Latest news with #AshfakMohamed
The Star
a day ago
- Sport
- The Star
High work-rate vital for Bulls to stop up-tempo Leinster in their tracks in URC final, says Marcell Coetzee
Ashfak Mohamed | Published 2 hours ago The Bulls opened the scoring in both their previous United Rugby Championship finals and lost. So, perhaps the Pretoria side should let Leinster grab the early lead in Saturday's title decider at Croke Park in Dublin (6pm SA time kick-off) if they want to enjoy a case of third time lucky. But having endured the heartache of two defeats, such experiences would have given them the necessary knowledge to handle a similar situation against Leinster this weekend. Perhaps being written off by everyone outside Pretoria may also spur on Jake White's team. But while emotion – Cornal Hendricks' passing will also inspire the Bulls – has a place in a final, it is also about ensuring that you heed the lessons from the past. So, the visitors cannot afford to let an early lead slip this time, or concede yellow cards, like they did in the semi-final win over the Sharks last week. 'I think if I take that first final (18-13 defeat against the Stormers), think we scored off the bat probably like three, four minutes in the game,' loose forward Marcell Coetzee said from Dublin on Wednesday. 'So, we had a good start in the game and we were going well at first, but it just showed you (that) you can't rely on those moments. 'I thought we just might have missed the kicking game in that second half particularly. And that's how we let the Stormers in that day. They used the opportunities. We had a man down in the bin as well. 'And then the second game (last year's 21-16 loss to Glasgow), again great start, and we built on that. But you can't let the opposition in. That's what I meant by soft moments. 'You can't let them really in, and then let them get the ascendancy and momentum. 'It's going to come down to moments, and how we manage it and how calm and collected in control we are. It's all about managing that. 'That comes with experience, and I think over the course of the seasons, that's really been very beneficial for our team.' Coetzee may be asked to pack down at No 8 in the absence of the injured Cameron Hanekom on Saturday, and it shouldn't be an issue for the 34-year-old to fulfil. His energetic ball-carries and high work-rate on defence will be vital if the Bulls hope to stop the relentless Leinster attack. The Irish giants love to stretch the opposition defence early on, and the South Africans will have to be wide awake to prevent conceding points in the opening quarter. At the same time, they need to impose themselves on proceedings as well and force Leinster to make a lot of tackles too. That's where Coetzee, Cobus Wiese and Jan-Hendrik Wessels need to front up with ball-in-hand to create holes for dangerous backs such as David Kriel and Canan Moodie. 'That's the uniqueness about the Leinster team. When they get it right on the day, they can really light it up. That's part of our job,' Coetzee said. 'We need to nullify it as best as possible by certain things we identified. Look, I think there's a time and a place for everything. 'It's all about playing in the right areas. 'There will be times where we want to make the game quick and controlled and tempo, but there's also times to settle it and see where we can go from here, being composed and having good management on the day. 'Playing against a quality side like Leinster, you can't afford to have one guy or two guys in the bin. 'You need all the feet on the pitch, and it's going to take a work-rate to stop their onslaught. 'You don't want to let the guy next to you down by being reckless and stuff. 'That and soft moments we need to cut out in our game, and just building on our DNA that's been working for us this whole season.'
The Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Can young bucks spark Rassie Erasmus' Springbok ‘Dad's Army' for 2027 World Cup?
