Erasmus hands out pass mark as thoughts turn to Pumas

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 victory over Wales in a Nations Championship match in Durban. mwafrika.life

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 points and to keep them to nil – we’re satisfied with that,” said Erasmus.

“Forty-three-nil was definitely better than last week – certainly defensively – but it’s easier to defend on a wet field like that – and we had no injuries, so that’s good.

“I think we’ve got a little bit better in every game of the Nations Championship but as we’ve been rotating it does take cohesion away.”

Erasmus said the conditions were deceptively difficult which led to a succession of handling errors: “We saw world-class players make a few knocks-on in this game. The field is really slippery, and you could feel it in the warm-up – that it was really greasy.

“It was tough to play an expansive, pretty game in weather like that against a team that really wanted to defend.

“But we didn’t lose a lineout ball and, while we weren’t on our game in the scrums last week, we were good today – our maul stopping and mauling itself was good. It was something that we wanted to get right so we had a lot of fixes that we got right.

“In this game we leant that our defence was better than last week – we worked really hard on that – and then our set piece was really solid. And I think some guys handled the pressure of test match rugby better than they did last week. I think a lot of guys came through this test with ticks against their name.”

Vusi Moyo – the youngest flyhalf in Springbok history at 20 years and 27 days – came through his baptism of fire as Erasmus continued working on Springbok depth.

“He definitely played well,” said Erasmus.

“You could see there were nerves. He’s a really accurate kicker; kicks off well but you get into a test match like this; with a lot of people in the crowd, the ball is wet and suddenly you don’t kick it into the corners and you don’t get your kick offs on the spot.

“I thought he handled it extremely well. But I’ve been there; in your first or second test you’re tried because of the nerves and I thought his tyres were a little pap (flat) in the second half when we took him off.”

Erasmus said Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu would be ready for the Argentina tour, although Handre Pollard had pulled his hamstring, as the coach looked ahead: “Argentina is going to be tough – like Wales they’ve had our number a few times and our biggest loss was to them since we’ve been together from 2018. We are just trying to build our game and I think today was another step forward.”

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

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Scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies says missing out on the Springboks’ 2023 World Cup squad was one of the toughest moments of his career.

The 30-year-old marked his first Test appearance in almost three years by coming off the bench to score a try in Saturday’s 43-0 victory against Wales at Kings Park.

Jantjies burst onto the international scene in 2019, scoring two tries on debut in a win against the Wallabies at Ellis Park before crossing late in Wellington to help the Boks snatch a dramatic draw against the All Blacks.

He went on to make six appearances in the Boks’ 2019 World Cup-winning campaign in Japan, only to miss out on selection for France four years later.

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“It was unbelievably heartbreaking,” Jantjies recalled. “I can still remember the evening the squad was announced … where we sat, how we sat and how coach Rassie [Erasmus] put everything on the board.

“Coach Rassie did come to me that evening after the squad announcement and he told me it was not the end of the world to not make the World Cup squad.

“But later on, as time went by, I started realising what he told me and I think he basically meant to just work harder on my game to bring myself to the party. And then I would get my chance again.”

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Jantjies admitted the quality of the players ahead of him made the selectors’ job anything but straightforward.

“Grant [Williams] was playing amazing rugby … he could cover wing as well. The same could be said of Cobus [Reinach]. Jaden [Hendrikse] was also in the mix,” he said.

“Yes, it was heartbreaking for me, but I think I allowed myself to grieve a little over it. But I didn’t get stuck in that space for too long.”

MORE: Polly pulled hammy, Sacha back to tackle Pumas

With Erasmus having built remarkable depth, competition has become even fiercer.

“It’s incredible … not just at scrumhalf, but every position,” said Jantjies, who left the Stormers to join French Top 14 club Bayonne last year.

“It’s amazing to see the growth and the evolution from 2019 to now. There has been a lot of work put in by the coaches, and the competition created in the squad makes it so tough for everyone.

“Everyone wants to be on that level and in a Springbok jersey, which is why I’m not taking anything here for granted.

