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IOL News
17-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Can Kaizer Chiefs avoid a cup hangover against Sekhukhune United?
Gaston Sirino Gaston Sirino must bring the gas to ignite Kaizer Chiefs' engine room against Sekhukhune United. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix Fresh off their Nedbank Cup triumph, Kaizer Chiefs are riding a wave of optimism, but Sekhukhune United are determined to be the storm cloud that threatens to rain on their parade in today's Premiership clash at the FNB Stadium. The teams enter the match with contrasting Premiership scenarios. Sekhukhune are on a five-match unbeaten run, which includes a win over highly fancied Orlando Pirates, while Chiefs are seeking to recover from a five-match winless streak. Currently seated third on the standings, Sekhukhune hold a one-point cushion over fourth-placed Stellenbosch FC. The pressure is on as they vie for a coveted CAF Confederation Cup spot with only two matches remaining. Chiefs recently found their winning touch, edging out Pirates in the Nedbank Cup final last week, but their dreadful league form has seen them suffer two consecutive defeats before this match. Currently in ninth place, Chiefs are locked in a fierce battle for a top-eight finish, separated by just three points from Polokwane City. The teams have players returning from suspension that may influence the outcome. Sekhukhune will welcome back influential midfielder Sikhosonke Langa, but must fill the void left by their leading marksman, Chibuike Ohizu, who is suspended. Chiefs will be bolstered by the return of hardworking defender Bradley Cross, although they will miss defensive stalwart Inacio Miguel through suspension. Sekhukhune coach Eric Tinkler has expressed his ambition to propel the team to continental football. 'I joined for that reason, to qualify for a CAF tournament, to be honest,' he said. 'Our target is to finish in the top three or top four. Achieving this would be a massive milestone for Sekhukhune.' On the other side, Chiefs coach Nasreddine Nabi remains resolute, stressing the importance of securing points against challenging opponents. 'We believe the season is not done yet. We have to fight with the same effort (as in the Nedbank final) in our last two games against difficult opponents, Polokwane City and Sekhukhune United,' he said. 'Finishing in the top eight is now our objective.' Sekhukhune's Keletso Makgalwa, who is fresh off being named the Premiership Player of the Month for April, will be the key player for the visitors. His recent performances have created a buzz, and Sekhukhune hope his form will be the difference-maker in the match. Makgalwa leads the league with 11 assists this season. Uruguayan Gaston Sirino, a quintessential component of Chiefs' attacking strategy, is the team's leading scorer with four goals and six assists this season. He can turn the tide when the Amakhosi are under pressure, and has an uncanny knack for finding the back of the net when it matters most. Still buzzing from Chiefs' triumph last weekend, defender Zitha Kwinika's hunger for more silverware drives him to power the club into the top eight. Kwinika said: 'I'm still happy and excited, because it is something we have all been looking for. 'It has lifted a bit of weight from us, but we are professionals at the end of the day. 'We must celebrate and then look to what is ahead. We still have a job at hand. 'We know we can't celebrate forever, but we take this good feeling as the start of better things, and the road to winning more trophies starts on Saturday against Sekhukhune.'
The Courier
02-05-2025
- Sport
- The Courier
Dundee's talisman: Numbers behind Simon Murray's April
Simon Murray has had quite a week after his nomination for PFA Scotland Player of the Year was followed up by April's Premiership Player of the Month award. The Dundee striker is in fine form as the season comes to a close. Eight goals in the last eight league matches for Murray has seen the Dark Blues pull themselves out of the bottom two ahead of the weekend clash with Motherwell. Just how good has Murray's April been? Courier Sport runs the numbers. Murray ran himself into the ground against St Mirren at the start of the month, eventually being replaced after 89 minutes. He played the full 90 in the following two matches against Hibs and Hearts. As well as conducting Dundee fans in the stands, Murray has led the way in attacking stats. Against St Mirren, the Dark Blues had six shots on goal – four of them came from Murray. He had just three touches in the opposition area, all three of them first-time shots. His xG (the likelihood of a shot being scored) alone was 0.56 compared to Dundee's total 0.65. The Dee were well-beaten at Hibs overall. Murray had one touch in the Hibs box, resulting in a shot on target. Against Hearts he was far busier. At Tynecastle he has seven touches in the home box, resulting in two shots with one of those on target. His xG that day was only 0.15 (compared to Hearts' entire team xG of 1.46) but evidently that's all he needs. In the three games Dundee had 19 shots with six on target. Four of those on target were from Murray himself from only seven efforts meaning 66% of dark blue shots on target in April came from the striker. Across the entire month, Murray's xG was just 0.74. That means the expectation for the average player would be fewer than one goal from the chances that fell his way. Murray didn't score fewer than one, he grabbed three. Dundee had three matches in April, beating St Mirren and Hearts but losing to Hibs. In those games they scored three times. Simon Murray scored all three. Those three goals were more than any other Premiership player managed in April. Nicolas Kuhn, Adam Idah, Reo Hatate and Kieron Bowie all grabbed two but nobody could match Dundee's talisman. Murray's double saw the Dark Blues grab a priceless 2-0 home win over St Mirren. The first he latched onto a loose ball in the area before firing low and hard beyond the goalkeeper. The second was an opportunistic long-range strike after goalie Zach Hemming hit the striker with his clearance, Murray's 40-yard effort finding the corner. Hibs was an off-day for the team and despite having Dundee's best chance of the game, Murray couldn't find the net against his old side. He did, though, get back to scoring ways in the capital last weekend. Showing striker's instinct, Murray was in the right place at the right time to fire in the only goal of a 1-0 win at Hearts. That leaves Murray level at the top of the Premiership scoring charts with 16 goals from 34 appearances. His xG across the season is 11.3, slightly less than Daizen Maeda (11.8) who also has 16 Premiership goals this season. Dundee's star striker is shining bright – can he be just as sparkling in May?
