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Français (Afrique)Coupe du Monde 2026 – Barrages intercontinentaux : La Bolivie rejoint l’Irak en finale
La Bolivie a validé son billet pour la finale des barrages intercontinentaux de la Coupe du monde 2026 au terme d’un scénario renversant face au Suriname (2-1). Menée au retour des vestiaires, la sélection bolivienne a trouvé les sources mentales et offensives pour inverser la tendance et rester en vie dans ce tournoi décisif. La Bolivie a d’abord été surprise par l’ouverture du score de Liam van Gelderen (48e), qui a refroidi ses ambitions. Longtemps en difficulté face à une équipe du Suriname bien organisée, elle a toutefois su réagir dans le dernier quart d’heure. L’égalisation est venue de Moises Paniagua (72e), avant que Miguelito ne libère les siens sur penalty (79e), scellant un succès aussi précieux que disputé. Grâce à cette victoire, la Bolivie accède à la finale de sa voie, où elle retrouvera l’Irak, tête de série et directement qualifié pour ce dernier tour. Ce duel sera décisif : un seul match pour valider une présence en phase finale du Mondial. Le vainqueur connaît déjà son destin en cas de qualification. Il intégrera un groupe particulièrement relevé composé de la France, du Sénégal et de la Norvège. Pour la Bolivie, qui n’a plus participé à une Coupe du monde depuis 1994, l’occasion est historique. Après avoir montré du caractère face au Suriname, elle devra désormais confirmer face à une équipe irakienne solide pour espérer retrouver la scène mondiale et se mesurer à l’élite du football.
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SA sides must chase another clean sweep to keep URC play-off fate in own hands
All four South African franchises delivered bonus-point victories in Round 13 to shake-up the URC standings and tighten their grip on playoff positions.
Another clean sweep this weekend would put the local sides firmly in control of their own postseason fate.
A PERFECT WEEKEND SETS THE STAGE
The South African franchises did not just win in round 13, they made statements. The Lions put on the most commanding display, thrashing Edinburgh 54-17 at Ellis Park to climb to seventh on the standings. The Sharks delivered a 45-0 shutout against Munster at Kings Park, a result that breathed fresh life into their playoff push.
The Bulls bounced back from their demoralising defeat against the Stormers dismantle Cardiff 40-7 at Loftus Versfeld. The Stormers, meanwhile, ground out a hard-fought victory against the Dragons to move second on the table with 46 points, five behind log leaders Glasgow Warriors.
Twenty points from twenty possible. the local franchises could not have asked for a better round.
THE RACE TO EIGHT: STATE OF THE SA TEAMS
Only 15 points separate log leaders Glasgow from ninth-placed Connacht, with the pool phase drawing to a close.
The Bulls sit eighth with 35 points, level with Connacht immediately below them. The Sharks occupy 11th, six points adrift of the top eight, making this weekend’s results critical. The Stormers remain firmly in the hunt for a home quarter-final and could return to the top of the table with a bonus-point win and a Glasgow slip against Benetton.
The local franchises understand exactly what is at stake this weekend. With the play-off picture this tight, dropping points at home against visiting European sides would be costly.
HOME-GROUND ADVANTAGE AND THE PRESSURE THAT COMES WITH IT
The Sharks face Cardiff on Friday evening at Kings Park in what shapes as their most important home game of the season. Cardiff arrive stinging from their 40-7 hammering at the hands of the Bulls and will be determined to respond.
The Sharks have outscored Cardiff by 54 points in the competition so far, but they have conceded 83 points more than their visitors this season. A two-week overseas tour follows this weekend, giving the Durbanites every reason to build a winning platform before they leave home soil.
The Bulls host Munster at Loftus on Saturday, high in confidence from their recent run of results and a record of only two home defeats all season. By contrast, Munster have been inconsistent this year, and the Bulls’ attack has outperformed their Irish opponents across the campaign.
LIONS AND STORMERS TO FINISH THE JOB
The Lions head into into their clash against bottom-of-the-table Dragons at Ellis Park on Saturday on the back of three consecutive home wins. The Welsh visitors showed fight against the Stormers last weekend, going down by only eight points.
Lions will guard against any complacency. Should the Lions’ improving attack fire again, however, the Dragons face a difficult afternoon.
The Stormers close the weekend’s action against 13th-placed Edinburgh in Cape Town, entering the match as firm favourites. Edinburgh have lost four of their last five matches and arrive needing wins with bonus points in every remaining game just to keep their playoff hopes breathing.
