Borthwick blasted after Bok humiliation

Former England scrumhalf Danny Care has launched a scathing assessment of his country’s performance against the Springboks at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Care says the 45-21 defeat exposed deep-rooted problems, warning that Steve Borthwick’s side cannot hope to beat the world’s best while repeatedly undermining themselves.

England conceded seven tries and went 17-0 down inside the opening 12 minutes. They also had to do without two yellow-carded players late in the game. chickenroad.qpon

ALSO: World media salutes Boks as England are buried

“You’ve got to go and be brave to try to win in South Africa,” Care told ITV4. “Unfortunately, we weren’t brave enough.”

Care reserved his strongest criticism for England’s discipline, which he believes has become a defining weakness.

“England’s discipline again is an absolute achilles heel,” he said. “That’s over 100 minutes of play now in six matches that England haven’t had 15 men on the field.

“They’ve conceded 95 points in that 100 minutes. So over a full Test match, they’re playing with an arm behind their back. They really are. You cannot expect to win Test matches against the big teams like that.”

MALLETT: Scoreline flattered Springboks

The defeat extended England’s losing run to five Tests, and Care warned that anything less than victories in their next two matches would only increase the scrutiny on Borthwick and his coaching team.

“That’s five losses in a row now; it can’t be six or seven, it really can’t,” he said. “Nothing other than England winning the next two games for me is acceptable.

“The Six Nations was their worst Six Nations in history; that wasn’t acceptable. If they play well against Fiji and go to Argentina and win, then I think you’ve taken the learnings.

“If we don’t, then I worry there are a lot of questions that are going to be asked again.”

GEORGE: Bok defeat will make us better

Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images

The post Borthwick blasted after Bok humiliation appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

Une page se tourne pour la sélection mexicaine. Au lendemain de l’élimination d’El Tri face à l’Angleterre en huitièmes de finale de la Coupe du monde 2026, Guillermo Ochoa a annoncé la fin de sa carrière internationale. À 40 ans, le gardien met un terme à plus de deux décennies passées sous les couleurs du Mexique.

Plus de vingt ans au service d’El Tri

Présent en sélection de 2005 à 2026, Guillermo Ochoa aura porté le maillot du Mexique à 154 reprises. Au fil des années, il s’est imposé comme l’un des joueurs les plus capés de l’histoire de la sélection, traversant plusieurs générations et s’affirmant comme un pilier incontournable dans les cages mexicaines.

Une carrière marquée par six Coupes du monde

Le portier mexicain a participé à six éditions de la Coupe du monde, de l’Allemagne en 2006 jusqu’au Mondial 2026. Son nom restera notamment associé à la Coupe du monde 2014, au Brésil, où ses prestations, notamment face au pays hôte, lui avaient valu une reconnaissance internationale. Avec la sélection olympique, il a également remporté la médaille de bronze lors des Jeux olympiques de Tokyo en 2021.

Ochoa tourne la page

Avec son expérience, sa régularité et son professionnalisme, Guillermo Ochoa s’est imposé comme l’une des grandes figures du football mexicain. Respecté par ses partenaires comme par ses adversaires, il laisse derrière lui un héritage considérable. Son départ marque la fin d’une époque pour El Tri, qui perd l’un de ses plus grands gardiens de l’ère moderne.

The post Mexique : Guillermo Ochoa, une légende quitte El Tri appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.

Relebohile Mofokeng’s move to Belgian champions Royale Union Saint-Gilloise is exactly the kind of transfer South African football should be celebrating. It represents ambition, belief and the willingness to step outside his comfort zone in pursuit of greatness.

Mofokeng must stay the course

Mofokeng must never find himself falling into the trap that has caught far too many South African footballers who have made the move abroad. Too often, players return home before they have truly given themselves a chance to succeed.

They come back to the familiar surroundings of the PSL, where life is comfortable, the language and culture is familiar to them, and they are already recognised wherever they go.

