Confident Edinburgh ready to thrive as underdogs
Wes Goosen is backing Edinburgh to thrive as underdogs and says they take momentum and a "good vibe" into the URC play-offs.Sean Everitt's side squeezed into the top eight with wins away to Connacht and at home to Ulster in their final two matches.Now they face a trip to face Bulls in South Africa in the quarter-finals, but full-back Goosen believes his side's late-season form provides plenty of hope."I feel like we had a lot to prove and a lot to play for in the last three, four, five weeks, so the momentum's good and there's a good vibe in the camp," the full-back said."We've basically been playing finals rugby for the last six, seven weeks. And you get confidence and belief from that as a team, getting close and getting those victories."I think it's very dangerous in sport when a team's got a lot of confidence."I quite like to be seen as an underdog when people are overconfident, maybe, or just don't take us fully serious."But I think we know, as a team, we're getting better. And I think we can definitely compete with the best, we have been shown it."Edinburgh's previous visit to Bulls ended in a 22-16 defeat last September but they defeated the South Africans 34-28 at home in the Challenge Cup quarter-final last month."It's going to be a big task, it's going to be physical, it's going to be tough in the altitude," Goosen said of the trip to Pretoria."But we played them here not too long ago and we really dominated the first half."If we can do that in their backyard, it's going to be a tough game for them. If we do what we do well, then we can win. We're just going to stay in it and give it our best."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Terrifying moment bouncy castle takes off in freak wind flying 40ft into air sending children plunging back to earth
THIS is the shocking moment a freak wind sent a bouncy castle soaring 40 feet up into the air, injuring two children. It unfolded at a fundraising day at a school in South Africa, where an unexpected gust flicked the castle into the sky. 5 5 5 Brief footage of the incident shows the large bouncy castle taking off as stunned onlookers scream in horror. Instead of dropping back down to earth, the inflatable continues to spiral upwards over Laerskool Protearif primary at Krugersdorp. But the most heart-stopping moment comes when two kids fall out of the floating castle. Terrified parents scramble to break their fall as they drop from the inflatable, no longer able to cling on. While the onlookers managed to form a human crash mat, the two kids are still reported to have been seriously injured. One of the children is understood to have suffered a fractured skull, and the other a broken arm. The bouncy castle later landed around 50 feet from where it took off. It is not known if any other children were on board at the time of the incident. A statement on the school's Facebook page confirmed that two kids had been taken to hospital following the incident. The fundraising event was attended by more than 1,000 parents, pupils and friends last Saturday. The school's statement reads: "It is with great gratitude that we are happy to share the very good news with you. "The two children who sustained injuries during the fracture accident at the Protea festival on Saturday were discharged from hospital on 31/5 and 3/6 respectively. "The necessary trauma-counselling was given to both children, as well as to their co-learners, who experienced the event and thank you all for standing together. "We thank you very much for everyone's positive support, help and prayers." The school, which has 620 pupils aged 6 to 13, previously hit headlines in 2017 when a tornado blew off its roof and destroyed its buildings. An eyewitness of the bouncy castle takeoff said: "When they fell I thought they were dead. "I was watching from a food stall with my girls when I heard screaming and turned around and just saw this blue, green and red thing shooting up to the heavens. "Then there was a huge scream when first one child and then another fell out but of all the places they could have landed it was right over a group of parents below. "They reached up their arms to try to catch the falling children and undoubtedly saved their lives or saved them from much worse injuries by cushioning them. "It was not a very windy day but it seemed this huge gust just came from nowhere and it was said the bouncy castle had not been secured to the ground." It is unclear from the footage if the bouncy castle had been securely tethered ahead of the incident. Melissa Vere Russel of ABC Jumping Castles, which was not the company used, said: "In high gusts a bouncy castle can act like a parachute and the wind can carry it away. "All castles are manufactured with mechanisms to secure them to the ground and failing to anchor them properly could end in disaster and could be fatal." It comes after an Australian bouncy castle operator was found not guilty of failing to comply with safety laws after the tragic death of six children in Tasmania when strong winds blew an inflatable into the air. The horror incident happened in 2021 when a bouncy castle was blown three feet into the air and landed in a tree 160 feet away. Six children died and three others were seriously injured. But owner of operator Taz-Zorb Rosemary Gamble was cleared of breaching work safety laws after the tragedy was ruled to be "due to an unprecedented weather system that was impossible to predict and avoid". Angry parents reportedly shouted at the bouncy castle owner after the verdict. Gamble's lawyer read a statement on her behalf, saying: "I never meant for something like this to happen. And I am just so sorry that it did. "I am a mother. I can only imagine the pain that other parents are living with each and every day because of this terrible thing that happened. "Their loss is something I will carry with me for the rest of my life." 5
