Category Archives: Sports News

Sport24.co.za | Stokes relives ‘great day’ of Headingley for first time

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It has taken him seven months but on Saturday England all-rounder Ben Stokes relived his ‘miracle of Headingley’ for the first time, describing the Ashes nailbiter as a “great day”.

In August last year, Stokes smashed a breathtaking, undefeated 135 as England beat Australia in the third Test in Leeds by one wicket.

He and bespectacled last man Jack Leach put on 76 runs for the final wicket with Stokes hitting 74 in that partnership.

With no cricket to fill the live schedules as a result of the coronavirus lockdown, British broadcasters turned to their archives to replay the dramatic finale of the Test.

Sky TV offered fans the chance to see Stokes, captain Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes dial in via videolink in what the broadcaster described as a ‘watchalong’.

Staring at the screen with his fist clamped to his mouth, Stokes told fans what was going through his mind in the closing stages.

“It’s the first time I’ve watched it ball by ball. It’s always going to be great memories, isn’t it? One of the great days,” he said.

“Not just on the field, but the memories we’ll always have together as a group. The changing room is sacred as a cricketer and that evening, after this day’s play, was just sensational.

“We’ll always be able to look back on what happened that day and the memories we created.”

With his eyes fixed on the video, Stokes shouted “go, go, go” as his final six of the innings sailed over the head of Josh Hazlewood.

He then shrugged off an lbw appeal from off-spinner Nathan Lyon that would have handed the game to Australia had it been given.

Earlier in the innings, Australia skipper Tim Paine had wasted a review, a fact not lost on Root on Saturday.

“It’s the greatest decision of all time if you ask me. You want the world to swallow you up because you know you’ve made an absolute goober of a mistake. It’s a horrible feeling.”

Sport24.co.za | Lions coach Gatland heaps praise on Rassie

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British & Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland has heaped praise on counterpart Rassie Erasmus, who coached the Springboks to World Cup glory in Japan last year.

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“Probably one of the guys I respect is Rassie Erasmus with South Africa. I really like his philosophy with the game and his attitude,” Gatland told The Breakdown on Sky Sport New Zealand.

Prior to taking the Springbok job, Erasmus coached Munster in Ireland, whom he took to the PRO14 final and European Champions Cup semi-finals in the 2016/17 season. It saw him named 2017 Coach of the Year in Ireland.

“He’s got a huge amount of respect for the job he did at Munster and obviously he’s done a fantastic job since he went back to South Africa. I enjoy conversations and enjoy coaching against him as well,” Gatland added.

The former Wales mentor is currently coaching New Zealand franchise the Chiefs in Super Rugby and will face the Springboks next year when he takes the British & Irish Lions to South Africa.

Erasmus has stepped down as Springbok head coach, but remains at the helm of all the coaches as SA Rugby’s director of rugby.

Gatland, meanwhile, also opened up on his rivalry with England coach Eddie Jones.

He said it was a false perception that he and Jones did not see eye to eye.

“I loved beating Eddie Jones. It’s always nice to get one up on him. But we’ve been out for dinner a few times and the whole media thing is just a game,” Gatland said.

Gatland, who was Wales head coach between 2007 and 2019, also coached the Lions on their tour to Australia in 2013 and to New Zealand in 2017.

The Lions beat the Wallabies 2-1 and drew the series 1-1 against the All Blacks.

– Compiled by Herman Mostert

Sport24.co.za | Etzebeth: Nienaber the players’ choice for Bok coach

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Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth says Jacques Nienaber was a popular choice as new head coach among the players.

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Nienaber, previously the team’s defence guru, has taken over the head coaching responsibilities from Rassie Erasmus, who has taken a back seat to focus on his director or rugby role at SA Rugby.

In an interview with Netwerk24, Etzebeth said he has no doubt that all the players from last year’s victorious World Cup squad would have picked Nienaber as the new coach.

“Jacques is my coach. So any player will have to be careful what they answer!,” Etzebeth chuckled, before adding: “But I can honestly say that all 31 guys in that group would have mentioned Jacques’ name if they were asked who the next Bok coach should be,” Etzebeth said.

Erasmus and Nienaber have a long history, having first met in the army before crossing paths at the University of the Free State’s Shimlas team where Nienaber was the physiotherapist and Erasmus the captain.

