Filipe Luis nouvel entraîneur de l'AS Monaco

Rassie Erasmus has credited World Rugby’s new maul law application guidelines for the number of tries scored during the opening round of the Nations Championship.

A total of 54 tries were scored across the six matches, with the Springboks crossing for seven in their 45-21 victory over England at Ellis Park.

Erasmus believes recent law application changes around the maul contributed to this.

“Interesting thing, I think there were more maul-drive tries scored in this opening round than altogether in the [2026] Six Nations, if I have my stats correct,” said the Bok coach. “I want to give World Rugby credit there.”

BlogFalkirkrangers Sport TodayRangers Overturn Deficit to Win 6-3 at Falkirk Stadium Rangers came from behind to win 6-3 at the Falkirk Stadium, scoring four times in a 16-minute spell thatOuvrir →

RASSIE: Midfield maul a Bok rebellion

Erasmus previously voiced his frustration at the way mauls were being officiated, arguing that teams were increasingly being prevented from building effective driving mauls from lineouts.

World Rugby subsequently introduced new law application guidelines – effective from 1 June – around players entering mauls from the wrong side.

Erasmus believes the changes have restored the balance.

“I think what people thought is, it’s going to just be all mauling, but because you can’t drag in a maul anymore – you have to put more numbers into a maul – the guys who stop the maul now have to get out and defend after that.

“There’s definitely more mauling, but then after the mauling there’s more drives, because guys are tired of stopping mauls. You can’t just put four guys in and drag a maul to the side.”

Erasmus also praised the contest at scrum time. The hooker is now required to hook, preventing very skew feeds to the set-piece.

“I think the scrum feed, which World Rugby has introduced, is getting rewards where there’s a good contest there,” he said. “And loose forwards must stay bound to make sure their props don’t get scrummed back.”

ALSO: Eben in a race to face All Blacks

The opening weekend also marked the first Nations Championship standings, with teams competing for log points across separate northern and southern hemisphere tables.

Although Erasmus had insisted before the England Test that the Boks would not chase bonus points at the expense of victory, they secured both.

The Nations Championship awards an attacking bonus point for scoring four tries, rather than three more than the opposition in competitions like the French Top 14.

“I do think when you see a table after a first round, all of a sudden [a bonus point] counts.

“That was in our mindset when we ran onto the field but when you have the fourth try, you can also relax a little bit and play a territorial game because you’ve got your five log points.

“But still, when you go into a Test match, you just want to win the Test match. If you disrespect that, you’ll probably lose it.

“So a win is still the thing that counts most.”

PLUS: This Bok team ‘not picked’ to beat Scotland

Photo: Patrick Khachfe/Getty Images

The post Rassie: Maul tweaks spark try boom appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

Spain and Belgium booked their places in the 2026 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals after eliminating Portugal and the United States.

Mikel Merino delivered a dramatic late winner for Spain, while Belgium produced a ruthless attacking display to set up a heavyweight European showdown.

FIFA WORLD CUP ROUND OF 16

Spain secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Portugal, while Belgium thrashed the United States 4-1 in the FIFA World Cup Round of 16. The two European giants will now meet in the quarterfinals after producing very different performances in North America.

Spain stretched their remarkable defensive record to five consecutive FIFA World Cup matches without conceding a goal. Belgium, meanwhile, scored four times against the tournament co-hosts to continue their impressive run into the last eight.

Teenage sensation Lamine Yamal again played a key role as Spain controlled possession for long spells against Portugal. The Iberian rivals remained locked together until the closing stages despite La Roja creating the better opportunities.

MIKEL MERINO BREAKS PORTUGUESE HEARTS

Spain finally found the breakthrough in the 90th minute when substitute Mikel Merino fired home the winning goal. His late strike punished Portugal’s resistance and sent La Roja into the last eight.

The victory also highlighted Spain’s growing strength at both ends of the pitch. They controlled possession for most of the contest, remained defensively solid and showed their squad depth when it mattered most.

Also read: FIFA World Cup: African giants hammer Canada to qualify for the quarterfinals

BELGIUM CRUISE PAST USA

Belgium took control inside the opening 33 minutes thanks to a clinical first-half brace from Charles De Ketelaere. The forward exposed poor American defending with goals in the ninth and 33rd minutes.

The United States briefly levelled through Malik Tillman, whose deflected free-kick restored hope for the home supporters. That optimism disappeared almost immediately as Belgium regained the lead just two minutes later.

Goalkeeper Matt Freese endured a nightmare moment in the 57th minute after gifting Hans Vanaken an easy finish with an error far outside his penalty area. Substitute Romelu Lukaku added the fourth goal in stoppage time to complete a dominant display.

Pre-match attention centred on Folarin Balogun after FIFA overturned his suspension and cleared him to play. However, the striker failed to influence the contest as Belgium’s disciplined defence kept him quiet throughout.

The quarterfinal between Spain and Belgium will take place on Friday, 10 July, at SoFi Stadium in California, with a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup semifinals at stake.

Kylian Mbappé a été la cible d’insultes racistes d’une sénatrice paraguayenne au lendemain du huitième de finale de la Coupe du Monde. Une attaque violente qui a suscité une réponse ferme du capitaine des Bleus et une réaction immédiate de la Fédération française de football. Il a subi les pires insultes imaginables sur un terrain […]

L’article Ainsi, Kylian Mbappé est un «Camerounais colonisé, qui veut se faire passer pour français» est apparu en premier sur Camfoot.com.