Springboks-All Blacks in Baltimore: Teams, kick off time, ref

Saturday’s ‘festival’ match in Baltimore, USA, represents an opportunity for the Springboks to add some more historic silverware to their trophy cabinet, although the All Blacks will be hoping to bounce back and claim a win that would level the series at 2-2. sport-ipl.my

Rassie Erasmus has named a settled side for the third week in a row, with Damian Willemse replacing the injured Cheslin Kolbe at fullback, and scrumhalf Morne van den Berg being drafted into the starting team.

Meanwhile, the All Blacks have made some significant changes as veteran hooker Codie Taylor will captain a largely new-look New Zealand outfit.

Richie Mo’unga will make his first Test appearance since the 2023 World Cup final, while Anton Lienert-Brown slots into the midfield.

Kick off is at 23:00 (SA time), and will be referee’d by England’s Karl Dickson.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW AS THE SPRINGBOKS AND ALL BLACKS CONCLUDE THE SERIES

Springboks: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Ethan Hooker, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.
Replacements: 16 Deon Fourie, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Andre Esterhuizen, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Manie Libbok.

New Zealand: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Josh Moorby, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Cam Roigard, 8 Peter Lakai, 7 Ethan Blackadder, 6 Tupou Vaa’i, 5 Sam Darry, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu, 3 Fletcher Newell, 2 Codie Taylor (captain), 1 Ethan de Groot.
Replacements: 16 Asafo Aumua, 17 Xavier Numia, 18 Tyrel Lomax, 19 Josh Lord, 20 Wallace Sititi, 21 Kyle Preston, 22 Rieko Ioane, 23 Beauden Barrett.

Referee: Karl Dickson (England)
Assistant referees: Matthew Carley (England), Christophe Ridley (England)
TMO: Andrew Jackson (England)

Springbok record against New Zealand:
Played: 113, Won: 45, Lost: 64, Drawn: 4. Points for: 1 928; Points against: 2 352; Tries scored: 188; Tries conceded: 261. Win %: 39,8%.

Miscellaneous:

• Eben Etzebeth will extend his record as the most capped Springbok player of all time to 146 caps when he takes the field.
• The loose trio of Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, and Jasper Wiese will extend the record they set last week to overtake Francois Louw, Willem Alberts, and Duane Vermeuelen (17) as the loose trio with the most Test starts to 19 matches.
• The Springboks have only played three Test matches in the USA in history where they defeated the USA 38-7 in 1981 and 43-10 in 2001, while they suffered a narrow 22-20 defeat against Wales in Washington DC in 2018, which was Erasmus’ first Test in charge as head coach.
• This match will mark the first Springbok Test in history to be played in Baltimore.
• Jasper Wiese requires only one more Test match appearance after this encounter to join the group of players who have earned 50 Test caps.
• The Springboks have won seven of the last nine matches against the All Blacks dating back to August 2023.
• The 2031 Rugby World Cup will be hosted in the USA.
• The total Test caps in the Springbok starting line-up is 927.**** There are 327 caps in the backline, with 600 caps among the forwards. On the bench, there are a further 277 caps.
• The average caps per player in the backline is 47, the forwards 75, while the players on the bench average 35.

Former All Blacks captain Taine Randell says the Springboks’ “bullying tactics” have given them the edge in Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry.

The world champions hold a 2-1 series lead over New Zealand heading into Saturday’s series finale at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

Randell, who won 51 All Black caps between 1997 and 2002, says the contrast in styles has been central to the series.

“This was just such a stunning Test series. I know we’ve got one to go, but for a lot of people, these three in South Africa were the big deal,” Randell told The Platform NZ podcast.

“It was also a massive contrast in style. Bullying tactics of the Springboks, with these whopping big props and second-rowers, against the All Blacks, the craftsmen of the international game of rugby.

“We scored more points than them. We scored, I think, 13 tries to eight or nine tries that they got, so we played like craftsmen. We played some fantastic rugby. But on this occasion, the Springboks’ style won. They battered us into submission.”

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Rassie Erasmus has been in charge of the Springboks since 2018, overseeing back-to-back World Cup titles in 2019 and 2023, while Dave Rennie only took over the All Blacks this year. Randell believes that gap in experience told as the series wore on.

“The longer this series went, how physical and how much more experience the Boks have,” Randell said.

“They’ve had Rassie for nine years. How much more experience they’ve had and how three physical games in a row impacted the All Blacks – we talked about that a couple of weeks ago, about how are we going to handle playing so many games in a row, which we don’t normally do.

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“And it told. I mean, the first two games, we had the Bomb Squad and we won the last 20 minutes. But three intense weeks, maybe a couple of selections, but essentially they won the last half.

“That ultimately showed that they were the better team, albeit we scored more points and scored more tries.”

KEO: Boks can punish weary All Blacks

The post Randell: Boks ‘bullied’ All Blacks into submission appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

Sundowns have strengthened their squad with several new faces as they prepare for another demanding season.

The Brazilians have recruited from both the Betway Premiership and overseas, adding experience, youth and more depth to their squad.

The new arrivals include a returning star from Major League Soccer, players from domestic rivals and a permanent addition following a successful loan spell.

WHAT IS THE BACKGROUND OF CASSIUS MAILULA’S MAMELODI SUNDOWNS RETURN?

Cassius Mailula, the 25-year-old forward, has returned to Sundowns after his spell with Toronto FC in Canada.

The attacker previously broke through at Chloorkop’s academy before moving to Major League Soccer.

WHO IS SIYANDA NDLOVU?

Siyanda Ndlovu is a 22-year-old right winger who joined Sundowns from Lamontville Golden Arrows.

