Category: 6. Sports

Erasmus named a squad that feature 13 players who defeated the Barbarians 54-7 in Cape Town, and with regular Springbok captain Siya Kolisi out after picking up a niggle last week, Kriel retains the captaincy, making him the 67^th Springbok captain. Eben Etzebeth, who is back from injury, will serve as vice-captain in the clash.

The Test will mark a significant occasion for Damian Willemse, who returns to the Bok fold for the first time since the Rugby World Cup final after a series of injuries curtailed his 2024 season, while a suspension for a dangerous tackle saw him miss the outing against the Barbarians.

To Erasmus’ delight, Faf de Klerk, who last wore the green and gold jersey against Ireland in 2024 before his season was cut short by injury, will also return to the field along with Jasper Wiese.

Erasmus opted for largely the same backline that played against the Barbarians, with the only new players being Rugby World Cup winners Willemse at fullback and Handre Pollard at flyhalf, where the latter will pair up with exciting scrumhalf Morne van den Berg.

Willemse, meanwhile, will form an exciting back three with wingers Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse, while Damian de Allende and Kriel retain their places in the midfield.

Vincent Tshituka will make his Test debut against Italy.

There are three personnel changes in the forward pack, with Wiese replacing Jean-Luc du Preez, whose wife is expecting a child, while Etzebeth takes over from the injured Jean Kleyn in the engine room, and Wilco Louw will start at tighthead prop in a front row with Ox Nche and Malcolm Marx.

Erasmus opted for a split of six forwards and two backs on the replacements bench, where experienced hooker Bongi Mbonambi will provide front row cover with props Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Vincent Koch, along with lock RG Snyman and utility forwards Franco Mostert and Kwagga Smith.

The two backline players on the bench are De Klerk and Willie le Roux, who will earn his 99^th Test cap if he takes the field, taking him one Test closer to joining the exclusive club of Springbok centurions.

“We have a big squad, and we would like to balance the game time within the group, while at the same time maintaining continuity in selection, and we believe this is the team that will be best suited for what we want to achieve against Italy,” said Erasmus.

“We are also fortunate to have a few experienced players back from injury, who will be keen to make their mark in the game.”

Jesse Kriel will become the Boks’ 67th Test captain on Saturday.

Commenting on Kolisi’s injury, Erasmus said: “Siya unfortunately picked up a niggle, but Marco did a good job at flanker last week and he is one of the core players in our team, so we are blessed to have such depth in the squad.”

Erasmus added: “If one goes through this team, there are so many leaders, and we were impressed with how Jesse accepted the responsibility of wearing the captain’s armband last week. He is a player who leads by example on and off the field, and he thoroughly deserves this honour.”

The Bok coach was also delighted for Tshituka, who delivered a strong performance against the Barbarians last week in which he scored two tries in his first game in the Bok jersey.

“Vincent has fitted into our structures really well and he showed last week that he has the potential to play Test rugby, so we are excited to see what he can do against Italy and to see him make his debut,” said the Bok coach.

Commenting on what he expected against Italy, Erasmus said: “They are a quality team with a strong pack and quality backs, and their passion for the team and their country is incredible, so we expect them to throw everything at us.

Damian Willemse’s last Test was the RWC Final in Paris in 2023.

“They also play an exciting brand of rugby, so it will be important for us to stick to our structures and deliver a quality performance all around to get the desired result.”

