Sports News 12:30
BULLETIN SPORTS NEWS 27 March 12:30 pm
Good day, let’s look at the latest sports news and scores:
# We kick off with rugby: A huge battle is expected in the scrums when Irish team Ulster visits Cape Town to take on the Stormers in a United Rugby Championship match on Saturday. It will be the first time that Springbok loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff will play against his former team, and he will face his national teammate, Frans Malherbe. Kitshoff led the Stormers to the URC title in 2023 before moving overseas. Stormers assistant coach Labeeb Levy says they will welcome their former captain back home – until the game starts.
More rugby news: The Junior Springboks will kick off the inaugural Under 20 Rugby Championship against New Zealand on the second of May. The competition will also feature hosts Australia and Argentina, with three rounds seeing the teams playing each other once. The Junior Boks will face Australia on the seventh of May and finish the tournament against Argentina on the 12th. SANZAAR CEO Brendan Morris says the championship will allow for a more defined pathway for younger players into senior and international rugby.
# Cricket: Fast bowler Nandré Burger and batter Tony de Zorzi had been rewarded with national contracts by Cricket South Africa for the first time, while bowler Gerald Coetzee’s gets a full-time contract. Coetzee is currently playing in the Indian Premier League for Mumbai Indians, who bought him for a whopping 11.4-million-rand. All-rounder Andile Phehlukwayo got his Proteas contract back. Among the women, fast bowler Ayanda Hlubi and all-rounder Eliz-Mari Marx scored their maiden national contracts.
# Tennis: Top seed Carlos Alcaraz is through to the Miami Open quarterfinals for the third consecutive year. The Spaniard defeated Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti, 6-3, 6-3. Defending champion Daniil Medvedev of Russia beat Germany’s Dominik Koepfer 7-6, 6-love, while second-seeded Italian Jannik Sinner also progressed with a straight-sets victory over Australian Christopher O’Connell. In the women’s draw, three-time champion Victoria Azarenka defeated Russia’s Yulia Putintseva to make the semifinals. The Belarusian says it was a tough match:
# And finally, soccer: Former Bafana Bafana coach Pitso Mosimane says he is humbled and grateful that he will receive an honorary doctorate from the University of Johannesburg in July. This is in recognition of his success as a player and coach. Among his achievements, Mosimane has won the Safa Coach of the Year Award and the PSL Coach of the Season Award on five occasions. Mosimane, who is currently the head coach of Abha Club in Saudi Arabia, says this honour is special:
Stay tuned for more news………….