Ibrahim Sabra forfait pour la Coupe du Monde 2026, coup dur pour la J…

Coup dur pour la Jordanie. La Fédération jordanienne a annoncé ce samedi le forfait de l’attaquant Ibrahim Sabra pour la Coupe du monde 2026. mchezo.life

Le joueur de 20 ans s’est déchiré les ligaments de la cheville gauche à l’entraînement. Une blessure qui met fin à son rêve de disputer le premier Mondial de l’histoire de la Jordanie.

Prêté la saison dernière au Lokomotiv Zagreb en Croatie par le club turc de Göztepe, Sabra devait apporter sa vitesse et sa percussion à l’attaque jordanienne. La Fédération n’a pas précisé s’il sera remplacé dans la liste finale.

Sellami privé de deux armes offensives

Ce forfait s’ajoute à celui de Yazan Al-Naimat, déjà victime d’une rupture des ligaments croisés lors de la Coupe arabe en décembre dernier. Un double coup dur pour le sélectionneur Jamal Sellami, contraint de revoir ses plans offensifs à quelques jours du tournoi. L’équipe devra trouver d’autres solutions pour compenser ces absences majeures.

Dernier test avant l’entrée en lice

La Jordanie disputera un ultime match de préparation face à la Colombie, dans la nuit du 8 juin à San Diego, avant de rejoindre son camp de base à Portland. Placée dans le groupe J avec l’Argentine, l’Algérie et l’Autriche, elle débutera le tournoi le 17 juin à Santa Clara face à l’Autriche. Sans Sabra, les Chabab Al-Ordon devront s’appuyer sur la solidarité du groupe pour espérer exister dans une poule relevée.

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The Vodacom Bulls and DHL Stormers will go full tilt this weekend to progress to the Vodacom United Rugby Championship final and in the process, uphold a proud tradition of at least one of these two South African powerhouses reaching the decider since the inception of the competition in the 2021/22 season.

It’s not going to be easy for the two South African franchises though, as they have to take the fight to their opponents on foreign soil on Saturday for a spot in the Grand Final.

The Vodacom Bulls will be first into the fray, taking on the Glasgow Warriors in Edinburgh at 15h30, before the DHL Stormers go head-to-head with defending champions Leinster in Dublin at 18h30.

The stakes could not be higher, with a place in the Grand Final on Saturday, 20 June up for grabs for the winners.

Both matches pit South Africa’s best against the top two sides from the pool stages, with Glasgow Warriors having earned the right to host after topping the standings and Leinster finishing in second place.

As the Warriors’ normal home ground in Glasgow is not available this weekend, the Vodacom Bulls will arrive at Murrayfield in Edinburgh on the back of a seven-match winning run in the Vodacom URC – their most recent being a commanding 45-14 demolition of Munster in last weekend’s quarter-final – and they will be desperate to maintain that momentum against a Glasgow side that has been in equally impressive form throughout the campaign.

Should the Pretoria side emerge victorious, they will secure their third successive Grand Final berth, and there is no doubt that memories of their heartbreaking 21-16 against the Warriors in the 2023/2024 Final will be fresh in the minds of Johan Ackermann’s charges as they set out to make amends and go one better this time around by lifting the title for the first time.

The match sets up as a fascinating battle between two teams with contrasting strengths. The Vodacom Bulls finished the pool stages as the competition’s most potent attacking force, while Glasgow earned the bragging rights as the best defensive outfit.

The South Africans will be mindful of the fact that Glasgow have been a formidable force at home in the Vodacom URC this season, remaining unbeaten on their home patch – a run that will give them confidence heading into the match.

Adding to this, Glasgow, who edged past Connacht in last week’s quarter-final, will be galvanised by their home support as they attempt to reach the final, but if the Bulls’ recent form is anything to go by, they will take some stopping.

The DHL Stormers will face a stern test as they prepare to face Leinster at the Aviva Stadium, a daunting assignment against a team that is desperate to defend their Vodacom URC title following their defeat to Bordeaux in the Investec Champions Cup final just two weeks ago.

The Capetonians secured their semi-final berth with a gritty 44-21 victory over Cardiff at the DHL Stadium last weekend, but John Dobson and his team will be under no illusions about the step up in class they face in Dublin. Their form in recent weeks has been inconsistent, winning only two of their last five matches, and the pressure will be on the squad to deliver a complete performance to come out on top.

Adding to the challenge, the DHL Stormers will be without Springbok flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who suffered an injury in the quarter-final, which is expected to sideline him for an extended period.

There are, however, reasons for optimism in the Cape Town camp, as the DHL Stormers have fared decently on the road this season, and crucially, they can point to a dominant 35-0 victory over Leinster in their opening pool match of the season in Cape Town.