“Having been in the mix and then out for three years, I have a point of view from both sides now. I’m forever grateful that I can be back.”

ALSO: Jan-Hendrik taking his shots at the rock

Photo: Johan Rynners/Getty Images

The post Herschel: I had to grieve World Cup heartbreak appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

Battue par l’Angleterre (4-6) lors de la petite finale de la Coupe du monde 2026, l’équipe de France a connu un scénario totalement fou à Miami.

Après une première période catastrophique conclue avec quatre buts de retard, les Bleus ont montré un autre visage au retour des vestiaires. Adrien Rabiot est revenu sur cette rencontre contrastée et n’a pas caché sa déception.

Interrogé sur BeinSport après le match, le milieu de terrain français a reconnu que l’attitude affichée par l’équipe lors des 45 premières minutes n’était pas à la hauteur d’un rendez-vous mondial.

« Il y a eu deux visages. En première période, certains comportements n’étaient pas acceptables. On ne peut pas débuter un match de cette manière, surtout à ce niveau-là », a expliqué le joueur français.

Une réaction trop tardive

Menés 4-0 à la pause, les Bleus ont pourtant réussi à revenir dans la partie en inscrivant plusieurs buts en seconde période. Pour Rabiot, cette réaction prouve que l’équipe avait les qualités nécessaires, mais elle est arrivée trop tard pour espérer renverser l’Angleterre.

« On a montré ensuite ce qu’on savait faire, avec plus d’intensité et de caractère. Mais quand on part avec un tel handicap, c’est forcément compliqué », a-t-il ajouté.

Des regrets après la fin du cycle Deschamps

Cette défaite a également marqué le dernier match de Didier Deschamps sur le banc de l’équipe de France. Adrien Rabiot a évoqué une soirée particulière, avec forcément de la frustration au moment de refermer cette aventure.

Le milieu des Bleus a néanmoins tenu à rappeler l’importance du parcours réalisé par le sélectionneur français et du groupe construit au fil des années.

Malgré une fin de compétition difficile, la France quitte le Mondial 2026 avec une nouvelle présence dans le dernier carré, confirmant sa régularité au plus haut niveau international.

The post France-Angleterre : Adrien Rabiot dénonce des comportements « inadmissibles » des Bleus en première période appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.

NEW YORK, United States, July 19, 2026 – Arsene Wenger says he accepts the hydration breaks introduced at the 2026 World Cup have not been popular and Fifa will review their impact after the tournament.

Fifa brought in mandatory three-minute hydration breaks for the World Cup, regardless of conditions, for all matches played at stadiums in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The governing body said they were brought in as a commitment to player welfare but critics have pointed to broadcasters using the breaks as a way to cash in with commercials.

Former Arsenal manager Wenger, who is Fifa’s head of global football development, said “sometimes people didn’t like” the hydration breaks and Fifa will “analyse after the World Cup what the impact was”.

“It didn’t look to me that it changed the results but we are here to serve people that watch football and we will come to conclusions afterwards,” he added.

“In many games, especially when the stadium was covered, people were not happy with it but at the start of the competition it was decided to do it for everybody.”

As the tournament progressed, supporters started to boo the hydration breaks, such was the frustration at the stoppages.

Experts told BBC Sport an average 30-second World Cup ad slot on Fox Sports in the US costs between $200,000 (£152,000) and $300,000 (£227,000), rising to $750,000 (£567,000) during USA matches and the final stages.

They were effectively tactical timeouts, with coaches getting to run through strategical changes with the players.

European football body Uefa has ruled out introducing the breaks while England manager Thomas Tuchel admitted he is not a fan of them earlier in the tournament, saying they “interrupt and change the identity of a football match”.

Spain boss Luis de la Fuente voiced his support for the breaks last month, saying: “I am always interested in the health of my players. I think it’s the right measure – a pause, freshen up and continue.”

Meanwhile, Wenger said the expansion of the World Cup to feature 48 teams rather than 32, has been a success.

“It was questioned before it started but we found it was ethically needed to give a chance to more teams. I am convinced it was the right decision and it was a great success,” he said.