When Erasmus became coach of the Free State Cheetahs, he appointed Nienaber as strength and conditioning coach, with the latter later shifting his focus to the team’s defensive structures.

Nienaber followed Erasmus to the Stormers and also Munster in Ireland, before starting at the Springboks in 2018.

“He worked under Rassie for long and knows exactly what it takes to be a head coach. Ever since I started working with Jacques at the Stormers in 2012, it was unbelievable for me how he got the best out of players. His defence strategies are at another level,” Etzebeth added.

Etzebeth, who currently plies his trade at French club Toulon, is back in South Africa as rugby takes a hiatus due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The burly lock said in an interview over the weekend that he was “grateful” to his French club for allowing him to return home before South Africa went into a 21-day lockdown.

The 28-year-old has been on Toulon’s books since last year, having played for the Stormers between 2012 and 2019.

The World Cup winner has played 85 Tests since making his international debut against England in Durban in 2012.

– Compiled by Herman Mostert

Sport24.co.za | A Covid-19 message from the new Springbok coach

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With the country in lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber has been forced to improvise in the way he prepares his players, as well as keeping fit himself.

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“We are in unusual times and with lockdown in place, we have to use unusual methods to keep in contact with our players,” Nienaber told SA Rugby’s official website.

“We have just finished another alignment camp using software from Microsoft, our official cloud partners, to communicate with the players and other coaches.

“We are working hard behind the scenes from home, and using the internet, to prepare the players in the best possible way. We need to stay focused and prepare them tactically and mentally for the challenges ahead.”

Like all South Africans, Nienaber has had to make a number of personal sacrifices during lockdown – one of them being the way that he trains.

“My wife and I are keen runners, but in these times where we can’t venture outside, so we need to be creative in the way that we train,” he said.

“We did a ‘garden run’ the other day and while it’s not ideal, it got the job done.

“Many of us are fortunate to have healthy bodies and are relatively fit and strong, which is why it’s important, in times like these, to take special care of our elderly and those that are frail amongst our families, friends and communities, and ensure we protect them as well as we can while observing the lockdown and social distancing instructions of government.”

The Bok mentor, who has taken over the head coaching duties from Rassie Erasmus, also had a message for his fellow South Africans: “Please stay at home and only leave to get essential supplies or medical treatment.

“Remember to wash your hands regularly and if you have to go to common areas, make sure that you adhere to the social distancing guidelines.

“We are in this together – but we are also stronger together. As South Africans, if we work together we can flatten the curve. Stay at home and stay safe.”

– SA Rugby

Sport24.co.za | Liverpool make U-turn on applying for UK coronavirus financial aid

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Liverpool were forced to apologise as the Premier League club ditched their controversial plan to furlough non-playing staff during the coronavirus on Monday, while FIFA urged players and clubs to reach agreement over wage reductions.

Liverpool faced stinging criticism from fans and former players after revealing over the weekend that they wanted to use the UK government’s furlough scheme.

Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s US-based owners, wanted to put around 200 staff on enforced leave during the pandemic while the government paid 80 percent of their wages.

Fellow top-flight teams Tottenham, Newcastle, Bournemouth and Norwich have already furloughed staff, but it was table-toppers Liverpool – with pre-tax profits of £42 million for the 2018-19 season – who came in for the most criticism, in part due to their reputation as a club with a strong bond to the working-class community on Merseyside.

The fierce backlash sparked a sudden climbdown as Liverpool chief executive Peter Moore wrote an open letter to supporters announcing they would no longer pursue the furlough route.

“We have consulted with a range of key stakeholders as part of a process aimed at achieving the best possible outcome for all concerned,” Moore said.

“We have opted to find alternative means despite our eligibility to apply for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.

“We believe we came to the wrong conclusion last week to announce that we intended to apply to the Coronavirus Retention Scheme and furlough staff due to the suspension of the Premier League football calendar, and are truly sorry for that.”

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher tweeted: “Well done @PeterMooreLFC @LFC a big mistake initially & thankfully now it’s been put right.”

With the Premier League postponed indefinitely because of the virus, Manchester City, bankrolled by Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour, said they would not be using the government’s job retention scheme, with Manchester United set to follow their example.

Liverpool’s U-turn came as England’s top-flight teams, among the richest in the world, were under increasing scrutiny, with government ministers warning bosses and players they should “think carefully” over their next moves.

