‘There’s a real buzz in the group,’ says All Blacks boss Rennie ahead…

The All Blacks are expecting a stern test of their credentials when they get Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry (RGR) tour under way with their first match against the Stormers at the Cape Town Stadium on Friday night (kick-off 7:10pm).

It will be the first of eight matches that they will play, four against the United Rugby Championship franchises, and four Tests against the Springboks, with the final match taking place in the US.

Speaking at their team announcement press conference on Wednesday, head coach Dave Rennie admitted the enormity of the occasion and his hope that the players would hit the ground running, especially those not used to playing in South Africa. capturengo.com

“It is massive. We’re touring a country that are back-to-back World Cup champions, and are a proud rugby nation,” said Rennie.

“A lot of our players have not played a lot of footy in South Africa, some not for a while and some never, since the SA teams headed north and out of Super Rugby.

“So it’s a massive challenge, but it is exciting. We will play strong sides in front of reasonably hostile crowds, and these are challenging environments.

“There are the time zones we had to deal with and then altitude later in the tour. There are several things a lot of our players haven’t experienced recently.”

Chance to impress

The All Blacks are expected to be firing on all cylinders against the Stormers, especially after Rennie explained that the first three games of the tour, with the Sharks in Durban and Bulls in Pretoria to follow next week, will be a chance for players to prove they deserve to be in the match 23 for the first Test.

“The first three games gives us a chance to create competition for places for that first Test side (at Ellis Park on the 22 August). The fact that everyone (in the squad) will get to play (in these first three games) means there is a real buzz in the group,” said Rennie.

Rennie added that the team had settled well in Cape Town and that they were looking forward to playing a strong Stormers team that is practically at full strength bar their Springbok players, who will be looking to upset them.

“We have been in Cape Town for almost a week now, and it is a great place to start the tour. We have fantastic facilities here and have been well looked after,” said Rennie.

“We’ve had a little bit more time together and that’s been good, but there’s some new combinations (in the team).

“We’re going to play against a side that is very competitive in the URC, and who will be excited about the potential of an international scalp, so that makes them dangerous.”

Meanwhile, the All Blacks team suffered a setback on Thursday when Wallace Sititi was ruled out of the match against the Stormers because of illness. Anton Segner comes into the starting lineup at No 7, with Peter Lakai moving to eighthman.

Several of Africa’s finest mountain and trail runners take on many of the world’s best at Sierre-Zinal in Switzerland on Saturday, with South Africa’s ‘Comrades Queen’ Gerda Steyn’s participation adding substantial interest to the contest.

Singularly, the Swiss towns of Sierre and Zinal attract little interest in the sporting world. But the combination of the two into Sierre-Zinal (SZ) instantly commands attention and admiration and many rate it as the world’s most competitive trail race.

31 kilometres with 2,400 metres of elevation gain, the legendary course linking the Swiss towns of Sierre and Zinal crosses the spectacular alpine landscapes of the Valais region beneath five peaks rising above 4000m – Weisshorn (4,506m), Zinalrothorn (4,221m), Matterhorn (4,478m), Dent Blanche (4,357m) and Obergabelhorn (4,063m).

The course features a demanding, near-continuous climb from Sierre, at 560 metres above sea level, to Nava at 2,424 metres passing iconic locations such as Ponchette, Chandolin and the historic Hotel Weisshorn. From there, runners face a fast and technical descent into Zinal (1,675m), the setting for some of trail running’s most memorable finishes.

The majority of almost 7000 participants from 70 countries will take time to pause to take in the breathtaking landscapes, but the elite men and women’s fields will scarcely notice their surrounds as they summon every ounce of energy, speed and strength in a quest for line honours, a podium place or top ten position.

SZ is part of both the Mountain Running World Cup and the Golden Trail World Series (GTWS) and the relatively non-technical terrain underfoot makes is accessible to athletes from track, cross country, road, mountain running and trail backgrounds, making it one of the most competitive in the world.

Even a top one hundred position at SZ will be hard-fought by leading runners, with every one of last year’s top ten back for more.