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Stuart Broad to help out South Africa bowlers but not interested in coaching job
Stuart Broad is set to dip his toes into coaching with South Africa next week but the former England fast bowler has no interest in taking on a permanent role right now. Broad will join the Proteas as a consultant for the day on Monday, working with their pacemen in preparation for the World Test Championship final against defending champions Australia at Lord's. His media commitments as a Sky Sports cricket expert mean he will not be part of their backroom staff at the home of cricket for the one-off winner-takes-all match, which gets under way next Wednesday. As for whether this could be the precursor to something more substantial, Broad rejected the notion out of hand, highlighting the onerous commitments such a job entails. He told the PA news agency: 'I enjoy talking about bowling, it's what I probably know most about, but I don't want the level of travel that full-time coaching brings at the moment. 'I want to stay connected to the game. The game moves forward so quickly; being around young players is really good. 'It's not just for your knowledge on the game but also for your punditry as well – understanding what new players are looking at to develop their game.' Broad is the fifth most prolific Test bowler ever with 604 Test wickets, while only great friend and long-time opening bowling partner James Anderson, with exactly 100 more, is above him among Englishmen. Lord's was a happy hunting ground for Broad with 113 Test wickets at an average of 27.66 and nobody has taken more Australia scalps in the format than the 38-year-old's 153. It is no surprise it was South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad who approached Broad, who will pass on tips to Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen about dealing with the notorious Lord's slope. Broad, who retired from playing at the end of the 2023 Ashes, said: 'I certainly wouldn't be going in and talking about individuals' actions before one of the biggest games of their careers. 'It's very much about the tactics of that particular ground and the nuances which that slope brings. A lot of overseas bowlers can sometimes take a spell to get used to playing there. 'I'll just have conversations with a few of their guys on field placements and how to settle and just the differences that Lord's can bring to different bowlers.' As for whether he will be clad in a South Africa tracksuit, Broad said: 'I don't have a clue. I won't buy one from a club shop. I'll be turning up in my casuals and see where we go.' The opportunity gives Broad another crack at Australia, with whom he had a long and storied history. However, Broad added: 'I hadn't really considered that. Their team has changed a little bit since I last played. 'Although I'm doing a bit of work with South Africa, I'm commentating on the game, so I'm not leaning one way or the other.' :: Watch all five England-India Test matches live on Sky Sports Cricket and NOW from June 20th.
Reuters
11 hours ago
- Reuters
New Zealand name South African Walter as new coach in all formats
June 6 (Reuters) - South African Rob Walter was appointed New Zealand coach in all formats on Friday in the wake of Gary Stead's decision to stand down after seven years in charge. Stead announced on Wednesday that he would be leaving the job of test coach at the end of the month, having already relinquished the short format roles in April. Walter, 49, was most recently coach of South Africa's one-day international and Twenty20 teams but knows New Zealand cricket well after stints in charge of provincial teams as well as his time overseeing a Black Caps "A" tour of India in 2022. "The Black Caps have been a successful and highly-regarded team on the world scene for some time now and it's a real privilege to be given the chance to add to that," Walter said in a New Zealand Cricket statement. "It's an amazing opportunity to work with such a talented group of players and support staff through a period of time in which so many global events, as well as massive bilateral series, will be contested." Walter, who led South Africa to the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup and final of last year's Twenty20 World Cup, is contracted through to the end of the 2028 World Cup, which New Zealand is co-hosting with Australia. "Rob is a world-class coach with an outstanding pedigree," said NZC chief executive Scott Weenink. "His success in New Zealand's domestic game, combined with his recent achievements on the global stage with South Africa, makes him the ideal candidate to lead the Black Caps." New Zealand's next international matches come in July at the start of their tour of Zimbabwe, where they will play two tests and a Twenty20 tri-series also involving South Africa.
