Innholdsfortegnelse for 2024-02-23 i Star

THE RAND YESTERDAY failed to hold on to gains following the prudent Budget Speech after hopes of strengthening were dashed by the US monetary policymakers maintaining a cautious stance on the interest rate outlook. The domestic currency had strengthened to R18.77 to the dollar on the better-than-expected Budget, but then moved closer to R19/$1 by 1pm following the release of the US Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) minutes on the back of strengthening the dollar as interest rate cuts were not imminent. The latest minutes of the FOMC meeting released yesterday revealed that the Federal Reserve (Fed) was not in a rush to cut rates, but wanted to see more evidence inflation was firmly on a path to its 2% target before lowering rates. The majority of officials at the…

THE ANGLO American board is fully behind the restructuring of its operations under Anglo American Platinum and Kumba Iron Ore, although the diversified resources miner was not inclined to separating the problematic South Africa companies from its other global units. As many as 490 employees will likely be laid off at Kumba Iron Ore, while an additional 3 700 could also be retrenched from Anglo Platinum as the South African operating companies battle electricity, port and rail bottlenecks as well as suppressed platinum group metals (PGM) prices. “Those South African announcements follow a number of months of planning (and) the need to simplify our portfolio in order to be able to allocate capital we have. “The board is fully behind all these medium-term and long-term imperatives,” Anglo American chairperson…

AGRI SA CEO Johann Kotzé said the organisation commended the government’s resolute stance on State-owned enterprise (SOE) bailouts, coupled with targeted investments in key sectors. The allocation of R27.7 billion to agriculture and rural development, coupled with securing $3.3bn (R62.65bn) from multilateral development banks for disaster response grants, underscored a strategic approach to address pressing needs. “While challenges persist, particularly in public infrastructure such as electricity and logistics, we recognise the pivotal role of private sector partnerships in critical infrastructure projects. “Godongwana’s emphasis on job creation and fostering increased private sector energy bode well for attracting much-needed investment and broadening our tax base,” Kotzé said. He emphasised that the successful implementation of these initiatives, alongside a concerted effort to address infrastructure deficiencies, held the key to unlocking sustained economic…

THE POPULAR Waterfall City estate in Midrand, Johannesburg, will be getting a R350 million boost in investment as it guns to become a Smart City. The Waterfall City Management Company (WCMC), a property, asset and opera- tional manager for Waterfall City, said yesterday that the investment of R350m that it pledged at the fifth South African Investment Conference held in Johannes- burg last year would contribute noticeably to the economy of Gauteng, in particular, and the country in general. Willie Vos, the CEO of Waterfall City Management Company, said the investment was import- ant as it demonstrated trus in the manage- ment abilities and infrastructure develop- ment capacity of WCMC in terms of the Waterfall City development. Vos added: “The investment is significant as it is…

GOLD FIELDS is investing at least $1.1 billion (R21bn) in capital expen- diture this year as it spends more on infrastructure upgrades and fleet replacements at its South Africa operation, South Deep. South Deep will ramp up output over the next two years as well as into planned development at the St Ives mine in Australia. In the year to the end of December 2023, Gold Fields reported yesterday that attributable profit amounted to $703.3 million, or $0.79 per share, compared with a profit of $711m, or $0.80, in the previous contrasting period. However, Gold Fields paid a final dividend of R4.20 per share for the period, taking the total payout for the full year to R7.45 per share. Of the $1.1bn capex planned for this year, Gold…

After being innocently outed for not knowing how to cook by her 8-year-old daughter Kairo, the award-winning DJ Zinhle, who has been rocking Mzansi dance floors for years, is set for some mom-and-daughter cooking lessons. This comes after Kairo Forbes, the DJ’s daughter with the late Kiernan “AKA” Forbes, answered a round of rapid-fire questions; including what was her favourite food that her mother prepared for her. Kairo said her mom, whose real name is Zinhle Jiyane, did not know how to cook. “My mom doesn’t cook for me. She doesn’t know how to cook.” Kairo said Zinhle did however like to make eggs for breakfast. DJ Zinhle revealed her lack of talent in the kitchen in her reality show The Unexpected. She said that her house manager, Zama, was…

