Cape Town – The Springbok Sevens team are not dwelling on what happened in the Arabian Desert in Dubai last weekend, according to Rosko Specman in the build-up to his final tournament for the Blitzboks in Cape Town this weekend before he shifts his focus to fifteens with the Bulls.

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“We did some good and bad things in Dubai, but that performance does not define us, neither will it dictate to us what we want to achieve in Cape Town this weekend,” said Specman, who will be playing in his third tournament at the Cape Town Sevens.

The Blitzbok flyer is adamant that the South Africans will be coming out with real intent and purpose, not only to prove to themselves that they are still world beaters, but also to the expected sell-out crowd at the Cape Town Stadium this weekend.

“Our focus will be on ourselves. We need to get the small things right and it starts with every player on his own.”

The winger, who scored three tries in Dubai last weekend, is not going to necessarily try and bow out in spectacular fashion

“My responsibilities are within the team and I know what my role entails,” said Specman.

“I know what I need to do inside the system and that is where my focus will be – to do my job.”

Another player keen to contribute is speedster Siviwe Soyizwapi.

“We are proud of the work we put in at training and how we perform at the tournament,” said Soyizwapi.

“Our performance in Dubai obviously was not what we stand for as a team. We will be looking at the positives though, as we are at home, playing in front of fans, family and friends.

“The tournament itself is also brilliant, with a great atmosphere, and we are keen to deliver a good performance.”

One of the highlights of the South African performance in Dubai was that of Muller du Plessis, who travelled to Dubai for the first time and scored six tries. He will also play for the Blitzboks in Cape Town for the first time.

“Yes, I am very excited about this weekend,” said Du Plessis, who matriculated in Paarl and still played for the SA Schools team last year.

“Dubai was good for me, I enjoyed it a lot and learned from the experience. Cape Town will be massive and I can’t wait.”

Accra – Cameroon was on Friday stripped of hosting the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations due to delays in preparing for the continental showpiece, organisers the Confederation of African Football announced.

“Today we took the decision to withdraw the 2019 CAN from Cameroon,” CAF president Ahmad Ahmad told a press conference in Accra, seven months before the 2019 opening match.

He was speaking after a 10-hour CAF executive meeting held behind closed doors in the Ghanaian capital.

Ahmad said “a task force” would be set up to launch an appeal for offers “to determine a new organising country between now and the end of the year”.

South Africa and Morocco are two frontline contenders to step in as hosts for the event – expanded to 24 teams for the first time – in place of Cameroon, who won the last edition in 2017 in Gabon.

Morocco, who lost out to a United States/Mexico/Canada bid to host the 2026 World Cup, have regularly been reported as possible replacements.

The North Africans had been set to stage the 2015 Cup of Nations before being stripped of its hosting rights in a row over the Ebola outbreak.

South Africa is the only African country to stage a World Cup, in 2010, and last staged the Cup of Nations in 2013.

“I know that there are countries which are interested, rest assured, candidate countries will come forward,” said Ahmad.

“We know there won’t be many (new candidates) but we will leave the task force to evaluate them and to set up visits in order to select the organisers of the CAN by the end of the year”.

Alarm bells were sounded over the 2019 event at a September executive committee meeting in Egyptian resort Sharm el-Sheikh when CAF noted “a significant delay in the realisation of the infrastructures” necessary for holding the Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

A report of the last two inspection visits to central African state Cameroon were made at Friday’s meeting.

CAF inspectors recently travelled to the country, which last hosted the tournament in 1972, to check security, infrastructure, stadiums and accommodation.

“After numerous discussions and following inspections over the past 18 months CAF has become aware that several conditions of conformity have not been met,” a CAF statement explained.

“There is a gap between what is necessary to organise a CAN and the reality on the ground,” the statement added.

CAF’s decision came as little surprise back in Cameroon.

“We knew what was going to happen, there’s no stadiums, no roads, there’s nothing,” Henri Kelma, a moto-taxi rider in Douala, told AFP.

For journalist Pierre Youte “it’s perhaps a good decision… like this Cameroon will have the time to learn and find the means to host a CAN worthy of the name”.

