Coupe du Monde 2026 – Finale : « c’est l’un des meilleurs joueurs au …

À la veille de la finale Argentine – Espagne, prévue pour ce dimanche 19 juillet 2026 à 19H00 GMT, Lionel Messi a évoqué son adversaire Lamine Yamal. Entre eux, une photo légendaire et 16 ans d’écart. La Pulga a rendu un hommage vibrant au prodige espagnol avant l’affiche la plus attendue de la Coupe du Monde 2026.

La photo qui a fait le tour du monde

Lors de la conférence de presse d’avant match, de la finale de la Coupe du Monde 2026 entre l’Argentine et l’Espagne, Lionel Messi a été interrogé sur une photo légendaire prise alors que Lamine Yamal n’était qu’un bébé. Sur le cliché, on voit un jeune Messi tenir un nourrisson dans ses bras lors d’une séance photo caritative du Barça. Ce bébé, c’était Lamine Yamal. Demain, ils s’affronteront pour le titre mondial.

L’hommage Messi

La réponse de Leo a été particulièrement marquante , « Cette photo est incroyable. Il n’était qu’un bébé… et maintenant, nous allons disputer une finale de Coupe du Monde. C’est l’un des meilleurs joueurs au monde. Je lui souhaite beaucoup de réussite ; ce sera aussi une excellente chose pour le Barça »,
Un respect total de Messi envers l’ailier de 19 ans, déjà décisif à plusieurs reprises dans ce mondial. cricket-ipl.co.za

Une légende face à son successeur

Lionel Messi a fait preuve d’humilité en tant que légende en rendant hommage à son successeur. D’un côté Messi, 39 ans, qui joue peut-être sa toute dernière finale de Coupe du Monde. De l’autre Yamal, l’étoile montante de la Roja et du Barça, qui découvre la scène mondiale. Dimanche au MetLife, l’histoire ne se jouera pas seulement entre l’Argentine et l’Espagne. Elle se jouera aussi entre le passé et le futur du football.

The post Coupe du Monde 2026 – Finale : « c’est l’un des meilleurs joueurs au monde », Messi encense Lamine Yamal appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.

South African prop Pierre Schoeman scored a try as Scotland overturned a 10-point half-time deficit to beat Fiji at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Gregor Townsend’s much-changed side were in danger of a shock defeat after falling 17-7 behind at the interval.

But Scotland stormed back in the second half to avoid a major embarrassment at Murrayfield, clinching a 33-17 bonus-point win.

Dobie scored two tries after the break to spark Scotland’s revival, while fellow replacements Schoeman and Scott Cummings also crossed over.

The Scots’ escape act secured their second win from three matches in the new tournament. They defeated Argentina 47-38 in their opener before losing 42-28 to the Springboks in Pretoria last weekend.

Scotland will resume their Nations Championship campaign in November with matches against New Zealand, Australia and Japan.

REPORT: Wallabies crack 50 against Azzurri

Townsend’s decision to make 14 changes looked like coming back to bite him as Fiji dominated the first half.

Lock Jonny Gray’s close-range try and scrumhalf George Horne’s conversion gave Scotland an early lead, but Fiji were unfazed.

Hooker Tevita Ikanivere touched down following a maul to cap an immediate response from Fiji, who struck again through winger Selestino Ravutaumada’s sensational effort.

Taking possession wide on the flank, Ravutaumada kicked ahead and recovered the ball before racing away to score.

No 8 Elia Canakaivata pounced on the loose ball after a break down and jumped over the line for another Fiji try, with fullback Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula adding the conversion.

ALSO: Rennie ‘really rapt’ ahead of SA tour

But Scotland were revived by Townsend’s switches in the second half.

Playing with renewed intensity, they battered Fiji into submission as the visitors gradually faded.

The power of Pierre Schoeman

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Scotland captain Stafford McDowall saluted the fightback, saying: “I’m really proud of the boys. We got loose and let Fiji into the game but we responded and the bench had a really big impact.

