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Français (Afrique)Barrett: Bok hiding still hurts
The scars from the Springboks’ record win over New Zealand last year are still fresh in the All Blacks camp.
Flyhalf Beauden Barrett says the memory of the heavy defeat continues to hang over the team months later.
South Africa stunned the All Blacks 43-10 in Wellington in the Rugby Championship – the biggest victory the Springboks have ever recorded over their fiercest rivals.
MORE: Rennie relishes Greatest Rivalry showdown
For the players involved, the aftermath was unforgettable.
“There is a deep feeling of pain, almost like a deathly silence and a look that we (as players) gave each other after what we had experienced,” Barrett said on the Devlin Sports Podcast Network.
“The feeling in the dressing room was one of mourning. We feel those kinds of disappointing defeats more (than the supporters). There is for every player perhaps a specific match that was more disappointing, but as a player you can clearly remember the heavy feeling in the dressing room from those defeats that hurt the most.”
The defeat eclipsed South Africa’s previous record victory over New Zealand – the famous 35-7 thumping at Twickenham before the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
ALSO: ‘Touring SA bigger challenge than Lions series’
Barrett now hopes the All Blacks will have the chance to respond when the two giants meet again later this year in the Greatest Rivalry tour.
New Zealand will be in South Africa between August and September, with the old foes set to clash in three Tests on South African soil before a fourth meeting in the United States.
Whether Barrett will be part of that squad remains to be seen, with new All Blacks coach Dave Rennie set to decide on his selections.
Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry is reignited.
pic.twitter.com/J1WCrV2Bh9
— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) October 16, 2025
Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour fixtures
Friday, 7 August: vs Stormers, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Tuesday, 11 August: vs Sharks, Kings Park, Durban
Saturday, 15 August: vs Vodacom Bulls, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Saturday, 22 August: vs Springboks, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Tuesday, 25 August: vs Lions, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Saturday, 29 August: vs Springboks, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town
Saturday, 5 September: vs Springboks, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg
Saturday 12 September: vs Springboks, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore
Photo: Joe Allison/Getty Images
The post Barrett: Bok hiding still hurts appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Aussie rising star snubs Ireland
Highly rated tighthead prop Massimo De Lutiis has turned down a “life-changing” offer from Ireland and committed his future to Australian rugby.
The 22-year-old scrum machine, who is eligible for Ireland through his mother, had attracted strong interest from Ulster and the Irish RFU. But after weighing up his options, De Lutiis has signed on for another three years with the Queensland Reds.
“I had a lot to weigh up. I spent a good week or two going through it and it was a bit stressful,” De Lutiis said of the Ireland opportunity.
“I definitely feel like a weight has been lifted with this decision. Now I’m locked in, I can focus on the next three years in Australia.”
MORE: Wessels calls for poaching payback
The powerful prop – who stands 1.88m tall and weighs 126kg – has already twice been called into the Wallabies camp, although injury prevented him from featuring.
A major factor in his decision was the opportunity to chase a place at the next World Cup on home soil.
De Lutiis said he had asked himself: “Did I want to be potentially playing in front of family and friends at a home World Cup next year?
“Even if I don’t, it would be amazing to be around a tournament like that with the huge support that’s out there.”
ALSO: Former Wallabies ‘Iceman’ calls time
Rugby Australia director of high performance Peter Horne described the decision as a major win for the game in Australia.
“Massimo has been the subject of interest from overseas clubs and unions, and we are delighted he has chosen to commit to the Reds and Australian Rugby for the next three years,” he said.
– AFP
Photo: Joe Allison/Getty Images
The post Aussie rising star snubs Ireland appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Zambia clubs still receiving grants – Mweemba
The Football Association of Zambia (FAZ) President Keith Mweemba has come out to clarify his administration has not abandoned the distribution of grants and equipment to clubs, dismissing claims suggesting otherwise.
