Boks’ No 1 ranking on the line at Loftus

The Springboks’ No 1 world ranking will not be safe at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

The world champions will surrender top spot if they lose to fifth-placed Scotland by more than 15 points and the No 2-ranked All Blacks beat Italy in Wellington. sportnewz.click

A first-ever loss to the Azzurri will see New Zealand fall to third if Ireland beat Japan in Newcastle, Australia.

ALSO: Another late injury setback for Boks?

Fourth-placed France can replace Ireland in third if they beat the No 8-ranked Wallabies and the Irish lose to Japan, providing one of the margins is by more than 15 points.

Japan will enter the top 10 for the first time since July 2023 if they win and Italy and Wales fail to beat New Zealand and Argentina, respectively.

Sixth-placed England could go as high as fourth with victory over Fiji, providing Scotland lose and France are beaten by more than 15 points.

AFRICA PICKS: Nations Championship Round 2 accumulator

Seventh is possible for Fiji with a big win and a Wallabies defeat, but they can’t quite catch opponents England this weekend.

Scotland can lose the two places they gained for beating Argentina if they are beaten by the Boks, and England and Los Pumas win, the latter by more than 15 points. However, a win could take them to a new high with third or fourth possible.

STICK: Scotland pose bigger threat than England

World Rugby rankings (Top 15)
1. South Africa 93.94
2. New Zealand 90.74
3. Ireland 89.62
4. France 87.04
5. Scotland 84.41
6. England 83.91
7. Argentina 83.47
8. Australia 80.98
9. Fiji 79.83
10. Italy 77.76
11. Wales 76.37
12. Japan 75.97
13. Georgia 72.97
14. USA 69.10
15. Portugal 68.81

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images

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L'armada espagnole va-t-elle résister aux flèches belges ? En quarts de finale du Mondial 2026, la Furia Roja se mesure aux Diables rouges au SoFi Stadium de Los Angeles, ce vendredi 10 juillet à 18h TU. L'Espagne est un modèle de solidité, avec toujours aucun but encaissé depuis le début du tournoi. Mais attention à cette Belgique qui a pris confiance et inscrits 12 buts sur ces trois derniers matches. Le vainqueur affrontera la France dans le dernier carré. Suivez le live !

Rugby cannot afford to speak only to those who already love it. We cannot expect the next generation to simply inherit our passion. We must earn it, inspire it and give fans reasons to come back.

As President of Rugby Africa and a Member of World Rugby’s Executive Board, I believe rugby is the best product in the world. But belief alone does not fill stadiums, attract broadcasters or build sustainable unions. Great products must be presented, promoted and made accessible.

During the opening weekend of the Nations Championship and the inaugural Nations Cup, I saw the future of our beautiful sport being tested in real time.

This new structure brings together the world’s 12 leading rugby countries in the Nations Championship and an additional 12 other Rugby World Cup-qualified nations in the Nations Cup, creating meaningful matches, greater opportunity and more stories for the world to discover.

For 24 hours, I was engrossed and riveted. Rugby delivered the kind of entertainment people dream about: physicality, skill, uncertainty, courage and national pride.

Japan beat Italy 27-10. Ireland edged Australia 33-31. New Zealand beat France 34-32. South Africa defeated England 45-21. Wales beat Fiji 39-24. Samoa beat Hong Kong China 66-19. Chile beat Romania 48-31. Tonga beat Zimbabwe 36-26. The USA beat Portugal 30-29. Canada and Spain drew 42-42.

The results mattered, but the meaning mattered more. The reality is simple: sport is big business. Rugby can no longer behave as if it operates outside the world of money, audiences, media rights, partnerships and consumer choice.

If our game is to thrive, it must inspire the lifelong supporter and captivate the person watching for the very first time. Opportunity cannot remain concentrated in the hands of a few; the future of our sport must be built by the many.

People have a right to choose how they spend their time and money. Rugby must therefore offer a product that appeals not only to the converted, but also to those discovering the game for the first time.

For too long, rugby has relied heavily on the Rugby World Cup as its biggest commercial engine every four years. But what happens in between? How do we create revenue, structure and meaning across the rest of the calendar?

A global sport cannot survive only through occasional moments. It must build consistency. It must create anticipation. It must give fans reasons to follow the journey, not only the destination.

In October 2023, World Rugby approved the new global calendar structure following a close and contested Council vote after years of debate and work.

At the time, many regions were asked not to support it. I was told Africa was not guaranteed more places and therefore should resist. But for me, that was not the point. The point was the future.

For us in Africa, talent is not the issue. What Africa needs is structure, investment and opportunity.

Zimbabwe’s performance against Tonga gave me hope. To compete as they did, especially after the challenges Zimbabwe faced, showed character and potential. However, potential must be supported by systems: better competitions, stronger pathways, improved logistics, better welfare and a commercial model that allows unions to grow.

