BREAKING: SPRINGBOKS NAME POWERFUL TEAM FOR FRANCE BATTLE

Damian Willemse returns from injury to start at fullback in a strong Springbok team that’s set to celebrate Siya Kolisi’s 100th Test cap.

The Springboks are braced for battle against France on Saturday. Image: SA Rugby

Siya Kolisi will become the ninth Springbok centurion when he leads South Africa out against France at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday.

Rassie Erasmus – who will guide the side in his 50th Test as head coach – has made six personnel changes to the side that defeated Japan last week.

This massive feat for Kolisi and Erasmus adds to a string of remarkable achievements, which include winning back-to-back Rugby World Cups and Rugby Championship titles, as well as the British & Irish Lions series.

Erasmus has selected Boan Venter to replace the injured Ox Nche at loosehead prop, while Thomas du Toit (tighthead prop), Eben Etzebeth (lock), Pieter-Steph du Toit (flanker) and Damian Willemse (utility back) all return to the starting line-up.

The only change amongst the replacements sees RG Snyman (lock) move from the starting team to the bench in place of Kwagga Smith (loose forward), who is carrying a niggle.

This will see Venter, Malcolm Marx (hooker), and Thomas du Toit pack down in the front row, while Etzebeth will join forces with Lood de Jager in the engine room.

Erasmus made only two changes to the backline. Willemse starts at fullback in place of Cheslin Kolbe, who moves to his regular position at wing with Kurt-Lee Arendse, while the experienced centre pairing of Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel will man the midfield, and halfbacks Cobus Reinach and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu are set to dictate play at halfback.

The Bulls trio of Johan Grobbelaar, Gerhard Steenekamp, and Wilco Louw will again serve as the back-up front row, along with locks Snyman, Ruan Nortje, and hybrid player Andre Esterhuizen. The two backline players on the bench are Grant Williams and Manie Libbok.

Eleven players in the team participated in the Springboks’ narrow RWC quarter-final victory over Les Bleus at the same venue two years ago – Etzebeth, Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Snyman, Reinach, Arendse, Kolbe, Kriel, De Allende, Willemse, and Libbok.

SPRINGBOK TEAM TO FACE FRANCE IN PARIS:

15 Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 45 caps, 66 pts (6t, 9c, 4p, 2 dg)

14 Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath) – 47 caps, 126 pts (21t, 3c, 5p)

13 Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles) – 85 caps, 100 pts (20t)

12 Damian de Allende (Wild Knights) – 94 caps, 55 pts (11t)

11 Kurt-Lee Arendse (Vodacom Bulls) – 28 caps, 115 pts (23t)

10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers) – 16 caps, 120 pts (5t, 31c, 11p)

9 Cobus Reinach (DHL Stormers) – 47 caps, 85 pts (17t)

8 Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks) – 40 caps, 10 pts (2t)

7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz) – 93 caps, 70 pts (14t)

6 Siya Kolisi (captain, Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 99 caps, 70 pts (14t)

5 Lood de Jager (Wild Knights) – 72 caps, 25 pts (5t)

4 Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 138 caps, 35 pts (7t)

3 Thomas du Toit (Bath) – 30 caps, 5 pts (1t)

2 Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 85 caps, 135 pts (27t)

1 Boan Venter (Edinburgh) – 5 caps, 5 pts (1t)

Replacements:

16 Johan Grobbelaar (Vodacom Bulls) – 4 caps, 0 pts

17 Gerhard Steenekamp (Vodacom Bulls) – 12 caps, 5 pts (1t)

18 Wilco Louw (Vodacom Bulls) – 25 caps, 5 pts (1t)

19 RG Snyman (Leinster) – 47 caps, 15 points (3t)

20 Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls) – 14 caps, 0 pts

21 Andre Esterhuizen (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 25 caps, 15 pts (3t)

22 Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks) – 25 caps, 25 pts (5t)

23 Manie Libbok (Kintetsu Liners) – 25 caps, 141 pts (2t, 46c, 13p)

STATS AND FACTS:

Springbok record against France:

Played 46; Won 28; Lost 12; Drawn 6. Points for: 994, Points against: 720. Tries scored 111, Tries conceded 64. Highest score 52-10; Biggest win 42 points. Win % 61%.