Ashfak Mohamed | Published 2 hours ago Ruck&Maul Column Some of the Sharks' Springbok stars were heavily criticised on social media following the United Rugby Championship semi-final defeat to the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld last weekend. Centre Lukhanyo Am bore the brunt of the fall-out after he had a nightmare in Pretoria, with a number of uncharacteristic handling errors in particular blighting his performance. But does that mean that Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus must now 'throw the baby out with the bathwater' when it comes to Test selection in 2025? In fact, Erasmus has a lot to ponder on during this week's camp in Johannesburg, as there are still three international seasons to complete before he picks his final squad for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. There is a definite possibility of a Bok 'Dad's Army' rocking up Down Under, and it is something that Erasmus needs to be mindful of over the next few years. It is not necessarily a bad thing having several experienced campaigners who have won two consecutive World Cups – like England in their 2003-winning campaign in Australia, and who also made the 2007 final in France – and being loyal to warriors who have produced decisive contributions in the toughest moments over the last six years. But it is about getting the mix just right between the old dogs and the new young bucks for Australia 2027. That is perhaps something the Sharks haven't done over the last few years, as they may have contracted too many top-tier Boks such as Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Bongi Mbonambi and Ox Nche all at once. They can't be expected to be at their best for virtually 12 months of the year, considering the fact that the Boks start their Test season after the URC, and then go straight into the Rugby Championship – a period that should be their off-season, as the northern-hemisphere players enjoy every year. But the age of some stalwart Boks can't be ignored when looking to 2027. Willie le Roux is turning 36 in August and is probably just going to earn a deserved 100th cap before leaving the Test arena. Makazole Mapimpi will be 35 in July, and even though he's playing great rugby at the moment, he will be 37 in 2027. Kolisi will celebrate his 34th birthday next Monday (Youth Day), Etzebeth will be 34 in October – and has sustained a few concussions and other injuries – Mbonambi turned 34 in January, Am will be 32 in November, Handré Pollard turned 31 in March, Jesse Kriel was 31 in February, Damian de Allende will be 34 in November, Pieter-Steph du Toit will be 33 in August... and so we can go on. So, with the 54-man squad announced by Erasmus last week for the upcoming matches against the Barbarians, Italy and Georgia, it is clear that he is looking to the future as well. Many of the new faces have already proved that they can become Test stars, such as flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and fullback Aphelele Fassi. And Erasmus has stated that some of the fresh blood – like UCT wing Ntokozo Makhaza – won't necessarily play this year, but just get used to the Bok environment. Erasmus' hand may be forced in certain positions, though – and that is also down to the 'new' players having to take their opportunities this year. Wilco Louw has been outstanding since rejoining the Bulls, and has surely become the first-choice Bok tighthead – even if Frans Malherbe had to be fit. Hooker is not a clear-cut selection either. Malcolm Marx may edge out Mbonambi for a starting berth, but where does Jan-Hendrik Wessels fit into the front row, having been a destructive force at loosehead prop as well for the Bulls? With Etzebeth's injury concerns and Salmaan Moerat sustaining another concussion in the URC quarter-final, who are the No 4 lock alternate options? Cameron Hanekom's injury in the URC semi-final has reopened the door for Evan Roos, but will the Stormers man get a proper chance to establish himself? Will Feinberg-Mngomezulu be backed as the No 1 flyhalf, or will Pollard start against the All Blacks in September? At least Erasmus has the July Tests and the two Australian Rugby Championship encounters to find answers to these questions...
The Star
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Star
Jake White: D-Day for Bulls to show how good they are in Leinster URC final