Mweemba’s remarks come in the wake of concerns from some stakeholders that the Southern Federation had stepped back from supporting clubs and structures on the ground.
Speaking during the FAZ Copperbelt Province Annual General Meeting in Kitwe on Tuesday, Mweemba said such assertions are misplaced and do not reflect what is happening at FAZ.
FAZ putting in place structured systems
“I am aware of the concerns regarding grants and the distribution of equipment. Let me state clearly that it is inaccurate to suggest that this administration has neglected these responsibilities,” Mweemba said.
Mweemba further said FAZ is putting in place a more structured and transparent system that will ensure support reaches intended beneficiaries in a consistent manner.
Mweemba, however, called for patience from stakeholders as a new approach to dealing with grants and equipment is being developed. He also took time explain the broader rebuilding effort for all national teams, adding that the focus will be on strengthening local capacity.
“During this process, we need to all agree to place our trust in local expertise and invest in building the capacity of our local coaches at all levels,” he said.
He further called for unity in the game, saying progress will only come if stakeholders work together and resolve differences through dialogue.
“My call for unity in football will not fade,” Mweemba said.
Meanwhile, FAZ Copperbelt Province chairperson Patrick Ndhlovu said the province continues to lead by example in football administration.
Ndhlovu said the Copperbelt has remained organised even during elections, earning recognition for maintaining order and proper systems.
Carburant : le gouvernement instaure l'état d'urgence énergétique
L'état d'urgence énergétique est instauré sur l'ensemble du territoire malgache pour une durée de quinze jours, à la suite d'une décision prise en Conseil des ministres ce mardi 7 avril 2026. Cette mesure exceptionnelle intervient dans un contexte de crise énergétique marquée par un déséquilibre entre l'offre et la demande, aggravé par les répercussions de la situation géopolitique internationale, notamment au Moyen-Orient.
Selon les autorités, cette situation perturbe fortement le fonctionnement des services publics essentiels et impacte directement les activités économiques du pays. Les ménages en subissent également les conséquences au quotidien, avec des difficultés croissantes liées à l'accès à l'énergie. Le gouvernement justifie ainsi le recours à l'état d'urgence par la nécessité de garantir la continuité des services de base et de préserver la stabilité nationale.
Ce dispositif permet à l'État de mobiliser rapidement des moyens exceptionnels afin de faire face à la crise d'approvisionnement en énergie. L'objectif affiché est de rétablir progressivement l'équilibre du secteur tout en assurant la sécurité énergétique du pays, considérée comme un enjeu stratégique majeur pour la souveraineté nationale.
Dans ce contexte déjà tendu, l'Office malgache des Hydrocarbures (OMH) a publié, dimanche 5 avril 2026, les prix maxima des carburants applicables à la pompe pour le mois d'avril. Fait notable, ces tarifs sont restés inchangés par rapport au mois précédent, malgré l'instabilité du marché international du pétrole. Les prix annoncés sont les suivants : le super carburant (SP95) est fixé à 4 900 ariary le litre, le pétrole lampant à 3 510 ariary le litre, et le gasoil à 4 660 ariary le litre.
Cette stabilité tarifaire soulève des interrogations, dans la mesure où la politique économique malgache repose en principe sur la « vérité des prix », c'est-à-dire un ajustement en fonction des fluctuations du marché mondial. Certains observateurs estiment ainsi que l'État aurait déjà amorcé une forme de régulation des prix afin de contenir les impacts de la crise, avant même la proclamation officielle de l'état d'urgence énergétique.
L'approbation du décret par le Président de la République et la Haute Cour Constitutionnelle confère à cette décision un cadre légal solide. Reste désormais à observer les mesures concrètes qui seront mises en œuvre dans les prochains jours pour atténuer les effets de cette crise et répondre aux attentes de la population.
