If I get an opportunity, it will be awesome – Paul de Villiers

Rising loose forward talent Paul de Villiers is just eager to get on the field this weekend, regardless of whether it is for the Springboks or SA ‘A’ team, when they take on the Barbarians and Zimbabwe respectively, in Gqeberha. sportbet.reviews

The 23-year-old De Villiers enjoyed a breakout season for the Stormers this season, which saw him become a regular in the team, and his impressive form has seen him rewarded by getting into the Bok mix.

It is highly likely that he will feature for the Boks against the BaaBaas in the main match on Saturday, but at worst he will turn out for the SA A side against their African neighbours, and he is excited to show what he can do.

“If I get an opportunity this weekend, it will be awesome, regardless of which team I play for. My focus isn’t on taking someone else’s role. It’s about continuing to do what got me here and working hard on the things I do well,” said De Villiers when comparisons were made between him and Kwagga Smith, who is injured.

“Whether it’s against the Barbarians or Zimbabwe, I’m just excited to get onto the field, contribute to the system and do my best for the team.”

Learnings

De Villiers was part of both Bok alignment camps in the build-up to the international season, and said that being part of the training camp has been great for his growth, and he has been able to learn a lot from the other players in the group.

“It’s only been a week, but it’s been awesome. We’ve got outstanding players in the squad who I am learning from,” said De Villiers.

“I learned a lot from watching top players at the breakdown, and I am still learning right now from guys like Siya (Kolisi), Siba (Mahashe) and Emmanuel (Tshituka), the sixes in the squad. I have stuff I bring to the table, but Siya adds things I can learn, so it is good to listen, watch, and learn.”

De Villiers was also asked about the step-up from franchise rugby with the Stormers to his first taste of an international system with the Springboks, and added that it was incredibly intense.

“The training standards are a massive thing. You’re competing against Springboks and against guys who want to be here,” explained De Villiers.

“That lifts the intensity of a normal training session to another level. It’s a senior environment and a national team, so naturally the standards and expectations are higher.

“We’re sitting here because the coaches saw what we did for our franchises. They just expect us to keep doing that and work even harder.”

The Springbok and SA A squads for the double header will be named on Tuesday afternoon.

Quelle journée de Coupe du monde ! Entre surprises, rebondissements et exploits des outsiders, les rencontres disputées entre le 15 et le 16 juin ont offert un scénario pour le moins inattendu. Mieux encore, elles ont permis d’égaler une performance statistique qui n’avait plus été observée depuis 1958.

Les favoris freinés par les outsiders

La Coupe du monde a souvent la réputation de réserver son lot de surprises, et cette édition 2026 ne fait déjà pas exception. Alors que huit nouvelles sélections faisaient leur entrée en lice dans la compétition, peu d’observateurs s’attendaient à une telle série de résultats.

Au terme des quatre rencontres disputées, aucun vainqueur n’a été désigné :

Espagne – Cap-Vert : 0-0
Belgique – Égypte : 1-1
Iran – Nouvelle-Zélande : 2-2
Arabie saoudite – Uruguay : 1-1

Une performance inédite depuis 1958

Au-delà des résultats eux-mêmes, c’est surtout la statistique qui retient l’attention.

En effet, voir quatre matchs consécutifs se terminer sur un score de parité lors d’une même journée de Coupe du monde est un événement extrêmement rare. Il faut remonter au 15 juin 1958 pour retrouver une telle série.

Mieux encore, ce n’est que la deuxième fois que ce phénomène a lieu dans toute l’histoire du Mondial.

Un Mondial déjà imprévisible

Après seulement quelques jours de compétition, cette Coupe du monde 2026 montre déjà qu’aucune équipe n’est à l’abri d’une contre-performance. Les écarts semblent se réduire et les outsiders n’hésitent plus à bousculer les hiérarchies établies.

Une chose est sûre : si le tournoi continue sur cette lancée, les surprises pourraient encore être nombreuses dans les semaines à venir. Et ce n’est peut-être que le début.

The post Coupe du Monde 2026 : quatre matchs nuls en une journée, une première depuis 1958 appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.

Serena Williams will play at Wimbledon for the first time since 2022 after the American legend was given a wildcard to play the doubles event with her sister Venus on Tuesday.

Williams made a sensational return to tennis last week when she won her first-round doubles match at Queen’s Club with partner Victoria Mboko.

Shock announcement

The 44-year-old had not played professional tennis for four years after saying she was “evolving away” from the sport following the 2022 US Open.

But the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion was keen to play in front of her two young daughters and made the shock announcement of her return just prior to the Wimbledon warm-up event at Queen’s.

Williams was unable to play more than one match at Queen’s after Mboko pulled out with an injury, but she is due to continue her remarkable comeback in the Berlin Open doubles alongside Karolina Muchova this week.

