South Africa - Ireland’s chief rivals in the battle to host the 2023 Rugby World Cup - will not be permitted to bid for the event, according to their Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula.

A new Springboks coach will be named this morning with Allister Coetzee expected to be tasked with making the team a formidable force again while radically altering its racial composition.

South Africans must be patient with the pace of transformation in the country’s national rugby side and will not be asking for more black players at the World Cup, sports minister Fikile Mbalula said yesterday.

Qatar World Cup organisers insist the crisis at FIFA will not affect their preparations for the tournament in 2022.

South African football captain Senzo Meyiwa will be buried on Saturday in his home town of Umlazi after he was shot dead in an apparent robbery.

Sports Minister blasts ‘unbearable, useless losers’

EGYPT have blamed their Confederations Cup exit on media “lies” about their players consorting with prostitutes after beating world champions Italy.

Voting began today in the bitter battle to become next leader of the African National Congress.