With our mental health being tested over the past few years, it is understandable that our emotions may be more up and down. And many of us, in times of stress, reach for sugary, feel-good foods. I’m a sucker for a good doughnut. Unfortunately, a 2021 study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows this may be negatively impacting our mood, sleep cycle and physical and mental health Ever felt like a supercharged bunny, after eating a chocolate bar, only to crash hard later? Science has a scoop for us: turns out that sugar can mess with our moods faster than a “We need to talk” text. The moody roller-coaster Researchers of a 2017 study published in Scientific Reports found higher sugar intake was associated with…

LAPTOPS and documents were among the items seized when the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) pounced on a Kimberley accounting firm in the Northern Cape this week. The law enforcement agencies raided the firm in search of evidence to assist with the ongoing R1.4 billion investigation involving the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) following a tip-off. The SIU said the raid came after a whistle-blower alleged that certain accounting firms and accountants were engaged in criminal activities by aiding non-profit organisations (NPO) and non-profit companies (NPC) in preparing and producing fraudulent financial statements which were meant to be submitted to the NLC in support of their application for grant funding. SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said the unit was granted a search and seizure…

A tug of war between the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) and the bus operating company, Putco, continues as employees’ livelihoods are on the line. The union is accusing the bus company of mistreating its employees on suspension. Yesterday, Union spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola accused Putco of wanting to con workers out of getting their bonuses and salary increases. She added that in 2020, the operator sought for 6% exemption from salary increases and the payment of bonuses. “The salary increase would have cost Putco R38.8 million. But instead of paying salaries, Putco chose to pay a major shareholder at Carleo Enterprises a whopping R60 million. The bus company dismissed Numsa’s allegations. Putco’s spokesperson Lindokuhle Xulu said the bus operator applied for an exemption from the 6% salary…

SUSPENDED Gauteng High Court, Pretoria Judge Nana Makhubele yesterday told the Judicial Conduct Tribunal into a misconduct complaint against her that that she did not immediately tell Judge President Dunstan Mlambo that she was appointed as chairperson of Prasa’s interim board, as she did not deem it necessary. During cross-examination by senior State advocate Dorian Paver, Judge Makhubele said Judge Mlambo knew all along that she only wanted to start her new appointment as a judge on April 1, 2018. According to her, he knew even before she applied for the position of a judge that she had her own cases to conclude, as she was an advocate at the time. He also knew, according to her, that she was at the time chairperson of the Water Tribunal Board and…

As MANY people celebrate the month of love and Valentine’s Day, radio and television star Lerato Kganyago, popularly known as LKG, has disclosed that she was grieving the loss of her unborn baby. The radio personality took to her Instagram stories on Wednesday to reveal that she miscarried just a few days before Valentine’s Day. LKG shared a picture of a sonogram and narrated the loss of her baby in several posts. “On the 12th, my incredible gynae broke the news. I’m much better than last week, my parents have been next to me and have carried me! “Thank you to those that have been checking on me! “I was so hopeful,” she wrote. LKG, who has been quiet for a while on social media, expressed her heartfelt gratitude to…

Jose Riveiro has warned his troops not to think that the game is over before it starts when they begin their Nedbank Cup defence against minnows Crystal Lake tomorrow afternoon. Orlando Pirates were knockout specialists last season. They won the MTN8 and Nedbank Cup in Riveiro’s first season in charge of the team. They were tipped to take that up a notch this term and challenge for all four trophies, including the DStv Premiership and inaugural Carling Knockout Cup. And boy did they get off to a flying start, defending the MTN8 against perennial league champions Mamelodi Sundowns. But that proved to be a false start. Pirates stuttered in their bid to knock Sundowns off their perch in the league, while they crashed out in the Carling quarter-final. Not all…