Ashfak Mohamed | Published 1 hour ago Whatever has happened in the past won't count for much for the Bulls in Saturday's United Rugby Championship final against Leinster in Dublin. That was the word from Bulls boss Jake White yesterday as he addressed the Irish media ahead of the title decider at Croke Park (6pm SA time kick-off). The Pretoria side have come up short twice in the URC, losing the 2022 final to the Stormers in Cape Town, and then going down 21-16 to Glasgow at Loftus Versfeld last year. But White doesn't feel that losing two previous finals will have any effect on this weekend's game against the Irish giants. One could argue that Leinster are in a similar boat, having failed to clinch the URC crown since the South African teams joined the competition. They lost in the Champions Cup semi-finals this season as well, so coach Leo Cullen and his team will also be hungry for silverware this weekend. 'To be fair, it's completely different teams, competitions, venues, different time of the year... People can look at it and say this team loses semis, this team loses finals. This team has a lot of Irish players... It's irrelevant, it doesn't matter,' White said after training in Dublin yesterday. 'It doesn't make any difference. I generally don't believe that any coach ever talks about what happened 20 years ago. 'This group of players have probably far exceeded expectations of anybody in the last four years. 'We've made three finals, and the average age of our team over the last four years has been the youngest of most teams in the competition. 'Many of the teams we play are laden with internationals, who play in front of big crowds and in big stadiums in pressure situations, which define players who are good enough. 'I'm not saying that we're not aware that we've had three finals, but we are also very aware that we have exceeded what everyone has expected, and we have probably batted above our weight for a long time. 'Hopefully this game will be the one where we will learn from the two other opportunities we had to win this competition.' The Bulls actually have an excellent record against Leinster, having only lost once (in 2021) in five matches. That includes two semi-finals – one each in Ireland and South Africa – as well as their most recent encounter in Pretoria, where the Bulls edged it 21-20 against an inexperienced Leinster outfit without most of their Test stars. But with the URC trophy up for grabs in front of what is going to be a sizable crowd in excess of 40,000 fans in the 82,300-capacity Croke Park, the Bulls will need to count on experienced hands such as Willie le Roux, Marcell Coetzee, captain Ruan Nortjé and dynamite prop Wilco Louw to lead the way. They certainly have the firepower to go toe-to-toe with Leinster, with Springboks such as Canan Moodie, Embrose Papier and Jan-Hendrik Wessels all in fine form at the moment, even though White confirmed that star No 8 Cameron Hanekom is out injured. ' You try and put people under pressure. And we're under pressure too. There's our third final, people will say,' White said. 'So, you know, the Bulls' argument (will) say, we lost one (last year's final) at home that people expected us to win. So, it depends which side of the coin you look at. 'But rugby is never going to change. We're going to have to put teams under pressure. 'If they start well, you're going to make sure you catch up. If you start well, they're going to make sure they catch up. 'They're a quality team, guys. I know you guys (Irish media) are harsh on them, and I read in between the lines. 'And yes, the expectation is... They're still a very, very well-coached team. And they're still a very, very... how can I put it to you? A team that's revered by the teams in the competition. 'And if you want to win the comp, I've said it from day one, when I saw them get a good start, five points, five points, five points... 'My message for the last four months, five months, is if you think you're good enough to beat Leinster away, then you've got to win all these games to get to the final, which we've now done. 'And now the question I'll ask them this week is, you've said you're good enough to beat Leinster away. Now, let's see how good we are. 'So, that's been coming for four months now. 'Our measure was, if you think you're good enough to beat Leinster, because it was inevitable this year that we're going to get first place, because no one was going to catch them. 'I think at one point, like 20 points ahead. It is now... It's sort of now D-Day. 'It's D-Day for us. It's an opportunity to say or do what we said we could do. Or believe we could do.'
The Star
10-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
At long last, Maart and Nabi delivered when it mattered most for Kaizer Chiefs in Nedbank Cup final
Ashfak Mohamed | Published 1 hour ago Comment by Ashfak Mohamed WITH less than four minutes of stoppage time left, the TV cameras panned to Kaizer Motaung Junior in the stands of the Moses Mabhida Stadium. The former Kaizer Chiefs striker and son of chairman Kaizer could hardly watch the closing stages of the Nedbank Cup final against Orlando Pirates in Durban on Saturday. And all the Chiefs fans around Mzansi and even at the stadium would have had the same emotions. Motaung Junior had his head in his hands, unwilling to look up and see the mighty Amakhosi survive the final seconds. But the Chiefs supporters in Durban cheered every save made by goalkeeper Brandon Peterson in the last dramatic moments of the title decider, willing on the referee to blow the final whistle. Eventually the moment came, and relief for Chiefs, who ended their 10-season trophy drought with a 2-1 win. Coach Nasreddine Nabi strode onto the pitch at the end and pointed to the Chiefs badge on his jacket, once again