The highest-paid Premier League players such as Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea and Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne

FIFA on Monday urged clubs and players to reach agreement on taking wage reductions in order to protect clubs who are suffering financial damage, sources at world football’s governing body said.

It also recommended that players’ contracts be extended until the end of the interrupted football seasons and that the transfer window should not open until that time.

The call from FIFA comes as Premier League clubs are locked in talks with players and their representatives about taking pay cuts.

The English top flight is lagging behind other European leagues.

In Spain, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid players have agreed to pay cuts of 70 percent.

Many politicians have urged action from the Premier League and in a poll conducted by British polling company YouGov last week, 92 percent of respondents said they backed a pay cut.

But some leading players resent the political pressure. Former England captain Wayne Rooney has criticised the government and the Premier League for placing footballers in a “no-win” situation.

“In my opinion it is now a no-win situation,” Rooney said in a newspaper column. “Whatever way you look at it, we’re easy targets.”

In the latest sign of the financial crisis as a result of the coronavirus, England manager Gareth Southgate and the Football Association’s top earners have agreed to take wage cuts of up to 30 percent.

Sport24.co.za | UEFA chief says Champions League conclusion has a cut-off date

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UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has announced that the Champions League and Europa League must be finished before 3 August.

Both competitions have been postponed indefinitely amid the coronavirus outbreak, with action across the continent suspended.

It is not yet clear when the tournaments will resume, but the governing body will undoubtedly be doing all they can to reach a conclusion – having threatened to exclude teams from leagues that are cancelled prematurely.

Ceferin has now clarified UEFA’s stance on completing their international competitions, telling ZDF in Germany: “It must finish by August 3, both the Champions and Europa League. It is an extraordinary situation we are in, so we are flexible on dates and kick-off times. If the crisis eases earlier, then we can start sooner.”

If the Champions League cannot be completed in its current format, it has been suggested that a play-off between four or eight teams could replace it – but Ceferin says there is still plenty of time for UEFA to make the correct decision.

“We could play with the current system, or in a one-off match played on neutral turf. For now, it’s just an option to play with a Final Eight or Final Four.

“The only wrong decision we could make now would be to play in a way that puts the health and safety of players, fans and referees at risk. However, if we are in secure conditions, then I don’t see the problem.”

– TEAMtalk media

Sport24.co.za | Rugby Australia moving to dump CEO Castle – reports

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Rugby Australia’s chief executive Raelene Castle could be sacked within days with former Wallabies captain Phil Kearns lined up to replace her, according to media reports.

Senior rugby figures in Australia were moving to end Castle’s tenure after a dismal financial outlook triggered by the coronavirus-enforced shutdown of the sport, Sydney’s Daily Telegraph reported on Friday.

The financial woes and several recent changes to Rugby Australia’s board meant moves to oust Castle were gaining momentum, the paper added.

Castle announced this week that 75 percent of staff would be stood down for three months without pay and she would take a 50 percent cut to her US$500 000-plus salary.

Negotiations with players over pay were still ongoing but reportedly could cut as deep as 30 to 50 percent.

“Aside from being there to support each other, it is vital that we all pull together,” Castle said in a statement on Thursday calling for unity during the crisis.

Earlier, Castle said a worst-case scenario, in which the entire season was lost along with Wallabies Tests against Ireland and Fiji, would cost the governing body A$120 million in revenue.

The organisation posted a near A$10 million loss in 2019, worsened by a hefty payout to former Wallaby Israel Folau after his sacking over homophobic social media posts.

Sport24.co.za | ‘Fizzling’ Newlands farewell a concern for Stormers

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2020-04-02 20:40

Lloyd Burnard – Sport24

One of the most iconic venues in South African rugby history, Newlands is threatening to limp towards the finish line. 

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The stadium, which boasts a stunning 130-year history, is in its final season before a likely demolition and an almost certain move to Cape Town Stadium for Western Province and the Stormers. 

Super Rugby 2020 represented one final opportunity for the Stormers and Cape Town to say goodbye to the stadium coach John Dobson calls the “great old lady of South African rugby.”

Before the start of the season, Dobson and the Stormers were using Newlands as their primary motivation. They wanted to go the distance in Super Rugby to pay their respects to the people that have occupied the Newlands seats for decades. 