That is why the Nations Cup matters to Africa. It gives emerging nations meaningful competition and a clearer connection to the global game. It reminds us that talent exists everywhere, but opportunity does not. Our responsibility is to close that gap.

If we want a stronger seat at the table by 2031, we must prepare now.

The Nations Cup arrives during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and rugby is paying attention.

Football is not perfect. There are many things to criticise: the excess, the politics and the money. But football understands the event economy. It knows how to turn matches into global moments, commercialising national pride, rivalry and community.

With 48 teams participating for the first time in the FIFA World Cup, the lesson is clear: be unapologetic about reach. Football wants more countries, more fans, more stories and more markets.

Rugby should not copy football blindly. We must remain rugby. But we must learn from football’s confidence. We must package our product better. We must make casual fans care.

Women’s rugby has already shown what is possible when rugby gets the structure and presentation right. I attended the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup final at Twickenham Stadium and felt goosebumps. The historic match set a world record for attendance at a women’s rugby match, with 81,885 fans in the stadium. It showed that when we invest properly, promote properly and stage events properly, the audience will come.

I commend World Rugby’s Chief Executive Officer, Alan Gilpin, and his team for delivering a memorable show on the first weekend of the Nations Cup. Now we must turn entertainment into enterprise. We must sell the stories better. We must build the rivalries. We must promote the players. Rugby has the product. The question is whether we have the courage to commercialise it properly and reinvest the returns.

The future of rugby will not be decided only by those already inside the stadium. It will be decided by those who have never bought a ticket, never watched a match and have not yet discovered the game. Our responsibility is to give people every reason to choose rugby.

Herbert Mensah is President of Rugby Africa (www.RugbyAfrique.com) and Chairman of World Rugby’s Regions

The post Herbert Mensah: The future of rugby will be built by the Many, not the few appeared first on SportsAfrica - Sports news | Live scores | Match highlights | Betting tips.

Après avoir annoncé son Summer Tour 2026 et un stage en Côte d’Ivoire en partenariat avec le ministère du Tourisme et des Loisirs ivoirien, l’OM a dévoilé le nom du club prévu pour le match de préparation à Abidjan pour la première saison sur le banc de son nouvel entraîneur, Bruno Genesio.

Durant ce stage de préparation prévue du 15 au juillet, les Phocéens affronteront le 17 juillet (18h GMT) le Yamoussoukro FC au stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny. Le club ivoirien, fondé en 2019 et sacré champion de Ligue 2 fin mai, est promu en Ligue 1 Côte d’Ivoire.

The post Ligue 1 : l’OM annonce le nom de l’adversaire du match de gala lors du stage en Côte d’Ivoire appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.

Pieter-Steph du Toit and Mzwandile Stick can’t wait to see what the next generation of potential World Cup-winning Springboks can do after they run out at Loftus on Saturday.

Du Toit is excited by the responsibility of leading an inexperienced Bok lineup against Scotland in round two of the Nations Championship, with several players already looking to stake their claim for the 2027 World Cup.

“It doesn’t put pressure on me, it actually excites me more,” he told reporters on Friday. “I remember being one of the younger guys myself, with that same excitement.

“When you play for the Springboks at Loftus, you’ve got so much energy, and you want to prove a point, and a guy who wants to do that can be dangerous because he’ll do anything for the team.”

AFRICA PICKS: Nations Championship Round 2 accumulator

The two-time World Cup winner, set to earn his 97th cap, will form a loose trio with Paul de Villiers, playing just his second Test after debuting last week against England, and Evan Roos on his fifth start.

“Both Paul and Evan are top-quality players, and you can see how much they want to play for the Springboks,” Du Toit said.

“They know exactly what’s expected from them, and then they need to show a bit of X factor, which both of them have.

“Of course the individual has his own goals and dreams, but the best thing each of us can do is to put the team first.”

STICK: Scotland pose bigger threat than England

Stick backs the Boks’ squad depth built by Rassie Erasmus, despite the Scots naming a more experienced match 23.

“All of them have performed well for their franchises and deserve to be rewarded,” the assistant coach said. “It’s a matter of believing in every player in the squad, and when the opportunity presents itself, Rassie is not shy to give players the chance.”

ALSO: Inaugural skipper hails record-breaking Rassie

Stick pointed to the experience in the pack as proof that the Bok side is far from raw: “I know when you look at the team sheet, it looks like it’s an inexperienced team but if I look in the front row, you’ve got a guy like Wilco Louw, one of the best tightheads.

“We’ve got a guy like [loosehead prop] Boan Venter, who understands Scotland very well because he was playing there for Edinburgh.

“A lot of these laaities are excited, and I hope we can give the people of Pretoria a good show.”

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images

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