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Mallett: World Rugby is depowering Wilco
Former Springbok coach Nick Mallett believes tighthead prop Wilco Louw’s impact up front has been reduced by the way the scrum is now being officiated.
Louw earned a reputation last year for coming off the Bok bench and almost immediately winning scrum penalties. newsbetting.club
The 31-year-old was not selected for the Boks’ opening Test of the 2026 season against England at Ellis Park before starting against Scotland at Loftus Versfeld. However, he was replaced early in the second half by Zach Porthen.
Speaking on the Talking Boks podcast, Mallett said changes in the way referees manage the scrum have diminished the value of dominant scrummagers such as Louw.
“I think the problem someone like Wilco Louw is going to have is that, with the new laws, scrummaging isn’t the force it used to be,” he said.
“We used to say we’d win six penalties in any Test match because we had such a dominant scrum.
“The referee would give us the penalty and then advantage, so if we didn’t score we could come back for the kick.
“Now it seems World Rugby wants referees to get the ball away. If it gets to the lock’s feet, they tell the No 8 to play it, even if the scrum collapses or wheels.
“So a really strong scrummager is now going to be judged on how well he moves around the field, carries the ball, gets off the ground and makes tackles.
“It’s becoming a much faster game. I think World Rugby wants rugby to move towards the way France, New Zealand and Scotland play. They don’t really want South Africa dominating through driving mauls, scrum penalties and contestable kicks.”
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Mallett believes that shift in emphasis plays into the hands of 22-year-old Porthen, who made his Test debut on the Boks’ 2025 end-of-year tour and earned his fifth cap at Loftus on Saturday.
“If referees aren’t going to reward dominant scrums – which is a pity because we’re the best in the world in that area – then someone like Zach Porthen is going to become absolutely invaluable for the Springboks,” he said. “He’s like another loose forward playing tighthead.”
Mallett added that Porthen’s transformation since his Junior Boks days has been remarkable.
“At U20 level he was really a poor scrummager. You looked at him and thought he was a No 8.
“He was a great ball-player, he could tackle anyone and carry the ball all over the field. But the moment he put his head into a scrum he was collapsing, his backside was going up in the air and he was getting pushed backwards.
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“Coming to the Stormers, where Brok Harris did a wonderful job with him against some very competent loosehead props, gave him a kick-start.
“Then he got into the Springbok system and did very, very well.”
Photo: David Rogers/Getty Images
The post Mallett: World Rugby is depowering Wilco appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Tour de France : Tadej Pogacar rêve de défier Novak Djokovic sur un vélo
Tadej Pogacar a érigé en modèle Novak Djokovic, le recordman de titres en Grand Chelem (24), récent demi-finaliste à Wimbledon. En conférence de presse, à l’arrivée de la 11e étape à Nevers, le maillot jaune a confié : « Je ne l’ai jamais rencontré. Il vient d’un monde un peu différent du mien, a un âge différent et pratique un sport différent. Mais ce serait un plaisir de le rencontrer un jour. Je vois qu’il fait parfois du vélo, et il a plaisanté sur Instagram un jour en lançant l’idée de me défier.J’espère que nous pourrons le faire un jour.»
En attendant, Tadej Pogacar va continuer de s’inspirer de Novak Djokovic.
The Road to the 21st gsport Awards Enters Its Final Stretch
The 2026 gsport Awards has entered its decisive phase. With public voting concluded and the countdown to Awards night under way, the 21st edition of South Africa’s premier celebration of women in sport now belongs to the judges, the production crew and the remarkable Finalists waiting to learn their fate in August.
The #gsport21 journey began in March, when public nominations opened across 20 categories spanning athletic excellence, coaching, media, sponsorship and community contribution. By the time nominations closed on 30 June 2026, nearly 475 submissions had been received from sport lovers across the country, each one a story of a woman, or an ally of women’s sport, shaping the South African sporting landscape.
An esteemed independent panel of judges then went to work, distilling those nominations into a powerhouse shortlist. The Finalists were revealed on 1 July 2026, with Athlete of the Year contenders Laura Wolvaardt, Lara van Niekerk and Prudence Sekgodiso leading a field packed with history-makers, while the next generation announced itself in the Emerging Athlete of the Year and School Sports Star of the Year categories.
Public voting opened in the gsport Voting Hall at gsport.co.za/voting on the same day, and the response was immediate, with more than 5,000 votes cast within the opening days as Finalists rallied their families, teammates, clubs and communities behind their campaigns.
USA Eagles Stars Cheta Emba and Emily Henrich Champion Women’s Rugby Growth in South Africa
Berto Mnikina on Fight, Fatherhood and Harry Gwala’s Golden Turnaround
Player, Then Performance: Dinesha Devnarain on Building Cricketers and Leaders
Bantwana Coach Ntombifuthi Khumalo Sees Youth Month as a Promise to the Next Generation
First-Ever SA Schools Girls Coaches Natasha Hofmeester and Zolisa Noxeke Speak Up
Grace Adhiambo Champions Investment in African Women’s Rugby
Then, on Monday, 6 July 2026, Cloaked Voting took effect. In a proud gsport Awards tradition designed to protect the suspense of the big reveal, all voting totals were hidden from view for the remainder of the voting window. Voting closed on Friday, 10 July 2026, and with the cloak down, no Finalist knows where she stands. Every race remains alive until the winners are announced on stage.
