‘It’s never a shame that you are foreign’

Vincent Tshituka’s return to the green and gold lasted only seven minutes on Saturday night, concussion robbing him of the opportunity to burnish his reputation, writes CLINTON VAN DER BERG.

Yet he is happy to embrace his identity, even in a country where origins and cultures are habitually tangled. akupunkturabielsko.pl

Born in the Democratic Republic of Congo and raised in South Africa from the age of four, the Springbok forward says he carries both nationalities with pride rather than conflict.

“I’m Congolese, and I’m proud that I’m Congolese, but I’m South African just as much as I am Congolese,” he said ahead of his second cap, earned against Scotland. “It’s never a shame that you are foreign. You should be able to embrace it.”

ALSO: Rassie defends experimental Boks

He points to the Springbok captain as proof that a player’s origins never define his ceiling.

“If someone went back 20 years and looked at Siya Kolisi, they would have written him off,” he said. “Your background does not dictate your intentions, does not dictate your drive, does not dictate who you are as a person. It just dictates where you come from.”

Some of the most striking material, though, is personal rather than political. Tshituka describes playing alongside his brother Emmanuel, first at the Lions and now the Sharks, as one of the “creme de la creme moments” of his career, a rarity he says has sharpened both men rather than created rivalry.

“We hold each other to really good standards,” he said. “It’s brought the best out of me.”

KEO: Five Boks make a statement

His path to professional rugby was almost accidental. A self-described soccer fan who dreamed of being a goalkeeper, Tshituka only turned to rugby because Northcliff High School didn’t offer football.

It was then Lions age-group coach Joey Mongalo who convinced him to commit fully, at a point when Tshituka was leaning toward academics over sport.

“Rugby has the opportunity to change your life and your family’s life if you sell out for it, if you buy into it,” Mongalo told him.

PLUS: Handré hails Bok character after Scotland scare

Tshituka says that conversation altered the direction of his life entirely. Complacency has no part in his make-up.

“South Africa is filled with the most talent in the world, and for me to be here is a testament to the work that I’ve done. To stay here is a whole different challenge, and that’s what I’m working on.”

Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images

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La sélection nationale U-20 a un nouveau sélectionneur, Brahim Hemdani, l’ancien international des Verts, qui remplace Razik Nedder qui a démissionné pour rejoindre le banc de touche du Havre AC (France).

Comme nous l’annoncions, il y a si peu, le bureau fédéral de la fédération algérienne de football, réuni samedi 11 juillet au centre technique national (CTN) de Sidi Moussa a pris acte de la démission du sélectionneur national des U-20, Razzik Nedder qui a décidé de rejoindre le poste d’entraîneur-adjoint au Havre AC (Ligue 1 française), aux côtés de Didier Digard.

Une situation embarrassante à deux mois d’un très important tournoi de l’Union nord-africaine de football (UNAF) qualificatif pour la Coupe d’Afrique des nations (CAN) – 2027 au Ghana.

Pour parer au plus pressé, le bureau fédéral a décidé de désigner Brahim Hemdani, qui n’est autre que l’international des Verts (4 sélections) qui a évolué notamment à l’Olympique de Marseille et aux Glasgow Rangers.

Annoncé il y a quelque temps dans le championnat algérien, Hemdani a mené surtout sa reconversion en entraîneur dans les divisions inférieures françaises, au FC Côte Bleue (2018 – 2020), Courbevoie (2020 – 2022) et au FC Marignane Gignac (2022 – 2025), où il a terminé champion de National 2.

La Direction technique nationale (DTN) est restée ainsi sur la filière des binationaux, en recourant à un technicien qui n’a pas un parcours très étoffé, surtout au niveau de sélections de jeunes. Un autre pari risqué pour une sélection qui ambitionne de se qualifier à la prochaine CAN après avoir raté la dernière sous la conduite de Yassine Manaa.

L’article EN U-20 : Brahim Hemdani remplace Razik Nedder est apparu en premier sur Foot Afrique.

Rassie Erasmus emerged from the Springboks’ victory over Scotland with exactly what he wanted, writes MARK KEOHANE.

Writing for the Sunday Times, Keohane dismissed the post-match reaction on social media and TV, arguing the focus on Scotland’s effort and claims that South Africa were below their best overlooked the quality of the Boks’ performance.

“If Scotland were that good and South Africa that fortunate, the scoreline would be 42-28 the other way. It takes a very good team to put 42 points past Scotland.”

Keohane points to the Springboks’ remarkable efficiency, scoring six tries from six entries into Scotland’s 22 after converting seven tries from 11 visits against England a week earlier. He believes that level of ruthlessness, rather than any perceived shortcomings, will most please Erasmus.

Keohane also highlights the bigger picture. Erasmus made 13 changes to the match 23, continued to test new combinations and gave more players an opportunity to prove themselves in a Test environment, all while maintaining a winning habit.