Cameroon is experiencing a tense security situation with persistent attacks by Boko Haram jihadists in the north and a conflict between the army and separatists in the two English-speaking regions.

That recalls the trauma that preceded the 2010 Cup of Nations in Angola, when the Togo team bus was attacked with three dead two days before the opening match.

Ahmad observed: “Football in Africa depends on our governments. But our priority is to look after the interests of our actors and above all our players.

“I don’t know whether there are statistics but many have been injured during CANs due to the condition of the organisation.”

The Cup of Nations is no stranger to dramatic subplots.

In 1995 Kenya withdrew as hosts, citing financial difficulties, with South Africa stepping in and going on to be crowned champions.

South Africa also took over holding the 2013 tournament after original hosts Libya had pulled out two years earlier because of the armed conflict then raging in the country.

Equatorial Guinea stepped in to the breach in 2015 when original hosts Morocco had appealed in vain for the competition to be delayed because of the Ebola epidemic.

Ahmad meanwhile appeared to hold out an olive branch to Cameroon.

“CAF is committed to supporting Cameroon, to give them time so that they can properly organise a CAN,” he told reporters.

He refused to be drawn on whether that meant Cameroon could replace Ivory Coast as hosts of the 2021 edition, or Guinea as organisers in 2023.

The 2019 event is scheduled for June 15-July 13, a change from its traditional January-February slot.

And it will be the first to feature 24 teams – up from 16 at the 2017 edition in Gabon.

Twickenham – Australia backs Kurtley Beale and Adam Ashley-Cooper were dropped for Saturday’s match against England at Twickenham after bringing women into their hotel room near Cardiff earlier on tour, coach Michael Cheika confirmed on Friday.

The incident took place following Australia’s 9-6 defeat by Wales in Cardiff on November 10.

Australian media reported that three women, said to include Ashley-Cooper’s sister-in-law, were out of the hotel by 22:30 local time.

But Wallabies’ team rules state guests are not allowed in players’ rooms.

Cheika, speaking to reporters at Twickenham on Friday, said he had only become aware of the incident earlier this week which was why no action had been taken prior to the 26-7 win over Italy in Padua last Saturday – a match where Ashley-Cooper started on the wing and Beale came off the bench.

“It is a relatively minor inter-team rule we have,” said Cheika, who was flanked by Wallaby captain Michael Hooper at the press conference.

“The leadership group came to me earlier in the week and asked me to deal with it in a way I thought was appropriate and I thought this was the appropriate way.”

Hooper said being involved in ruling out his experienced team-mates from the Cook Cup clash had been the toughest decision of his captaincy career.

“It’s extremely hard. There’s no way around it. We’re all mates wanting to see each other do the best but the team comes first, and being genuine,” he insisted.

The flanker added: “That’s the direction we’ve got to go, these small steps to putting the team first are going to have a great outcome in the end.”

Both Ashley-Cooper and Beale, who have exactly 200 caps between them, took part in the Wallabies’ training session at Twickenham on Friday, with Cheika stressing that at no stage had their selection for the England match been “guaranteed”.

“They were very apologetic. They realised their error and they have been trying to help the other players get ready for tomorrow’s game,” said Cheika.

“I know you’ll be writing about this now, but I’ll be doing everything I can to make sure you are writing about an Australian victory on Saturday.”

The Wallabies were already reeling from the loss of star back-row David Pocock, ruled out of the England game with a neck injury earlier on Friday, when news of Beale and Ashley-Cooper’s exclusion became public.