When day three gets under way today at SuperSport Park in Centurion, the Lions will be the happier team courtesy of a patient century from opening batter Joshua Richards who scored 107 runs off 201 balls against the Titans yesterday. Richards was resolute in his innings, and despite losing partners at regular intervals at the other end, he weathered the storm and guided the Lions to 293 all out, handing the visitors a crucial 66-run first-innings lead. Junior Dala (6-58) was the chief destroyer for the Titans as the right-arm paceman kept the Lions’ lead in check late on day two yesterday. With a little over a half an hour left in the day’s play, Lions seamer Codi Yusuf bowled accurately to account for Titans batter Matthew Kleinveldt (6)…

WITH leaders Liverpool otherwise engaged this weekend, Manchester City and Arsenal have the chance to close the gap in what is brewing to be the closest Premier League title race for years. Jurgen Klopp’s side hit back to beat Luton Town 4-1 on Wednesday night with Liverpool’s goals, all in the second half, coming from Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz and Harvey Elliott to stretch their lead to four points as they turn their attention to Sunday’s League Cup final against Chelsea. Champions City, who, like Arsenal, have played 25 games to Liverpool’s 26, head to Bournemouth tomorrow evening, before Arsenal then try to settle some scores with Newcastle United. Liverpool have 60 points, with City on 56 and Arsenal 55, with all three sides knowing that the…

Louzanne Coetzee is a woman on a mission. South Africa’s two-time Paralympian is gunning for gold at the Paris Games later this year, and she is clear on exactly what she has to do to realise that goal. A silver medallist in the 1 500m T11 at the Tokyo Paralympics back in 2021 – she also claimed a bronze in the T12 marathon – the 30-year-old from Bloemfontein wants the ultimate medal this time around. “We are 100% focused on Paris. Every single thing we do from here on in is with the end goal in mind. We are building, thinking, learning and working towards the gold (medal),” Coetzee told Independent Newspapers last week. That was before she finished third in the discipline during the Dubai leg of the World…

Pick n Pay has approved a capital raise to stabilise the group’s balance sheet, and also strengthen its liquidity THE MARKET gave Pick n Pay the cold shoulder yesterday after it announced a capital raise and its intent of an initial public offering (IPO) of its discount supermarket stores Boxer. The move comes amid a growing debt burden, muted sales and the loss of market share. The shares closed the day 16% lower at R21.71. The move comes as recently appointed CEO of one of the country’s biggest retailers, Pick n Pay’s Sean Summers, has hit the ground running to turn around the retailer that has been losing market share amid muted sales. Pick n Pay said yesterday the capi-tal raise was intended…

THE BUDGET speech was a fine balancing act between stabilising the country’s debt burden with fiscal discipline and social investments. The good news was that no major tax increases were announced, VAT was not raised and there were no fuel levy increases. Catherine Wijnberg, the CEO of Fetola, said yesterday: “We urgently need to encourage a culture of buying and contracting from local SMEs (small medium enterprises) and make it easier for these businesses to access finance so that they can scale up. “What the 2024 Budget clearly revealed is that the government has limited fiscal space to change the country’s economic trajectory, so it will be up to the private sector to find a way to pave a more sustainable future for the country.” Fetola is a company that…

The NATIONAL Treasury’s 2024 Budget speech can be a complex blend of figures and forecasts that many South Africans struggle to decipher. I want to unpack how the government’s Budget will impact everyday South Africans’ lives. I’ve focused specifically on areas of interest for people’s personal finances, including fuel and road accident levies, social grants, and the government’s debt strategy and how debt plays out in people’s day-to-day lives. Here’s how the 2024 Budget speech will affect the average South African’s pocket. How to benefit from the general fuel levy relief Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced that there would be no increases to the general fuel levy. This will come as a relief to many South Africans, considering the already high cost of living and the impact fuel prices have…