- Craig Lewis

SOURCE: QUINCY WILSON, 16, TO RUN 4X400 RELAY OLYMPICS

When Quincy Wilson runs in the 4x400 meter relay on Friday, he will become the youngest American male to have ever participated in an Olympic track and field event. Patrick Smith/Getty Images

PARIS -- Quincy Wilson, the 16-year-old who turned heads at the U.S. track and field trials in June, will have the opportunity to do the same at the Olympics on Friday, a source confirmed to ESPN.

The Maryland native will be part of the men's 4x400-meter relay team that morning when it takes part in the opening heat of the Olympic relay. After Wilson missed 4x400 mixed heats earlier this week, it was uncertain whether he'd end up running at all or be an alternate in the overall relay pool.

When he takes the track inside the Stade de France, Wilson will become the youngest American male to have ever participated in an Olympic track and field event.

In July, Wilson said he was overjoyed when he received word that would be added to the Team USA relay pool after he didn't qualify for the individual 400-meter dash at trials.

"When I got the call, I was like, I was ecstatic," Wilson said. "I started running around the house. It was just a moment for me because everybody dreams about going to the Olympics as a young kid."

Wilson said he first started dreaming about participating in the Games during the 2016 Olympics in Rio, when he was 8 years old. That same year, he began running his premier event, the 400, and has become a force in it.

After twice breaking the event's under-18 world record while at U.S. trials, running it as quickly as 44.59 seconds, Wilson went even lower three weeks ago at a tuneup race in Florida. There, he ran a 44.20-second race that had the track world buzzing in anticipation of what he could do on American relay teams once the Olympics arrived.

Now, his chance is here.

- Coley Harvey, ESPN Staff Writer

WHY DO OLYMPIC ATHLETES RING A BELL AT STADE DE FRANCE?

 

Track and field events and rugby matches have brought exciting performances to the Stade de France during the 2024 Summer Games. Apart from the Olympic prowess, another element has been on display during the festivities: a large bell.

What significance does the bell hold? Here are key facts on its significance to Paris:

Why is the bell included in the Olympics?

The bell is a special element in the restoration of the famous Notre Dame Cathedral. The bell was made in Normandy, at the Fonderie Cornille Havard in Villedieu-les-Poeles-Rouffigny. It is engraved with the Paris 2024 logo and will be on display in one of the cathedral's bell towers after the Olympics.

What happened to the  Notre Dame Cathedral?

On April 15, 2019, the Notre Dame Cathedral was hit by a severe fire, which caused its spire and part of its roof to collapse (among other damage). Since the fire, the cathedral has undergone extensive repairs.

How does the bell factor into rugby and track & field events?

The French men's rugby team rang the bell after they won the tournament. The U.S. women's rugby team rang the bell and posed for a photo after they took home the bronze medal.

Track and field winners who take home gold medals also receive an opportunity to ring the bell.

When can fans visit the bell at the Notre Dame Cathedral?

The Notre Dame Cathedral is currently slated for an official reopening on December 8, 2024.

For more Olympics coverage, check out the ESPN hub page for breaking news, athlete profiles, previews, and more.

- ESPN 

PARIS 2024: OLYMPIC TRACK IS GOING PURPLE 🟣 FOR THE FIRST TIME

 The rubber used for the athletic tracks is in a new color and uses a new generation of granules that are more elastic and cohesive, reducing energy loss and possibly improving performance.

Workers lay down purple athletics tracks during renovation work to adapt the Stade de France ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, in Saint-Denis, suburban Paris, on April 9, 2024. ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT / AFP

Fans will be seeing purple at the Olympics when athletes try to set records at this summer's Paris Games. In a move away from a more traditional red-brick clay color, an Olympic track is going purple for the first time.

