Sports News 12:30

BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 4 September 12:30 pm

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

# SA Rugby promised there will be no repetition of the noise during the haka in Saturday’s Rugby Championship Test between the Springboks and the All Blacks in Cape Town. New Zealand Rugby accepted CEO Rian Oberholzer’s apology for the load music, fireworks and a jet flying over Ellis Park when the Kiwi’s performed their traditional war dance last weekend. The haka dates back to the All Blacks’ tour of Europe in 1905. Assistant coach Jason Ryan says the Boks respected the challenge, as they always do.

More news about the sport is that the opening fixtures of the United Rugby Championship involving the South African teams have been rescheduled to February and March next year. This is to avoid a clash with the Currie Cup final. Originally, the Stormers were due to take on the Bulls in Cape Town and the Sharks were to host the Lions in Durban on Saturday the 21st of this month. The URC says it’s working with SA Rugby to confirm the exact dates of the rescheduled fixtures.

# Soccer: Mamelodi Sundowns’ veteran midfield maestro, Themba Zwane, will captain Bafana Bafana for the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Uganda and South Sudan. Regular captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams is recovering from an injury. The national team starts their qualifiers against Uganda at Orlando Stadium on Friday and away to South Sudan on Tuesday. Bafana coach Hugo Broos wants players to rise to the occasion:

# Athletics: Young sprint sensation Bayanda Walaza turned down offers from various overseas universities and will stay in South Africa to further his studies and sports career. He burst onto the scene during the Olympic Games in Paris when he won silver as part of the four-by-100-metre relay team, and later clinched double gold in the sprint races at the World Athletics Under 20 championships in Peru. Walaza is currently in matric at Curro Hazeldean in Pretoria, and will study at the University of Pretoria next year.

# And, tennis: American Frances Tiafoe is back in the US Open semifinals for the second time in three years. Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov was forced to retire due to an injury with Tiafoe leading 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 4-1. Tiafoe will face countryman Taylor Fritz, who is through to his first Grand Slam semifinal after beating Germany’s Alexander Zverev. In the women’s draw, world number two Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus eased past China’s Zheng Qinwen 6-1, 6-2, to set up a semifinal clash with American Emma Navarro.

Stay tuned for more news………….