The Williams sisters are six-time doubles champions at Wimbledon, winning their last title on their most recent appearance together a decade ago.

Following speculation that Serena would be tempted to play in the singles at Wimbledon, which starts on June 29, the American was absent from the list of wildcard entries into that part of the tournament.

Automatic entry

After so long away, she had no ranking to secure automatic entry into tournaments, leaving her to rely on wildcards.

Williams is a seven-time Wimbledon singles champion, but she hasn’t won a Grand Slam crown since beating Venus to win the 2017 Australian Open.

Her most recent Wimbledon singles title came in 2016, with her last four Grand Slam finals ending in defeat.

There is still one singles wildcard place for Wimbledon to be announced.

Williams’ return at Queen’s for her first match in 1 375 days captured the imagination of the sporting world.

Her decision to pick up a racquet in a competitive setting for the first time since losing to Ajla Tomljanovic at the 2022 US Open had sparked questions about the wisdom of the move.

Trademark serve

But it was like she had never been away as Williams produced her trademark thunderous serve and fearsome ground-strokes to the delight of a capacity crowd.

Five-time Wimbledon singles champion Venus has been beaten in all seven of her singles matches this year.

The 45-year-old, who plays only occasionally in the twilight of her career, won a doubles match with Katie Boulter in Madrid in April.

Elsewhere in the Wimbledon wildcard list, three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, who will retire at the end of the season, and Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov were given entry into the men’s singles.

Maja Chwalinska, who reached the French Open final earlier in June, was handed a wildcard for the women’s singles.

By Garrin Lambley © Agence France-Presse

The Springboks team to face the Barbarians features a total of 18 capped internationals, with the only two players in the starting lineup who have yet to make their Test debuts being Junior Bok captain Riley Norton (lock) and Carlu Sadie (prop).

Among the replacement, the uncapped players among the replacements are JJ Kotze (hooker), Paul de Villiers (loose forward) and SA U20 flyhalf Vusi Moyo.

The backline has a strong international flavour to it with Aphelele Fassi, Cheslin Kolbe and Edwill van der Merwe forming the back-three, while Andre Esterhuizen and Jesse Kriel will combine in a hard-running midfield combination, and Quan Horn will take over the No 10 jumper alongside Grant Williams at halfback.

Up front, Ox Nche and Sadie will form a front row trio with Andre-Hugo Venter, while Norton and Franco Mostert will run the engine room, and the familiar loose trio of Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit and Jasper Wiese completing the forward pack.

The replacements bench, which features six forwards and two backs, will see Kotze, Ntuthuko Mchunu and Zachary Porthen serve as the back-up front row, while Ben-Jason Dixon, De Villiers and Evan Roos will provide additional forward reinforcement. The two backline players on the bench are Faf de Klerk and Moyo.

Springbok team to face the Barbarians in Gqeberha:

15 Aphelele Fassi
14 Cheslin Kolbe
13 Jesse Kriel
12 Andre Esterhuizen
11 Edwill van der Merwe
10 Quan Horn
9 Grant Williams

8 Jasper Wiese
7 Pieter-Steph du Toit
6 Siya Kolisi (captain)
5 Franco Mostert
4 Riley Norton
3 Carlu Sadie
2 Andre-Hugo Venter
1 Ox Nche

Replacements:
16 JJ Kotze
17 Ntuthuko Mchunu
18 Zachary Porthen
19 Ben-Jason Dixon
20 Paul de Villiers
21 Evan Roos
22 Faf de Klerk
23 Vusi Moyo

SA ‘A’ team to face Zimbabwe in Gqeberha:

15 Luan Giliomee
14 Jaco Williams
13 Markus Muller
12 Lukhanyo Am
11 Zekhethelo Siyaya
10 Yaqeen Ahmed
9 Haashim Pead

8 Phepsi Buthelezi
7 Bathobele Hlekani
6 Emmanuel Tshituka
5 Ruben van Heerden
4 Vincent Tshituka (captain)
3 Neethling Fouche
2 Siphosethu Mnebelele
1 Boan Venter

Replacements:
16 Liam van Wyk
17 Oliver Reid
18 Hanro Jacobs
19 Adre Smith
20 Siba Mahashe
21 Nico Steyn
22 Imad Khan
23 Jurenzo Julius

Quentin Ndjantou a franchi un nouveau cap au sein du Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Vainqueur de la Ligue des champions de la saison 2025 /2026, l’ailier de 18 ans est sur la selle. En effet, il vient d’être désigné Titi d’or 2025. C’est une distinction symbolique. Elle récompense le meilleur espoir du centre de formation du club. […]

L’article PSG : Quentin Ndjantou, le Titi d’or 2025! est apparu en premier sur Camfoot.com.