The PSL remains one of the strongest and best-paying leagues on the continent, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, for the country’s brightest talents, it should be viewed as a launchpad rather than the final destination.

I won’t mention names, but there has been a recurring pattern of Bafana Bafana players struggling to cope with the realities of living and playing in a foreign country.

Football is more demanding, expectations are higher and nothing is handed to you. Success requires patience, resilience and a willingness to fight through difficult periods. That is why I hope we don’t see Mofokeng back in the PSL anytime soon, regardless of how challenging things become in Belgium.

The 21-year-old is leaving behind everything that has made him comfortable. He is entering an environment where nobody owes him anything and where he must prove himself all over again.

It will be cold, lonely and frustrating. There will be moments of self-doubt, but those moments should strengthen his resolve rather than weaken it.

Coach Hugo Broos has already warned that Mofokeng may not feature regularly during his first six months in Belgium because the club could place him on a programme to improve his physical strength.

No need to panic

If that proves to be the case, neither the player nor the public should panic. Development is rarely linear, and patience will be essential. Equally, he shouldn’t lose his place in the Bafana squad, even if he is not playing every week.

Exposure to a higher standard of football and a demanding environment will ultimately make him a better player than regular football in his comfort zone. Few people realise just how close Mofokeng came to joining German powerhouse Bayer Leverkusen.

That alone should tell us how highly he is regarded beyond South Africa. If he remains patient and continues to develop, there is every reason to believe an even bigger move could follow in the future.

Credit must also go to Orlando Pirates for allowing him to spread his wings rather than standing in the way of his progress. As a patriot and someone who believes South Africa’s best talent should test itself at the highest level possible, I can only wish Mofokeng well.

His move should serve as a reminder to every young footballer in this country that real growth begins when you are prepared to leave your comfort zone behind.

Week Two of the Nairobi County Cricket Association (NCCA) Super Division 50-Overs League was defined by big hundreds, huge totals, and a change at the top!

Every Super Division match produced a century in week two, and two of them came in innings that completely swung the table.

Kanbis A Team took over from Ruaraka A Team as log leaders on Net Run Rate (NRR) despite the latter posting the biggest total of the weekend, while Ngara Sports Club saw their week one momentum fade.

Kanbis A dethrones Ngara to go top

Kanbis fired the statement of the week with a 189-run victory over hosts Ngara SC A.

Kanbis’ innings was headlined by Shrut Kalavadia, who smashed 150 off 122 balls, made up of 17 fours and 5 sixes at a strike rate of 122.95.

Kalavadia had excellent support. Skipper Dhiren Gondaria made a fluent 59 off 61 with 2 fours and 5 sixes, whilst Rakep Patel provided late fireworks with 49 off 28, including 4 fours and 3 sixes at a strike rate of 175.00.

Even Smit Patel’s 23 and Navneet Vora’s unbeaten 11 off 10 helped push Kanbis past 330. With that total, Kanbis not only beat Ngara but also boosted their NRR to +2.650 — enough to overtake Ruaraka at the top despite both teams being on 2 wins from 2 outings.

For Ngara, the loss exposed bowling frailties and dropped them to 5th with an NRR of -0.980.

Swamibapa crush Gymkhana by 170 runs

After a false start in week 1, which saw them lose to Ngara, Swamibapa were back in the groove, defeating Gymkhana by 170 runs. Gymkhana won the toss and put the Swamis in to bat.

Dhwanil Patel was named Best Batter for a superb 121 off 101 with 10 fours and 4 sixes, anchoring the innings. He got strong support from captain and opener Rushabh Patel with 29 off 31 and Sachin Gill’s 67 off 72 balls for a total of 313 for 7 in the allotted 50 overs.

Chasing the target, Gymkhana collapsed to 143/10 in 42 overs. Only Ali Shahid Butt’s 63 off 86 offered resistance. Swamibapa’s bowlers shared the wickets, with Sachin Gill starring again with 3 to earn Player of the Match. Veteran player Shem Ngoche and Jignesh Hirani took 2 each.

