Official: Sekhukhune announce Eric Tinkler is gone

Sekhukhune United have officially confirmed the departure of head coach Eric Tinkler, bringing an end to his time at the club after just over a year in charge.

The club announced on Wednesday that both parties reached a mutual agreement to part ways with immediate effect, closing a chapter that started with promise but lost momentum in recent months. truewildgame.com

Tinkler leaves Babina Noko after 13 months at the helm, during which he helped stabilise the team and guide them through a competitive period in the Betway Premiership.

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SEKHUKHUNE UNITED CONFIRM TINKLER EXIT

In a short statement, the club thanked the former Orlando Pirates and Cape Town City coach for his contribution and professionalism during his time in Limpopo.

“Sekhukhune United Football Club confirms that it has reached a mutual agreement with Head Coach, Mr Eric Tinkler, to part ways with immediate effect,” the club said.

His exit comes despite a recent 1-0 win over Magesi FC, but that result followed a difficult spell which included five league matches without a win and a Nedbank Cup exit to Milford FC.

FORM DIP PROVES COSTLY

Tinkler had initially made a strong impression after taking over in March 2025, with Sekhukhune enjoying a solid run that briefly put them in the conversation as outside title contenders.

However, the second half of the season told a different story.

Results became inconsistent, performances dipped, and the club slowly drifted away from their early-season targets of a top-three finish and CAF qualification.

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WHAT NEXT FOR SEKHUKHUNE UNITED?

With immediate effect, assistant coach Paulus Masehe has been placed in charge on an interim basis as the club looks to steady things in the final stretch of the campaign.

The focus now shifts to how Sekhukhune respond on the pitch , and who they turn to next in the dugout.

It’s all really very simple for the Lions – beat Connacht and they’re in the United Rugby Championship playoffs.

The teams meet at Ellis Park on Saturday (4pm) with plenty on the line for both sides.

Both teams are in the form of their lives and arguably playing the best rugby currently in the competition.

The Lions have gone five games at home without a defeat while Connacht from Ireland are on a six-game winning run.

The Lions are fourth on the points table with 48; Connacht are ninth with 44 … that is how close the teams are in the hunt for a top eight finish and a place in the quarter-finals.

Irish trip

A win on Saturday for Ivan van Rooyen’s men will secure them a place in the last eight for the first time in the competition.

A defeat for the Lions, though, against a Connacht team that is coming off a win against the Stormers in Cape Town and also desperate to keep on winning to keep alive their hopes of making it into the top eight, would be a huge setback.

For while they are well-positioned now, they still have to travel to Ireland to face Leinster and Munster in their final two games, and winning there won’t be easy.

It is for this reason that Lions assistant coach and former Springbok prop Julian Redelinghuys says Saturday’s 80 minutes will be crucial for the team’s entire season.

“A win against Connacht will secure us a top eight finish and a place in the playoffs. We’re not even thinking about a possible top four (to secure a home quarter-final), as Leinster and Munster will be very tough. We’re taking things game by game.

“Our focus isn’t on log positions … because we know Connacht are a bloody good team.

“They’ve beaten proper teams and have gone on a six-game unbeaten run in URC.”

It’s truly crunch-time for Van Rooyen and his charges. If they can take the best out of last week’s win against Glasgow, and stay focused on the task at hand, then they’ll have a good chance of securing the points and take the pressure off for their trip to Ireland.

Todd Blackadder believes NZ Rugby will struggle to stop its biggest stars from taking lucrative overseas deals between World Cups.

The former Crusaders coach says the trend is only growing, with elite All Blacks increasingly heading to Japan before returning home in time to push for World Cup selection.

That pattern has already played out with Richie Mo’unga and Shannon Frizell, who joined Blackadder at Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo after the 2023 World Cup and are now expected to return to New Zealand ahead of the 2027 tournament.

Ardie Savea has also spent time in Japan during the current World Cup cycle.

NZ Rugby still prevents the All Blacks coach from selecting overseas-based players full-time – unlike the Springboks under Rassie Erasmus, who has embraced foreign-based selections since 2018.

MORE: Am praises Boks’ overseas selection policy

Critics argue that competitions like Japan Rugby League One do not offer the same intensity as international rugby, but Blackadder disagrees.

“When you’ve got elite players playing at the highest level, they don’t drop their standards,” he said on the DSPN podcast.

