Wallabies edge Japan in Osaka heartstopper

Australia got new coach Les Kiss off to a winning start on Saturday with a nail-biting victory over Japan in a sweltering Osaka.

Wing Harry Potter, fullback Tom Wright, wing Max Jorgensen, flank Fraser McReight and prop Taniela Tupou all scored tries for the Wallabies in their narrow 35-32 win to take a 1-0 lead in the two-Test series.

Japan were looking for their first win over Australia and they set up a tense finale when captain Warner Dearns reduced the deficit to three points with two minutes left. playerbros.org

Kiss was leading the team for the first time after taking over from Joe Schmidt with just 14 months to go until they host the World Cup.

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Japan’s Ryunosuke Ito, a 21-year-old university student winning only his fourth cap at flyhalf, scored the opening try for the home team, who also got scores from Faulua Makisi and Kazuma Ueda.

ALSO: Fijian rugby player dies in Japan

The match started at a furious tempo despite the conditions and Japan took the lead with just over 10 minutes on the clock. Ito broke free and jinked past two Australian defenders to score his first try for his country.

The Wallabies hit back three minutes later when Potter picked up a loose ball and sauntered through the Japan defence. Australia then took the lead when Wright cantered home to score in the 26th minute.

The Wallabies were left temporarily short-handed when lock Miles Amatosero, making his first start for Australia, was yellow-carded for charging Dearns’ head with his shoulder.

Japan immediately made their advantage count when Makisi charged through for a try, which Takuro Matsunaga converted to even the score. Amatosero’s yellow was upgraded to a 20-minute red card seconds before the half-time hooter blew.

Australia restored their lead two minutes into the second half when Jorgensen crossed the line for a try. But Japan hit back again when Ueda finished off a quick passing move in the 45th minute. Matsunaga missed the conversion to leave the Wallabies two points ahead, and McReight stretched Australia’s lead with another try soon after.

Matsunaga kicked two penalties to bring Japan within three points until Tupou gave Australia a cushion.

Dearns crossed late to keep Japan in it but Australia held on for the win.

JAPAN – Tries: Ryunosuke Ito, Faulua Makisi, Kazuma Ueda, Warner Dearns. Conversions: Takuro Matsunaga (3). Penalties: Matsunaga (2).
WALLABIES – Tries: Harry Potter, Tom Wright, Max Jorgensen, Fraser McReight, Taniela Tupou. Conversions: Ryan Lonergan (4), Ben Donaldson.

– AFP

Photo: Paul Miller/Getty Images

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Le RC Lens poursuit sa préparation estivale avec une affiche face à Sunderland, ce samedi 8 août. Cette rencontre disputée à Bollaert-Delelis représente un nouveau test pour les Sang et Or avant le début de la saison officielle.

Le coup d’envoi est programmé à 10h00 GMT. Les deux formations profiteront de cette opposition pour effectuer leurs derniers réglages et donner du temps de jeu à plusieurs éléments de leurs effectifs.

Pour les supporters souhaitant suivre cette rencontre, le match sera diffusé sur Ligue 1+ et accessible également via Molotov.

The post Lens – Sunderland : sur quelles chaînes TV suivre le match en direct ? appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.

Beleaguered FIFA president Gianni Infantino has received some much-needed support after over a week of scathing criticism revolving around the now shelved private investment plan but there was again a call Friday for him to resign.

The 56-year-old Italian-Swiss lawyer’s position remains far from assured despite support from friends he has made during his 10 years in power, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and leading figures in South American football.

FIFA said it could raise up to $4.2 billion based on a valuation of $20 billion for a new commercial subsidiary, called the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which it proposed would run events such as the World Cup and Club World Cup.

However, old ties have been cut loose.

European football’s governing body, UEFA, who he served as secretary-general from 2009-16, is in open conflict with FIFA and on Thursday doubled down on last Saturday’s statement saying it no longer has “confidence” in Infantino.

UEFA repeated its threat of boycotting the World Cups and one of its member associations, the Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) called for Infantino to go immediately.

“We (NFF) are going to ask the FIFA president to resign now,” said its straight-talking president Lise Klaveness on Friday.

Infantino is nigh on certain not to heed such a call and carry on his campaign to be elected for a fourth and final term in Rabat next March.

Infantino, who had spent the past turbulent week amongst friends in Morocco who are co-hosting the 2030 World Cup, is for the moment the only candidate.

The deadline for nominations is November 18.

