Ligue des champions : L'OL renverse aisément le Sparta Prague et retr…

Le mercato estival avance et Mohamed Amine Amoura n’a toujours pas trouvé de nouveau point de chute. L’international algérien est encore lié à Wolfsburg, alors que son souhait de quitter le club allemand est clairement établi. Une situation qui devient de plus en plus préoccupante à l’approche de la fermeture du marché des transferts. saltysenoritaaz.com

The post Mercato : Bloqué à Wolfsburg, l'avenir d'Amoura s'assombrit ! appeared first on Football Algérien - DZFOOT.COM.

Johan Ackermann says the Vodacom Bulls can’t read too much into the All Blacks’ opening results of the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, yet thinks he’s decoded their strategy.

Dave Rennie’s men beat the Sharks 54-0 at a wet and rainy Kings Park on Tuesday night, after kicking off their seven-match South African tour last week with a 38-21 win over the Stormers in Cape Town.

It’s another swift turnaround for New Zealand, with a clash against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, and Ackermann is under no illusions about the challenge that awaits his troops.

However, the Bulls boss believes they can exploit the Kiwis’ pressure points, even as Rennie fine-tunes their combinations ahead of the first Test against the Springboks next Saturday.

BOSCH: My best is good enough for Boks

“You can bother the All Blacks with pressure. But, saying that, they’re still finding [their combinations]. Dave Rennie is going to see who else can push for a jersey,” he said.

“Maybe they’re a bit individualistic at the moment when they’re fighting for those spots. We’re going to have to take that into account.

“It is a change of environment, travelling, guys getting used to playing in SA. In a sense, we don’t want to read too much into that Stormers game – they’re just going to get better.”

MORE: Bulls ‘underprepared’ for Loftus occasion

Ackermann noted the Stormers’ late fade against the All Blacks, and warned his players to stay sharp for the full 80 minutes.

“We could see it with the Stormers. They were all the way in the fight and then there were one or two moments where maybe the fatigue kicked in and cost them,” he said.

“I said to the players, if we can tick the boxes, we’re all happy. If it is 80 minutes, great. If it is 50 minutes where we really do what we’re trying to implement, that’s great.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge. The privilege and the occasion are massive, but hopefully the important thing after the 80 minutes is that we’ve got no injuries.”

ALSO: Ackers relishing Rennie reunion

On matching the All Blacks’ tempo, Ackermann stressed the need to force their own game plan while keeping up with the visitors.

“We’re going to try and force our stuff and they’re going to try and force theirs. They try to keep the ball in play and play at a fast pace, and we have to match that.

“I think that’s the secret. I don’t think they’re going to change that even though they’re at altitude, because the first Test is at altitude.”

PLUS: Rennie sounds warning to SA rivals

Photo: Roger Sedres/Gallo Images

The post Stormers’ loss the ‘secret’ to beating All Blacks appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.

Aux Rencontres photographiques d'Arles, Thato Toeba, originaire du Lesotho, revient sur un drame récent : la mort de dizaines de mineurs clandestins originaires (notamment) de son pays, dans une mine sud-africaine. L'artiste en tire une installation intitulée « Tout le monde peut être Lucifer ». Thato Toeba est au micro d’Elisabeth Lequeret. « Tout le monde peut être Lucifer » de Thato Toeba, jusqu'au 4 octobre aux Rencontres d’Arles.

The Vodacom Bulls will man up to the All Blacks in Pretoria on Saturday, but would’ve preferred being in pre-season training, according to head coach Johan Ackermann.

Ackermann’s men are bracing for a New Zealand outfit that followed up their Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry opening win over the Stormers last week with a 54-0 demolition job of the Sharks in Durban on Tuesday night.

The Bulls’ last competitive match was the Vodacom URC final on 19 June, losing 36-7 at Croke Park, and they will kick off their 2026-27 campaign against Zebre Parma on 25 September.

BOSCH: My best is good enough for Boks

Ackermann reckons this week’s fixture at Loftus Versfeld has disrupted their pre-season plans, forcing the squad to cut their break short and fast-track conditioning.

“We would probably only just have returned from the break,” Ackermann told the media on Tuesday. “We had to cut the break short. We have to give the guys a five-week break, but we could only give them three weeks.

“Conditioning is one thing, but your body, after three or four weeks, loses its contact ability. So we had to fast-track all of that.

“If this game wasn’t there, we would probably have been in a conditioning phase only. So it has put a bit of pressure on us.”

MORE: Stormers’ loss the ‘secret’ to beating All Blacks

Ackermann highlighted the challenge of losing the opportunity for a conventional pre-season, where teams typically trial new strategies and assess player form.

“Normally you play a warm-up match or two, you trial stuff, see if it works and see what players are in form,” he said.

“Now we’re basically picking from the squad we’ve got left, and then the odd guys who were unlucky not to be selected have been given off training. It’s a bit unfair, but that’s the hand we’ve got.”

ALSO: Ackers relishing Rennie reunion

Despite the disruption, the former Springbok lock is focused on extracting value from the Highveld spectacle.

“It’s a great occasion, but we will definitely be a bit underprepared from where we want to be. We’re building up to the URC and that’s still a few weeks away, so we don’t want to peak now,” he said.

“It’s not to use it as an excuse, but the fact that we went to the final meant we had less time to prepare than the other franchises.

“We just want to embrace the occasion and hopefully get a reward for what we’ve tried to practise over the last few weeks.”

PLUS: Rennie sounds warning to SA rivals

Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images

The post Bulls ‘underprepared’ for Loftus occasion appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.