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Evergreen Reinach ready to go full throttle
With his health issues behind him, veteran Springbok Cobus Reinach can’t wait to test his pace and lethal boot against Wales at Kings Park on Saturday.
Reinach came flying out of the blocks last season, scoring five tries in 12 appearances in the green and gold, before groin surgery and a knee injury pumped the brakes on an impressive start to his Stormers career.
The 36-year-old returns to the Bok starting XV this week, after featuring off the bench against England two weeks ago, and is primed to make an impact alongside rookie flyhalf Vusi Moyo in the third round of the Nations Championship. milkshake.it.com
ALSO: Rookie Bok playmaker ‘can look after himself’
“I had to have groin surgery, that was coming on for a year or two, and then I hurt my knee against Glasgow, which was unfortunate,” Reinach said.
“You try to be ready and available to get picked and if you get the opportunity, you want to do a job. So all of that is behind me.”
An experienced and nippy scrumhalf who made his Bok debut in 2014, Reinach earned his 50th Test cap at the end of 2025.
He has established himself as a fan favourite due to his try-scoring exploits, which includes the fastest recorded hat-trick at a World Cup in 2019.
On whether Father Time is catching up to him, the two-time World Cup winner added: “After this year, it’s [speedwork] something I need to work on now, not because of my age but because of my groin op.
“It takes a while for everything to settle and feel comfortable before putting my foot into the floor.”
DAVIDS: Ruben deserves his opportunity
Looking ahead to Saturday’s clash, Reinach reckons the Boks will return to their aerial game after taking a more expansive approach in last week’s 42-28 win over Scotland.
“We have a big kicking game and try to attack from there,” he said. “Against Scotland, we could’ve kicked more but they’re a team that when they get the ball, they hold it for a long time so you don’t always get the opportunity to kick.
“We adapted and found a way.”
The Boks humiliated Wales 73-0 in Cardiff last November, but Reinach warns thoughts of a repeat rout is dangerous.
“We don’t talk about what we’ve done before, we focus on what we need to do now to get better.
“Things can change in a blink of an eye if we don’t pitch up this weekend. We know we have to be 100% in what we want to put out on the field.”
CARDIFF TO DURBAN: Dramatic changes for Rassie’s Super Springboks
Photo: Johan Orton/Gallo Images
The post Evergreen Reinach ready to go full throttle appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
2026 Uzalendo Half Marathon launched to raise KES 100 million for education
The second edition of the 2026 Uzalendo Half Marathon has been officially launched at the Icon Plaza Hotel (formerly Laico Regency), with organisers unveiling an ambitious plan to raise KES 100 million for the Uzalendo Endowment Fund to guarantee sustainable scholarships for bright but financially disadvantaged students.
Held under the theme Running for Patriotism, Education & Kenya’s Future, the marathon seeks to harness the power of sport to expand access to quality education, nurture athletic talent, promote patriotism and strengthen community participation.
Speaking during the launch, Principal Secretary for ICT and Digital Economy John Tanui said the initiative reflects the transformative role of education in building Kenya’s future.
“We are looking forward to achieving the KES 100 million target for the Endowment Fund to ensure sustainability. Education is truly the key to success, and this marathon seeks to enable more students to achieve their fullest potential through knowledge,” said PS Tanui.
The Principal Secretary noted that since its establishment in 2016, Uzalendo School has educated more than 1,000 learners, with 397 students receiving full scholarships through the Eldama Ravine Education Foundation at a cumulative investment exceeding KES 54 million.
He said the institution has consistently produced graduates who have gone on to become professionals, industry leaders and responsible citizens making meaningful contributions to communities across Kenya.
The marathon will offer a total prize purse of more than KES 1.5 million across various race categories while ensuring that the majority of the proceeds directly support education and community development.
Under the funding model, 80 per cent of the funds raised will be invested in the Uzalendo Endowment Fund to provide sustainable scholarship financing, 15 per cent will support infrastructure development at Uzalendo School, while 5 per cent will finance community social responsibility initiatives in Eldama Ravine and neighbouring communities.
The marathon has been designed as an inclusive event with categories that cater for athletes and participants of all ages, including:
– 21km Uzalendo Half Marathon (Men and Women)
– 10km Race (Men and Women)
– 5km Youth Run for secondary school and college students
– 5km Corporate Fun Run
– 2km Children’s Dash for primary and junior school pupils
Organisers said the event goes beyond fundraising by creating a platform that promotes patriotism, talent identification, healthy lifestyles, community cohesion and shared responsibility in expanding educational opportunities for vulnerable learners.
The marathon will be held on Saturday, 18 July 2026, beginning at Emining Junction and finishing at the Koibatek Agricultural Training Centre (ATC) Grounds in Eldama Ravine, Baringo County.