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Smash community angry after pro claims Melee is competitive, Ultimate is casual
While Super Smash Bros. is often seen as a united esports scene from the outside, there has always been a bit of tension between Melee and Ultimate players. The two games cannot be more different, and their players are different as well. Recently, the FGC noted that Melee players seem to have a “superiority complex” over Ultimate players, sparking debate among pros.
The original meme started in late March 2026, with one someone tweeting: “A lot of Melee players have a huge superiority complex over Ultimate players for playing Melee, I’m noticing.”
Someone quoted the tweet and said: “A lot of chess players have a huge superiority complex over checkers players, I’m noticing.”
The gist? Melee is way more complex than Ultimate. While Ultimate is newer and more popular – especially among younger players – it’s often seen as far less technical and much more forgiving.
Melee vs. Ultimate: Is One More Competitive Than the Other?
New York Fox main Dawud “Aklo” Rahman weighed in on the discourse on April 5th, 2026. After winning plenty of tournaments in Melee and Ultimate, he felt he could provide valuable insight. But the FGC was not happy.
“Ultimate is a pretty fun game casually. But it’s one of the least competitive games I’ve seen played competitively. That’s not to say you can’t get good at the game — it’s just that getting good at Ultimate often rewards some sort of degen jank or not interacting, whereas getting good at Melee often rewards difficult execution,” he said.
“Not only does the game lack competitive mechanics, but it actually has anti-competitive mechanics. The input lag is abysmal. There is noticeably more input lag than in Smash 4, and the game has double the input lag of Melee AT BEST.”
He concluded: “The next up-and-coming Ult player will be another 13-year-old ‘prodigy’ who mains Minecraft Steve anyway. Melee is one of the most technical fighting games with a dedicated fanbase and a captivating history. Competitive platform fighting games at the scale in which know them today would not exist without SSBM.
“If Melee is fun to you, play it. If Ultimate is fun to you, play it. But let’s not lie to ourselves lol.”
The response? Ding, ding, ding: angry Smash players! Many people felt he was “putting down” Ultimate players and showcasing “elitism.” Others felt that games don’t have to be overly technical to be competitive.
And some didn’t even feel Melee was superior at all. One guy wrote: “A game that was rushed in 11 months and accidentally became competitive with hundreds of glitches while breaking thousands of people’s hands is not a better ‘competitive’ game.
“It is better for a small group of elitists, while Ultimate is better competitively for a broader audience.”
Melee Has a Better Competitive Scene
Both Melee and Ultimate are competitive, just in different ways. Just because Ultimate has more viable characters and fewer technical inputs doesn’t mean skill isn’t required to come out on top at a tournament. Everyone is playing the same game, so you gotta play it better. That’s competition.
However, I think the Ultimate esports scene is not as exciting. Aklo is right about one thing: Steve. I’ve watched many Majors where the Top 8 was made up of random teenage Steve players rather than well-known pros. You can argue that’s good all you want, but it’s boring to watch. I have actually left a few times.
Meanwhile, Melee has older players who have been around for years. Decades for some. There are intense rivalries, exciting career arcs, intense matchups, crazy upsets, and players always doing insane things to push the boundaries of a 20-year-old game. It’s just incredible to watch. There is nothing else like it in all of esports. They’re doing it for pure grit and passion.
The Ultimate scene has become more diverse lately, now that Japan travels internationally. Although some may argue that it’s usually just Japanese players in the Top 8’s now. But I love Mr. Game & Watch, so I don’t mind it! What I was going to say, however, is that Ultimate has still lost its overall magic. The scene’s hype is dwindling.
But Super Smash Bros. 6 is coming, which is part of the reason. This will re-energize the new-gen scene for sure. Through it all, however, Melee will be there. It sticks around no matter how many new Smash are made. But again: I’m just saying Melee is more exciting to watch. I’m not saying Ultimate is not competitive. The competition is just a bit more boring to watch.
The post Smash community angry after pro claims Melee is competitive, Ultimate is casual appeared first on Esports Insider.