Ruaraka outgun SCLPS YL by 81 runs

Ruaraka stayed unbeaten after two weeks, treating fans to some exhilarating high-scoring antics in their 81-run victory over Shree Cutchi Leva Patel Samaj (SCLPS YL A) at Sir Ali grounds.

Omkar Ghule was destructive with 112 off 55, made up of 4 fours and 9 sixes at 203.64 SR. Ruaraka skipper Captain Nitish Hirani added a composed 90 off 112. SCLPS YL replied with 279/10, falling 81 runs short. Ruaraka sits second on 8 points and NRR +1.930.

Sikhs gore the Lions in Peponi

After a rather disappointing opening week, Sikh Union A recovered to defeat hosts Stray Lions by 5 wickets at Peponi. Stray Lions won the toss and elected to bat first, scoring 264 for 9 in 48.5 overs.

In reply, Sikhs made 267 for 5 in just 30.2 overs. Sikh Union skipper Sukhdeep Singh smacked 92 off 48, with Shubham Patel hitting 64 off 28.

With Kanbis and Ruaraka already clear, and Swamibapa climbing fast after their 170-run win, the title race is shaping up early.

Week 3 now becomes crucial for Ngara and Stray Lions to bounce back and for the chasing pack to close the gap. If batting form continues like this, expect more 300-plus totals and more hundreds next weekend.

So far, 7 centuries have been scored in just 2 weeks of action, and it looks like we are in for a batting feast in the coming weeks.

The batting has been dominated by the overseas stars, but some of our local stars like Rakep Patel, Dhiren Gondaria, and Sachin Gill continue to excel for their respective teams.

Parth Chandan’s 130-ball century wasn’t enough to secure Stray Lion A victory, as teammate Shubham Jadhav made a great contribution of 78 off 74 deliveries.

Division One results – Week Two

■Kenya Kongonis beat Legends CC A by 6 wickets
■Sir Ali B beat Obuya Academy A by 6 wickets
■Kanbis B beat Ngara Sports Club B by 152 runs
■Nrb Gymkhana B beat Swamibapa B by 5 wickets
■Samaj B beat Ruaraka by 181 runs
■Wolves A beat Sikh Union B by 60 runs

Top 5 standings after Week 2

1. Kanbis A Team – 2 Matches, 2 Wins, 0 Losses, 8 Points, NRR +2.650
2. Ruaraka A Team – 2 Matches, 2 Wins, 0 Losses, 8 Points, NRR +1.930
3. Swamibapa A Team – 2 Matches, 1 Win, 1 Loss, 4 Points, NRR +0.790
4. Sikh Union A Team – 2 Matches, 1 Win, 1 Loss, 4 Points, NRR +0.389
5. Ngara Sports Club A Team – 2 Matches, 1 Win, 1 Loss, 4 Points, NRR -0.980

The post Kenya: Kanbis snatch Nairobi County Cricket Association Super Division lead in Week Two thriller appeared first on SportsAfrica - Sports news | Live scores | Match highlights | Betting tips.

Brazil head coach Carlo Ancelotti has described their loss to Norway as the beginning of a “new adventure”.

The Brazilians journey in the World Cup came to an end after they suffered a 2-1 defeat in the Last 16 at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Norway will now go on to face England in the quarter-finals when they square off on Saturday.

Ancelotti admitted his side deserved more from their World Cup defeat to Norway, insisting they controlled the match for long periods before Erling Haaland proved decisive.

“I think we deserved to win the game,” Ancelotti told FIFA.

“We knew they could play that way; they tried to maintain the intensity of the game by retaining possession. We had the game under control for 70 minutes, but Haaland ended up deciding it.

“A defeat is the beginning of a new adventure.

“We have to keep improving, to find new ideas. It is not an end, it is the start of a new cycle.”

The post Ancelotti: This Is the Start of a New Cycle for Brazil appeared first on SportsClub.