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Nora Hauptle to remain as Zambia coach – says FAZ
After long uncertainty surrounding the whereabout of Zambia women national team coach Nora Häuptle, the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) has clarified the position of Copper Queens coach.
There have been reports the Swiss tactician had quit her role to handle the Copper Queens following recent public discussions over her future with the national team. biznow.biz
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Häuptle’s absence was fuelled further after she failed to travel with the team for the FIFA Series Women’s tournament held in Brazil.
Häuptle remains Zambia coach
In a statement, FAZ confirmed all outstanding matters between the Association and coach Häuptle have been resolved following a series of meetings with FAZ president Keith Mweemba.
Acting Deputy General Secretary Iva Lengwe confirmed that Häuptle has since submitted her travel itinerary to the FAZ Secretariat and is expected in Zambia ahead of the Four Nations Tournament scheduled for the June FIFA Window. The tournament will feature Zambia, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso.
“As things stand at present, Coach Nora will certainly lead the Copper Queens at the forthcoming Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) tournament,” Lengwe emphasised.
Lengwe said the FAZ Secretariat remains focused on ensuring the Copper Queens are adequately prepared for the WAFCON finals in July and other upcoming international assignments.
He also thanked the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts, as well as members of the public, for their concern and continued interest in the welfare and progress of the national women’s team.
Scrumhalves & Wings impress in Affies first win against Grey College in 11 years
In Affies’ first win over Grey College since 2015, two positions stood out above the rest: scrumhalf and wing.
Fourie Roberts, the tall Affies No. 9, walked away with Player of the Match honours. However, the broader statement arguably came from Grey’s Jonathan Drysdale, a pacy scrumhalf whose sniping runs directly resulted in both of his side’s tries.
In terms of national selection, both Drysdale and Roberts will feel they have placed themselves in contention, in direct competition with players such as Shaye Lourens (Helpmekaar) and possibly Liam de Villiers (Paarl Boys’ High), should the latter be included in one of the two WP CW squads in a season where Western Province forward depth among player-of-colour stocks appears relatively thin. That reality may place even greater emphasis on backline positions to meet selection targets and could, in turn, see de Villiers miss the boat, as his position is one where there is depth.
One would expect the confident, in-form Paarl Gim 9 Mickyle Booise to occupy the top G&G spot, with Outeniqua’s u17 talent Fagon Hendricks also firmly in the running for national honours. Graeme College’s Luke Doyle may yet have other ideas, and there are likely to be one or two additional players who step up at just the right time.
At wing, however, the picture is less settled in terms of standout depth, which opens an even clearer pathway for provincial hopefuls to play their way into contention.
Queen’s College wing Ncuthu Kepe looks an early favourite, while St Alban’s centre Thabiso Simelane could feature at wing at the next level up. The Lions appear to have a box ticked with tall, powerful Ruan Genis (Monument), who is expected to continue impressing at Premier Youth Week level if he retains his place.
But the standout wing on the day at the Plaas was Affies’ Dehan Botha, whose tackle-busting running once again marked him as one of the most dangerous schoolboy attackers this season. Botha’s ability to breach defences and then either finish or create tries in high-intensity, test-match conditions has elevated his profile to new heights. His u17 teammate Dandre Brink has also been excellent value this year, and suggesting Brink as the second-best wing in the country right now would not be a stretch.
Do not forget Affies fullback Joshua Gouw, who also contributed strongly in wide channels on the left throughout the season.
Given the Bulls u18 depth with wings such as Mendriano Abrahams (Menlopark) and Yuvrah George (Garsfontein), it seems unlikely that both Botha and Brink will make Craven Week selection—not due to lack of talent, but rather because they may be considered something of an unaffordable luxury. Garsfontein’s valued Neil de Kock also remains a strong contender—one who could comfortably represent any union in the country with distinction.
Interesting selection times ahead indeed.
Recapping Affies’ win:
Front-foot ball in the right areas allowed powerful Dehan Botha to do the hard graft in contact and set up Fourie Roberts, who finished to give the hosts early momentum. The opening 20 minutes belonged to Affies, who controlled territory and tempo with authority.
