Espagne a égalé la France et l’Uruguay avec deux Coupes du monde remportés dans son histoire. La Roja, sur un but de Ferran Torres en prolongations, a disposé 1-0 de l’Argentine. Dans les colonnes de l’Equipe, l’ancien défenseur tricolore du Real Madrid (2011-2021) Raphaël Varane a confié que les Espagnols avaient été sacrés logiquement.
« Pour la force du collectif, le jeu huilé. Ils parlent tous le même football. Et surtout, le grand calme. Quand on voit comment ils ont abordé le match contre l’équipe de France, la finale… Il y a du talent, un groupe complet. Le gardien aussi. Il est sorti très haut deux, trois fois, ça paraît anodin, mais ça soulage. (…) Ils avaient aussi un banc. Pedri, Nico Williams, Ferran Torres… Ils ne font pas du tout baisser le niveau de l’équipe, bien au contraire. C’est un groupe qui le mérite », a commenté le champion du monde 2018 dans le quotidien sportif.
The post Coupe du Monde 2026 : Raphael Varane juge logique la victoire de la Roja « Il y a du talent, un groupe complet » appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.