There is also a mechanism whereby an extraordinary FIFA congress can be called and a vote of no confidence in Infantino held.

Klaveness, also a lawyer, would be many people’s choice as a successor, and also the first woman to be head of world football.

However, Klaveness told AFP her personal ambitions had not played a role in demanding Infantino’s resignation.

“We’re not there yet,” said Klaveness.

“For us, it’s now about the issues I just mentioned, and not about particular individuals.

“It would be strange for me to start answering questions about myself, and that goes for everyone,” the 45-year-old added.

– ‘Public lynching’ –

North and Central America’s governing body CONCACAF’s president Victor Montagliani has been the most oft-cited name in terms of challenging Infantino.

CONCACAF — which includes the three co-hosts of the recent World Cup — had been along with UEFA the most brutal in their criticism of Infantino and called for “a comprehensive reckoning with this presidency”.

However, there has been radio silence from CONCACAF since the latest FIFA statement backing Infantino was issued late on Wednesday following an emergency meeting of senior directors in Morocco.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) had also been critical of the manner in which the plan had been handled but like CONCACAF kept its own counsel following the FIFA statement.

However Infantino, who has moved on to Colombia where he attended Friday’s inauguration of the country’s hard-right president Abelardo de la Espriella in Cali, is not without support.

Photos released by the Colombian Football Federation show a smiling Infantino standing alongside South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) president Alejandro Dominguez and the president of the Colombian federation, Ramon Jesurun.

CONMEBOL, which includes iconic federations such as Argentina and Brazil, had on Thursday expressed its “concern regarding the repeated unilateral actions taken” by FIFA.

However, on Friday, the CONMEBOL president told journalists “one cannot ignore the great work” done by Infantino.

“We must continue working for football through dialogue; it is not necessary to always agree,” Dominguez added.

Following the powerful Argentine Football Association (AFA) and the Paraguayan federation on Thursday, Infantino also received support Friday from the federations of Venezuela and Ecuador.

Mexico — one of the World Cup co-hosts — also swung behind him.

“The FMF (Mexican Football Federation) supports president Infantino’s leadership,” it said in a statement.

CAF’s executive committee “unanimously reconfirmed its support” for the FIFA president in a statement on Thursday.

The body’s decision will have pleased South Africa’s sports minister Gayton McKenzie, who had urged African football to resist what he called the “public lynching” of Infantino.

A Fijian rugby player with a Japanese second-division team has died after being taken to hospital with “symptoms consistent with severe heatstroke”.

Kyushu KV said that 26-year-old Saimoni Vunilagi was taken to hospital in the southern city of Fukuoka after a team practice on Monday, and died on Friday morning.

Temperatures reached a high of 35°C in Fukuoka on Monday.

Vunilagi, a back row forward who stood 1.96m and weighed 117kg, attended university in Japan and began his professional career in 2023.

“The players, staff, and all team associates are devastated by this sudden news,” the club said in a statement.

“Although Saimoni had only recently joined Kyushu KV, his generous spirit and powerful style of play had raised high hopes for his contributions in the upcoming season.

“We humbly pray for the repose of his soul and extend our heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family.”

Japan sweltered through its hottest summer on record last year and parts of the country have hit 40°C in recent weeks.

Close to 18,600 people were taken to hospital for heatstroke between 20 and 26 July, with 45 of them pronounced dead on arrival, according to the fire and disaster management agency.

Japan experiences about 1,300 heat-related deaths annually and is aiming to halve that number by 2030.

Three lions at a Tokyo zoo died from suspected heatstroke and others are under treatment, a spokeswoman said this week.

The country’s highest recorded temperature of 41.8°C was registered on 5 August 2025, in Isesaki, north of Tokyo.

Authorities have adjusted the timing of several cultural and sporting events in recent years because of the heat, including the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya, which held its final summer edition last weekend.

– AFP

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Cet été, Des refrains pour l'histoire revient pour une deuxième saison. Le principe est simple : raconter la grande Histoire à travers des chansons populaires devenues des repères collectifs. Derrière chaque morceau se cache un événement, une époque, un fait de société ou un pan de mémoire que ces chansons ont contribué à transmettre. Aujourd'hui, une chanson, « Africa Mia », de Las Maravillas du Mali, fruit du rapprochement entre le Mali et Cuba, deux pays qui, au temps de la guerre froide, partageaient un même idéal socialiste et anticolonial.