AFRICAN Equity Empowerment Invest-ments (AEEI), the diversified majority black-owned investment group, with plans to delist on the JSE, clarified yesterday that an incident of what it had thought was cybercrime was fraud after a South African Police Service’s investigation. AEEI explained in a Stock Exchange News Statement (Sens) what had occurred: “Shareholders are referred to the Sens released on February 19, 2024, regarding an incident involving our subsidiary, Premier Fishing. “It has been noted that the title and first paragraph of the Sens incorrectly mentioned cybercrime instead of fraud, which accurately defines the incident. “Ongoing investigations have uncovered that the incident was fraud and not cybercrime as previously reported in the Annual Financial State- ments for August 31, 2023, released on Sens on December 13, 2023, and are hereby…

HARMONY Gold expects headline earnings per share for the half-year period ended December 2023 to jump 100% to between 937 cents and 976c on the back of elevated output and higher gold prices. Peter Steenkamp, the CEO of Harmony Gold, said yesterday that the performance of the company for the period reflected higher ounces, stability in the cost structure and ongoing investments. Shares in the company traded about 5.52% higher at R112.43 in afternoon trade yesterday. The shares closed the day 3.32% up at R110.09. “The stellar H1FY24 results are a result of our ongoing investment in safety, higher quality ounces, a stable and predictable cost structure and operational excellence across the entire group. This has placed us in a very good position to take advantage of the strong…

FORMER president Jacob Zuma has shifted his election campaign to high gear after accusing his successor, President Cyril Ramaphosa, of buying his presidency. Zuma accused Ramaphosa of selling out his comrades to the highest bidder while he also said Ramaphosa and some of those in his Cabinet had never been in the Struggle. In December last year, Zuma, who is a former president of the ANC, washed his hands off his party, vowing not to campaign for it while showing allegiance to the newly formed Umkhonto weSizwe (MK) Party. Speaking in Zulu, Zuma, in a video that went viral on social media, during one of his MK campaign trails in Umlazi outside Durban, also said he did not know the ANC that existed in recent years and called it “Ramaphosa’s…

CHASING The Dream Kamogelo Masoga Kamogelo Masoga is not just a writer, but a compassionate storyteller whose latest work, Chasing the Dream, looks at societal issues through a collection of short stories. Driven by the belief that story- telling is a powerful tool for giving voice to the voiceless, Masonga uses fiction as a medium to shed light on the challenges faced by individuals in their daily lives. Q: What inspired you to write Chasing the Dream? Was there a specific moment or experience that ignited your creative spark? A: What inspired me was the essays I used to write in high school. Growing up I wanted to be an actor, so I found myself enjoying writing and creating stories when I had to write essays, so I realised I…

If YOU’VE been scrolling through your social media feeds lately, you might have noticed a striking shift in fashion. After a prolonged era dominated by neutrals and clean-cut aesthetics, colour is making a bold comeback. A trend that’s grabbing attention is the resurgence of coloured socks, but not in the whimsical, playful style of years past. No, this time it’s all about sophistication and chic. Enter the red stocking trend – a phenomenon that is sweeping the internet and poised to leave a lasting mark on 2024’s fashion landscape. From TikTok to Instagram, red is making its presence felt, captivating fashion enthusiasts and influencers. It’s a trend that’s hard to ignore, and for a good reason. Delving deeper into the symbolism of the red stocking, Vogue reminds us of its…

GLOBAL cybersecurity and digital privacy company Kaspersky has warned mobile users to remain vigilant with upgrades and downloads as recent statistics revealed a 104% increase in mobile cyberthreats in South Africa. At a recent Cybersecurity Weekend gathering, it was revealed that while mobile threats in the country had risen by 104%, other parts of the world, specifically the Middle East, Türkiye and the rest of Africa (Meta) as a whole had risen drastically as a result of the increased number of users becoming more reliant on their mobile devices. Within the Middle East, mobile cyberthreats were said to have increased by 40%, in Türkiye by 120%, and in other African countries by 10%. While the data was derived mainly from solutions running on android devices, due to the mobile OS’s…