“We had to stick to what we have done all year. It was a good sign to see those lads coming on in the second half. I am off to be a groomsman at a wedding now!”

FIJI – Tries: Tevita Ikanivere, Selestino Ravutaumada, Elia Canakaivata. Conversion: Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula.
SCOTLAND – Tries: Jonny Gray, Pierre Schoeman, Jamie Dobie (2), Scott Cummings. Conversions: George Horne, Fergus Burke (3).

Photo: Scott Heppell/Reuters

The post Fiji give Scotland a fright appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

The Springboks scored seven tries and didn’t concede a point as they beat Wales 43-0 in a Nations Championship match at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday.

It was a third straight win by the Boks in the new competition and their 11th Test victory in a row.

They next face Argentina in a friendly game away and then turn their attention to the All Blacks in four Tests in the Greatest Rivalry series.

Here are six key takeaways from Saturday’s Boks win against Wales in Durban.

Scrum power

The Boks’ renowned scrum power was on full display throughout the clash, as they dominated the Wales front eight in the set-piece.

Debutant Carlu Sadie and prop mate Gerhard Steenekamp, assisted by Malcolm Marx in the middle, scrummed with force and power. But it was a pack effort. They won several scrum penalties and at times pushed Wales off their own ball.

Add in Wilco Louw, Ox Nche, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Zachary Porthen, Thomas du Toit and Boan Venter and the Boks are a force to be reckoned with.

Not much reward from high kicks

The Boks have become something of a force in the game when it comes to contesting high, hanging kicks. Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Damian Willemse, the first-choice back three, have mastered the art.

On Saturday, debutant Jaco Williams worked hard and chased strongly, as did Aphelele Fassi and Arendse, but the Boks didn’t get the reward and return they usually do.

Rookie No 10 Vusi Moyo’s high kicks also weren’t as accurate as those of Manie Libbok and Handre Pollard.

Silly Bok errors

For some reason, the Boks produced an uncharacteristic scrappy and error-ridden performance. They just never got into rhythm and never built up any momentum and impressive phase play.

They made plenty handling errors, in general play, at the back, and in the mauls, which possibly cost them a few tries. The offloading and passing also wasn’t as spot on as it usually is.

The Boks were fortunate that Wales didn’t punish them for this sloppiness at times. It is something Rassie Erasmus will look into before the All Blacks Tests.

Bok debutants

Jaco Williams tried hard to get stuck in; he chased the high kicks, jumped for the ball and chased long punts, with little reward. His timing was possibly just off on a few occasions. But he made some nice offloads and scored a try on debut.

Vusi Moyo did nothing wrong and contributed nicely at times; he has a bright future.

Carlu Sadie scrummed well and got around the field making tackles, while Ruben van Heerden was a colossus in the lineouts, taking several balls. He was also very busy in the loose.

Depth at No 9 is unreal

This was the third match in a row that the Boks had a different scrumhalf in the No 9 jersey … Grant Williams started against England, Embrose Papier started against Scotland and against Wales Cobus Reinach was in charge. All three men delivered knockout performances.

Reinach was very good on Saturday in Durban. And Herschel Jantjies, back in the side after eight years, came on from the bench and also played really well, scoring a try to boot.

And Morne van den Berg and Jaden Hendrikse are currently injured. It’s a stacked position.

Wales concern

Not that too many South Africans will be bothered by the performance of Wales, but they must be wondering how they are ever going to get to a point again where they will challenge the Boks.

They tried hard on Saturday, had a few moments when they put some phases together, but they hardly threw a punch. They were out-played in most departments.

In two Tests now against the Boks, they have conceded 73 points (in Cardiff last November) and 43 points in Durban on Saturday, without scoring themselves. They have much work to do.

The Springboks completed an unbeaten southern series leg of the Nations Championship with a record win against Wales in Durban on Saturday.

