Month: April 2019

The Super Rugby sides in South Africa can produce better results, allowing the South African national team to provide a stronger challenge in Japan during the Rugby World Cup. All they have to do is place a little bit of trust in the back-three players according to Naas Botha.

The excellent teams in the nation are well-known for their prowess and strength when it comes to their forwards. However, Botha recently told reporters that the fullbacks and wingers could also offer match-winning abilities when they are given a chance.

South African Rugby Players

Curwin Bosch, who made his first start of the Rugby season as a fullback, was awarded man of the match when the Sharks grandly destroyed the Lions on Friday at Emirates Airline Park. Bosch managed to combine phenomenally with his wingers Lwazi Movovo, Makazole Mpimpi, and Aphelele Fassi as the replacement for a living embodiment of the point made by Botha that we haven’t seen for a very long time from a South African team.

Elsewhere this season in Super Rugby, Cornell Hendricks, Rosko Specman, and Warrick Gelant have impressed incredibly while playing for the Bulls once they received a limited opportunity to prove their worth on the field. It’s necessarily only the Stormers that have struggled to produce a back-three worth mentioning.

Factor in that Aphiwe Dyantyi and S’busiso Nkosi, who were likely the first pick wingers for the Boks before the Super Rugby season kicked off, have both suffered injuries during the season. Cheslin Kolbe and Willie le Roux is undoubtedly going to be on the plane towards Japan, subject to fitness and form, then coach Rassie Erasmus of the Springboks has a wealth of players at his disposal to consider for the number 15, 14, and 11 jumpers.

Comments from Naas Botha

“I am well aware that South Africans love direct rugby. However, when it comes to the back-three South African rugby players, consisting of a fullback and two wings. I will always believe that when you provide space for them in a one-on-one situation, that they will be able to surprise you,” stated Botha who is a Hall of Famer who played for both South Africa and Northern Transvaal, winning a total of 28 caps with South Africa.

“Most of the time, South Africans believe that placing pressure on the opposition with a kick is the right choice. However, if the ball doesn’t fall where you want it to fall, the opposing team usually scores against us after that. This is exactly the reason why we need to be extra careful in the upcoming Rugby World Cup.”

With all this in mind, Naas Botha is still pleased with the current Rugby situation in South Africa as well as the team that has been selected for the squad that will go to Japan in September. He only wants the team to focus on their weaknesses and what their opponents tend to do in each game to succeed.

Josep Maria Bartomeu, the president of Barcelona, has recently told reporters that he wants the football superstar, Lionel Messi, to stay linked to the football club forever and that he is planning to sit down with the Barcelona. He is looking to extend his contract with the team.

Messi managed to sign a deal less than two years ago that will run until the end of 2021, taking him through to his 34th birthday. Messi, the Argentina international, is showcasing absolutely no signs of slowing down when it comes to playing for the club. He already managed to score 42 goals this season in all competitions and the Barcelona president is already considering what would be his 10th, and perhaps the last, football deal at the club for Lionel Messi.

Josep Maria Bartomeu Comments on Lionel Messi

“We truly want Lionel Messi to have a long football career so everyone can continue enjoying his skills and abilities on the pitch,” Bartomeu stated. “Messi has broken down several borders. Everyone truly admires the talent he has, and he gets applauded around the world by rival fans.

Bartomeu added, “We want to renew Messi’s contract as soon as possible. He is still a young player at heart, and everyone can see that. He still has two years to go on his current contract at Barcelona and is always innovating and improving with every game he plays. I think he still has loads of years ahead of him on the pitch for Barcelona and in the next few months, I will sit down with Lionel Messi to ensure he has many more years at Camp Nou.

Bartomeu continued stating that “Messi is undoubtedly a one-club man; there’s no denying it. However, it goes far beyond what he does on the pitch against other opponents as his relationship with his current club will last forever. We want Lionel Messi always to be part of Barcelona, whether he continues playing for the team or simply linked to the club in another way after he retires.”

Lionel Messi’s Career

Lionel Messi is also considered the top goalscorer for Barcelona with a total of 594 goals. This allowed him to surpass Andres Iniesta when it comes to appearances for the club. He is currently second in the history of the club as Xavi Hernandez is the only player ahead of him with 767 appearances. Lionel Messi has appeared a total of 676 times for Barcelona.

Since Lionel Messi made his incredible debut during 2004, Barcelona has managed to enjoy more success than any other span in the history of the club. The club has claimed 8 of the last 11 La Liga titles, 4 out of 5 Champions League titles, and won 4 Copa del Reys.

However, there’s no denying that a time will come when Messi decided to hang up his boots and the president of Barcelona states that it’s vital for the club to prepare for when that happens.

Jusuf Nurkic, the centre for the Portland Trail Blazers, suffered several compound fractures to the fibula and tibia in his lower left leg during a double-overtime victory against the Brooklyn Nets that took place on Monday evening and will, unfortunately, be out for the rest of the season.

Jusuf Nurkic’s Injury

Nurkic jumped for a rebound where he came down in a very awkward position in a tangle of bodies that occurred under the net. Once he hit the floor, the players from the Brooklyn Nets that were around him witnessed the severity of his injury and started sprinting away. The basketball arena immediately went into silence as the medical personnel of the Blazers rushed to attend to Nurkic’s injury. A stretcher was instantly called, and with the assistance of a handful of Blazers, including Al-Farouq Aminu, Rodney Hood, and Damian Lillard, the 7-foot Nurkic was quickly loaded onto the stretcher.

Damian Lillard’s Comments

“It made me feel incredibly sick,” Lillard stated. “I believe he attempted to tip it in before he crashed the glass and I witnessed him hitting the ground and quickly roll over, and I was under the impression someone might have hit his face again. While I was walking over to see what was going on, I noticed that everyone was turning around and walking away quite quickly, and then I noticed his leg. I truly hate to see it happen to someone like him.”

Lillard stated that it reminded him of the Team USA exhibition in 2014 that took place in Las Vegas when Paul George had his injury, a match Lillard was also playing in. “Nurkic’s injury looked exactly like that to me,” Lillard stated. It also brought back memories of the gruesome ankle injury of Gordon Hayward that occurred during the 2017/18 opening night game.

Terry Stotts stated that Nurkic was rushed to a local hospital and didn’t have much else to add as the head coach for the Blazers. “It’s horrible,” Stotts stated. Stotts also added that the locker room for the Blazers was tranquil after the injury occurred and Zach Collins felt like the team lost after the injury occurred. Enes Kanter stated that the entire team held a silent moment for Jusuf Nurkic after the match.

“Nobody had anything to say,” Kanter stated. This is a crushing and unexpected blow for the Blazers, who have managed to surge in recent games even though CJ McCollum has been sidelined after a knee injury. They managed to defeat the Brooklyn Nets in a 148-144 double-overtime match and clinched a playoff berth in the process.

Nurkic’s injury occurred with only 2 minutes left on the clock, while the Blazers were leading the game with 2 points. They managed to close the Brooklyn Nets with a phenomenal 3-pointer by Rodney Hood along with clutch free throws by Curry to finally seal the game for the Portland Trail Blazers.