underlining his commitment to the cause. Nabi has been called all sorts of names by Chiefs fans, who have even begun calling for his head despite the Tunisian only arriving at Naturena this season and insisting that it would take time to build a competitive team – that it was a 'process'. Being ninth on the Premiership log is never good enough for Kaizer Chiefs, and last week's 2-1 league defeat to Pirates wouldn't have helped Nabi's cause either. Now the 59-year-old can breathe again, having finally brought some much-needed silverware to the Phefeni Glamour Boys. And what about captain fantastic Yusuf Maart. He is another much-maligned figure in the Amakhosi set-up, with his leadership questioned continuously as Chiefs dropped down the league log and were knocked out of other competitions. The 29-year-old midfielder from Atlantis, on the West Coast near Cape Town, delivered when it mattered most. Maart rifled home the winner in classy fashion with his left foot with 10 minutes to go – following Gaston Sirino's early penalty and Evidence Makgopa's equaliser for Pirates – to start the party for the Chiefs supporters, who have suffered many difficult times during the last decade, but now finally have a reason to smile and wear their jerseys with pride. Spare a thought for outgoing Pirates coach Jose Riveiro, who was hoping that his team could defend their title and give him a fitting farewell. It was not to be for the Spaniard, who will wonder what went wrong for the Buccaneers as they were also knocked out of the CAF Champions League semi-finals, and are unlikely to catch Mamelodi Sundowns in the Premiership race either. But for now, it's all about Kaizer Chiefs, who are back with a bang. It was just too long a wait since their last real trophy, the Premiership in the 2014/15 season under coach Stuart Baxter. One cup triumph shouldn't paper over the cracks in this Chiefs outfit, but at least it gives Nabi and his squad a base to work from next season. Let's hope that the most popular club in South African football can live up to the hype and actually contend for the Premiership title. But, at long last, Chiefs fans can shout: Amakhosi for Life!
IOL News
10-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
At long last, Maart and Nabi delivered when it mattered most for Kaizer Chiefs in Nedbank Cup final
Nasreddine Nabi Kaizer Chiefs boss Nasreddine Nabi holds the Nedbank Cup trophy with his fellow coaches. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix Comment by Ashfak Mohamed WITH less than four minutes of stoppage time left, the TV cameras panned to Kaizer Motaung Junior in the stands of the Moses Mabhida Stadium. The former Kaizer Chiefs striker and son of chairman Kaizer could hardly watch the closing stages of the Nedbank Cup final against Orlando Pirates in Durban on Saturday. And all the Chiefs fans around Mzansi and even at the stadium would have had the same emotions. Motaung Junior had his head in his hands, unwilling to look up and see the mighty Amakhosi survive the final seconds. But the Chiefs supporters in Durban cheered every save made by goalkeeper Brandon Peterson in the last dramatic moments of the title decider, willing on the referee to blow the final whistle. Eventually the moment came, and relief for Chiefs, who ended their 10-season trophy drought with a 2-1 win. Coach Nasreddine Nabi strode onto the pitch at the end and pointed to the Chiefs badge on his jacket, once again underlining his commitment to the cause. Nabi has been called all sorts of names by Chiefs fans, who have even begun calling for his head despite the Tunisian only arriving at Naturena this season and insisting that it would take time to build a competitive team – that it was a 'process'. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Being ninth on the Premiership log is never good enough for Kaizer Chiefs, and last week's 2-1 league defeat to Pirates wouldn't have helped Nabi's cause either. Now the 59-year-old can breathe again, having finally brought some much-needed silverware to the Phefeni Glamour Boys. And what about captain fantastic Yusuf Maart. He is another much-maligned figure in the Amakhosi set-up, with his leadership questioned continuously as Chiefs dropped down the league log and were knocked out of other competitions. The 29-year-old midfielder from Atlantis, on the West Coast near Cape Town, delivered when it mattered most. Maart rifled home the winner in classy fashion with his left foot with 10 minutes to go – following Gaston Sirino's early penalty and Evidence Makgopa's equaliser for Pirates – to start the party for the Chiefs supporters, who have suffered many difficult times during the last decade, but now finally have a reason to smile and wear their jerseys with pride. Kaizer Chiefs are the 2025 Nedbank Cup Champions🏆 Nedbank Cup Man of the Match: Yusuf Maart#Amakhosi4Life #AlwaysHome #NedbankCupFinal — Kaizer Chiefs (@KaizerChiefs) May 10, 2025 Spare a thought for outgoing Pirates coach Jose Riveiro, who was hoping that his team could defend their title and give him a fitting farewell.