Leinster, however, are expected to be a different proposition on their home turf, but the psychological edge of that earlier result will not be lost on either team.

Statistically, the matchup also offers some encouragement for the Stormers faithful. While Leinster finished the pool stages with sharper attacking numbers, the DHL Stormers were the more effective on defence.

Should the Capetonians prevail and repeat the Vodacom Bulls’ semi-final victory in Dublin in the inaugural season, it would mark their first Grand Final appearance since the 2022/23 season, a prospect that will serve as powerful motivation throughout the week.

Earlier in the week it was announced that Vodacom Bulls scrumhalf Embrose Papier was crowned as the SA Vodacom URC Player of the Season, while eight players from the SA franchises were included in the Elite XV for 2026.

The URC also announced that SuperSport will continue to be the exclusive home broadcaster of the league in Sub-Saharan Africa following a multi-year rights renewal agreed with the CANAL+ Group, while Chris Smith, Quan Horn and Evan Roos also walked away with Vodacom URC Awards for the 2025/26 season.

Match Information: Vodacom URC semi-finals

Glasgow Warriors v Vodacom Bulls
Date: Saturday, 6 June
Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh
SA Time: 15h30
Referee: Andrew Brace
TV: SuperSport

Leinster v DHL Stormers
Date: Saturday, 6 June
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
SA Time: 18h30
Referee: Hollie Davidson
TV: SuperSport

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

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South Africa’s top two schoolboy rugby teams will lock horns this weekend when Paarl Gimnasium host Paul Roos in what promises to be one of the biggest school rugby clashes of the 2026 season.

With both sides boasting identical records of 12 wins from 13 matches, Saturday’s encounter at the JA Kriel Field in Paarl could prove decisive in the race to establish the country’s leading first XV side.

READ | Updated SA schools rugby First XV rankings: Top 20

Dominated opponents

The two Western Cape giants have dominated opponents throughout the campaign, suffering just one defeat each.

Interestingly, both losses came at the hands of Stellenberg, who edged Paarl Gimnasium 20-19 earlier in the season before beating Paul Roos 20-10 in April.

Since then, neither side has tasted defeat.

Paul Roos head into the clash with impressive momentum after a commanding 68-3 victory over Bishops.

Their season has also featured notable wins over Affies, Garsfontein, Oakdale and Paarl Boys’ High.

The Stellenbosch outfit have combined attacking flair with defensive resilience, conceding 20 points or more in only three matches this year.

Stern examination

However, they will face a stern examination against a Paarl Gimnasium side that has been devastating on attack throughout the season.

The Gimmies have amassed an astonishing 645 points in 13 matches, averaging close to 50 points per game.

They have scored 40 points or more on 10 occasions and produced dominant victories against several traditional rugby powerhouses.

Among their standout performances were a 51-24 demolition of Affies in Pretoria, a 29-14 triumph over Grey College and last weekend’s emphatic 49-13 victory over Oakdale in Riversdale.

Excelled defensively

Like their rivals, Paarl Gimnasium have also excelled defensively, conceding 20 points or more only twice all season.

Recent history suggests little separates the two sides.

Paul Roos claimed a narrow 23-17 victory when the teams last met in Paarl in 2024, while Paarl Gimnasium responded with a 17-10 win in Stellenbosch last year.

With both teams in outstanding form and plenty at stake, Saturday’s clash has all the ingredients of a classic encounter between South Africa’s two premier rugby schools.

Kick-off is at 14:00 and the match will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

Worth noting, Paul Roos have produced the most Springboks (56) by any school in South Africa, with Paarl Gimnasium in joint fourth place with 32.

Don’t be surprised in a number of players from both sides go on to don the green and gold jersey.

WEEKEND SCHOOLBOY RUGBY FIXTURES

WESTERN CAPE
Boland Landbou vs Paarl Boys’ High
Paarl Gimnasium vs Paul Roos
Rondebosch vs Milnerton
Stellenberg vs Bishops
Wynberg vs Bellville

EASTERN CAPE
Port Rex vs Queens
Kingswood vs Westering
Hudson Park vs Dale
Selborne vs St Andrews
Graeme vs Stirling
Daniel Pienaar vs Pearson

KWAZULU-NATAL
Kearnsey vs Maritzburg College
Westville vs Michaelhouse
Hilton vs Northwood

NOORDVAAL
EG Jansen vs Middelburg
Noordheuwel vs Rustenburg
Monument vs Garsfontein
Pretoria Boys vs Jeppe
Northcliff vs St Albans
St John’s vs St Benedict’s