“He has picked so many different combinations, entrusted so many youngsters, and scored 14 tries and 87 points in the process.”

MORE: Rassie’s glorious gamble pays off

For Keohane, the individual performances of Ben-Jason Dixon, Zach Porthen, Paul de Villiers, Evan Roos and Cobus Wiese gave Erasmus further confidence in his squad depth, while established stars such as Handré Pollard, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Damian Willemse and Jesse Kriel reinforced why the Springboks remain the benchmark in world rugby.

PICK YOUR MVP: Boks vs Scotland

“Erasmus got the win and he got more answers than he has to ask questions,” Keohane concludes.

FULL COLUMN

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images

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England and Argentina set up a blockbuster World Cup semi-final showdown on Saturday after battling past Norway and Switzerland to book their passage to the last four.

Nervy England

In sweltering Miami, two goals from Jude Bellingham gave England a nervy 2-1 extra-time victory over Norway to send the Three Lions into the semi-finals for only the fourth time in history.

Defending champions Argentina later sealed their place in the last four after a nail-biting 3-1 win over 10-man Switzerland at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium.

Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez scored in extra time for Argentina, who had been on the ropes after a second-half equaliser from Switzerland’s Dan Ndoye cancelled out Alexis Mac Allister’s early opener for the holders.

The two results mean that England and Argentina will renew one of the World Cup’s most iconic rivalries when they face each other in the semi-finals in Atlanta on Wednesday.

The winner of that game will take on the victor of France’s semi-final with Spain, who meet in Texas on Tuesday, in the final on July 19.

Angry Tuchel

Furious England manager Thomas Tuchel said his team would need to make a drastic improvement if they were to have any chance of progressing beyond the semi-finals.

In intense Florida heat and humidity, a shaky England fell behind on 36 minutes through Andreas Schjelderup’s rasping shot from the left.

But England got a huge slice of luck in first-half stoppage time when Bellingham equalised after an attack that began when a goal kick from Norway goalkeeper Orjan Nyland appeared to hit an overhead camera cable.

Norway’s players protested to no avail and the goal stood. The Norwegians also had a goal controversially disallowed before Bellingham then bagged England’s winner in extra-time.

“We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today,” Tuchel said afterwards.

“The result is fantastic. The last four is amazing, but not happy with the performance… we were very lucky today.”

While FIFA later issued a statement saying there was “no evidence” the ball had hit the cable before England’s first goal, Norway coach Stale Solbakken was adamant.

“That was unlucky for for us,” Solbakken said. “The ball fell straight down from the sky, so it changed its direction. But we can’t do anything about that. I don’t think we will play the game again. So, that’s that’s how it is.”

Argentina dig deep

In Kansas City, Argentina were taken to extra time for the second time this tournament before battling to a 3-1 win over Switzerland.

The world champions took the lead after just 10 minutes, with Lionel Messi’s outswinging corner finding the head of Mac Allister.

The Liverpool midfielder leapt up behind Switzerland defender Manuel Akanji and steered his header past Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.

Yet Switzerland rallied after that early setback, with their physicality and well-organised defence frustrating the Argentina attack.

As the match wore on, Switzerland grew in confidence and enjoyed their best period of pressure in the second half against increasingly weary-looking opponents.

On 67 minutes the Swiss breakthrough came.

Ndoye worked a deft one-two with Ricardo Rodriguez down the left and then shot past Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez to make it 1-1.

But with Argentina rocking the momentum swung back in the South Americans’ favour when Swiss forward Breel Embolo was shown his second yellow card and sent off in tears after a VAR review.

Switzerland bravely held out to take the match to extra-time, and looked to be poised to take the game to penalty shoot-outs.

Alvarez – ‘You have to know how to suffer’

But Alvarez curled a magnificent screamer into the top corner in the 112th minute to break the deadlock, and then in the dying moments Martinez finished a counter-attack to complete the win.

“Obviously you have to suffer, you have to know how to suffer,” said Alvarez after scoring his first goal of the tournament. “That’s how the matches are playing out right now.”

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni admitted his team had had “many many difficulties”.

He added: “Sometimes we couldn’t find the solutions, but today we had luck on our side because one of their players was sent off.”

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus is set to hand Test debuts to several promising youngsters and seasoned campaigners against Wales in Durban next Saturday.

Rapport understands that flyhalf Vusi Moyo and winger Jaco Williams, both instrumental in the Junior Springboks’ Junior World Championship triumph last year, are among those in line for their first caps at Kings Park.

MORE: Sacha set for Bok comeback

Moyo made his senior Bok bow in the non-cap season opener against the Barbarians on 20 June, while Williams starred for South Africa A in a 40-0 rout of Zimbabwe in the curtain-raiser at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Lock Ruben van Heerden (28) and tighthead prop Carlü Sadie (29) are also reportedly in line to face the Welsh Dragons, having both spent time in the Bok camp and featured against the Sables and Baa-Baas, respectively.

FULL STORY

Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images

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