分类： sports

JOHANNESBURG — In a rollercoaster, high-stakes rugby test that kept 85,970 roaring fans on the edge of their seats, South Africa pulled off a thrilling 29-24 victory over New Zealand on Saturday, snatching a 2-1 lead in their landmark test series.

The win marks a remarkable turnaround for the Springboks, who dropped the opening match of the series. With just one fixture remaining, South Africa has already guaranteed it cannot lose the series, and will head into next Saturday’s fourth and final test in Cape Town (corrected from original erroneous location) with a historic milestone in its sights: a first series victory over the All Blacks since 1976.

For nearly an hour of the match, New Zealand held the upper hand on the scoreboard, but the Springboks’ dominant scrum slowly shifted momentum in their favor. The home side grabbed its first lead of the match at the 60-minute mark, before sealing the result with a grueling, well-drilled lineout maul that ended with hooker Malcolm Marx diving over the try line, slamming the turf in unbridled celebration.

For the first time across the series, the two sides finished level on tries, with four apiece. The match saw a late injury blow to South Africa starting goalkicker Cheslin Kolbe, forcing young playmaker Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu into kicking duties. The stand-in delivered under pressure, slotting two conversions and one critical penalty.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s clinical performance stood in stark contrast to New Zealand’s kicker Ruben Love, who left seven easy points on the table from missed shots at goal. Most damaging for the All Blacks, however, was an early injury to inspirational captain Ardie Savea. Savea crossed for two tries, moving to the top of the all-time list for most test tries by a men’s forward, but was forced off the pitch with a rib injury just 30 minutes into the match, robbing the side of its key physical and leadership presence.

The opening 40 minutes of end-to-end action finished locked at 12-12, with both sides trading tries early. In a fractious sequence, Feinberg-Mngomezulu escaped with just a yellow card for a deliberate pass knockdown, avoiding what could have been a penalty try for the All Blacks, in the same attacking movement that saw Kolbe leave the pitch with a head injury.

Shortly after the card, a powerful break from New Zealand hooker Asafo Aumua set up Savea’s opening try, his 34th in international play. Down to 14 men, South Africa held firm and hit back, with Damian de Allende creating an overlap for right winger Kurt-Lee Arendse to cross the line.

Savea’s second score came from a smart line: a massive sidestep from Tupou Vaa’i, playing his 50th test, opened space, before a skip pass from Vaa’i to Leroy Carter put Savea into open space to score. Five minutes later, Savea was helped from the field clutching his ribs, with replacement Wallace Sititi entering the fray — a notable family moment, as Sititi’s sister Amarante had come off the bench to score in the New Zealand women’s victory over South Africa in the earlier curtain-raiser match.

The final 10 minutes saw New Zealand pinned deep in its own half, with Love sin-binned for a transgression. South Africa’s already imposing scrum forced a penalty try to level the scores after New Zealand interfered with a pushover attempt. New Zealand responded by earning a scrum penalty of its own after referee Nika Amashukeli penalized South Africa for moving off the mark, but Love missed the long-range 52-meter effort, wasting a golden chance to retake the lead.

Love also missed the conversion of Will Jordan’s 54th test try, which came after Jordan chipped the defense, collected a pop pass from Carter to score. That left New Zealand holding a narrow two-point lead heading into the final stretch, but a series of unforced All Blacks errors handed the initiative back to the Springboks.

A missed tackle from Leroy Carter let Jesse Kriel walk in unopposed for a try, flipping the 17-12 New Zealand lead into a South African advantage. The Springboks extended their lead to nine points with just 14 minutes left to play, before the decisive lineout maul that created Marx’s match-sealing score in front of the massive home crowd.

New Zealand still has a chance to salvage a drawn series in the final test next weekend, but stand-in All Blacks captain Luke Jacobson acknowledged after the match that his side had been outplayed in the critical closing stages. “They got on top of us,” Jacobson said of the decisive match-winning maul.

MELBOURNE – The National Football League is set to make landmark history this week as it hosts its first-ever regular-season game on Australian soil, but one major question still hangs over the Los Angeles Rams ahead of their opening-week clash with the San Francisco 49ers: will future Hall of Fame defensive tackle Aaron Donald take the field?

Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed Friday, as the team wrapped up early preparations for their long-haul journey from Southern California, that the entire 53-man roster will travel Down Under for the contest at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. However, he stopped short of confirming whether the recently unretired 35-year-old superstar will suit up for the historic matchup.