The pieces of vulcanized rubber track were produced at a factory in northern Italy and workers have been laying them down at Stade de France, the national stadium hosting track events. Workers even appeared to be doing an event of their own: You could call it track rolling.

Getting down on their hands and knees, and with their hard hats on, they patiently and meticulously unfurl each strip before hammering a nail in to keep it in position. More than 1,000 such rolls will be used for the track, which requires about one month's work and 2,800 pots of glue in total.

Three years ago, three world records and 12 Olympic marks were set on the red-brick track in Tokyo.

Mondo has provided the track at every Summer Games since Montreal in 1976, and the company hopes to do even better in Paris. New generation granules are more elastic and cohesive, while multiple algorithms create a more optimal shape and dimension for the air cells inside the track, reducing energy loss and thereby improving performance.

Expect more records to fall at the Stade de France, said Alain Blondel, the sports manager overseeing athletics events at the July 26-Aug. 11 Paris Games and the Aug. 28-Sept. 8 Paralympics.

"The first indications are that it will be a very, very good track," said Blondel, a former Olympic decathlete. "If we see athletes with personal bests on the scoreboard, it means we did a good job. They will come into their best form, best shape of their life."

But why choose purple? "That's one of the colors of the Games that we have [along] with, blue [and] green," Blondel said. "The rubber itself is a perfect quality, the best quality. I'm pretty confident that we will have something exceptional in this stadium."

- Le Monde with AP

TRAFFIC TO BE HEAVILY RESTRICTED DURING THE GAMES, POLICE WARN

Reuters 

Car traffic during the Paris 2024 Olympics will be restricted with pre-registration necessary to enter several zones, although the maximum is being done to preserve the residents' daily lives, the French capital's chief of police said on Wednesday.

"We want to guarantee the highest level of security while safeguarding the continuity of the economical and private lives," Paris police chief Laurent Nunez told a press conference before unveiling a map of restricted areas for the duration of the July 26-Aug. 11 Games.

To a lesser extent, the Paralympics will also have restrictions.

"The plan is not final, we will now enter a phase of consultation to get feedback," Nunez added.

"We are not saying that people should leave Paris. There are a lot of spaces that are not concerned by these measures. And pedestrians are allowed everywhere."

UEFA MOVES CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL FRON ST. PETERSBURG TO FRANCE

 

UEFA Champions League final will not take place in St. Petersburg after Russia decided to invade Ukrain amidst world wide condemnation. 

EURO 2016: ENGLAND YACHAPWA NA NCHI NDOGO YA ICELAND

England wameaibishwa na Iceland kwa kutolewa nje ya michuano ya Euro 2016...

Iceland ni ka timu kadogo ambako wachezaji wake hawana hata pesa na wengine wanacheza mpira kwa msimu tu maana wana kazi nyingine zakufanya lakini wamefanikiwa kuwatoa England na kelele zao...

Iceland inawatu takriban 330,000 na timu ni namba 34 duniani...England ni timu ambayo imejengwa kwa makelele na kujisifu bila kuwa na mantiki yoyote...

Iceland ndio waliocheza vizuri kuliko England na kweli walistahili ushindi...

Wameshinda 2-1 na mabao ya Iceland yalitoka kwa nyota Sigurdsson dakika ya 6 na Sigthorson dakika ya 18...

Rooney ndie aliyepata bao pekee la England dakika ya 4 kwa tuta...

Iceland watakutana na France ndani ya Stade de France Jumamosi...Bofya hapa upate habari zaidi.