SZ is also one of the oldest distance races on the planet – Saturday’s will be the 53^rd edition – and its heritage adds value and attraction to the race.

Dominated by European-based athletes for much of its history, the formidable course records are held by two legends of the sport – Spanish athlete Kilian Jornet’s winning time in 2024 of 2 hrs 25 min 34 sec and Swiss athlete Maude Mathys’ 2:49:20 in 2019.

But the emergence of Kenya as a force in trail running in recent years has fundamentally changed the nature of the race and it could be a matter of time before the records tumble. Last year’s winner, Philemon Kiriago, was just two seconds back of Jornet when the Spaniard set the new record two years ago and led no fewer than three other Kenyans into the top five last year, including an unprecedented podium clean-sweep.

Patrick Kipngeno (2^nd last year), Michael Saaoli (3^rd) and Paul Machoka (5^th) will all be back on Saturday in an attempt to equal or improve their positions. Only Swiss triathlete, Adrien Briffod (4^th) could split them twelve months ago.

A fifth African athlete grabbed a top ten position last year, and Moroccan, Elhousine Elazzaoui, is looking to move up several places from his 9^th in 2025.

Elazzaoui was the overall winner in last year’s prestigous Golden Trail World Series and leads this year’s series by a substantial margin. The ‘Flying Camel’ chalked up his third win (after Zegama and Ledro Sky Trentino) in last week’s Salomon Pitz Alpine Glacier Trail in Austria.

While SZ’s more runnable route might not play to his strengths, Elazzaoui’s rich vein of current form could see him challenge for line honours.

Other leading Kenyans capable of top ten positions include Samwel Kiprotich , winner of this year’s GTWS Quebec Mega Trail, Richard Atuya, winner of the 2026 Transvulcania Vertical Kilometre, Ephantus Njeri and Timothy Kibett.

Steyn’s entry into topflight trail running has been long awaited and her performance on Saturday will be watched with interest. Road has been Steyn’s go-to format in athletics for more than a decade and she is one of the world’s best ultra-distance athletes on that surface – arguably the very best.

But SZ is short and furious with some of the world’s best exponents over sub-marathon distance in contention. Romanian Mădălina Florea is the form trail athlete and will be looking to improve on her 7^th, 3^rd and 12^th in recent years. Leading this year’s GTWS, she took her third title in that series in winning the Pitz Glacier last weekend but she might also find the fast, runnable course counts against her.

Kenyans Philaries Kisang (who has placed 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th at SZ in past years), defending champion Caroline Kimutai and newcomer Ruth Gitonga, second at the Pitz Glacier, are all likely to be competitive while four-time winner, Mathys, can never be discounted.

Can Steyn transfer her best distance running skills to this competitive off-road race on Saturday and bag a top ten position?

The presence in the field of leading German athlete, Laura Hottenrott, may offer some encouragement to the South African. Hottenrott, who has excelled in both disciplines, placed a competitive 5^th in last year’s SV in 3:00:30.

The two athletes’ running CV’s have much in common, Steyn’s ultra-distance feats apart. Hottenrott’s marathon PB of 2:24:32 is just 29 seconds slower than Steyn’s while only 11 seconds separate their 10km bests, with Hottenrott’s 32:13 the faster.

Coincidentally, both athletes had disappointing races at the Paris Olympics, with Steyn (who had an excellent 15^th at the Tokyo Olympics Marathon) finishing in 2:32:51 just 90 seconds behind that of Hottenrott.

While a few weeks short of ideal race preparation, Steyn is looking forward to Saturday’s race. She is no stranger to trails and much of her road running training takes place on the trails near her home in the French Alps. And Steyn chalked up her first trail win in 2017 in a low-profile race near her home in France.

“It is so great to be here,” Steyn reflected from Switzerland yesterday. “It’s an absolutely beautiful place! It will be great fun and interesting to see you I get on. I would have liked another month of preparation but let’s see!”