The match kicks off at 17h10 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

Springbok team to face Italy in Pretoria:

15 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 39 caps, 56 points (4t, 9c, 4p, 2 dg)
14 Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath) – 40 caps, 111 points (18t, 3c, 5p)
13 Jesse Kriel (captain, Canon Eagles) – 79 caps, 90 points (18t)
12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 87 caps, 55 points (11t)
11 Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 24 caps, 90 points (18t)
10 Handre Pollard (Vodacom Bulls) – 80 caps, 772 points (7t, 109c, 168p, 5dg)
9 Morne van den Berg (Emirates Lions) – 2 caps, 0 points

8 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 34 caps, 10 points (2t)
7 Vincent Tshituka (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – uncapped
6 Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 25 caps, 10 points (2t)
5 Lood de Jager (Wild Knights) – 66 caps, 25 points (5t)
4 Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 131 caps, 35 points (7t)
3 Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 16 caps, 0 points
2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 76 caps, 105 points (21t)
1 Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 39 caps, 0 points

Replacements:

16 Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 77 caps, 70 points (14t)
17 Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls) – 3 caps, 5 points (1t)
18 Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 61 caps, 0 points
19 RG Snyman (Leinster) – 40 caps, 10 points (2t)
20 Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 78 caps, 20 points (4t)
21 Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs) – 51 caps, 45 points (9t)
22 Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles) – 58 caps, 50 points (5t, 5c, 5p)
23 Willie le Roux (Vodacom Bulls) – 98 caps, 75 points (15t)

Stats and facts:

Springbok record against Italy:

Played 16; Won 15; Lost 1; Points for: 764, Points against: 195; Tries scored 102, Tries conceded 16; Highest score 101-0; Biggest win 101 points. Win % 94%.

Miscellaneous:

• The Boks have played Italy seven times in South Africa, but this will be the first Test between the sides at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, where the hosts have a 78% win record (32 wins from 41 Tests).
• Eben Etzebeth will extend his record as the most capped Springbok to 132 caps when he takes the field.
• Damian Willemse will play his first match for the Springboks since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final against New Zealand, which the Boks won 12-11.
• Should Willie le Roux take the field, it will mark his 99^th Test match for the Springboks, putting him in line to become only the eighth Springbok centurion in history. He made his Test debut against Italy in Durban in 2013.
• The Springboks have faced Italy 16 times and won 15 of those matches. Their only defeat was in Florence in 2016 where Italy pipped the Boks by 20-18.
• In the 15 matches the Springboks have won against Italy, they only scored fewer than 30 points on three occasions.
• The total Test caps for the Springbok starting line-up is 738.
• There are 351 caps in the backline, with 377 caps among the forwards. On the bench there are a further 466 caps.
• The average caps per player in the backline is 50, the forwards 47, while the players on the bench average 58.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – June 26, 2025 – The Esports World Cup Foundation (EWCF) and Lenovo, today announced a partnership to make Lenovo’s Legion brand of gaming devices the Official PC & Gaming Hardware partner of the Esports World Cup 2025 (EWC). Lenovo Legion is the one of the world’s leading gaming ecosystem brands, and will be bring its relentless commitment to innovation and performance to the global stage, empowering EWC athletes to compete at their highest level.

From training rooms to tournament zones, EWC athletes will be equipped with Lenovo Legion Towers, Lenovo Legion laptops, and peripherals – built for elite esports play with advanced thermal systems, high-performance silicon, high refresh-rate displays and low latency keyboards and mice that meet the demands of top-level competition.

Key models such as the Legion Tower 7i and Legion Tower 5i will feature across the event’s player infrastructure, delivering the reliability and power needed to perform under the intense pressure of elite competition. Designed for esports, both towers offer expansive I/O for a complete gaming setup and Legion Coldfront: Liquid cooling thermal solutions. The Legion Tower 7i boasts advanced cooling and an NVIDIA® GeForce RTX™ 5080 Desktop GPU for the extreme performance that top-tier esports athletes rely on, while the Legion Tower 5i pairs intelligent cooling with the RTX 5070 Ti Desktop GPU to deliver focused, winning gameplay.

EWC will also feature Legion Pro 7i laptops to give attendees the full Lenovo Legion experience. Legion laptops untether elite-level gaming experiences from the desk, allowing gamers to win anywhere they find themselves in competition for the top spot with up to NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 Laptop GPUs and Legion Coldfront: Vapor thermal systems, allowing the laptop to deliver up to 250W TDP that brings the most demanding games to life on the 16” PureSight OLED display.