The young attacker adds pace and another option on the flanks. His arrival also fits Sundowns’ strategy of bringing promising South African talent into an already deep squad.

WHO IS ANTONIO VAN WYK?

Antonio van Wyk is a 24-year-old winger and attacking midfielder who arrives from Austrian club SV Ried.

The former Stellenbosch FC attacker has gained valuable experience in Europe and brings versatility to the Sundowns attack. He can operate in wide areas or play in a more advanced attacking role.

WHAT HAPPENED WITH KATLEGO NTSABELENG?

Katlego Ntsabeleng is a 28-year-old central and attacking midfielder whose move to Sundowns has now become permanent.

Ntsabeleng initially joined the Brazilians on loan from FC Dallas last season. His performances during that spell convinced Sundowns to make the move permanent, giving the club another versatile midfielder who can contribute in different areas.

WHO DID SUNDOWNS SIGN FROM ORLANDO PIRATES?

Deano van Rooyen is a 29-year-old right-back who joined Sundowns from Orlando Pirates on a free transfer.

The defender previously captained Stellenbosch FC and has built a reputation as a dependable right-back in the PSL.

WHAT ABOUT THABO CELE?

Thabo Cele is a 29-year-old central midfielder who made the move to Sundowns after leaving Kaizer Chiefs.

The midfielder has experience playing outside South Africa and brings another physical and energetic option to the Sundowns midfield. His arrival also increases competition for places in an area already packed with quality.

IS THABANG MATULUDI JOINING SUNDOWNS?

Thabang Matuludi is a 27-year-old right-back and defender who is set to join Sundowns after leaving Polokwane City.

However, the move has not yet received an official announcement from the club. Until Sundowns confirm the deal, Matuludi should be treated as an incoming player rather than a confirmed signing.

SO, WHO ARE THE SEVEN SIGNINGS?

The list currently contains seven unique names: Cassius Mailula, Siyanda Ndlovu, Antonio van Wyk, Katlego Ntsabeleng, Deano van Rooyen, Thabo Cele and Thabang Matuludi.

There is a simple reason the original list appeared to contain eight names. Cassius Mailula was listed twice, with Toronto FC and FC Toronto referring to the same club.

That means there are currently seven unique players on the list, while Thabang Matuludi remains subject to official confirmation. The identity of the eighth signing therefore still needs to be established.

Le RC Lens a réalisé un incroyable retournement de situation. Longtemps en difficulté et menés à deux reprises, les Sang-et-Or ont renversé le Slavia Prague (2-3) ce jeudi en Ligue des champions, au terme d’une fin de rencontre complètement folle. Alors que les Lensois semblaient se diriger vers la défaite après le deuxième but de Sturm à la 88e minute, ils ont égalisé à la 90e avant d’inscrire le but de la victoire trois minutes plus tard.

Lens longtemps dominé

Pour son retour en Ligue des champions, le RC Lens a connu une première période particulièrement compliquée. Avec une défense composée d’Antonio, Ganiou et Sagnan, tous formés à la Gaillette, Dino Toppmöller avait choisi de miser sur une arrière-garde particulièrement jeune.

Selon Opta, Lens est ainsi devenu la première équipe à débuter un match de Ligue des champions avec trois défenseurs nés à partir de 2005. Face au jeu direct et à l’intensité du Slavia Prague, cette défense a rapidement été mise sous pression.

Les Tchèques auraient pu ouvrir le score dès les premières secondes par Sturm, dont la frappe a toutefois manqué le cadre. Lens a ensuite éprouvé des difficultés à ressortir le ballon et a subi les offensives adverses, obligeant notamment Risser à intervenir à plusieurs reprises loin de sa surface.

Les Sang-et-Or ont néanmoins progressivement réagi après la demi-heure de jeu. Sima a notamment manqué une énorme occasion sur un centre de Skoras, tandis qu’Udol a contraint Markovic à s’employer. Le Slavia a ensuite cru ouvrir le score par Ayaosi, mais son but a été annulé par la VAR pour une main (35e).

Lens renverse tout dans les dernières minutes

Le scénario s’est encore compliqué au retour des vestiaires. À la 49e minute, Konecny a été expulsé après avoir stoppé Sima en position de dernier défenseur. Lens pouvait alors profiter de sa supériorité numérique, mais Sturm a rapidement refroidi les Sang-et-Or.

Deux minutes plus tard, l’attaquant du Slavia a éliminé Sagnan avant d’enrouler parfaitement sa frappe pour donner l’avantage aux siens (1-0, 51e).

Malgré ce nouveau coup dur, Lens n’a pas renoncé. Thauvin, particulièrement en vue sur le plan technique, a tenté de relancer les siens. Après une tentative d’Édouard repoussée par la défense, Sima a finalement égalisé à la 74e minute en reprenant le ballon avec davantage de promptitude (1-1).

Les Lensois ont alors continué à pousser, mais cette volonté aurait pu leur coûter cher. À la 88e minute, Sturm, encore lui, a profité d’un coup franc mal repoussé pour inscrire son deuxième but de la soirée (2-1).

Le Slavia pensait tenir sa victoire, mais Lens a complètement renversé la situation dans les dernières secondes. À la 90e minute, Thauvin a égalisé de la tête sur un centre de Mesloub (2-2). Trois minutes plus tard, Aguilar a achevé le retournement de situation en inscrivant le troisième but lensois dans le temps additionnel (2-3, 90e+3).

En quelques instants, les Sang-et-Or sont ainsi passés d’une défaite qui semblait inévitable à une victoire spectaculaire. Pour son retour en Ligue des champions, Lens frappe donc un grand coup à Prague et repart avec trois points précieux.

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