We all thought former president Jacob Zuma would disappear into oblivion, spending his remaining years quietly in Nkandla. But he had other plans. Politics was his passion and he wasn’t going to go away so easily. No one expected Zuma to make a dramatic comeback to politics in the twilight years of his life. Once the face of the ANC, he has become the face of his new party, the Umkhonto weSizwe Party, and threatens to derail the ANC in the elections. Although Zuma has a large Zulu following in the Eastern Cape and KZN, the name “Zuma” remains a popular brand name across the social and political spectrum, with a strong pulling power in various sectors of society – political, traditional and tribal leaders, business executives, community activists,…

Banyana Banyana (54) and Tanzania (152) are so far apart on the latest Fifa Women’s world rankings that their clash in Dar es Salaam this afternoon (3pm kick-off, SA time) could justifiably be the ultimate David versus Goliath encounter. Banyana are the reigning African champions who beat the odds to progress to the last 16 of the Women’s World Cup last year after a thrilling 3-2 win over Italy. But as with the recent Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, world rankings count for nothing in tournaments – and Banyana Banyana will attest to this. In September 2019, South Africa, the 2018 Wafcon finalists, were hot favourites along with Nigeria to claim the two African slots at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. But Banyana crashed out in the third…

Three-time world champion Max Verstappen gave his struggling rivals little hope for optimism ahead of the new Formula One season when he dominated the first day of winter testing in Bahrain on Wednesday. The Red Bull driver was more than a second faster than Lando Norris in a McLaren with Carlos Sainz, about to start his final year as a Ferrari driver, in third spot at the Sakhir track where the season opener takes place on March 2. Sainz will lose his seat at Ferrari to seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who is entering his last campaign behind the wheel of a Mercedes. Hamilton was scheduled to be in action yesterday. Verstappen’s performance was a boost for a Red Bull team reeling from an investigation into team chief Christian Horner,…

Stellenbosch FC will hope to continue their good form when they kick off their Nedbank Cup journey against Pretoria Callies tonight (7pm) in the Cape Winelands. The round-of-32 fixture will mark Stellenbosch’s first home game for the season and the ambitious club will be looking to improve on last season’s dramatic run, which included a win over defending champions Mamelodi Sundowns. Their impressive campaign saw coach Steve Barker’s team reaching the semi-finals, and they narrowly missed out on a spot in the final following a penalty shoot-out defeat to Sekhukhune United. National First Division outfit Callies – one of the oldest clubs in the country, having been formed in 1898 – have also reached a Nedbank Cup semi-final, but lost 1-0 to Chippa United in 2021. At the end of…

India said yesterday they are primed for whatever the pitch has in store for them in the fourth Test, but expect it to favour spinners after England captain Ben Stokes said he “had never seen anything like” the Ranchi wicket. Rohit Sharma’s hosts are looking to seal the series in the Test beginning today after hammering England by 434 runs to lead 2-1 with two matches to play. England won the opener in Hyderabad by 28 runs on a turning track, but lost the next two. The surface at Ranchi appears to have deep cracks down one side, but looks flat on the other and could spin sharply with variable bounce. “It’s a typical Indian wicket. There are cracks … this wicket always had cracks,” batting coach Vikram Rathour said.…

Having talent, skills, the X-factor and determination will always help any rugby player to reach the top, but having a mentor of the calibre of Jaque Fourie to call on when you need to further up your game is surely a spell of dark magic that should not be allowed. It is a big cheat-code that could give you just that extra little bit, which pushes you to reach your end goal. And yet that is exactly what Henco van Wyk can do when he finds himself with questions about his game, turning to the illustrious former Springbok whom he also shares the experience of the No 13 jumper with. “Jaque (is) working with us as a group or individually,” Van Wyk said of the Lions defence coach at Hoërskool…

POWER utility Eskom has hailed its Generation Operational Recovery Plan (Gorp) which it extols for improving the Energy Availability Factor (EAF) from 50% to 55% over the year to January this year. Eskom has countered that un- planned outages have also taken a posi- tive turn from 34% of the generation capacity in January 2023 to 30% in January 2024. This is because energy analysts maintain nothing barring a miracle will help it attain the 65% EAF by March 2024 and 70% by March 2025. In response to criticism that it was going backwards in its goals as the EAF, its core measure of performance that indicates the percentage of time the power station was available for use when it was needed, fell to a new low of…