“We’re building the Esports World Cup to set a new global standard — in both competition and the technology behind it,” said Mohammed Al Nimer, Chief Commercial Officer at Esports World Cup Foundation. “Lenovo’s Legion brand understands what elite players need: speed, efficiency, and reliability under pressure. These machines deliver the competitive edge required on the world’s biggest stage, and together we’re pushing the limits of performance — while delivering an experience that meets the expectations of athletes, fans, and the future of global esports.”

“Lenovo Legion equips gamers around the world with outstanding devices to help them achieve their goals and reach their impossible,” said Volker Düring, VP, PC Gaming Business, Lenovo. “The Esports World Cup is the ultimate forum for the world’s best gamers to showcase their mettle and emerge at the top of the world leaderboards, and when the best gamers compete on Lenovo Legion devices, anything is possible.”

As part of the partnership, Lenovo’s Legion branding will appear across EWC’s global broadcast, digital content, and onsite experiences, including fully equipped festival zones with PCs, gear, and laptops available for attendees to play on-site, helping drive deeper engagement with fans while highlighting the ecosystem that supports world-class gaming.

Fans can expect exclusive content, player-focused storytelling, and digital activations across Lenovo Legion’s social channels, offering an inside look at the road to victory – and the technology that powers it.

Returning to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from July 7 to August 24, 2025, the Esports World Cup will unite global gaming communities for a celebration of esports culture. With 25 tournaments across 24 games, 2,000 elite players, and 200 Clubs from over 100 countries, the EWC will feature the largest prize pool in esports history, over $70 million. Fans can expect exclusive experiences, from high-stakes competition to live music, anime cafes, retro arcades, cosplay, and more, drawing millions of fans online and in person.

To learn more about EWC, visit esportsworldcup.com and follow Esports World Cup Foundation on LinkedIn.

Explore Lenovo Legion’s full lineup at www.lenovo.com/legion.

Mrzyglód, 27, is a former European U20 and U23 champion and boasts a personal best of 85.92m, recorded en route to winning the Motonet GP Kuortane athletics meet held in Finland in June this year.

The Pole is also a silver medal winner from the 2021 World University Games and competed at both the Paris 2024 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Grenada’s Peters is ranked only behind Neeraj Chopra in the world rankings for men’s javelin throw, and the duo’s showdown was set to be one of the highlights of the upcoming Bengaluru meet.

The NC Classic, rescheduled from May 24 to July 5, is classified as a World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet – the highest category of international athletics competition ever hosted in India. It will take place at Bengaluru’s Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

Despite Peters’ absence, the competition will still feature a stacked field headlined by Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist and reigning world champion Neeraj Chopra.

Other top names include Rio 2016 gold medallist Thomas Röhler (Germany), 2015 world champion and Rio 2016 silver medal winner Julius Yego (Kenya).

The line-up also includes Pan American Games champion Curtis Thompson of the USA, Brazil’s Luiz Mauricio da Silva and Sri Lanka’s Rumesh Pathirage.

India’s challenge will include Neeraj Chopra alongside Rohit Yadav, Sachin Yadav, Sahil Silwal and Yash Vir Singh.

The meet is being jointly organised by Neeraj Chopra, JSW Sports, the Athletics Federation of India and World Athletics.

The ITA reports that kickboxer Shukhratova Rukhshona has agreed¹ to the consequences for her anti-doping rule violation (ADRV).

The kickboxer provided a sample collected during an unannouced in-competiton doping control performed on 11 April 2025, which yielded an adverse analytical finding² (AAF) for furosemide. Furosemide is listed under class S5. Diuretics and Masking Agents according to the prohibited list of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). It is prohibited at all times (in- and out-of-competition) and is classified as a specified substance. Furosemide can be used by athletes to excrete water for rapid weight loss.

