Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 12 November 12:30 pm

Good day, let’s look at the latest sports news and scores:

# We start off with rugby: Springbok prop Ox Nché believes France’s wider squad will rise to the occasion despite the disruption caused by injuries to four flyhalves. Captain Antoine Dupont will swap his regular number nine jersey for the ten in tomorrow night’s Nations Championship clash with South Africa in Paris. Maxime Lucu will be his half-back partner. Nché says despite the mounting injury toll, France boasts a wealth of quality young players who have been brought through the ranks over the last few years:

# Swimming: Former South African short-course world champion Matthew Sates is reportedly on the verge of representing Australia after securing his local residency in the country. The 23-year-old, who represented South Africa at the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024, wants better financial opportunities. This follows four-time Olympic medallist Tatjana Smith’s announcement that she is switching allegiance to the Netherlands. Sates, who holds several records in short course, including in the 200 metres freestyle, has trained with the Australian team, even though he is not formally part of it.

# Soccer: Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies have booked their place in the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League final after beating Uganda’s Kawempe Muslim Ladies four-one at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia, Egypt. Sundowns forward Ronnel Donnelly scored a first-half hat-trick, while midfielder Noxolo Cesane added the fourth goal to give Sundowns a commanding half-time lead. Uganda managed to score a consolation goal late in the second half, and the side finished with ten players following a red card. Sundowns will face Morocco’s AS FAR Rabat in Sunday’s final. 

In more soccer news, South African journalist and lecturer Peter Auf der Heyde is the latest to challenge Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency. The 65-year-old was president of the Grahamstown Soccer Association and owned and managed UDW FC in the early 1990s. Honorary president of Japan’s Soccer Association, Kozo Tashima, and former Tottenham Hotspur and Switzerland defender Ramon Vega will also stand in the March election. Auf der Heyde told the BBC he has three focus areas:

# And lastly cricket: Australia’s captain, Pat Cummins, has succumbed to pressure and vowed to speak out about former teammate Usman Khawaja’s revelations about the infamous sandpaper scandal in South Africa in 2018. Khawaja alleged the whole team knew about the plan to rough the ball with sandpaper during the Test series, although only captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and bowler Cameron Bancroft were sanctioned. Cummins was also part of the team. He says he took time to better understand the allegations and would reply tomorrow.

Stay tuned for more news………….