SOUTH Africa’s gold and foreign exchange reserves account (GFECRA) contains the majority of South Africa’s Reserve Bank (SARB) assets and, con- sequently, has been eyed by some political factions calling for the natio- nalisation of the SA Reserve Bank (SARB). The GFECRA is a pool of funds, tallied at R500 billion, which does not earn any interest and is liquidity that the SARB is not able to use, accumulating as a result of currency movements, and in other countries is transferred to their national treasuries. Furthermore, the lost opportunity costs of the GFECRA makes it expensive to fund. That is, the money sits unused at the SARB, and essentially “belongs” to the National Treasury, who is already borrowing at very high interest rates above 10%. High debt costs This…

As fresh-faced financial graduates step into the bustling world of finance, armed with degrees and ambition, they are poised at the edge of a thrilling, yet challenging journey. In an era marked by digital disruption and unprecedented market volatility, the expectations from financial graduates are at an all-time high. Employers seek individuals who not only grasp the fundamentals of finance but also possess the agility to navigate through uncertain terrain. However, amid the allure of high-stakes deals and lucrative careers, it’s crucial for these budding financiers to heed certain guiding principles before diving head first into the tumultuous waters of the financial workspace. Here are five essential principles every aspiring finance professional should remember before embarking on their career journey: 1. Stay updated with industry trends and regulations The first…

IT WILL TAKE robust economic growth and more time for mobile operator Cell C, which dragged down Blue Label Telecoms’ core headline earnings for the interim period ended December 2023 by R100 million, to thrive again amid intense competition in the South African telecommunications industry. Blue Label controls nearly 50% of Cell C and also controls CEC, a specialised finance house dealing with established South African enterprises. Shares in the company softened by 6.34% in afternoon trade at R3.25. The shares closed the day 2.59% lower at R3.38. Although Blue Label reported a 4% increase in gross profits to R1.6 billion for the half year period to end November 30, 2023, the company’s core headline earnings for the same period were softer by R100m at R355m. After “excluding…

The Mpumalanga High Court yesterday sentenced a 41-year-old woman to 20 years’ imprisonment for fatally stabbing her 53-year-old husband following a fight over the volume of a radio. According to the Mpumalanga spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), Monica Nyuswa, Thembi Promise Simelane and her husband, Thulani Wonder Vilakazi, were drinking and hosting visitors at their home on January 14 last year. “After the visitors left, she remained with the husband and their two minor children. She asked the husband to switch off the radio and he refused. “During a verbal altercation, she stabbed the husband twice with a knife and he fell on the floor,” Nyuswa said. According to Nyuswa, the children woke up and found their father bleeding on the floor. “Neighbours and emergency services were called…

ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula played down the role of the party’s deployment committee, saying it did not micromanage ministers or party president Cyril Ramaphosa. The committee’s role in deploying people to State Owned Enterprises and other state entities has come into sharp focus in recent weeks when, after a lengthy court battle, the Constitutional Court ordered the ANC to hand over its deployment records, from 2013 onwards to the DA on Monday. Both the ANC and the DA made the documents publicly available on Tuesday. The Zondo Commission that investigated state capture found that documents submitted by the ANC regarding the deployment committee “make it clear that while ministers make recommendations to the deployment committee and seek permission to appoint their chosen candidates, it is the committee that will approve…

SEVERAL police stations in Tshwane, including Temba, Akasia, Pretoria Central, Brooklyn, Mabopane and Soshanguve are among the top 30 stations plagued by crime, according to the latest crime stats released by Police Minister Bheki Cele. Violent crimes such as armed robberies, hijackings and related crimes were also found to be on the rise in Tshwane. The latest statistics cover the period from October to December of the third quarter of the 2023/2024 financial year. Cele said kidnappings were of particular concern, showing a steady increase year-on-year to 415 cases compared to 380, the year before, and 128 in 2019. He said kidnappings for ransom had become a lucrative commodity for organised crime in South Africa. “The SAPS continues in its efforts to identify and arrest groupings linked to kidnappings, especially…