The event is expected to attract elite athletes, amateur runners, schools, corporate organisations, development partners, government institutions and members of the public from across Kenya and the East African region.
Through the Uzalendo Half Marathon, organisers hope to build a lasting national movement that demonstrates how sport can transform lives by investing in education, empowering young people and securing Kenya’s future through knowledge.
The post 2026 Uzalendo Half Marathon launched to raise KES 100 million for education appeared first on SportsAfrica - Sports news | Live scores | Match highlights | Betting tips.
La FEGUIFOOT annonce une campagne nationale de détection pour constituer la sélection guinéenne U-17
La Fédération Guinéenne de Football (FGF) prépare déjà les prochaines échéances continentales. Dans le cadre de la constitution de la sélection nationale U-17, l’instance dirigeante du football guinéen organisera, du 18 au 20 juillet 2026, une vaste campagne nationale de détection destinée à identifier les meilleurs jeunes talents du pays en vue du Tournoi Zonal qualificatif à la Coupe d’Afrique des Nations U-17.
Dans un document signé par le secrétaire général dont notre rédaction détient une copie, la Fédération Guinéenne de Football a annoncé le lancement d’une campagne de détection des joueurs de la catégorie U-17. Cette opération, pilotée par la Direction Technique Nationale, s’inscrit dans le cadre de la préparation de la sélection nationale appelée à participer aux prochaines compétitions internationales.
L’objectif principal est de constituer un groupe compétitif en vue du Tournoi Zonal qualificatif pour la Coupe d’Afrique des Nations U-17, prévu du 1er au 20 septembre 2026 à Dakar, au Sénégal.
Dans son communiqué adressé aux présidents des Ligues régionales de football, aux Districts préfectoraux et communaux, aux responsables des clubs, des académies, des centres de formation ainsi qu’aux partenaires techniques et logistiques, la Fédération invite l’ensemble des structures concernées à mobiliser les jeunes joueurs répondant aux critères d’âge de la catégorie U-17.
Une détection sur l’ensemble du territoire
Les opérations de détection se dérouleront du 18 au 20 juillet 2026 sur toute l’étendue du territoire national sous la supervision de la Direction Technique Nationale.
Chaque joueur devra obligatoirement se présenter avec une pièce d’identité ou tout document officiel attestant de son âge, ainsi qu’en tenue complète de sport comprenant un maillot, un short, des chaussettes et des chaussures adaptées.
La Fédération Guinéenne de Football précise qu’elle prendra toutes les dispositions nécessaires afin d’assurer le bon déroulement de cette campagne et son encadrement technique.
Le calendrier des opérations
Le programme des détections est réparti comme suit :
- 18 juillet 2026 : Boké, Kindia, Mamou et Kankan.
- 19 juillet 2026 : Labé, Faranah, Nzérékoré et Conakry.
- 20 juillet 2026 : séances complémentaires, évaluations finales et sélection des meilleurs profils.
Une vérification de l’éligibilité par IRM
La Fédération rappelle également que, conformément aux règlements de la CAF et de la FIFA applicables aux compétitions U-17, tous les joueurs définitivement retenus seront soumis à un examen d’Imagerie par Résonance Magnétique (IRM). Cette procédure permettra de vérifier leur éligibilité au regard des critères d’âge.
Les lieux de rassemblement, les horaires ainsi que les équipes techniques chargées des évaluations seront communiqués ultérieurement par la Direction Technique Nationale aux Ligues régionales concernées, indique le document.
The post La FEGUIFOOT annonce une campagne nationale de détection pour constituer la sélection guinéenne U-17 appeared first on AFRICASPORT.ORG.
Ebola: face au risque de propagation de l'épidémie, la Centrafrique évalue sa préparation
Face à la progression de l’épidémie d'Ebola dans l’est de la République démocratique du Congo, notamment dans la province de l’Ituri, les autorités sanitaires de Centrafrique renforcent les mesures de prévention dans les zones frontalières. Ce week-end, une mission du ministère de la Santé, accompagnée de plusieurs partenaires, s’est rendue à Obo et à Mboki, dans le Haut-Mbomou, afin d’évaluer le niveau de préparation du pays face au risque d’importation du virus. De retour à Bangui, l’équipe a présenté mardi 14 juillet 2026 les conclusions de cette mission lors d’une conférence de presse.
MSI 2026 proved the gap between East and West is closing — at least at the top
For years, the script on the League of Legends esports international stage has been the same: China and Korea battle it out for the top spots, with one Western team barely keeping up.
The Mid-Season Invitational 2026 completely threw that script away, partially rewriting the storylines for the second part of the season.
Yes, a Korean team still won the tournament, and it was still an LPL vs LCK final, but both the LEC and the LCS put up some great fights and achieved results that were still unthinkable less than half a year ago. While it has been an uphill battle for so many years, the West is gradually crawling back into contention.