So what happens now?
For Finalists, the focus shifts to Awards night. Public votes are considered alongside the scoring of the gsport Awards Judges Panel in deciding each category winner, so every vote cast during the window continues to carry weight behind the scenes.
There is added intrigue in the race for the coveted Public Choice Award, which honours the Finalist who does not win her category but captures the public imagination by earning the largest public vote across all categories. With totals cloaked through the final stretch, that identity will remain one of the best-kept secrets of the night.
For the public, the invitation now is to be part of the occasion. Follow the build on gsport’s platforms, join the conversation with #gsport21, #20YearsOfgsport and #IRecogniseHer, and subscribe to the gsport Newsletter at gsport.co.za to receive every announcement as it lands.
And for the crew, the build is already under way. The four-week We Build This Experience campaign, delivered one code at a time through the gsport Newsletter, opened the application window for the volunteers who bring Awards night to life, from writers and photographers to social media creators and the front-of-house team who make every Finalist feel like the main event. Successful applicants can expect to hear from the gsport team as the production schedule locks in over the coming weeks.
USA Eagles Stars Cheta Emba and Emily Henrich Champion Women’s Rugby Growth in South Africa
Berto Mnikina on Fight, Fatherhood and Harry Gwala’s Golden Turnaround
SA U19 Women Take 1-0 Series Lead with Four-Wicket Victory Over Pakistan
South Africa’s Junior Women Set for World Athletics U20 Championships in Eugene
Junior Springbok Women Squad Named for Historic USA Under-20 Series in Stellenbosch
Kgothatso Montjane Salutes Lucy Shuker As Wimbledon Doubles Run Ends
It is fitting that this update lands in the Leadership edition, because the gsport Awards is, at its heart, a leadership story. Every Finalist on the #gsport21 shortlist is leading somewhere, on the field, in the commentary box, in the boardroom or in her community, and the Awards exist to make that leadership visible.
The champions of #gsport21 will be crowned in August, capping a record-breaking year for South African women in sport. The nominations are in, the votes are counted and the cloak is on. All that remains is the reveal.
Main Photo Caption: The 2026 gsport Awards moves into its final stretch, with nearly 475 public nominations, a Finalist shortlist across 20 categories and a public vote now concluded ahead of the #gsport21 ceremony in August. All Photos: Supplied
The post The Road to the 21st gsport Awards Enters Its Final Stretch appeared first on gsport4girls.
400 m haies : Denis Dinedye signe un nouveau record national
Presque deux mois après avoir battu son record personnel (55,16s) lors des Championnats d'Afrique à Accra, Denis Dinedye a frappé un gros coup, dimanche dernier au Canada. La hurdleuse a établi le nouveau record de Côte d’Ivoire sur 400 m haies avec 54,85s.
La saison avance et les jambes se dégourdissent jour après jour. Les bonnes performances ne peuvent que suivre tout naturellement. Et Dinedye Denis est l'illustration parfaite de cette montée en puissance.
Au Edmonton Athletics Invitational, l'ivoirienne a brillé en finissant première de sa course. Mieux, Dinedye signe le nouveau record national vieux de 32 ans et qui était détenu par Marie Womplou (56,39s). Elle a terminé devant Bianca Stubler en 55.14s pour la deuxième fois, tandis que Grâce Claxton s'est classée troisième en 55.15s.
"C'est une sensation incroyable. Je me sens très bien. La Côte d'Ivoire est une puissance du sprint, réussir une performance sur une épreuve aussi longue que le 400 mètres haies, c'est toujours formidable", a-t-elle confié.
Détentrice du record national désormais, la médaillée d'argent des Championnats d'Afrique attend les futures échéances où elle tentera d'améliorer son chrono.
Chamade YAH
Sébastien Migné rebondit sur le banc du Gabon
Sébastien Migné ne sera pas resté longtemps sans poste. 24h après avoir quitté la sélection haïtienne, avec qui il a été éliminé en phase de poules du Mondial après trois défaites face à l’Ecosse (0-1), le Brésil (0-3) et le Maroc (2-4), le technicien français de 53 ans a signé un contrat avec le Gabon. Il s’agira de sa quatrième sélection en tant que sélectionneur sur le continent africain, après le Congo, le Kenya et la Guinée Equatoriale.
La première mission de Migné sera de qualifier les Panthères pour la prochaine CAN, qui se déroulera l’été prochain au Kenya, en Ouganda et en Tanzanie. À cette occasion, il retrouvera lors des qualifications le Maroc, mais aussi le Niger et le Lesotho.