Acclaimed Gospel artist Bethusile Mcinga walked off with the Best Male Soloist of the Year prize at the Texas Gospel Music Excellence Awards in Houston, Texas, on Monday. The awards, founded by Pastor Larry and Sharon Davis, honour independent gospel artists for their work in the music industry in Texas and internationally. Mcinga thanked God, his family and fans for their support on his Instagram page. “Bazalwane, God is amazing and I can’t thank Him enough. He deserves all the glory. I’ve never imagined this day so soon, that a boy from Gatyane in Eastern Cape would be recognised overseas. It can only be God Fam. My wife, kids and family are always behind my back; I am blessed.” The Ngena Noah and Zundithwale hitmaker also thanked Eastern Cape MEC…

ARSENAL manager Mikel Arteta bemoaned his team’s lack of cutting edge as Galeno’s sublime stoppage-time goal earned Porto a 1-0 win in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday night. Appearing in a first knockout match in Europe’s premier club competition for seven years, Arsenal struggled to break down an organised Porto defence before Galeno’s stroke of brilliance in the 94th minute. The defeat ended Arsenal’s eight-game unbeaten run against Portuguese opposition, and the Gunners have plenty of work to do in the return leg in London on March 12. “We lacked threat. We lacked aggression, especially when we had the ball in the final third,” Arteta told TNT Sports. “So, we will tweak a few things to attack better. We can do better.” Arsenal last…

He was a colossus himself in the second row for club and country, and now Andries Bekker believes that he has another special prodigy at the Bulls. Bekker, now 40 and back in South Africa after playing and coaching in Japan at the Kobe Steelers, was somewhat ahead of his time as a No 5 lock for Western Province, the Stormers and Springboks. While the 2.08m giant was outstanding in the line-outs, he was also a superb ball carrier who ran excellent lines and got stuck in when it got physical as well. Now he may have someone similar on his hands at Loftus Versfeld in the shape of young second-rower Reinhardt Ludwig. The 21-year-old has emerged from junior rugby with aplomb, dovetailing between No 4 and No 5 lock,…

He may have a Welsh wife and even enjoyed a spell playing in the country, but there will be no room for sentiment tomorrow for Ireland lock Tadhg Beirne as he bids to help his side make it three wins from three Six Nations matches with victory over Wales. The 32-year-old second-row forward has been in outstanding form, especially in the opening 38-17 hammering of France, and fully earned being rested for the 36-0 defeat of Italy a fortnight ago. His evolution into a stalwart of Andy Farrell’s Ireland side stemmed from making a bold move in 2016 to Welsh region Scarlets, after failing to break through at Leinster. Not only did he help Scarlets win the 2017 Pro12 title – beating his present province Munster – but such was…

After an extended break, where he could mentally and physically rest and recharge in Europe, Stormers utility back Damian Willemse is ready to hit the ground running as his team tackle the business end of their season. The double World Cup winner will have a fiery test immediately, with his first match back after his Springbok-mandated rest being against the Bulls in the famous north-south derby next week Saturday. Willemse is well-prepared for the United Rugby Championship clash at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria because while on holiday, he experienced a week of top-class training at the highly acclaimed Red Bull Athlete Performance Center (APC) in Thalgau, Austria. The APC has been the training home for various international sports stars like England cricket captain Ben Stokes and Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold. Willemse…

The Blitzboks will put all their efforts into the first game of the Canada Sevens in Vancouver against New Zealand and not look any further than tonight’s game (11.52pm kick-off, SA time). It could be a tournament-defining start in the ‘group of death’ that also has Ireland and Great Britain waiting on the Springbok Sevens if they are to make it to another quarter-final. The Blitzboks are the most successful side in Canada with three titles, and with the All Black Sevens hot on their heels (they’ve won two), they can strike an early warning with a victory over their rivals. The match will mark the start of the Vancouver tournament and should test captain Selvyn Davids and his men in all aspects of their game. While the New Zealanders…