Controversial Stormers captain Luke Watson was one of four uncapped players named in a 46-man training squad for South Africa's international rugby season.
Watson, a flanker, joined Sharks winger Odwa Ndungane, hooker Bismarck du Plessis and center Waylon Murray in a squad from which the Springboks for the first Test of the year against England on May 26 will be chosen.
Watson has been left out of coach Jake White's plans for two seasons despite compelling performances in domestic competitions, leading to reports of irreconcilable differences between the two.
The squad was originally set to be made up of 45 players, but it appeared White was put under last-minute pressure to include him.
Former Springboks captain Bobby Skinstad took another step on what could be a remarkable comeback when he was named in the squad in recognition for some hard work in the Super 14.
The squad goes into camp on Wednesday. Sharks and Bulls players involved in the Super 14 final will join the squad on Sunday.
Forwards: Johann Ackermann, Eddie Andrews, Bakkies Botha, Gary Botha, B.J. Botha, Gerrie Britz, Schalk Burger, Deon Carstens, Bismarck du Plessis, Os du Randt, Victor Matfield, Johann Muller, Danie Rossouw, Bob Skinstad, John Smit, Juan Smith, Pierre Spies, Kabamba Floors, Gurthro Steenkamp, Albert van den Berg, C.J. van der Linde, Wikus van Heerden, Joe van Niekerk, A.J. Venter, Luke Watson.
Backs: Tonderai Chavhanga, Jean de Villiers, Fourie du Preez, Bevin Fortuin, Jaque Fourie, Bryan Habana, Butch James, Ricky Januarie, Wayne Julies, Percy Montgomery, Waylon Murray, Akona Ndungane, Odwa Ndungane, Wynand Olivier, Breyton Paulse, Ruan Pienaar, J.P. Pietersen, Andre Pretorius, Jaco Pretorius, Francois Steyn, Ashwin Willemse.
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
INTER AWAIT: Superb saves by PSG ’keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inspired the victory, as Arsenal were punished for misses, including one by Bukayo Saka Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options. Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were punished for
Taiwanese e-sports veteran Lin “ET” Chia-hung yesterday successfully defended his King of Fighters XV title at this year’s Evolution Championship Series: Japan (EVO Japan), securing his second consecutive championship. Lin claimed victory with a 3-1 win over Japanese pro gamer “mok” in the grand final, repeating his earlier 3-1 win against the same opponent in the winners’ final. The 40-year-old earned a ¥1 million (US$6,897) cash prize at the two-day tournament, which drew 294 competitors. Mok, Lin’s toughest rival in the bracket, took home ¥400,000 as runner-up. Lin remains undefeated in match sets against mok in King of Fighters XV, holding a 10-0 record,