Too little, too late? Shujaa finally win at World 7s Championships Se…

NAIROBI, Kenya, June 7, 2026 – The national men’s rugby 7s team notched their first win at the ultimate leg of the World Championships Series, decimating Uruguay 26-7 in their 11^th place playoff tie in Bordeaux on Sunday afternoon. capturengo.org

Needing to win at all costs, Shujaa drew first blood after five minutes via Vincent Onyala’s try, David Nyagige converting for a 7-0 lead.

However, with the referee, Nick Hogan, readying to blow for halftime, the Uruguayans levelled matters courtesy of Francisco Landauer, who also converted for the extras for a 7-7 deadlock.

Following head coach Kevin ‘Bling’ Wambua’s pep talk at the interval, Shujaa came purring on all fronts.

John Okoth restored their lead in the ninth minute before Nyagige went over the white chalk a minute later to extend the advantage.

With Nyagige’s successful conversion to boot, Shujaa were well on course to saving face to what has been a dreadful campaign thus far.

Kabras Sugar’s Brian Tanga then put the result beyond doubt with the fourth try at the death, Jackson Siketi adding the extras for a comprehensive victory.

Having played their final game of the series, Shujaa will now be closely watching the fifth-place playoff final between Fiji and the United States on Sunday evening.

Victory for the Americans could condemn Kenya back to Division 2 of the World Rugby Series whereas a loss would put them back into the thick of things.

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The Bulls overturned an 18-point deficit at Murrayfield on Saturday to beat Glasgow Warriors 22-21 and book their place in a fourth URC final in five seasons. Glasgow’s failure to close out a dominant position will haunt them for some time.

WASTEFUL WARRIORS SQUANDERED 18-POINT LEAD AND HOME-GROUND ADVANTAGE THEY NEVER REALLY HAD

Glasgow did the hard work brilliantly and then threw it all away. Kyle Steyn crossed twice during Handré Pollard’s first-half sin-binning, and a penalty try made it 21-3 after just 25 minutes. The match looked done. It was not. The Warriors failed to score another point in the final 55 minutes of the contest. That collapse is difficult to explain and harder still to defend.

Part of the context sits off the pitch. Glasgow’s home ground, Scotstoun, had already been handed over ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth Games. That forced the club to host this semi-final at Murrayfield instead. The artificial surface that has served Glasgow so well in recent seasons was replaced by grass, removing one of their most reliable home advantages. A crowd of roughly double Scotstoun’s usual capacity turned out in Edinburgh, but the familiar intimidation factor was simply not there. A Bulls side packed with Springboks who have won at Murrayfield before barely flinched at the occasion.

Then came the moment that illustrated Glasgow’s muddled thinking most clearly. After falling 22-21 behind, they had a penalty within range of the posts. They rejected the kick and opted for touch instead. The resulting maul was choked. Compare that with the Bulls, who pointed at the posts every time a penalty came their way, even when Pollard missed all three of his second-half attempts. Those misses still bled the clock and kept Glasgow pinned deep.

Glasgow’s handling lost its early accuracy, their decision-making deteriorated, and their failure to apply what they should have learned from their Champions Cup quarter-final exit at home to Toulon proved costly again. This was a brutal way to end a season in which they finished top of the URC regular-season standings.

BULLS TURNED A CRISIS INTO A FINAL

At 21-3 down with less than half an hour played, most teams would have accepted their fate. The Bulls did not. Coach Johan Ackermann said his senior players stood up at half-time and made a simple collective decision. They could not control the result, but they could control whether they retreated into their shells. They chose not to.

Ackermann had asked for one specific thing at the break: score the first try of the second half. Embrose Papier, the URC’s Player of the Season, delivered it. He darted over from a ruck shortly after Glasgow lock Scott Cummings received a yellow card. Then Cameron Hanekom produced a breathtaking 15m burst from the left wing to set up Francois Klopper’s converted try. The Bulls led 22-21 after 53 minutes and never relinquished it.

The card counts tell the story of the second half as clearly as the scoreboard does. The penalty count finished 13-9 against Glasgow. The Bulls shut the match down with a combination of physical dominance and sharp breakdown work from the likes of Johan Grobbelaar, Hanekom and Harold Vorster.

A TACKLE MACHINE AND A STATEMENT OF INTENT

Grobbelaar’s individual contribution deserves specific attention. He made his 150th appearance for the Bulls on Saturday and marked it with a try at 21-3 down that changed the entire complexion of the contest. His 16 tackles over 80 minutes were the defensive backbone of a Bulls second half in which Glasgow were starved of ball and space.

Papier finished with his 12th URC try of the season. Hanekom topped the turnover count with two and covered ground ferociously throughout. Then Stedman Gans, introduced from the bench, won the crucial breakdown penalty in the final minute that confirmed the result.

This Bulls side has now reached four URC finals in five seasons. They have yet to lift the trophy, losing finals in 2022, 2023 and 2024. They now return to Croke Park for a rematch of last year’s final against Leinster, the side that beat them 21-16 in Pretoria two years ago.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus named an exciting 51-man squad – featuring 21 uncapped players for the team’s first training camp of the season, starting in Johannesburg on Monday.