All the statistics point in the Stormers’ direction, though Edinburgh’s desperation makes them a side the hosts cannot afford to take lightly. Another clean sweep would put South African rugby in a position it has never occupied before, four franchises controlling their own path to the URC knockout rounds.
Two ‘forgotten’ Springboks send message to Rassie
The last couple of years have been similarly challenging for both Faf de Klerk and Lukhanyo Am, who have both struggled with form and fitness at various times.
Since the Springboks’ last World Cup, Am has featured in just seven Tests – missing all of last season – while De Klerk has only made five appearances in the green and gold.
De Klerk is now 34-years-old, and no longer in the top three when it comes to the Springboks’ pecking order at scrumhalf, while 32-year-old Am has fallen behind Jesse Kriel and Canan Moodie at outside centre.
Springbok resurgence on the cards?
Although both World Cup winners have slipped out of the national picture to some degree, it has been noteworthy that the experiened backline duo have been finding some impressive form in Japan.
De Klerk just made a massive statement after a long injury layoff as he delivered a Man of the Match performance against the log-leading Kobelco Kobe Steelers, which included a first half hat-trick.
While there are signs that he could be getting back to his best in Japan, reports suggest he is “strongly considering” a move back to South Africa to join the Cheetahs at the end of this season to be closer to family, but which could also assist his pursuit for a Springbok recall.
Meanwhile, Am is currently in his first full season with the Dynaboars after leaving the Sharks late last year, and he has become a consistent starter and a stabilising force for a team that has had a bit of a rollercoaster season.
Some recent footage has shown the midfielder looking in good nick, with his silky smooth running and deceptive pace looking to be on show once again.
Considering his age, 32, there is no reason to believe he couldn’t still force his way back into the conversation for next year’s World Cup, and he was recently included in the latest virtual Springbok alignment camp squad.
All in all, Rassie Erasmus and his fellow coaches will be sitting up and taking notice of these energetic performances from Am and De Klerk that are certainly sending a clear message about their renewed ambitions.
Do you think these two players could still have something to offer the Boks?
Let us know by clicking on the comment tab below this article.
CAN attribuée au Maroc : le Sénégal affirme être "toujours champion d’Afrique"
La Fédération sénégalaise de football a tenu une conférence de presse jeudi à Paris pour détailler son recours devant le Tribunal arbitral du sport après le retrait du titre de champion de la CAN 2025. Pour ses avocats, la décision de la CAF d’attribuer le titre au Maroc est "grossière, absurde et irrationnelle". Ils espèrent que leurs arguments seront entendus, alors que les Sénégalais auront l'occasion de marteler qu'ils restent les champions d'Afrique lors d'un match samedi contre le Pérou.
SA Rugby: We listened to complaints about Springbok ticket prices
Last year in particular there was a widespread reaction to the prices of Springbok tickets, which also led to some home Tests that had large swathes of empty seats.
For example, last year’s July internationals saw some lower-range tickets prices at R200 and R350, but these were very limited and ultimately sold out in a flash.
Ultimately it meant that many in the ticket ‘queue’ had to accept being left with the only options ranging over R1000, and up to R3000, which was a similar case during the Rugby Championship.
The point was also made that although watching the Springboks has now become a premium experience, particularly as the team has achieved so much success over the last few years, there is also the risk of pricing out some supporters.
SA Rugby now take stock of Springbok ticket prices
Interestingly, as tickets are about to go on sale for the inaugural Nations Championship Tests in South Africa, there has been a reassurance from SA Rugby that there will be a larger number of ‘affordable’ tickets.
Tickets, priced from only R450 (England Test), R375 (Scotland Test) and R250 (Wales Test), will be on sale from 10h00 on Thursday, 2 April, only through Ticketmaster at https://springboks.tmtickets.co.za/.
Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby, said: “The excitement is really picking up for the Springboks’ international season with the announcement of the alignment camps and the 100-day countdown.
“We’re excited to welcome England back to South Africa for the first time since 2018, Scotland haven’t been here for 12 years and we last hosted Wales in 2022, so our supporters are in for a treat in July.
“We’ve taken notice of what people have been saying about ticket prices and we’ve changed the model to try and accommodate as many spectators as possible in the stadiums, while still fulfilling our need to fund our national teams and grow the game at all levels.”
Tickets, priced from only R250 per person, are already available for the Boks’ season opener against the Barbarians in Gqeberha on Saturday, 20 June – CLICK HERE.
Bok Nations Championship fixtures 2026:
Saturday 4 July: Springboks v England (Ellis Park, Johannesburg)
Saturday 11 July: Springboks v Scotland (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday 18 July: Springboks v Wales (Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban)