Wafalme Stars out of contention for African title after loss to Ghana

NAIROBI, Kenya, September 17, 2026 – The national men’s volleyball team continued their struggles at the Africa Nations Championships, losing 3-0 to Ghana in their second Pool A encounter in Tunis on Thursday afternoon.

Wafalme Stars, as was the case in their opener, fought bravely but ultimately went down 20-25 in the first set. chickenroadslot.pro

The same script unfurled in the second set where they went toe-to-toe with the West Africans, tying the score at 23-23 before the Ghanaians eventually surged ahead to triumph 25-23.

They started the ultimate set brightly, racing to a 6-4 lead before their opponents caught on, levelling the scores at 6-6, before surging ahead to 7-6.

Gideon Tarus’ charges would then play catch-up as the Black Stars upped the ante, completing a good day in office with a 25-20 victory in the last set.

Sharks skipper André Esterhuizen will be assisted by three co-captains during the 2026-27 season.

InfosG2, Vitality advance through contrasting Shanghai quarter-finalsG2 and Vitality advance in the Champions Shanghai upper bracket after wins, while 100 Thieves and Nongshim RedForce drop into the lower bracket. The post G2, Vitality advance th...Ouvrir →

Coach JP Pietersen has retained the Springbok centre as captain, with Emile van Heerden, Nick Hatton and Vincent Tshituka appointed as co-captains.

Esterhuizen, who was voted Players’ Player of the Year at last season’s Sharks Awards, will remain the team’s primary on-field leader.

Pietersen has also appointed Springbok prop Vincent Koch and loose forward Phepsi Buthelezi as club captains, with their roles focused on maintaining standards and accountability within the wider squad.

“André has been an outstanding leader for this team and I have absolute faith in him to keep setting that standard on the field,” Pietersen said.

“What makes this group special is the depth around him: Emile, Nick and Vincent Tshituka will share that responsibility as co-captains, while Vincent Koch and Phepsi Buthelezi will work alongside André and our coaching staff to drive standards and shared responsibility.”

SQUAD: Sharks go big for URC

While Esterhuizen and his co-captains will have primary responsibility for leadership on match day, Koch and Buthelezi will help drive the Sharks’ culture away from the field and provide a link between the players and team management.

“Every player in this squad has a leader close by, holding the same line,” Pietersen said.

“That means all of us – players and coaches alike – are accountable to one another. Nobody is above the standard; everybody is held to it equally. That is the culture our coaching team and this leadership group will drive throughout the season.”

2026-27 URC PREVIEW: Sharks

The Sharks begin their URC campaign against the Ospreys at Kings Park next Saturday.

The wait is almost over 🫡

9 days until the 2026/27 @Vodacom #URC season

Tension is building, the pack is hungry and the coast is ready to erupt

25 September — we’re coming in loud, proud and on the hunt #SharksRugbyClub #BlackWhiteForever #HollywoodbetsSharks… pic.twitter.com/rUBLd2r252

— Sharks Rugby Club (@SharksRugby) September 16, 2026

Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images

The post Four captains for Sharks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

The Stormers will not approach the Lions to demand Haashim Pead’s release, but the Cape club would be first in line if the scrumhalf becomes available.

Director of rugby John Dobson on Thursday confirmed that Pead remains under contract with the Lions and dismissed the figures being reported regarding his possible move to Cape Town as “hogwash”.

According to reports, talks between the Stormers and Lions over Pead joining the Capetonians were close to breaking down. The 21-year-old is contracted until 2028.

SQUAD: Stormers go back to the future

The Lions have reportedly demanded a record transfer fee of more than double the R800,000 paid for Siya Kolisi’s move to the Stormers.

“First, on the transfer-fee thing, the Siya thing is complete hogwash. We didn’t pay a transfer fee for Siya,” Dobson told reporters.

“Haashim is a guy we would like at the Stormers. He would like to come to the Stormers, but he’s under contract with the Lions. There are conversations happening, certainly not at the figures that have been quoted – nothing like that.

2026-27 URC PREVIEW: Stormers

“Sometimes I think we associate it with UK football, but in terms of paying transfer fees, it’s not really a culture that exists in rugby. I think sometimes a player can look to buy out his contract, or come to an arrangement with his union.

“Haashim’s employed by the Lions. We’re not going to the Lions and asking for Haashim Pead. We would love to have him if he were to become available, but whether he becomes available is a decision between him and the Lions.

“I don’t want to mislead you guys. There’s some smoke, but I wouldn’t say it’s a full-blown fire, because we’ve told Haashim we’d love to have him, but we absolutely want to respect his contract and arrangement with the Lions.

“If the Lions decide to release him and Haashim’s got that relationship with them, then I think we’d be at the front of the queue.”

SA URC TRANSFERS: Who’s in, who’s out

Dobson said the Stormers were happy with young scrumhalves Jayden Brits and Ezekiel Ngobeni, both named in a 56-man squad for the 2026-27 URC and Investec Champions Cup campaign.

André Warner, who featured in a pre-season clash against the Bulls last week, has been training with the team and could become available courtesy of a relationship with his US side, the Seattle Seawolves.

Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images

The post Dobbo clears up Haashim ‘smoke’ appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

The Vodacom Bulls have unveiled a formidable 55-man squad for the upcoming 2026/2027 Vodacom United Rugby Championship campaign, striking a potent balance between seasoned international firepower, strategic new recruits, and a crop of high-octane young talent. Headlining the group are 15 Springboks, bringing World Cup-winning experience, elite set-piece bite, and proven big-match temperament to […]

La République de Guinée est sur le point de voir lui échapper l’un de ses jeunes grands espoirs. Le milieu offensif germano-guinéen Bambasé Conté a été convoqué par le nouveau sélectionneur de l’Allemagne, Jürgen Klopp, pour la prochaine trêve internationale.

Ce jeudi, le nouvel entraîneur de la Mannschaft a dévoilé un groupe élargi de 44 joueurs, répartis en deux sélections, pour les quatre prochaines rencontres de Ligue des Nations de l’UEFA. Parmi les nouveaux visages figure Bambasé Conté, auteur d’un début de saison remarqué avec Hoffenheim. Le joueur de 23 ans fait notamment partie du groupe appelé à disputer les rencontres face aux Pays-Bas, le 24 septembre, et à la Grèce, le 27 septembre.

Une nouvelle qui pourrait constituer un coup dur pour le Syli National, alors que la Guinée risque de voir une nouvelle fois l’un de ses talents binationaux s’éloigner de sa sélection nationale. Pour autant, cette première convocation avec l’Allemagne ne signifie pas nécessairement que l’avenir international de Conté avec la Guinée est définitivement fermé.

Bambasé Conté, qui possède également la nationalité guinéenne selon nos informations, pourrait encore être éligible pour représenter le Syli National sous certaines conditions prévues par les règlements de la FIFA. L’instance internationale distingue notamment les convocations des apparitions effectives et encadre précisément les possibilités de changement d’association.

La Fédération guinéenne de football devra donc se montrer attentive à la situation du joueur et, surtout, maintenir le contact avec lui afin de préserver ses chances de le voir représenter la Guinée à l’avenir. La question des binationaux demeure en effet un enjeu important pour le football guinéen, qui a déjà vu plusieurs joueurs faire le choix d’autres sélections.

Pour Bambasé Conté, cette première convocation avec l’Allemagne constitue en tout cas une étape majeure dans sa carrière. Reste désormais à savoir si le milieu offensif poursuivra son parcours international avec la Mannschaft ou s’il décidera, à terme, de défendre les couleurs du Syli National.

A. Diouma Bah

The post Officiel : Bambasé Conté convoqué avec l’Allemagne appeared first on AFRICASPORT.ORG.