“There is going to be a lot of emotion for them, but it has to work in our favour,” Dobson said at the time.

“We absolutely love Newlands. There is only one real way to say farewell.”

Now, after just seven rounds of fixtures, Super Rugby 2020 could be done and dusted as the coronavirus crisis leaves the sporting world in limbo. 

Dobson and his players remain hopeful that they will get back on the park – Super Rugby 2020 would likely start from scratch in a shortened format if that was the case – but Newlands standing empty in its final season is causing the franchise some concern. 

“It is a source of anxiety for us,” Dobson acknowledged on Wednesday.

“With the Currie Cup format as it was published, we play the Sharks, Griquas and Cheetahs at home in that Currie Cup format. It’s not a great way to say goodbye to Newlands.

“The Newlands fizzle is a source of concern.”

If Super Rugby is completely scrapped, then the 2020 edition of the Currie Cup could be the next domestic rugby South Africans have. 

One positive spin-off could potentially be the public, who would have been starved of sport for months, attending matches again. 

“If we did get back on the field in a month or two, I would think there would have to be something around Super Rugby just because of the rights and sponsors. After that I think you could play a brilliant Currie Cup,” Dobson said.

“I think the most important thing for rugby is to reset and use this time to put people back in the stadium.

“Currie Cup, if the Springboks are playing and given the absence of rugby, could work.

“I know SA Rugby have task teams and it’s being worked on, but I think it’s important for the national psyche once there is some kind of normality that, if you can, get guys in closed stadiums who have isolated before in a safe environment.

“It would be great for the people to have something to look forward to on a Saturday.”

Sport24.co.za | Stormers taking it ‘day by day’ as cloud hangs over Super Rugby

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2020-04-01 21:13

Lloyd Burnard – Sport24

The future of Super Rugby 2020 is still uncertain, but Stormers coach John Dobson believes that most sides would need three weeks to prepare for a return to the playing field. 

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As South Africa’s lockdown and fight against coronavirus ramps up, whether or not the rugby season gets back on track is obviously far from a priority at this time. But for Super Rugby coaches and players, it has presented a unique situation of having to think outside the box in an effort to stay as prepared as possible should the call come. 

The one blessing from the Stormers’ perspective is that the break has given the likes of Siya Kolisi, Herschel Jantjies, JD Schickerling, Steven Kitshoff, Bongi Mbonambi and Pieter-Steph du Toit, who are all currently injured, time to recover without it hurting the team in the results column. 

Dobson says that all of those players are on track in their recoveries, adding that Kolisi would definitely be available for selection in the unlikely event of the tournament resuming in just a month’s time. 

“I can’t speak for other franchises, but I think you need around three weeks and that was the message from SA Rugby a few weeks ago,” Dobson said in an online press conference on Wednesday.

“The soonest we could be playing is in five weeks, so the middle of May would be the earliest, but that seems very tricky. We’re just living day by day.”

While the safety of the players is obviously most important for all sides in Super Rugby, the Stormers have implemented a remote training program that is rich in detail and has kept the players active in their own spaces. 

“We screened them all when we left last Thursday. They’ve been in isolation since, but they do daily wellness reports and temperature reports with the doc,” Dobson explained.

“We’ve tried to remove the self-discipline element as much as we can. The players have got daily requirements, through an online app, to put their conditioning results in there and their weight, their sleep, their RPEs (rates of physical exertion) and they have to post videos of their conditioning.

“We’ve tailored individual programmes.

“The fitness stuff is daily reporting and then they’ve each got their own work-ons in terms of their technical skills and the coaches are sending out drills.”

While the onus is still very much on the players to do their own work, this program and the constant video communication has given the players an element of structure.

“They’re under enough stress without the self-discipline,” Dobson said.

“They’ve got technical projects like analysing our games, opposition games and world trends.

“They can rubbish us, but things like their body weight doesn’t lie. We’re pretty happy with how it’s going.”

SA Rugby is understood to be engaging in a meeting with key stakeholders on Friday to further explore the financial impacts of the coronavirus. 

If Super Rugby does return in 2020, it will almost certainly do so behind closed doors.

Sport24.co.za | Why Jake has mountain to climb at Loftus

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Comment: Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer

Overall rugby brain, coaching pedigree and enriching volume of global rugby “air miles”? Hard to dispute, even if his player relations side of things has occasionally been open to question.