EURO 2016: RATIBA YA MICHUANO YA EURO 2016 (GMT)

GROUP A  

Friday, June 10: France v Romania (20:00, Stade de France, Paris)

Saturday, June 11: Albania v Switzerland (14:00, Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens)

Wednesday, June 15: Romania v Switzerland (17:00, Parc des Princes, Paris)

Wednesday, June 15: France v Albania (20:00, Stade Velodrome, Marseille)

Sunday, June 19: Romania v Albania (20:00, Stade de Lyon)

Sunday, June 19: Switzerland v France (20:00, Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille)

GROUP B

Saturday, June 11: Wales v Slovakia (17:00, Stade de Bordeaux)

Saturday, June 11: England v Russia (20:00, Stade Velodrome, Marseille)

Wednesday, June 15: Russia v Slovakia (14:00, Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille)

Thursday, June 16: England v Wales (14:00, Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens)

Monday, June 20: Russia v Wales (20:00, Stadium de Toulouse)

Monday, June 20: Slovakia v England (20:00, Stade Geoffroy Guichard, St Etienne)

GROUP C  

Sunday, June 12: Poland v Northern Ireland (17:00, Stade de Nice)

Sunday, June 12: Germany v Ukraine (20:00, Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille)

Thursday, June 16: Ukraine v Northern Ireland (17:00, Stade de Lyon)

Thursday, June 16: Germany v Poland (20:00, Stade de France, Paris)

Tuesday, June 21: Ukraine v Poland (17:00, Stade Velodrome, Marseille)

Tuesday, June 21: Northern Ireland v Germany (17:00, Parc des Princes, Paris)

GROUP D  

Sunday, June 12: Turkey v Croatia (14:00, Parc des Princes, Paris)

Monday, June 13: Spain v Czech Republic (14:00, Stadium de Toulouse)

Friday, June 17: Czech Republic v Croatia (17:00, Stade Geoffroy Guichard, St Etienne)

Friday, June 17: Spain v Turkey (20:00, Stade de Nice)

Tuesday, June 21: Czech Republic v Turkey (20:00, Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens)

Tuesday, June 21: Croatia v Spain (20:00, Stade de Bordeaux)

GROUP E  

Monday, June 13: Republic of Ireland v Sweden (17:00, Stade de France, Paris)

Monday, June 13: Belgium v Italy (20:00, Stade de Lyon)

Friday, June 17: Italy v Sweden (14:00, Stadium de Toulouse)

Saturday, June 18: Belgium v Republic of Ireland (14:00, Stade de Bordeaux)

Wednesday, June 22: Italy v Republic of Ireland (20:00, Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille)

Wednesday, June 22: Sweden v Belgium (20:00, Stade de Nice)

GROUP F  

Tuesday, June 14: Austria v Hungary (17:00, Stade de Bordeaux)

Tuesday, June 14: Portugal v Iceland (20:00, Stade Geoffroy Guichard, St Etienne)

Saturday, June 18: Iceland v Hungary (17:00, Stade Velodrome, Marseille)

Saturday, June 18: Portugal v Austria (20:00, Parc des Princes, Paris)

Wednesday, June 22: Iceland v Austria (17:00, Stade de France)

Wednesday, June 22: Hungary v Portugal (17:00, Stade de Lyon)

LAST 16  

Match 1: Runner-up Group A v Runner-up C (14:00, June 25, St-Etienne)

Match 2: Winner D v Third-place B/E/F (20:00, June 25, Lens)

Match 3: Winner B v Third-place A/C/D (17:00, June 25, Paris)

Match 4: Winner F v Runner-up E (20:00, June 26, Toulouse)

Match 5: Winner C v Third-place A/B/F (17:00, June 26, Lille) 

Match 6: Winner A v Third-place C/D/E (14:00, June 26, Lyon)

Match 7: Winner E v Runner-up D (17:00, June 27, St-Denis) 

Match 8: Runner-up B v Runner-up F (20:00, June 27, Nice)

QUARTER-FINALS  

Winner Match 1 v Winner Match 2 (20:00, June 30, Marseille)

Winner Match 3 v Winner Match 4 (2000, July 1, Lille)

Winner Match 5 v Winner Match 6 (20:00, July 2, Bordeaux

Winner Match 7 v Winner Match 8 (2000, July 3, St-Denis

SEMI-FINALS  

Winner QF1 v Winner QF2 (20:00, July 6, Lyon)  

Winner QF3 v Winner QF4 (20:00, July 7, Marseille) 

FINAL 

Winner SF1 v Winner SF2 (20:00, July 10, St-Denis)