The athlete did not challenge the ADRV and agreed with the consequences proposed by the ITA. Accordingly, the case was resolved via and acceptance of consequences.

The athlete’s period of ineligibility is from 23 May 2025 (date of the provisional suspension) until 22 May 2027. In addition, all the athlete’s competitive results as from 11 April 2025 are disqualified.

The decision may be challenged before the appeal division of the Court of Arbitration of Sport by the parties with a right of appeal in accordance with Article 13.2.3 of the WAKO anti-doping rules.

The ITA will not comment further on this case

Ahead of Pakistan starting the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, former all-rounder Azhar Mahmood has been appointed as the side’s acting red-ball head coach and will serve in this position until the conclusion of his current contract.

Following Jason Gillespie’s exit as Pakistan’s red-ball head coach towards the end of last year, Aaqib Javed had taken over the role. But Mahmood, 50, now steps into the position following a long stint as Pakistan’s bowling coach and later being the assistant head coach.

“His deep knowledge of the game, combined with hands-on international exposure and proven success in the English county circuit, make him exceptionally well-suited for this position.”

“His red-ball pedigree is underscored by two County Championship titles – an achievement that speaks volumes about his leadership, tactical acumen and unwavering commitment to excellence. The PCB is confident that under Azhar’s guidance, the red-ball squad will continue to grow in strength, discipline and performance on the global stage,” said the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in a statement on Monday.

Mahmood’s first assignment as Pakistan’s red-ball coach will be preparing the team for a two-match home series against current WTC winners South Africa, set to happen later this year. In the 2023-25 WTC cycle, Pakistan finished at the bottom of the standings with 27.98 points parentage – winning five Tests and losing nine games.

Mahmood played 21 Tests and 143 ODIs for Pakistan and was a part of the squad finishing as runners-up at the 1999 Men’s ODI World Cup, before retiring from international cricket in 2007. He was also Pakistan’s bowling coach from 2016 to 2019 before his current stint with the national side began in April 2024.

Mahmood served as the head coach when the team toured New Zealand for a T20I series in April 2024. Mahmood has also worked as a bowling coach for Karachi Kings and Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), apart from serving as head coach of Islamabad United.

(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)

Be a goldfish

Practising the advice she encourages in others, Abuldjadayel is now aiming for an exciting new goal.

After trying her hand at rowing, the Saudi sport star has turned her sights to cross-country skiing, where she hopes to secure a quota for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.

Should she successfully do so, Abduljadayel would become the first woman from Saudi Arabia to compete at the Winter Games, and only the second Saudi after Fayik Abdi, who entered the men’s alpine skiing competition at Beijing 2022.

“Many people don’t know, but I actually used cross-country skiing as part of my training, and not thinking, many, many years ago, not thinking this would actually lead me to become a cross-country skier,” she says, explaining how it entered her regimen in 2019.

“I’ve never felt happier than trying the skis for the first time. It was amazing. I loved it.”

Coming from a country better known for its sand than its snow, Abduljadayel says she relishes how difficult her dream pursuit is. And with the Asian Winter Games coming to the country in 2029, the timing couldn’t be better.

“I really, really liked the idea of becoming a cross-country skier and the challenge of having me, an athlete from Saudi Arabia living in Riyadh, where basically we don’t have any snow.

“And this is actually my goal now, to qualify for Milano Cortina as a cross-country skier for Saudi Arabia, a female skier in the Olympics.”

However, Abuljadayel’s new ambitions evolve, one thing she will be standing by throughout the journey is the mantra that has got her to the status of historymaker: “be a goldfish”.

The concept, borrowed from the television sports comedy Ted Lasso, suggests that athletes should learn to forget quickly, just as a goldfish is alleged to do.

“In the world of sports, you’re going to face a lot of challenges. But you can’t hold them. You’re going to face a lot of losses. You’re going to lose more than you can win,” Abuljadayel says.

“So, you’ve just got to keep on going and going until you reach your goal.”