Earlier Steyn posted on social media that she has been thinking about running SZ for a long time. “And now it’s finally real! I’m excited to race Sierre-Zinal this weekend – it’s arguably the world’s most iconic trail race.

“I love that there really is no pressure, but of course I still want to do my best, so let’s see how it goes.”

Two other South Africans will be in action following their wins at the Cape Town Trail Marathon in May. Philani ‘PK’ Sengce and Maryke van Zyl took line honours over the testing 43km race on Table Mountain and were delighted that their prize included two tickets to compete at Sierre-Zinal, which offered both athletes their first taste of competition outside their own country.

“I am really excited for Maryke and Philani taking on the world’s best trail runners at SZ this weekend,” commented Ryan Sandes, founder and organiser of the Cape Town Trail Marathon. “It is an incredible opportunity and the whole of South Africa is behind them!”

Sengce is pleased with his preparation, which included competing in another Swiss race last weekend as a warm-up. “I was just jogging easily so I would recover faster,” Sengce reported.

“One thing I can say is that the altitude is something else there. And the views are incredible – what a great place and I’m so blessed to experience such wonders.”

Being his first international race, Sengce will be content simply to enjoy the experience and finish the race feeling good, but admitted he will not be prepared to let the race get the better of him.

“Philani has already raced Thyon Dixence (in Switzerland),” Sengce’s coach, James Montgomery said. “That race had a number of athletes that will race Sierre Zinal, including Philemon Kiriago, so he has a good idea of the standard of the top athletes.”

The post Philemon and Caroline lead the African Challenge at Sierre-Zinal appeared first on Sports Network Africa.

Le tirage au sort des premier et deuxième tours préliminaires de la Ligue des champions CAF 2026-2027 a été effectué ce mercredi, dévoilant le parcours potentiel des clubs engagés dans la compétition. Plusieurs affiches promettent déjà de belles oppositions.

Premier tour préliminaire

• Wiliete (Angola) – Foresters FC (Seychelles)
• Scotland FC (Zimbabwe) – Nsingizini Hotspurs (Eswatini)
• União do Songo (Mozambique) – Atlético Petróleos (Angola)
• Mangasport (Gabon) – African Stars (Namibie)
• La Cure Waves (Maurice) – Orlando Pirates (Afrique du Sud)
• 15 de Agosto (Angola) – Fomboni FC (Comores)
• Mighty Wanderers (Malawi) – Simba SC (Tanzanie)
• CFFA (Madagascar) – Lijabatho (Lesotho)
• Gaborone United (Botswana) – Young Africans (Tanzanie)
• Al Swehly (Libye) – KVZ (Zanzibar)
• Aigle du Congo (RD Congo) – APR FC (Rwanda)
• AS Port (Djibouti) – Zamalek (Égypte)
• El Merreikh Bentiu (Soudan du Sud) – Hégan (Somalie)
• Gor Mahia (Kenya) – Pyramids FC (Égypte)
• Elgons FC (Comores) – Sidama Bunna (Éthiopie)
• Aigle Noir (Burundi) – Al Hilal (Soudan)
• Star Sport (Gambie) – Medina United (Gambie)
• Maghreb de Fès (Maroc) – Rahimo FC (Burkina Faso)
• ASKO de Kara (Togo) – ASEC Mimosas (Côte d’Ivoire)
• FC Canchungo (Guinée-Bissau) – Teungueth FC (Sénégal)
• Colombe Sportive (Cameroun) – Stade Malien (Mali)
• Rangers International (Nigeria) – AS Sobemap (Bénin)
• ASN Nigelec (Niger) – MC Alger (Algérie)
• San Pedro (Côte d’Ivoire) – Rivers United (Nigeria)
• Vipers SC (Ouganda) – FC Nouadhibou (Mauritanie)
• JS Saoura (Algérie) – Horoya AC (Guinée)
• Al Merreikh (Soudan) – Power Dynamos (Zambie)
• Medeama SC (Ghana) – TP Mazembe (RD Congo)
• Club Africain (Tunisie) – Djoliba AC (Mali)