The Boks scored seven tries to triumph 43-0 and inflict yet another demoralising defeat on Wales.

It was the third Test win and fourth overall victory in 2026 for the back-to-back world champions, who now sit atop the Nations Championship’s Southern Hemisphere table. New Zealand are level on points with South Africa, but are in second position in the standings because the Boks have a better points differential.

Both sides fielded much-changed line-ups for varying reasons, and many would argue the Springboks fielded a second-string lineup. And yet, the result speaks to a squad with such frightening depth that team put out by Rassie Erasmus can compete with any Tier One Test nation.

FIRST HALF RECAP: SPRINGBOKS SHOW THEIR CLASS

The Springboks started brilliantly after a typically rousing rendition of their national anthem, with Jasper Wiese scoring a blinder of a try in the opening minutes.

And the gulf in quality between the teams soon became even more apparent as the hosts started to dominate the collisions.

That pressure began to tell on the Welsh defence and Cobus Reinach and Jesse Kriel exploited that as they crossed for two tries.

Test debutant Vusi Moyo – who had a solid overall game – slotted two of those three conversions to give the Springboks a 19-0 lead at the break.

SECOND HALF RECAP: WELSH DEFENCE STEM THE FLOW, BUT BOK ATTACK PREVAIL

Not everything went according to plan for the Springboks as the Welsh defence frustrated the hosts, keeping them scoreless in the third quarter. But when the game hit the hour mark and after the Springboks’ bench was almost cleared out, Erasmus’ men shifted into gear.

Jaco Williams, who provided an aerial assist Kriel’s try, scuttled in for a try on debut. And to cap off his fine showing, Williams assisted scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies’ try on his long-awaited return to the Bok fold. Speedster Kurt-Lee Arendse was next to cross for a five-pointer.

The game went into somewhat of a lull, but it was the Springboks who had the final say in the dying stages of the contest when Paul de Villiers barged over from a maul to wrap up the result. And yet despite the outcome and flattering scoreline, you can’t help to feel that the Springboks left a lot of points out there.

Paul de Villiers believes the Springboks’ uncompromising physicality was the foundation for their emphatic 43-0 victory over Wales at Kings Park on Saturday.

The world champions dominated from the outset, running in seven unanswered tries to follow up last November’s 73-0 demolition of Wales in Cardiff with another one-sided display.

RECAP: Seven-try Boks blank Wales again

Despite the convincing scoreline, Man of the Match De Villiers felt the slippery conditions prevented the Springboks from being even more clinical.

“We wanted to bring our physicality and I thought we did that in the set-piece, in our carries and in our defence,” he said.

“The ball was a bit wet, which slowed us down a bit and obviously cost us a bit of execution, especially in the 22.”

MORE: Boks’ big bruisers take charge

The loose forward said the Boks had targeted the collision areas all week and were pleased with how they imposed themselves.

“We wanted to be physical, we wanted to give our presence especially in our scrums and in our mauls and in our defence, and I thought we did that well.”

South Africa’s scrum again proved a major weapon, with both the starting pack and the replacements making life tough for the visitors.

De Villiers reserved special praise for scrum coach Daan Human and the impact made by the Bomb Squad.

“Credit to the coaches, credit to [scrum] coach Daan [Human] and also the bench that came on and just kept going forward and kept it going from where we left off in the first half.”

PICK YOUR MVP: Boks vs Wales

The victory also marked memorable Test debuts for flyhalf Vusi Moyo and wing Jaco Williams, who both got their first Test points as another wave of newcomers made an immediate impression in green and gold.

Tighthead prop Carlü Sadie and lock Ruben van Heerden also put in strong debut performances.

According to De Villiers, the Springboks’ culture makes it easy for new players to settle into the squad.

“The environment they’re creating here is such where the guys who’ve been here longer almost take us in, make us feel comfortable and let us do our thing and let us play with our talents – and that’s awesome.”

Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images

The post De Villiers: Physicality won it for Boks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.