Donald’s unexpected return to the NFL sent shockwaves through the league last weekend, just two and a half years after he walked away from the game following a legendary 10-season career with the Rams that included 10 Pro Bowl selections, eight First-Team All-Pro honors, and a Super Bowl victory. Since coming out of retirement, the star defender has been working aggressively to rebuild his game conditioning, and McVay acknowledged Friday that Donald has made striking progress in his comeback push.

Still, the final call on his availability won’t be made until the team assesses how he handles the intensity of practice and travel over the coming days. “I don’t have that answer quite yet,” McVay told reporters. “His ramp-up process has gone really well – he’s so intentional about his training rhythm and daily routine. This week will be a critical indicator of how he feels, and we’re going to take it one day at a time to evaluate where he’s at. If he feels good enough to go, that’s great. If not, I have full confidence that the rest of our defensive line group, who have put in all the reps through camp, will step up and perform.”

The Rams received more positive injury updates on two other key stars ahead of the game: star pass rusher Myles Garrett, who missed more than a dozen training camp reps with muscle soreness and a minor knee issue, is still on track to start in Melbourne. Dynamic All-Pro wide receiver Puka Nacua, who suffered a core muscle injury three weeks ago, has also cleared key recovery milestones and is expected to play. “He’s feeling really good,” McVay said of Nacua. “He’s already hitting high-speed drills at a great pace, and it’s going to be exciting to have him back out on the field with us.”

The two NFC West rivals have taken starkly different approaches to preparation for the most geographically distant game in NFL history. The Rams are completing their full training camp week at their Woodland Hills, California facility, and will not fly to Australia until less than 48 hours before kickoff. The game is scheduled for Friday morning Melbourne time, which is Thursday night for U.S. audiences. The 49ers, by contrast, traveled to Australia earlier this week and have conducted all their on-site preparation locally to acclimate to the time zone difference.

McVay defended the Rams’ schedule, a strategy the team has refined during previous international trips to London and Mexico City, even as he acknowledged that this journey is unprecedented in its distance. “At the end of the day, our approach comes down to one simple question: what do we think is best for our players, to put them in the best position to play at their best?” McVay said. “There are a lot of different theories and approaches to this, but I have a lot of trust in our group and the plan we’ve put in place. Hopefully it pays off, and I know our guys are confident in what we’re doing.”

Just one month ago, South African rugby critics were already writing off Eben Etzebeth, the most capped player in Springboks history. They called for the veteran lock to hang up his boots and step into early retirement, with plenty of fuel for their skepticism: ahead of New Zealand’s historic, highly anticipated tour of South Africa this August, Etzebeth had played only a single match all year, with his 2024 season disrupted by an eye-gouge suspension, a nagging hip injury and a painful head knock. Doubts about his match fitness and form swirled across rugby circles.

Etzebeth’s 2024 campaign got off to a rocky start when he took the field for his second game of the year against a relentless Argentina side in hostile Buenos Aires on August 8. While the lock put in significant work on the pitch, he lacked his signature sharpness, but the match still served its purpose: it shook off the months of inactivity rust that had built up. Next came the first test against the All Blacks at Johannesburg’s Ellis Park, where Etzebeth started slow and never found his top form, turning in what many called an unremarkable performance as South Africa suffered a shocking 16-33 defeat.

That underwhelming outing only amplified calls for Etzebeth to be benched. But last weekend in Cape Town, for the second test against the world-famous All Blacks, Etzebeth showed the world why he has been a core of South African rugby for 14 years. Turning in a vintage performance that bore all the hallmarks of his best form, Etzebeth wreaked havoc on New Zealand’s lineout, disrupting three of the visitors’ attacking throw-ins and securing five clean catches of his own. He added 18 tackles to the tally, two of which were dominant defensive stops, forced a fumble from an All Blacks carrier, competed aggressively for a loose ball and got a finger to a pass that nearly resulted in an interception. By the final whistle, South Africa had claimed a thrilling 33-26 win, leveling the three-test series.

Veteran former Springbok lock Victor Matfield, who held the record for most Springbok test appearances before Etzebeth broke it earlier in 2024, sang Etzebeth’s praises on the *Rugby Rivals* podcast. “He was under immense pressure in South Africa – everyone was saying ‘He hasn’t played much, he’s not in good form’ – but he stood out when it mattered most,” Matfield said. “At the lineout he was incredible, his work rate was just unbelievable, and that’s the Eben Etzebeth we all know. For me, it meant so much that our most experienced player stepped up in a week with so much on the line.”