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But those qualities alone will not mean that Jake White is about to whisk the Bulls off quickly on a magic carpet ride.

I believe the biggest impediment to the Springbok World Cup 2007-winning coach sparking a renaissance at Loftus – with respect to the squad as it stands – is the lack of compelling enough existing raw materials for him to work with.

There is inevitable talk that White assuming the director of rugby role (soon enough including the “tracksuit” duty too) will lead to an influx of decent South African names from abroad, considering that the Bulls are backed nowadays by the stabilising financial muscle of billionaire co-owners Johann Rupert and Patrice Motsepe.

Yet that is still easier said than done, especially with the rand tottering like never before against major foreign currencies in the wake of the coronavirus crisis and an ill-timed Moody’s downgrading of the country’s debt rating to junk status.

Even if an array of proven figures, including some former Bulls favourites, are recruited over the coming months with Super Rugby 2021 in mind – 2020 seems a near-certain write-off – moulding them into the mix might require time; White has wisely warned already that his plan for the franchise will essentially have to be a long-term one.

But does he have the patience, and will those working under his command possess the durability of appetite, to turn things around at the home of three-time past winners between 2007 and 2010?

Keep in mind that each of his last two major Super Rugby stints, at the Brumbies and then Sharks, ended up being only of two-year duration each (one full Super Rugby season in Durban), despite some variably healthy fruits to show in each instance.

The Canberra-based outfit catapulted from a mid-table finish overall in White’s exploratory first season (and no knockouts qualification) in 2012 to winners of the Australian conference and eventual, narrow losing finalists to the Chiefs in 2013.

White then shook the franchise a couple of months later by quitting with two years left of his contract for “personal reasons” and amid headlines Down Under that “his heart’s not in it (anymore)”.

A big difference with White’s Brumbies stint, when weighed against the looming challenge in Pretoria, is that he worked for the most part with an already mature, Wallaby-laden squad including such legendary names at the time as George Smith, Stephen Moore and Ben Alexander.

Unless intended player acquisitions from elsewhere are widespread and top-drawer, the Bulls group that White will begin working with are more notable for not, in stark contrast, including a raft of first-choice Springbok players.

So often a domestic superpower of the past, whether in Super Rugby or the Currie Cup, the 2020 Bulls are marked by the volume of largely callow or plain moderately-talented characters in their midst – an unfortunate legacy of the latest, enormous wave of departures from the corral following incumbent coach Pote Human steering them to within a credible whisker of the semis in 2019 (they were edged out 35-28 by the Hurricanes in a gripping Wellington quarter-final).

Among many others, the Bulls of this year’s suspended Super Rugby have been stripped of heavyweight international figures like Jesse Kriel, Handre Pollard, Duane Vermeulen (though he is earmarked for a heartening return to Loftus soon), RG Snyman, Lood de Jager and Jason Jenkins.

That is a major surrender of class, expertise and in several cases pure, essential “grunt”.

A glance at the team who frittered away a 17-0 lead in Brisbane to lose 41-17 to the Reds in their last recorded outing of 2020 – a damaging fifth defeat in six matches – only confirms how few current Bulls are genuine Springbok front-liners.

Elusive fullback Warrick Gelant is yet to consistently deliver the sort of all-round performances to make him a shoe-in for the Bok No 15 shirt, scrumhalf Embrose Papier has slipped some way down the scrumhalf pipeline for international purposes, wrecking-ball open-sider Marco van Staden is simply vying with umpteen high-calibre candidates for SA loose-forward slots, and even Trevor Nyakane has fresh work to do to seize back first-choice Bok tighthead status.

Injured in game one of the 2019 World Cup campaign against New Zealand, Nyakane must prove all over again that his credentials are superior to both Frans Malherbe and Vincent Koch after their respective, stirring finishes to the Webb Ellis Cup hunt.

The Bulls have an indisputably smart, if traditionally single-minded new man at the tiller … but one who has his work cut out for him, at least initially.

My wallet, for what it’s worth, remains zipped in these precarious times when it comes to predicting just what degree of impact the 56-year-old will have on the sleeping giant that is the Bulls.

One confident forecast: at very least his tenure, whatever its timespan, will be interesting.

Jake White jobs always are.

*Follow our chief writer on Twitter: @RobHouwing