“Ardie Savea is a class performer. He’s not going to drop his standards just by changing competitions, nor will the likes of Shannon Frizell and Richie Mo’unga.”

Blackadder also pointed to All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick as another example of a player whose standards never dip regardless of where he plays.

KURT-LEE: Japan stint sharpened my running game

Mo’unga and Frizell are set to return to New Zealand next season, boosting the player pool for future All Blacks selection.

But Blackadder warned that NZ Rugby must carefully balance its eligibility rules as the overseas pull continues to grow.

“For New Zealanders wanting to come home to play for their beloved team, it can only be a positive,” he said.

Photo: Koki Nagahama/Getty Images

The post All Blacks exodus ‘impossible to stop’ appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

The woes for South Africa’s Premier Soccer League (PSL) star Benson Mangolo have turned from bad to worse back home in Botswana.

Botswana’s Mochudi Centre Chiefs have terminated the contract of the on-loan Richards Bay FC defender Benson Mangolo.

In a statement dated Tuesday, 22 April 2026, the club owned by Kaizer Chiefs legend Stanton Fredericks cited repeated contractual breaches and ill-discipline as the grounds for the dismissal of the Zebras star.

“Mochudi Centre Chiefs Sporting Club confirms that the contract of Mr Benson Kitso Mangolo has been terminated with immediate effect,” reads the statement.

“The decision follows repeated breaches of contractual obligations and the club’s internal regulations. Despite prior disciplinary action, Kitso Mangolo failed to meet the standards of discipline, professionalism and commitment expected at the club.

Mangolo and controversies

“Management has determined that the employment relationship has irretrievably broken down, leaving no alternative but termination.”

The left-back rejoined the FNB Premiership side of Botswana in January 2026 on loan from the PSL side.

The 27-year-old is no stranger to controversy. Last year, his arrival in South Africa was marred by a scandal after he signed contracts with both Marumo Gallants FC and Richards Bay FC.

Now, the Motswana international has left the FNB Premiership giants before finishing his six-month loan spell.

Before firing Mangolo, Centre Chiefs had suspended him alongside fellow defenders Shanganani Nganda, Brian Tafhi, midfielders Monty Enosa and Laone Petros on disciplinary grounds.

What next now for the Zebras star?

Mangolo is expected to rejoin the Betway Premiership club in June. He had rejoined Centre Chiefs barely seven months into his one-year contract with Richards Bay FC.

Fredericks owns Centre Chiefs FC through his consortium, Stanton Fredericks Sports Group. The consortium signed a 15-year management contract.

The four-time Botswana champions have top players such as former SuperSport United forward Evans Rusike.

Coach Sylvester Booysen has revealed the reasons for Garsfontein’s giant-killing schools rugby success this season.

After opening their campaign with a 29-26 defeat to Jeppe, the Pretoria side beat Stellenberg 21-20 and Paarl Boys’ High 31-28 at the North-South Tournament before edging rivals Affies 38-34 in a thriller last weekend.

Booysen believes continuity has been key.

“I think what has helped us this season is that we kept some of our players from last year,” he told Rugby365.

“We had a couple of Grade 11s on our side last year, so the style of play we implemented has just filtered through the players.

“There hasn’t been a total overhaul; we haven’t changed much, but the players have just bought into the system.”

But more than tactics, Booysen points to mindset.

“For us, it’s all about belief, hard work and a never-say attitude,” he said.

That resilience was on full display against Stellenberg, where Garsfontein scored a converted try in the last play of the game to snatch victory.

Superb win that for Garsfontein over Stellenberg. Try at the death (scored wing Neil de Kock) and match winning conversion (flyhalf Ruan Fluks). Fantastic all round! pic.twitter.com/HZXsNDGiFn

— Adrian Slabbert (@adrian_slabbert) March 27, 2026

“If any team was behind against Stellenberg in that game, they probably would’ve accepted defeat, but we knew we could come back,” said Booysen.

“Against Affies, the late tackle by Dian van Aswegen says it all. That’s not something you can coach; it’s belief and playing for the team and community.”

ALSO: SA schools splash R6-million on 1st XVs

Garsfontein’s next challenge comes at the Wildeklawer Tournament in Kimberley, where they face Paul Roos on Friday (7pm) and Northwood on Monday (2pm).

FULL STORY

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