The deciding third test is set for this Saturday at Johannesburg’s iconic FNB Stadium, with the series trophy on the line.

Despite the patchy start to his 2024 season, Etzebeth has never questioned the strategy of Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus, whom he has supported fully since Erasmus took charge of the national side in 2018. Etzebeth served as South Africa’s captain in 2017, and willingly ceded the role to close friend Siya Kolisi – a friendship that dates back to their teenage years – without any resentment. Etzebeth credits Erasmus with rebuilding the Springboks’ winning culture, telling *The Verdict* podcast: “Being a Springbok became special again. We were willing to go to the dark places, put in the hard work necessary to get wins and results. In the past, it almost felt like just being selected as a Springbok was enough. Rassie brought back that belief, that hunger and that excitement for winning.”

That cultural shift has delivered major silverware, with back-to-back Rugby World Cup titles in 2019 and 2023 – achievements that Etzebeth was central to, starting in both final matches.

### Far from Retirement Plans

Far from planning to hang up his boots any time soon, the 34-year-old Etzebeth says his career is being extended by the Springboks’ famous “Bomb Squad” impact substitution strategy. Of his 144 test appearances to date, Etzebeth has started 133, though he comes off the bench more frequently than he did earlier in his career. The lock says he has no issue with the reduced minutes, noting that not being selected at all hurts far more than being called on to contribute off the bench. He says he wants to keep playing for as long as his body allows, and has not set a retirement date. He will turn 35 next month, and will turn 36 the day before a potential 2027 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal clash between South Africa and New Zealand in Sydney – a match he is already targeting.

“Every year the younger lads are bigger, better and faster than the cohort before them,” Etzebeth said. “They push me to keep improving, and that’s exactly how it should be.”

Etzebeth has spent his career breaking records: he became the youngest Springbok ever to hit 50 test caps at 24 in 2016, and the youngest to reach 100 caps at 30 in 2022. That 100th cap was intentionally scheduled for a Cape Town match so that his father Harry, who was battling cancer at the time, could attend the milestone match. On that historic day, Etzebeth’s then-fiancée Anlia performed the South African national anthem, and Etzebeth was named man of the match. Harry died the following year, while Etzebeth was in New Zealand with the team. The lock chose to stay and captain the side, saying it was what his father would have wanted.

Etzebeth was born into a family of professional wrestlers, a background that gave his family a reputation for toughness and grit. He did not find his place in rugby until age 15, when he experienced a dramatic growth spurt that added 20 centimeters in height and 20 kilograms in weight. He was moved from the wing to the lock position, and has grown into the 2.03-meter, 120-kilogram enforcer that opposes scrumhalves now fear. He made his Springbok debut at just 20 years old in 2012, filling the gap in the second row left by legends Matfield and Bakkies Botha. When the two veteran stars returned to the national side, they fit seamlessly around the rising young talent, who carried on the post-apartheid legacy of fearsome Springbok enforcers who wear the iconic No. 4 jersey, a line that includes Adri Geldenhuys, Kobus Wiese, Mark Andrews and Botha.

Matfield, who partnered Botha for a world-record 62 tests together in the second row, was on hand when Etzebeth broke his 127-appearance Springbok record earlier this year. He says he has long marveled at Etzebeth’s unique combination of relentless work rate and uncompromising on-pitch attitude.

“You always want that one guy that, when you run out onto the field, the opposition’s forward pack knows they don’t stand a chance going up against him,” Matfield said. “That’s what Eben has been giving our pack for the last 14 years.”

BERLIN – The United States kicked off its FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup title defense with a commanding 94-61 victory over China on Friday, powered by standout contributions from its emerging young core and led by impressive play from Caitlin Clark.

Clark finished the matchup with a double-double of 14 points and 11 assists, while teammate Rhyne Howard matched Clark’s 14-point output. Forward Jackie Young chipped in 12 points for the defending champions, who extended their historic unbeaten run at the tournament to 31 consecutive wins, a streak that stretches all the way back to a semifinal defeat at the 2006 FIBA World Cup.

This tournament marks a period of rebuilding and transition for the U.S. program, which brings a youthful roster to this year’s competition. Standout rising stars Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese all came off the bench as reserves, but the trio shared the court to close out the first quarter, helping the U.S. build a dominant 27-14 advantage heading into the second frame.

