England overcame France in the ultimate game of two halves in the bronze final of the FIFA World Cup 2026 asBukayo Saka hit a hat-trick and Jude Bellingham finally put an end to a comeback Kylian Mbappe had heroically inspired at Miami Stadium. England annihilated France in the first half. Declan Rice stylishly struck home the opener from outside the box and, after Saka had a goal ruled out for offside, Ezri Kosna made it two. Saka then bagged a quick-fire brace to send Thoma

Junior Springbok head coach Kevin Foote paid tribute to his team's resilience, depth and unbreakable bond after South Africa were crowned Junior World Championship winners following a hard-fought victory over France in Tbilisi on Saturday evening. The SA U20s defeated France 16-5 after leading 6-0 at the halfway mark of this enthralling championship decider to successfully defend the title they won last year in Italy. The Junior Boks overcame fierce French resistance in a pul

Yaqeen Ahmed scored 11 points as the Junior Springboks beat the France U20 side 16-5 (half-time 6-0) in the final of the Junior World Championship Tbilisi on Saturday evening to successfully defend their world title. A powerful set-piece display, a flawless goal-kicking performance and a determined defensive showing contributed to the Junior Boks' victory at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium on Saturday night. Kevin Foote's charges became the first South African U20 side in history

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus turned his thoughts to the next assignment against Argentina in two weeks’ time after giving the Springboks a pass mark from a 43-0 (half-time 19-0) victory over Wales in a Nations Championship match in Durban on Saturday. Erasmus said a squad of 26 would be sent to South America while a group of 15 or 16 players remained behind with some coaches to prepare for Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry against New Zealand in August and September. “To get 43 poin

The Springboks outplayed Wales 43-0 in their Nations Championship match in Durban on Saturday, scoring seven tries in the process and notching up an 11th consecutive win, while also keeping their clean slate in the new global competition, something that was never in doubt after they held a 19-0 lead at the break, despite not firing on all cylinders. The Boks will be the first to admit that they played in bursts but when they did get it right, it was beautiful to watch. They k

SOUTH AFRICA v WALES @ HOLLYWOODBETS KINGS PARK, DURBAN – KO 5.40PM (SAST) ON SATURDAY REFEREE Andrew Brace (Ireland) Test debut: 10 June 2017 – Canada 0-13 Georgia Tests as referee: 41 Andrew Brace will referee this fixture for the second time, having been in the middle for South Africa’s 52-16 victory in a RWC 2023 warm-up match in Cardiff. South Africa have a W6, L1 record with Brace in the middle, their only defeat coming at the hands of England, 27-26 in the 2021 Autumn

Had Michael Olise chosen a different path he could have been lining up for England against France in Miami in Saturday’s FIFA World Cup 2026 bronze final. After all, one of Les Bleus’ main attacking talents was born in London and had the chance of playing for England along with the countries of his parents, Nigerian father Vincent and French-Algerian mother Mina. “I actually come from four countries” is what winger Olise, now 24, told the Bayern Munich website in December 202

South Africa Under-19 Women went down by 47 runs in the second Youth T20 International (T20I) against Pakistan in Karachi on Friday, with the home side levelling the five-match series at 1-1. Player of the Match Ravail Farhan top-scored for Pakistan with an unbeaten 68 off 64 deliveries, including nine fours and two sixes, to help the hosts post 125/4. Mahnoor Zeb then returned with leading figures of 3/21 as the SA U19 Women were dismissed for 78 in 17.1 overs. The touring s

One of greatest cricketers of all-time, West Indies legend Sir Garfield Sobers, who represented the country from 1954 to 1974 in the international arena, has passed away at the age of 89. Sobers played 93 Test matches and left a lasting mark on the game through his extraordinary skills in all disciplines of the game. Sobers, one of the greatest all-rounders to have played the game, scored 8 032 runs at a staggering average of 57.78 while also snapping 235 wickets in Tests at

The DHL Stormers XXIII claimed a last-gasp 25-19 win against defending champions Suzuki Griquas in their first-ever Carling Currie Cup match at DHL Stadium on Friday night. It was a grandstand finish as a late try sealed a hard-fought win for the Cape Town side, to make a winning start to their campaign. The Stormers XXIII started with real intent and took an early lead through a penalty converted by captain Jean-Luc du Plessis. The visitors converted their first visit to the

