- Madrid beat Villarreal but Carvajal suffers knee injury
- Madrid beat Villarreal to move level with Liga leaders Barcelona
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- French rugby player on rape charge whistled but 'serene' on return
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Toddler among 3 dead in migrant Channel crossings
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Kovacic stars as Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Toddler crushed to death in migrant Channel crossing
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
- Gauff fights back to reach China Open final
- Recovering Stokes ruled out of first Pakistan Test
- Hezbollah battles troops on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
- Alcaraz, Sinner breeze into third round of Shanghai Masters
- Bagnaia wins Japan MotoGP sprint to cut Martin's lead
Playing in South Africa 'special', says Springboks captain Kolisi
Springboks captain Siya Kolisi says it will be "special" for the world champions to play at home for the first time since last July when they face Ireland on Saturday.
"To be able to come home and play for the people and the country who we have been playing for all along is very special," he told an eve-of-match press conference in Pretoria on Friday.
Tickets for the Test at the 52,000-capacity Loftus Versfeld stadium were sold out in 30 minutes, emphasising the huge support the national rugby team enjoy.
Pretoria will host the highly anticipated first clash between the world champions and Six Nations title-holders, with the second and final Test in Durban on July 13.
After beating Argentina in the Rugby Championship in Johannesburg 12 months ago, South Africa played two Rugby World Cup warm-up matches in Britain.
The Springboks then played seven times at the global tournament in France, where they recovered from a pool-stage defeat by Ireland to edge arch rivals New Zealand in the final.
Ahead of the Ireland tour, top-ranked South Africa beat Wales at Twickenham, but Kolisi was among several absentees as the match fell outside the internationals window.
Acknowledging that the Springboks have lost their last three encounters with the second-ranked Irish, Kolisi said he believes the breakdowns battle will be crucial as they seek to turn the tables.
- Breakdowns crucial -
"The breakdowns will be one of the big battles tomorrow. In the World Cup pool match we conceded a few penalties there, and we know that if Ireland get quick ball, they will be dangerous.
"We need to be sharp, get to the breakdowns and advantage line quickly, and make good decisions. We also have to be clinical and physical."
Kolisi played down the media hype surrounding the match, saying "We do not look at those things -- world champions versus Six Nations champions".
"For us it is all about going out there and trying to win the match. Ireland are the one team we have not been able to beat in a while, so it is a big challenge for us."
Reflecting on the Springbok captaincy he has held since 2018, the loose forward from French Top 14 club Racing92 said "it is not easy, but neither is it hard".
"It is a huge honour to be the Springboks captain, and it is great that it means so much to the public and the team as well," said Kolisi.
"Each player in the team has a role to play and it is an honour for us all to represent our country.
"As coach Rassie (Erasmus) has said, the captaincy is not a big thing for this group -- what we care about most is what happens on the field."
The 28-Test rivalry between South Africa and Ireland spans 118 years and has taken a dramatic swing.
South Africa won 14 and drew one of the first 16 internationals up to 2004, but have lost eight of the last 12.
Seated beside Kolisi, Springboks assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said "against a team like Ireland you will probably get five (scoring) chances and you must use them to come out on top".
P.Stevenson--AMWN