The contest then shifted into a more balanced cancel each other out affair as Grey began to lift the intensity. Through the influence of standout fullback Lamla Mgedezi and a spell of recycled broken play, Grey forced a breakdown situation in midfield. Jonathan Drysdale identified space on the big open side and accelerated through a gap in the defensive line for a superb 40-metre solo effort. The scores were level at 7–7 at half-time.
Early in the second half, a wide-awake Drysdale struck again. Spotting another defensive mismatch, he exploited the gap with impressive pace before releasing captain Alexi Tyropolis in support, giving Grey the ascendancy at 14–7 and effectively silencing any questions about the lock’s shortage of pace.
Affies responded strongly. U17 flank Caleb Pretorius, who produced the first of two major score-influencing contributions, crossed for a well-earned try after sustained pressure, with the platform laid by an excellent carry from eye-catching u17 centre Rico du Plessis.
Grey, however, continued to threaten with their set-piece power, using a strong scrum and an effective lineout to build pressure close to the tryline. But just as they looked set to strike, a speculative stab kick ahead was turned over by Affies near their own line. The turnover sparked a sweeping counterattack, finished clinically by Brink, whose superior pace carried him clear of the chasers and swung momentum firmly back in favour of the home side.
At 21–14, Grey again mounted pressure, but their composure in the red zone faltered once more, as a handling error brought another promising attack to a halt and allowed Affies to escape danger.
Shortly afterwards, Affies made them pay. In key build-up play, Pretorius and inside centre Juan Ferreira did significant work before a prolonged arm wrestle in midfield. The hosts then earned a penalty to advance them further towards the Grey line. From that position, Botha again proved decisive, brushing off a string of tackles in a powerful finish that underlined his impact on the contest and extended the lead to 28–14.
Grey did manage a late consolation try from a close range drive, aided by a period of Affies indiscipline and penalties conceded under pressure. The visitors closed the gap to 28–21. It was, however, too late as Affies ultimately held firm to close out a hard-fought encounter.…
Madagascar: le plus gros baobab jamais répertorié sur la Grande Île est en train de mourir
La mort d’un monument végétal exceptionnel. Tsitakakantsa, le plus gros baobab jamais répertorié à Madagascar, a récemment perdu l’une de ses branches maîtresses. Un signe annonciateur de son déclin, déjà pressenti par un scientifique depuis l’an dernier. Vieux de 900 ans, cet arbre extraordinaire – qui est en fait une plante géante – est considéré comme sacré par les habitants des environs de Morombe, dans le sud-ouest de Madagascar, où il attirait des touristes depuis quelques années.
URC quarter-final: Bulls v Munster kick off time
It was a round of mixed fortunes for South Africa’s four URC teams as the curtain came down on the regular season, but ultimately it is the Bulls and Stormers who will be able to enjoy home ground advantage when the quarter-finals kick off.
In this past weekend’s final round of pool matches, the Bulls and Sharks finished the round-robin stages with impressive wins, while the Stormers and Lions suffered disappointing defeats, but remained in the top eight for quarter-final berths.
Bulls set to kick off epic clash against Munster
The Bulls, who secured a rewarding fourth-place finish thanks to their bonus-point 45-19 victory against Benetton at home, will meet Munster in Pretoria in their quarter-final next weekend, with kick off at 13:00.
“It’s always nice to play at home and hopefully we can use that to our advantage,” Bulls coach Johan Ackermann said.
“Munster are a quality side with a lot of good internationals. We know we’ll have to lift our standards.”
Don’t forget that that URC quarter-finals will only take place next weekend due to the EPCR finals this weekend.
As it is, several players are set to attend the Springbok alignment camp this week.
All quarter-finals:
Friday, 29 May
QF1: Glasgow Warriors v Connacht
Venue: Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow
SA time: 20:45
Saturday, 30 May
QF4: Bulls v Munster
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
KO: 13:00
QF3: Stormers v Cardiff
Venue: DHL Stadium, Cape Town
SA time 15:30
QF2: Leinster v Lions
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
SA time 21:00
While the four home quarter-finalists are best placed to reach the decider, history may yet deliver a twist — only one team ranked No 1 has ever lifted the URC trophy.
In past seasons, it was fourth-placed Glasgow Warriors (2024), fifth-placed Munster (2023), and second-placed Stormers (2022) who emerged as champions before first-placed Leinster finally claimed the crown last year.