The USA U20 Women delivered a strong first half surge (33-0) to eventually outplay the Junior Springbok Women 47-12 at Markotter Stadium in Stellenbosch on Friday. Five first half tries laid the foundation for the win, although the hosts rallied well in the second half but to be fair, they were never in the game after the first 40 minutes. The two teams will meet again at the same venue next Friday, with the SA coaches highlighting their second half effort in order to boost t

Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick and captain Pieter-Steph du Toit on Friday emphasised that they were preparing for their Nations Championship encounter against Wales in Durban on Saturday with the same seriousness and respect with which they approach all Test matches, and predicted a trying encounter. The Springboks may have a good track record against Wales in recent years but both Stick and Du Toit said previous results were insignificant going into this encounter

When Gareth Southgate was England manager, he reminisced more than once about the day he first watched a FIFA World Cup finals match. The date was 16 June 1982. Southgate was 11 years old and he raced home from school to turn on the television set just in time for the kick-off, scheduled at 4.15pm British Summer Time. Which is a good thing given how early the first goal arrived. The match in question was England v France. It was the opening group game for Ron Greenwood's team

Versatile loose forward Nama Xaba has been named captain of the Vodacom Bulls XV, which gets their Carling Currie Cup campaign started on Sunday against Boland in Paarl. The squad enjoyed a productive pre-season under coach Phiwe Nomlomo, who believes he has the manpower capable of mounting a serious title challenge for a title the franchise last won in 2021. There is a welcome return for experienced prop Dylan Smith, out for almost a year due to injury, who is back after mon

Sanlam Boland Kavaliers head coach Hawies Fourie stuck with tried and tested combinations in his backline, while lengthy returns from injury for Ashlon Davids and Gift Dlamini see them get the nod in the match-day 23 for the opening round of the Carling Currie Cup. Davids, who has recovered from a knee injury, last played for the Kavaliers in the 2025 Carling Currie Cup semi-final, while Dlamini sustained a serious leg fracture a few weeks prior, in the second-round encounter

The Fidelity ADT Lions will kick off their Carling Currie Cup campaign against the Toyota Cheetahs on Sunday at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein, with head coach Mziwakhe Nkosi setting a clear tone for the season ahead: showcasing the next generation of Lions talent. After reaching the final in two consecutive seasons, the men from Jozi will be determined to take the next step this year and go all the way in one of South African rugby’s most historic competitions. Nkosi has nam

The two front runners in the Pick n Pay Women’s Super League 2 will clash in Potchefstroom on Saturday in round three of the competition when the Leopards Women host the Hollywood Foundation Pumas Women at Olën Park, in what promises to be a humdinger of a match. Elsewhere, AVBOB Griquas Women, who had a bye last weekend, will be looking for their first win against Limpopo Blue Bulls Women in Kimberley, while the Valke Women will fancy their chances in Kempton Park against th

Junior Springbok captain Siphosethu Mnebele and flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed have lauded the team’s environment and work ethic on the eve of their Junior World Championship final against France Under-20 on Saturday evening in Tsbilisi. The final – in which the Junior Boks will aim to defend the title they won last year against New Zealand in Italy – kicks off at 6.30pm (SAST) and will be broadcast live on SuperSport. For Mnebelele, the message on the eve of the JWC decider is simple:

The biggest-ever FIFA World Cup concludes on Sunday with a blockbuster final between Spain and Argentina. Both nations have shown exceptional quality and an inexhaustible competitive spirit to go all the way to the title decider. Ahead of what promises to be a captivating contest at New York New Jersey Stadium, FIFA looks at the individual duels which could prove decisive. Aymeric Laporte v Lionel Messi Messi may have turned 39 just over a fortnight ago but his mesmerising ma

1930 Argentina and Uruguay, it had been agreed pre-tournament, would play matches with their own balls. Then they both reached the final and all hell broke loose. “The extraordinary hatred between the two countries was revealed when the time came to choose a ball,” recalled Belgian referee John Langenus, who officiated in a shirt, tie, blazer and knickerbockers. “Both teams demanded to play with their own ball.” FIFA president Jules Rimet was forced to intervene, stipulating