China battled back early in the second quarter, with 19-year-old 7-foot-3 center Zhang Ziyu, making her first ever World Cup appearance, emerging as a formidable force for the Chinese side. Her imposing frame created major headaches for U.S. players on both ends of the court: on defense, she anchored the paint, cutting off U.S. driving lanes and making second-chance scoring nearly impossible. On offense, the U.S. was forced to send double-teams to contest every time Zhang touched the ball inside.

Zhang’s first field goal of the game cut the U.S. lead to just eight points at 33-25 with 6:21 remaining in the first half. But the U.S. responded with a decisive 16-4 scoring run to close the half, stretching their advantage to 20 points at 49-29. Young notched a three-point play during the spurt, and Breanna Stewart closed out the run with four consecutive points to end the half.

In the third quarter, China paired Zhang with 6-foot-10 center Han Xu, creating an even more imposing twin-tower frontcourt that formed a daunting defensive wall in the paint. China managed to trim the U.S. lead to 16 points at 53-37, but could not pull any closer. Once again, the U.S.’s young reserve trio stepped up to spark a 17-5 run that closed out the third quarter and extended the American advantage out of reach.

For China, Zhang put together a solid debut performance, finishing with 13 points, nine of which came from the free-throw line on 10 attempts. Han recorded a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds in the losing effort.

In a rare twist for international competition, where the U.S. national team is often met with boos from host crowds, the American side received enthusiastic support from fans in attendance on Friday. Clark, who regularly signs autographs for fans during WNBA matches, stopped to sign a basketball and pose for a photo with a young fan wearing an Indiana Fever shirt emblazoned with Clark’s name.

Looking ahead, the U.S. will return to the court for its second pool play game against Italy on Saturday. China will face the Czech Republic in its next pool matchup the same day.

The 20th edition of the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup got underway in Berlin on Friday, kicking off 16 teams’ bids for global glory with two opening-day wins for Asia-Pacific contenders Australia and Japan, while highly anticipated matches from powerhouses including the defending champion United States and China were set to tip off later the same day.

Australia’s Opals got their campaign off to a confidence-boosting start, shaking off a pattern of opening-match losses at recent major tournaments to defeat Puerto Rico 70-54. Forward Steph Talbot anchored the team’s offense with a game-high 19 points to lead the charge. For head coach Sandy Brondello, the early win removes significant pressure from her squad ahead of upcoming group-stage matches. In this expanded 16-team tournament format, only the four group winners earn an automatic direct berth to the quarterfinals, making every opening result critical.

In the day’s other opening contest, Japan pulled off a dramatic late comeback to edge out African side Mali 102-97. Guard Saki Hayashi led all scorers with 27 points for Japan, but the game remained in Mali’s control for nearly the full four quarters. It was not until 6:30 remained in the final frame that Mai Yamamoto knotted the score at 79-79, Japan’s first lead since tipoff. A late free throw from Kokoro Tanaka in the closing seconds locked in the comeback victory. For Mali, the defeat marks a disappointing opening to a tournament where the side was chasing just its second all-time World Cup win. Mali’s only previous victory at the event came in a 2010 overtime clash against Senegal in the 15th-place playoff, and the side went winless across five matches at the 2022 World Cup hosted by Australia.

All eyes turned to the evening’s marquee matchups, headlined by the United States’ opening bid for an unprecedented fifth consecutive world title. The Americans, the tournament’s top seed, were set to face China in a highly anticipated clash at Berlin’s Max-Schmeling-Halle — the same 9,000-seat venue where the U.S. claimed its sixth global title with a 1998 final win over Russia. The U.S. enters the tournament with a retooled young roster, missing key stars including four-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson and sharpshooter Kelsey Plum, who withdrew before the tournament. Three of college basketball’s biggest names — Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese — will lead the young American squad in its title defense.

China’s roster has already drawn widespread attention for its unmatched size, headlined by 19-year-old phenom Zhang Ziyu, who stands 7-foot-3, and 6-foot-10 center Han Xu, who already has experience competing against American players through her tenure with the WNBA’s New York Liberty.

Host nation Germany was making its second appearance in the tournament, with its opening match against Spain scheduled for later Friday at the main venue, Berlin Arena, which holds 14,000 spectators. Four other opening-day matches were also on the schedule: France faced Hungary, South Korea took on Nigeria at Berlin Arena, while Belgium played Turkey and the Czech Republic faced Italy at Max-Schmeling-Halle. Australia will return to action on Sunday against Turkey, while Japan is set to face host Germany in its second group-stage match Saturday.