Teams:

England

15 Elliot Daly, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ben Te’o, 11 Jonny May, 10 Owen Farrell (co-captain), 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Mark Wilson, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Brad Shields, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Jamie George, 1 Ben Moon

Substitutes: 16 Dylan Hartley (co-captain), 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Harry Williams, 19 Charlie Ewels, 20 Nathan Hughes, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 George Ford, 23 Manu Tuilagi

Australia

15 Israel Folau, 14 Dane Haylett-Petty, 13 Samu Kerevi, 12 Bernard Foley, 11 Jack Maddocks, 10 Matt To’omua, 9 Will Genia, 8 Pete Samu, 7 Michael Hooper (captain), 6 Jack Dempsey, 5 Adam Coleman, 4 Izack Roda, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 Tolu Latu, 1 Scott Sio

Substitutes: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Jermaine Ainsley, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Rob Simmons, 20 Ned Hanigan, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Sefa Naivalu, 23 Marika Koroibete

Cape Town – Springbok fullback Willie le Roux says the team has made clear progress under new coach Rassie Erasmus in 2018.

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The Springboks have won seven and lost six Tests under Erasmus’ guidance but showed their potential with a series win over England and a win over the All Blacks in New Zealand.

“We went back to our traditional way, how the Springboks play rugby,” Le Roux told media in Cardiff on Tuesday, as quoted by the SBS News.

“There was a stage where people did not fear the Springboks anymore, or the badge. We are getting that back through the structures Rassie has built.

“Everyone in the team is equal, and it makes a big difference. The guys are playing for each other more and we know what it means for our country back home. We enjoy going out and wearing the jersey.”

This weekend the Boks face a Welsh team who are on an eighth-match win-streak and currently occupy third spot on the official World Rugby rankings.

Le Roux added that they would be up for the challenge.

“The squad is looking forward to it. This is the last game of the season for a lot of the guys, so one more week of hard work and they can have some time off.

“I don’t think it’s difficult (to produce one last big effort). It’s your job and when you play for South Africa, you’re representing your country. To end the tour on a high would be unbelievable for the squad and the people back home,” Le Roux said.

Saturday’s Test is scheduled for 19:20 (SA time).

Paarl – An exhilarating 405 runs were scored as the Mzansi Super League produced a thrill-a-minute game four that saw the Tshwane Spartans edge out the Paarl Rocks by one run at Boland Park on Sunday.

In the end it was perhaps a dropped catch by Dean Elgar that swayed the result in favour of AB de Villiers’ visiting side, whose 203 for five proved too much for the 202 for six by the host.

A six-bound strike in the final over by Patrick Kruger off Andrew Birch saw Elgar leap high on the boundary rope to try and catch it, which he failed to do, but the ball deflected off his face and body, back into the field of play changing six into two.

Those four proved to be the crucial runs that separated victory and defeat as the Spartans bounced back from Friday’s opening loss to the Cape Town Blitz with an unforgettable win.

In terms of the match, there were some amazing individual performances.  A brilliant 101-run opening partnership between Gihahn Cloete and Theunis de Bruyn set the away side up for a big score. They made the most of the batting conditions after their captain, De Villiers, lost the toss and was asked to take first strike.

The pair raced along freely at 10 to the over and smashed the balls to all parts during their opening partnership, which ended when De Bruyn fell for 66 off 38 balls (9 fours, 2 sixes).

Skipper De Villiers walked in next and wowed the crowd with 32 off 18 balls in a 77-run stand with Cloete, who made a match-high 80 off 49 balls (11 fours, 1 six).

Both then fell in quick succession as the Rocks hit back at the death thanks to three for 31 by Dwayne Bravo and two for 44 from Dane Paterson.

For the home side to come close, they needed something special and Cameron Delport provided that with his 73 off 43 balls (4 fours, 5 sixes) that kept them in the chase for most of the way. They were 110 for two at one stage in the 12th over as Vaughn van Jaarsveld (22), eventually out to pick-of-the-bowlers Jeevan Mendis (2/35), did his best to keep up with the pace.

A brilliant 19th over for the Rocks, which saw Mangaliso Mosehle (20 not out) plunder two fours and a six, meant his side were favourites heading into that last over when only 13 were needed.

But Andrew Birch managed to concede 11 thanks to Elgar’s effort in the field – helping Tshwane secure a famous win.

Scores in brief:

Tshwane Spartans 203/5 (Cloete 80, De Bruyn 66, 

Paarl Rocks 202/6 (Delport 73, Van Jaarsveld 22, Mendis 2/35)

Spartans won by 1 run.