They will focus on their double-header between the Boks and the Barbarians, as well as the clash between the SA ‘A’ team against Zimbabwe, in Gqeberha on Saturday, 20 June.

With the Vodacom Bulls players unavailable for selection after booking their place in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship final against Leinster, Erasmus selected a handful of junior players in his squad.

This group includes SA U20 players Yaqeen Ahmed (flyhalf/centre), Danie Kruger (prop), Luan Giliomee (utility back), Vusi Moyo (flyhalf), Oliver Reid (prop), Liam van Wyk (hooker), as well as Junior Springbok captain Riley Norton (loose forward/lock), Siphosethu Mnebelele (hooker), Markus Muller (centre), and Zekhethelo Siyaya (utility back), all of whom were members of the expanded Springbok alignment camp squad.

The other uncapped players in the group are Paul de Villiers (flanker), Bathobele Hlekani (utility forward), Hanro Jacobs (prop), Jurenzo Julius (utility back), Imad Khan (scrumhalf), JJ Kotze (hooker), Sibabalwa Mahashe (loose forward), Haashim Pead, Nico Steyn (both scrumhalves), Emmanuel Tshituka (flanker), and Jaco Williams (utility back).

The Japanese-based players who have completed their club commitments will join their teammates from the outset of the camp, while the UK-based players will report for duty once their season officially concludes in line with World Rugby’s Regulation 9.

The Springbok squad for the Nations Championship clashes against England (4 July), Scotland (11 July), and Wales (18 July), will be announced on Sunday, 21 June, following the conclusion of the Vodacom URC.

Erasmus was thrilled to get their on-field preparations underway with the Barbarians and SA ‘A’ game, which will play out in a fortnight, and he looked forward to seeing how the younger players adapt to the demands of senior international rugby.

“We named a large group of players as we will be selecting a Springbok and SA ‘A’ team for the season-opening double-header in Gqeberha, and this will be beneficial in the long term as we build the squad, looking forward to next year’s Rugby World Cup and beyond,” said Erasmus.

“There is also an exciting mix of experienced campaigners and young players in this squad, and this formula has worked well for us in the past to ensure a clear pathway to build depth within the group.”

Zooming in on the camp itself, Erasmus said: “The coaches have been working around the clock to put the systems in place in the last few months, and the in-person and virtual alignment camps have given most of the players a taste of what to expect, so it’s now a matter of implementing what they learned in the boardroom onto the field.

“We are under no illusions about the challenge ahead this season with two matches against the Barbarians and the SA ‘A’ team against Zimbabwe playing out on the same day, which will be followed by two new competitions in the Nations Championship and Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, so it will be important for the group to build cohesion as quickly as possible and make the most of our field sessions and team meetings to be as well prepared as possible when we take the field.”

Springbok squad (in alphabetical order):

Forwards: Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Paul de Villiers (DHL Stormers), Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Stormers), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Neethling Fouche (DHL Stormers), Bathobele Hlekani (Fidelity Securedrive Lions), Hanro Jacobs (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Siya Kolisi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), JJ Kotze (DHL Stormers), Danie Kruger (DHL Stormers), Sibabalwa Mahashe (Fidelity Securedrive Lions), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Ntuthuko Mchunu (DHL Stormers), Siphosethu Mnebelele (Vodacom Bulls), Salmaan Moerat (DHL Stormers), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Riley Norton (DHL Stormers), Zachary Porthen (DHL Stormers), Oliver Reid (DHL Stormers), Evan Roos (DHL Stormers), Emmanuel Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Vincent Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Liam van Wyk (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Andre-Hugo Venter (DHL Stormers), Boan Venter (Edinburgh), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).

Backs: Yaqeen Ahmed (DHL Stormers) Lukhanyo Am (DynaBoars), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles), Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Luan Giliomee (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Quan Horn (Fidelity Securedrive Lions), Jurenzo Julius (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Imad Khan (DHL Stormers), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners), Vusi Moyo (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Markus Muller (DHL Stormers), Haashim Pead (Fidelity Securedrive Lions), Zekhethelo Siyaya (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Nico Steyn (Fidelity Securedrive Lions), Edwill van der Merwe (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers), Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Jaco Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks).

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

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Le Ballon d’Or Ousmane Dembélé, récemment sacré champion d’Europe avec le PSG, sera aligné demain soir avec les Bleus contre l’Irlande du Nord pour le dernier match de préparation au Mondial 2026.

Non entré en jeu, jeudi dernier, au Stade de la Beaujoire avec l’équipe de France contre la Côte d’Ivoire (2-1), l’attaquant du PSG Ousmane Dembélé fera partie du onze de départ des Bleus demain soir contre l’Irlande du Nord.

Le sélectionneur Didier Deschamps a annoncé, ce dimanche à Téléfoot, que le champion de France et d’Europe serait dès le début sur le terrain du Stade Pierre-Mauroy. « Si Dembélé sera titulaire ? Oui, comme d’autres joueurs. Ousmane fait partie des joueurs, comme Désiré (Doué), qui n’ont pas joué après la finale. Je considère qu’il était important de récupérer » a indiqué le sélectionneur national au micro de l’émission de TF1.

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