Deuxième tour préliminaire

• Vainqueur Wiliete – Foresters FC / Mamelodi Sundowns
• Vainqueur Scotland FC – Nsingizini Hotspurs / Vainqueur União do Songo – Atlético Petróleos
• Vainqueur Mangasport – African Stars / Vainqueur La Cure Waves – Orlando Pirates
• Vainqueur 15 de Agosto – Fomboni FC / Vainqueur Mighty Wanderers – Simba SC
• Vainqueur CFFA – Lijabatho / Vainqueur Gaborone United – Young Africans
• Vainqueur Al Swehly – KVZ / Espérance de Tunis
• Vainqueur Aigle du Congo – APR FC / Vainqueur AS Port – Zamalek
• Vainqueur El Merreikh Bentiu – Hégan / Vainqueur Gor Mahia – Pyramids FC
• Vainqueur Elgons FC – Sidama Bunna / Vainqueur Aigle Noir – Al Hilal
• Vainqueur Star Sport – Medina United / RS Berkane
• Vainqueur Maghreb de Fès – Rahimo FC / Vainqueur ASKO de Kara – ASEC Mimosas
• Vainqueur FC Canchungo – Teungueth FC / Vainqueur Colombe Sportive – Stade Malien
• Vainqueur Rangers International – AS Sobemap / Vainqueur ASN Nigelec – MC Alger
• Vainqueur San Pedro – Rivers United / Vainqueur Vipers SC – FC Nouadhibou
• Vainqueur JS Saoura – Horoya AC / Vainqueur Al Merreikh – Power Dynamos
• Vainqueur Medeama SC – TP Mazembe / Vainqueur Club Africain – Djoliba AC

The post Ligue des champions CAF : le tirage des tours préliminaires est connu appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.

The England star passed Kieron Pollard during Manchester Super Giants’ nine-wicket win over Welsh Fire at Old Trafford.

Jos Buttler has become the leading run-scorer in men’s T20 cricket after striking an unbeaten 51 from 20 balls for Manchester Super Giants.

Buttler entered Wednesday’s Hundred match against Welsh Fire needing 22 runs to pass Kieron Pollard’s career total of 14,803. He cleared the mark during a brutal innings containing two fours and six sixes.

The 35-year-old now has 14,833 runs from 492 innings. Pollard sits second with 14,803 from 663 innings, while former West Indies opener Chris Gayle occupies third place with 14,562 from 455.

The record changed hands for the second time in less than two months. Pollard moved past Gayle during the 2026 Major League Cricket season before Buttler overtook both West Indians during The Hundred.

READ: How DRS changed cricket forever

His landmark came during a dominant Manchester chase at Old Trafford.

Welsh Fire posted 155-4 from their 100 balls after Matthew Short and Phil Salt shared a 125-run opening partnership. Short struck 71 from 47 deliveries, including eight fours and two sixes, while Salt contributed 48 from 37.

Gus Atkinson led Manchester’s bowling effort with 2-12 from 15 balls. Josh Tongue and Paul Walter claimed one wicket each.

Walter then gave the chase early momentum with 37 from 18 deliveries before Sam Cook removed him with the score on 74.

Buttler joined Tim Seifert and immediately increased the scoring rate. Seifert finished unbeaten on 62 from 36 balls, hitting 10 fours, as the pair carried Manchester to 161-1 after only 69 deliveries.

Watch: World’s fastest man bowls Gayle, sends him packing

The nine-wicket victory gave Buttler a successful start as Manchester captain following Aiden Markram’s departure for personal reasons.

Buttler’s record reflects both longevity and the range of his T20 career. He has opened the batting, played through the middle order and represented teams in England, India, Australia, Bangladesh and South Africa.

Gayle established the standard through his power and 22 centuries. Pollard passed him through two decades of franchise cricket. Buttler has now moved ahead of both, although his 30-run advantage over the still-active Pollard leaves the record open to another change.

Jos is the boss 🙌 pic.twitter.com/g93E7IkiBf

— Cricinfo (@cricinfo) August 5, 2026

Photo: Joe Prior/Getty Images

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