‘Hungry’ Chipu maul Zimbabwe’s Junior Sables in Barthes Cup semis

NAIROBI, Kenya, August 7, 2026 – National Under 20 rugby team began their Barthes Cup campaign on a high, winning 35-23 against the Junior Sables of Zimbabwe in Kampala, Uganda on Friday afternoon.

Faran Juma got Chipu going with a penalty in the early stages of the tie before the southern africans levelled the scores soon after with a penalty of their own. newsbetting.bond

A second successive penalty by Juma made it 6-3 before Brian Kiptanui extended the advantage with the first try of the game.

Kabras Sugar youngster Rayvon Ambale then went over the white chalk for a 11-3 lead before the Zimbabweans halved the deficit with another penalty of their own.

Another Kabras youngster, Michael Olukusi, then extended the advantage to 21-6, with a subsequent successful conversion for a healthy lead heading into the interval.

The script was more of the same on resumption of play, the battle mostly concentrated in the centre of pitch.

Jibril Joseph soon rose to the occasion for Simon Jawichre’s charges, going over the whitewash to extend their advantage.

The Sables, however, began to reap dividends from their aggressive play and were rewarded with two tries in quick succession, although their conversions flew wide of the posts.

However, that was as far as their attempted comeback could go; Dennis Ndayala’s try with 10 minutes to go proved to be the final nail in the Sables’ coffin.

Juma then added the extras for a big win for the Chipu as they shift their focus to their next ties, against defending champions Namibia on Tuesday.

Orlando Pirates host Durban City in the MTN8 quarterfinal on Saturday 8 August. The game kicks off at 15:00 from the Orlando Amstel Arena.

Young playmaker Simphiwe Masilela is tipped to start in attacking midfield after Patrick Maswanganyi picked up an injury during last weekend’s 2-0 Betway Premiership win over Milford FC.

SIMPHIWE MASILELA SET FOR BIG CHANCE

Maswanganyi struggled to influence the match against Milford before limping off with what appeared to be a serious injury. His absence is expected to open the door for Masilela, who recently earned promotion from the DStv Diski Challenge reserve team.

The exciting youngster could make his biggest senior start yet as Orlando Pirates begin their defence of the MTN8 title. Abdeslam Ouaddou’s side are chasing a historic fifth consecutive MTN8 crown after lifting the trophy again last season.

EXPECTED ORLANDO PIRATES XI VS DURBAN CITY IN THE MTN8

The Buccaneers expected to line up:

Sipho Chaine; Lebone Sebelebele, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Lebone Seema, Deon Hotto; Cemran Dansin, Thalente Mbatha; Simphiwe Masilela, Tshepang Moremi, Oswin Appollis; Yanela Mbuthuma.

Durban City will arrive believing they can cause an upset. The Nedbank Cup holders have strengthened their squad under new coach Khalil Ben Youssef. They also frustrated Orlando Pirates in a goalless league draw when the sides last met.

Orlando Pirates have another piece of history within reach. Ouaddou’s side can become the first club to win the MTN8 five seasons in a row.

They lifted the trophy last season after beating Stellenbosch FC 3-0 after extra time in the final. Moremi scored twice, while Tshegofatso Mabasa added the other goal to seal another memorable triumph.

All quarter-finals will take place this weekend.

• Sunday, 9 August (18:00) – Kaizer Chiefs vs Lamontville Golden Arrows (FNB Stadium)
• Saturday, 8 August (15:00) – Orlando Pirates vs Durban City (Orlando Amstel Arena)
• Saturday, 8 August (18:00) – Mamelodi Sundowns vs Polokwane City (Lucas Moripe Stadium)
• Sunday, 9 August (15:00) – AmaZulu FC vs Sekhukhune United (Chatsworth Stadium).

MANCHESTER, England, August 7, 2026 – Manchester City have rejected an opening offer of £38.5m from Barcelona for midfielder Rodri.

City are open to selling the Spaniard, but would demand more than £60m.

The 30-year-old enters the final year of his contract at Etihad Stadium and is yet to sign a new deal, with speculation rife about his future this summer.

It looked like Real Madrid would be his next destination but La Liga rivals Barcelona are now leading the race after sources told BBC Sport on Thursday that the club had the player’s approval to open negotiations with City. The offer was made on Friday.

Barca sources had initially told BBC Sport there were no guarantees any deal would be made but the situation now looks to be developing.

The club said on Friday they are in ongoing conversations with the player’s representatives and later made their opening offer.

BBC sources say talks with Real have now ended.

Rodri missed much of the 2024-25 campaign after sustaining a serious knee injury, and parts of last season were disrupted by a hamstring issue.

However, the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner was back to his best at the World Cup in the summer, leading Spain to their second title and being named player of the tournament.

He is currently out of action after undergoing back surgery last month and is scheduled to link back up with his City team-mates in Manchester early next week.

Approaching the second week of August in the transfer window, City will be aiming to resolve Rodri’s future swiftly in order to sign a replacement.

Talks are ongoing to sign 18-year-old Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, but the French club’s £86m asking price appears to be a sticking point.

What has Rodri’s agent said?

According to Spanish radio network Cadena Ser, who have spoken directly to Rodri’s agent Pablo Barquero, Real Madrid made Rodri an “irresistible” offer shortly after Spain’s World Cup triumph.

Talks began just days after the tournament, with Rodri’s camp praising the courtesy, class and respect shown by the club throughout the negotiations.

According to the report, everyone at Real Madrid, from president Florentino Perez to chief executive Jose Angel Sanchez, worked to make the deal happen and made it clear they were serious about signing the midfielder.

They had put everything on the table to get the deal over the line but despite positive discussions over the past two weeks, Rodri has made the personal decision to accept another offer, says the radio network.

Cadena Ser add that Real Madrid were informed of Rodri’s decision on Friday and chose to end the process in order to avoid prolonging uncertainty, while thanking the player for the respectful way the negotiations were conducted.