Fearless Draft allows teams to be creative, closing gap through preparation
Introduced at the start of 2025, Fearless Draft has been one of the key changes behind the spectacular series we’ve had so far.
The increased champion diversity not only makes each match more exciting to watch, but it also forces teams to completely transform their approach to drafting.
It’s no longer required to stick to playing all the meta champions immediately: teams can take advantage of the specific themes around team compositions to make their choices, but also counter them. This is where the creative picks come into play, and having them ready means you have more cards to play in the draft.
“Fearless is definitely bringing out a new side to competitive play,” said a user on Reddit. “The West brings out so many unique picks and strategies, and it was amazing to watch the games.”
The unique picks are what allowed G2 Esports to take down T1 at MSI. By utilizing Sergen “BrokenBlade” Çelik’s pocket picks like Yasuo, Kled, and Cho’Gath, T1 found themselves on the back foot the moment they stepped onto Summoner’s Rift. G2 had already done that earlier in the year at First Stand, when they beat Gen.G.
The strongest LCK and LPL teams still have strong fundamentals and the talent to play consistently at a high level, but they are also less likely to take risks with unconventional picks. In particular, Korean teams have traditionally preferred to refine what they already know works.
While this approach produces an incredibly high floor, it can also bite them back whenever there’s a major meta shift before the start of the tournament, like MSI this year.
Most teams keep up in the early game, but not later…
Fearless Draft is not the only factor at play. Western teams are also slowly improving their fundamentals.
Since 2020, the West has struggled to master the fundamentals, often leading to losing game states in the first few minutes. A poor trade or a bad-timed recall could turn into a major lead for Eastern teams, which would then snowball the game out of control.
Now, most teams, including teams from weaker regions like CBLOL, can match the top Eastern teams in the first 10 to 15 minutes. While you could argue that the game is not as action-packed as it used to be due to how the meta has evolved, it’s mainly because teams match each other better, forcing both sides to make more rational, less volatile choices.
The main difference, however, still lies in the teamfighting. Once the early game is over, Eastern teams generally have a better understanding of how fights should unfold and which are the right moments to force plays. In particular, some of the top teams are particularly good at fighting even in losing positions.
T1 is one of the best teams in this department: the world champions are often able to win games despite minor gold deficits by relying on the playmaking of its stars like Ryu “Keria” Min-seok and Lee “Faker” Sang-hyeok.
Game quality has risen, even though the score doesn’t show it
“The reality is that the top six to eight teams in the world are incredibly close,” another user argued. “People don’t realize that series score is not a metric to decide the margin of skill.”
While there were several 3-0 series at MSI 2026, some of the matches weren’t much closer than what the score told. LYON lost in this exact way against the finalist BiliBili Gaming (BLG), despite consistently matching the Chinese team for most of each game.
BLG themselves played two close series against Hanwha Life Esports, but one ended up being a 3-1 victory and the other, the final, a 2-3 loss. When it comes to the top teams, it’s all the small details that matter: players’ form, draft, and clutch moments can easily swing a series one way or the other.
G2 beating T1 was not evidence that Europe had fully surpassed Korea. G2’s then-heavy loss to LYON was not proof that the T1 result had been meaningless. Both series showed the same thing: it’s a matter of who can perform to peak level on that given day.
The gap is about being consistently at the peak level
Performing at peak level is exactly where I still think the West has to catch up. The top LCK and LPL teams can still perform at a reasonably high level even on a poor day.
They are able to reproduce high-quality gameplay even when early game play goes wrong or they have a losing draft. The Western teams tend to be more volatile, which can be costly in best-of-five series.
LYON was among the best teams in terms of consistency at MSI, to the point where ADC Lee “Gumayusi” Min-hyeong admitted that HLE’s teamfighting was not as good that day. Yet, it wasn’t enough to defeat Hanwha Life Esports.
Upsets can happen, but they still do not happen often enough for the odds to truly favor the West. “The gap between the regions has definitely narrowed this year,” another comment added. “The real question is whether this is a one-off or the start of a lasting trend.”
Worlds 2026 could deliver more unpredictable results
MSI’s double-elimination bracket has often rewarded the most consistent teams. Worlds, in comparison, will not offer protection once the knockout stage begins.
If the skill gap between individual players is small, the West can easily close that gap through its creative drafts. Sometimes, even through better teamfighting.
After many years of poor international results, the West is finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. The East might also have become less dominant, but the top LCS and LEC teams have proved they will always have a chance to take on the LCK and the LPL.
What we need now, however, is a team that turns those isolated performances into a complete tournament run.
The post MSI 2026 proved the gap between East and West is closing — at least at the top appeared first on Esports Insider.