Latest news with #MarkAlexander
TimesLIVE
21-07-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
‘Proud day for rugby in SA': world champ Junior Boks welcomed back
The Junior Springboks were welcomed back to South Africa on Monday by cheering fans and South African Rugby Union president Mark Alexander, after winning the World Rugby Undxer-20 Championships in Italy on Saturday. Coach Kevin Foote's South African U-20s ended a 13-year wait to reclaim the global U-20 crown with a 23-15 victory over the Junior All Blacks in final in Rovigo. 'This is a very proud day for rugby in South Africa and I would like to congratulate Kevin and the team on an outstanding performance in the tournament,' Alexander said. 'The group have been welded into a formidable unit over the course of this year and many of them have the potential to go on to higher honours, I am sure. 'Their victory is a tribute to all the hard work done at high school level by educators and coaches and at our provincial unions from whom these players are drawn. 'Appointing a head coach in Kevin, who has franchise experience, was also an important part of the progress this group have shown and I would like to commend him, his back room team, and the High Performance Department at SA Rugby for what they have achieved in such a short space of time.' The Junior Boks last won the title in 2012 with a home victory over the same opponents in Cape Town, but had had a long wait for a repeat success having not appeared in another final since 2014. This time the team showed great composure in cruising to the final with commanding victories over Australia (73-12), England (32-22) and Scotland (73-14) in the pool stages, and Argentina (48-24) in the semifinals. They led in the final from the third minute and tries by Xola Nyali and Gilermo Mentoe and 13 points from the boot of Vusi Moyo secured a famous victory. Moyo finished the tournament as the top points' scorer with 63, while scrumhalf Haashim Pead scored six tries, placing him second for the most five-pointers behind Georgia's Mikheili Shioshvili (seven).
The South African
20-07-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Hero's welcome? Here's when world champion Junior Springboks return home
South Africa's victorious Junior Springboks will return home on Monday after their historic triumph in the World Rugby U20 Championship, where they defeated New Zealand 23-15 in the final to claim their first title since 2012. The team is scheduled to touch down at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg at 10:35 on Turkish Airlines flight TK 042 on Monday morning. And they are expected to be met with a hero's welcome. SA Rugby President Mark Alexander will join the players and coaches for a media conference at 11:15 in the airport's media room, celebrating the young team's undefeated campaign. Coach Kevin Foote and several Junior Springboks players, including captain Riley Norton, are also scheduled for a brief stand-up media session at Cape Town International Airport following their arrival in the Mother City at 15:45. The Junior Springboks' win in Rovigo, Italy, marks South Africa's third world title across rugby's major competitions, joining the senior Springboks and the Blitzboks as reigning global champions. Their gritty, physical style and strong team unity earned them seven straight wins in the tournament, including two victories over New Zealand. Speaking after his team's title triumph, Norton said the squad was still absorbing the scale of their achievement. 'It's overwhelming. We knew what we were capable of, but to bring the trophy back home means the world to us.' Coach Foote added: 'These boys showed South African heart. It's not just a win for the team, it's a win for the future of our rugby.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The National
08-07-2025
- Business
- The National
New bus route from Edinburgh Airport to St Andrews launches
Stagecoach, one of the largest bus and coach operators in the UK, announced the new service, which is 'ideal for golf lovers' as it will provide 'ample space' for golf clubs. Passengers will be able to travel from Edinburgh Airport to St Andrews, Guardbridge, Cupar, Auchtermuchty, Kinross Park & Ride and Halbeath Park & Ride on the JET787 service. The launch of the new bus service comes ahead of the Genesis Scottish Open and the Women's Scottish Open, which are both held this month at the Home of Golf, St Andrews. READ MORE: Billionaire donates 16 paintings to Paisley Museum in memory of 'proud Scot' husband Sarah Elliott, commercial director for Stagecoach East Scotland, said that with the new service, golf fans can bring 'everything they need' to enjoy their visit. She said: 'There's an exciting summer golf season ahead, and we're ensuring visitors can enjoy convenient, hassle-free travel direct to the home of the sport from Edinburgh Airport. 'We've carried thousands of people on the JET787 service since it first launched in May, and with the spacious luggage compartments, passengers can bring everything they need to enjoy their visit.' (Image: Mark Alexander) Ticket prices start from £11.70 for an adult single with services running every two hours, taking approximately 90 minutes. Under 22s, over 60s and people with a disability can travel for free with a valid concession pass.