Telegraph
11-04-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Basketball is Tomos Williams' secret weapon in bid to make the Lions
For those of you who like to spend time selecting your favourite pass of the Premiership season, there may already be a winner. Tomos Williams's flicked no-look pass to set up a try in Gloucester's rout of Bristol Bears had everyone swooning, a remnant from his days as a basketball player representing Wales at Under-16 level. Joining the academy at Cardiff Rugby meant Williams pressed pause on shooting three-pointers, a decision which has worked out rather well. Wales potentially missed out on their own Steph Curry but gained an excellent scrum-half. Still, that time spent playing other sports has clearly had its benefits, with Williams sneaking in a bit of recreational basketball with his brothers, Owen and Lloyd, when possible. 'They still play, I mess about with them sometimes in the back garden,' Williams admits. 'I've said before that I think playing different sports, especially basketball, has helped me a lot in my rugby career.' Tomos Williams has been named Player of the Month for March 🏆 We'll just leave this here... — Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) April 9, 2025 Williams has been one of the signings of the season in the Premiership, his arrival allowing Gloucester to transform their attacking game from turgid to thrilling. His Premiership Player of the Month award for March comes as no surprise, winning a public poll ahead of Sale Sharks fly-half George Ford and Bath duo Will Muir and Finn Russell. With five games to go in the league, Gloucester have already scored three more tries (57) than their total last season (54). Williams has scored seven of them and provided eight assists, his sharp support lines in attack leaving defences in tatters. Much has rightly been made of the impact made by James Lightfoot-Brown, Gloucester's young attack coach whose reputation is soaring. Lightfoot-Brown recently billed Williams as 'world-class' and 'in the absolute prime of his career' – no argument here – and the scrum-half is similarly full of praise for his 31-year-old coach. 'I've been really impressed with him and enjoyed working with him. He has been awesome,' Williams says. 'The detail and excitement he brings, he always has new ideas, very innovative. When he coaches he feels older than 31. There is a great career ahead of 'Lights'. I can't speak highly enough about him. He has been class for me on a personal level. 'It's good fun to play in [this team]. I think it suits all the boys and our team, suits the players, playing that way and having the freedom to do so.' Thriving with Gloucester, Williams's time with Wales has obviously been less enjoyable. The national side, stuck in a grim 17-game losing streak, are currently without a head coach as the summer approaches. Matt Sherratt, Williams's former coach at Cardiff, appeared to bring some welcome mental relief for the players during his three-game stint, even though wins continued to elude Wales. What does Williams want to see from Warren Gatland's permanent successor? He initially bats the question away, suggesting the answer is 'above my pay grade', before reflecting on the young age of the current Wales squad. At 30, Williams is a bit of an outlier. 'Look, the group is young. There is a good core of young players. I think you saw maybe in the last couple of weeks of the Six Nations a group of exciting players as well. [They need] someone who can bring the best out of them,' Williams says. Before our time is up, the British and Irish Lions tour needs to be discussed. Given Wales's losing run and back-to-back wooden spoons in the Six Nations, many fear the worst when it comes to how many Welsh players will make Andy Farrell's final group to head to Australia. Williams is undoubtedly in the conversation at scrum-half, but no certainty. Did he fear Wales's struggles would damage his chances? He swerves the question by reiterating that he can only control what is in front of him with Gloucester; a push for the play-offs and ambitions to win the Challenge Cup ahead of Sunday's quarter-final against Bath. Speaking of Bath, flying in the Premiership and in Europe, what is their secret? 'They have done a job on us twice, so we need a performance. It's knock-out rugby – the win is the most important thing,' Williams says. 'When they get into that power game and get their forwards involved, they are pretty tough to stop, aren't they. Big forwards, powerful boys. Those entries into the 22, hopefully if we can nullify them then we can go a long way. They are tough to stop when they get 30, 20 metres out from your line.' Williams has clearly enjoyed returning to Gloucester after toiling with Wales during a Six Nations campaign that was 'tough' to be part of. 'I tried to put that behind me, focus on Gloucester. Coming into the building, seeing the boys and the coaches, probably just lifts you up a little bit. I was looking forward to getting back,' he says. 'I'm just thinking week to week. The most important thing for me is enjoying my rugby. Hopefully the rest takes care of itself. We can make the play-offs and push for the league and the cup this week. There is a lot to think about from a Gloucester perspective – enough going on here to not worry about anything else.' Even so, what a prize to play for at the end of the season, with Williams citing Leigh Halfpenny's goal-kicking and George North's famous tackle on Israel Folau on the 2013 Lions tour as the moments, 'being Welsh', that come to mind when he thinks about the famous red shirt. 'If you ask any rugby player that [the Lions] would be the No 1 achievement, wouldn't it? You can't think too much about it, you can get caught up.' Keep his form going for Gloucester and Williams can dare to dream a little.