Scoop
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Fresh Push For Four-Lane Highway From Rolleston To Ashburton
A woman fed up with seeing near-misses is campaigning for State Highway 1 between Rolleston and Ashburton to be increased to four lanes. Rachel Gillard-Tew launched a petition this week calling on the government to reconsider four-laning the 63km stretch of road. "State Highway 1 is the lifeline connecting communities across New Zealand, and the section between Rolleston and Ashburton is crying out for attention. "Despite its importance, it remains a single-lane hazard." Her motivation stems from a personal connection to "a catastrophic accident on SH1" and, as a regular traveller along SH1, witnessing plenty of close calls. With Rolleston and surrounding towns continuing to develop, traffic would only increase, she said. "The potential for devastating accidents increases by the day. "It's time SH1 is also prioritised." With the range of vehicle sizes and speeds, it creates a stressful environment where people lose patience and take risks, she said. "There is no room for error at all with no protection from oncoming traffic. "The lack of safe intersections and an adequate median barrier makes this highway section particularly perilous. "The need for immediate action is clear and compelling." Creating four lanes between Rolleston and Ashburton would save lives and reduce the unnecessary risks faced by commuters and holiday travellers, she said. The major hurdle is, and has always been, the cost. Adding two lanes from Rolleston to Ashburton will require the extension or construction of new two-lane bridges at the Selwyn and Rakaia rivers. Four-lanes 'unaffordable' Former Selwyn District councillor Mark Alexander said that four-laning between Rolleston and Ashburton is "unaffordable for our region and country". He said a second bridge at Rakaia is needed for resilience and "more maintenance of the existing roadway is needed". "We need more schools and better healthcare, more than a motorway between Ashburton and Rolleston." Alexander sat on the Greater Christchurch Partnership and Regional Transport Committee during his time on the council, between 2010 and 2022, and said the "cost-benefit ratio was not favourable" for four lanes. He was referencing a business case looking at traffic solutions on SH1 between Christchurch and Dunedin, which was ready for the NZTA Board in 2017. Instead, the National-led government announced its roads of national significance policy that included four lanes from Christchurch to Ashburton. National lost the election later that year, and the roads of national significance were scrapped by the incoming Labour-led coalition Government. The business case, released under the Official Information Act, shows the preferred option was not four lanes. It included a second bridge in Ashburton and a series of "2+1" lanes, essentially alternating passing lanes between Christchurch and Ashburton. What's NZTA planning? NZTA hasn't ruled out four-laning in future, but it is not part of the National Land Transport Plan 2024-27. Regional manager for system design Rich Osborne said NZTA is investing in safety measures on SH1 between Lyttelton and Timaru ports. He said NZTA is aware of safety concerns about the busy State Highway 1 corridor, as raised in the petition. Safety improvement works are being planned and undertaken, he said. "Providing for wide centrelines has been a recent focus of safety improvements. "This creates more space between lanes and keeps vehicles further apart, which can reduce serious crashes resulting in death and serious injuries. "Recent work has included widening of the southbound shoulder of SH1 south of Rolleston, between Dunns Crossing Road and Burnham Road, to install a wide centreline." Further improvements over the next few years include building a second Ashburton bridge, the Rolleston access improvements project, and a new roundabout at the Burnham Road/Aylesbury Road intersection. A stretch south of Hinds and 2km at Rolleston have had centre line widening and more is being planned, but not until the next three-year land transport plan. "Pre-implementation work, including detailed design and some property acquisition work, is underway for wide centrelines and some widening works for sections of State Highway 1 from Burnham Road to Selwyn River, south of Selwyn River to north of Rakaia, and south of Rakaia to north of Ashburton. "As part of its long-term forward planning, NZTA is exploring future options for improving the SH1 corridor between Lyttelton and Timaru ports, and this includes looking at replacement of SH1 bridges, the role of rail and the potential introduction of four-laning." National's vision on hold National first proposed four-laning the highway ahead of the 2017 election, and the policy was resurrected at the 2020 election. The party had promised to investigate its viability in the lead-up to the 2023 election. When it released its National Land Transport Plan in 2024, National's Roads of National Significance were back, with 15 new four-lane roading projects across the country - including the Woodend Bypass, but not between Ashburton and Rolleston. Rangitata MP, and South Island Minister, James Meager said the idea needed to be reevaluated. "We need to do the work to see how it stacks up - the last time anyone looked at it seriously was in 2017, before Labour came into government. "My main focus is getting construction started on the second Ashburton bridge and making progress on our other major South Island roading projects."
IOL News
04-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Second Springboks Test on SABC as Mzansi cries out for more Bok rugby
The second Springboks vs Italy Test will be broadcast on SABC, allowing more South Africans to witness international rugby live, which is not the norm. Picture: BackpagePix Occasionally though, SuperSport SA Rugby ( Saru ) and the SABC broker deals to have Springbok matches televised on the national broadcaster. That excludes the majority of the SA public from watching the Springboks play live. It's no secret that Springbok rugby in South Africa can typically only be viewed on paid-TV broadcaster SuperSport. The news on Thursday that the second Test between the Springboks and Italy on July 12 will be televised live on the national broadcaster is excellent for the SA public. The Unifying Power of the 1995 Rugby World Cup Saru president Mark Alexander cited the example of the 1995 Rugby World Cup as a great way to unify the country, as the 30th anniversary of the victory in the final was celebrated late last month. 'The 1995 triumph was a moment that captured the attention of the world – revealing unmatched power of sport to bring people together, to heal deep wounds and to inspire a country that was still finding its feet as a young democracy,' said Alexander. 'As Saru, we are working closely with our broadcasters to ensure that all South Africans can be part of this historic occasion.' SA Minister of Sports Gayton McKenzie has said it was his aim to get more Springbok games shown on SABC, but that seems to still be a work in progress. Nomsa Chabeli, the SABC's Group CEO, said: 'The public broadcaster extends its appreciation to SARU and SuperSport for the spirit in which negotiations took place, to enable us to broadcast this historic match. 'It is important that the SABC is not left out of key national sporting events, which bring the nation together, and rugby has been very instrumental in doing that. 'This agreement also highlights the reach that the public broadcaster has in universal access to the nation through its TV and radio platforms, as millions of South Africans will have an opportunity to witness this historic moment. 'We call upon all South Africans to tune in, as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of our Rugby World Cup win in 1995.' @Michael_Sherman IOL Sport
