IOL Sport News – Independent Online
IOL Sport News – Independent Online
Independent Online, popularly known as IOL, is one of South Africa's leading news and information websites bringing millions of readers breaking news and updates on Politics, Current Affairs, Business, Lifestyle, Entertainment, Travel, Sport, Motoring and Technology.
IOL also hosts the digital offerings of some of the country's most prominent newspapers including The Star and Pretoria News in Gauteng, The Cape Times and Cape Argus in the Western Cape and The Mercury and Daily News in KwaZulu-Natal as well as national business publications Business Report and Personal Finance.
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Cape Town – Former referee Victor Hlungwani has weighed in on the controversial penalty decision which occurred in the Nedbank Cup final.On Saturday, Orlando Pirates won the Nedbank Cup after beating Sekhukhune United 2-1 at a sold-out Loftus in Tshwane.It was the underdogs Sekhukhune who took a surprise lead after Sibusiso Vilakazi pounced on a defensive blunder involving Nkosinathi Sibisi and Tapelo Xoki.Pirates equalised via a Xoki penalty. But Thando Ndzandzeka's decision to award the spot-kick was met with controversy, given the circumstances of the handball.Victor Letsoalo was floored while Thembinkosi Lorch mischievously played the ball against him before the […]
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By Rohith NairLuton Town's promotion bid hit a speed bump when Southampton prised away their beloved manager Nathan Jones earlier this season, but they have now returned the favour by taking the south-coast club's place in the Premier League.Jones had led Luton to automatic promotion from League Two and even a Championship playoff semi-final in two spells but left in November when they were ninth, leaving Luton in a predicament.Enter Rob Edwards, the latest victim of Watford's managerial revolving door policy, and Luton had no qualms in handing the man who coached their rivals a three-and-a-half-year contract."Let's be honest … […]
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Cape Town – Munster had done their homework on the Stormers, and despite some decisions going against them, coach Graham Rowntree expressed his delight with how his players kept “sticking in the game” to win the United Rugby Championship final 19-14 on Saturday night.A record crowd of over 56 000 spectators at Cape Town Stadium couldn't overwhelm the visitors as the Irish outfit maintained their composure when trailing 14-12 in the second half, and got the winning try by flank John Hodnett in the closing stages to stop the Stormers from claiming a second consecutive URC title.The Cape side had […]
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By Alan BaldwinMonaco – Formula One leader Max Verstappen beat Fernando Alonso to pole position at the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday and conceded even he would like to see the evergreen Aston Martin driver win again.The Spaniard, a two-times world champion like Verstappen, has not won a race since he was at Ferrari a decade ago but at the age of 41 is rolling back the years with a car that is taking the fight to dominant Red Bull.Alonso was on provisional pole until Verstappen pulled out a jaw-dropping lap for the ages and seized the top slot, with […]
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Cape Town – In the past, picking a Springbok World Cup squad was much easier than it will be in 2023.The first-choice side was usually entrenched, with one or two selection debates, and you could mix and match the bench.The extra seven or so players who didn't feature in the main games would be on the bench for the ‘easier' pool games, while not really pushing for a starting berth.But Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber will have to make some tough calls before they announce the final 33-man World Cup squad on August 8. They began that process on Saturday […]
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Johannesburg – Unlike John Mcclane, SPAR Proteas captain Bongiwe Msomi won't have to do it all alone, nor – hopefully – try and reconcile with an estranged partner and family members while doing it.Mcclane, if you can recall, is the protagonist of seminal 1980s action movie Die Hard; and when a group of terrorists … apologies … highly sophisticated thieves storm the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles to steal $640m worth of untraceable bearer bonds, it's up to the plucky, unassuming, underdog, everyday man cop from New York to take down the thugs, save his wife and her colleagues and […]
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Cape Town – It was not to be the fairytale ending for departing captain Steven Kitshoff as the Stormers went down 19-14 to Munster in Saturday night's United Rugby Championship final at Cape Town Stadium.Munster seemed to play with greater hunger as the Irish visitors grabbed their first trophy in 12 years to deny the defending champions their second title in a row.The Munster players and fans celebrate at the DHL Stadium while @BryanHabana and Stormers fans look on in disbelief 👇 pic.twitter.com/IigOKYm8Q3— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) May 27, 2023 Here are our Stormers player ratings…Damian Willemse: 5Had a difficult night […]
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Cape Town – They won't hang players out to dry, but a couple of errors in the final minutes of the game cost the Stormers a shot at going back-to-back in the United Rugby Championship (URC) final on Saturday in Cape Town.Instead, the traveling Munster pulled off a try in the last five minutes and defended as if their lives depended on it, to keep the defending champions out to seal a memorable 19-14 win to be crowned new champions.!function(e,t,r){let n;if(e.getElementById(r))return;const o=e.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];n=e.createElement("script"),n.id=r,n.defer=!0,n.type="module",n.src="https://playback.oovvuu.media/player/v2/index.js",o.parentNode.insertBefore(n,o)}(document,0,"oovvuu-player-sdk-v2");The Irish club, playing their third playoff game away from home, dominated the Stormers in the first half and […]
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Cape Town – Teboho Mokoena (Mamelodi Sundowns), Monnapule Saleng (Orlando Pirates), and Ronwen Williams (Mamelodi Sundowns) are in line for the prestigious PSL Footballer of the Season award at the annual PSL Awards ceremony.This is PSL's foremost award, and the winner will be named at the virtual awards ceremony on the SuperSport PSL channel (202) and SABC 1 on Sunday at 8pm.!function(e,t,r){let n;if(e.getElementById(r))return;const o=e.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];n=e.createElement("script"),n.id=r,n.defer=!0,n.type="module",n.src="https://playback.oovvuu.media/player/v2/index.js",o.parentNode.insertBefore(n,o)}(document,0,"oovvuu-player-sdk-v2");The winner will be decided by the votes of the 16 Premiership coaches, who have one vote each.Saleng and Williams also feature among the nominees for the DStv Premiership Players' Player of the Season together with Sundowns' […]
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Cape Town – Munster coach Graham Rowntree said that he was “unbelievably proud” for everyone involved with the team after they did the almost unthinkable and beat the Stormers 19-14 to clinch the United Rugby Championship title at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday night.The defending champions were roared on by a record crowd of 56 334, but they were met with fierce resistance by a determined Munster team who outsmarted them tactically and through better execution to secure a well-deserved victory.It is Munster's first piece of major silverware in 12 years, having won this tournament in its previous Magners […]
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Johannesburg – Orlando Pirates' coach Jose Riveiro was a happy chap after his side completed a cup double this season but he vowed that they'll improve next season.Pirates ended the season on a very high note on Saturday night as they beat Sekhukhune United 2-1 in the Nedbank Cup final in Tshwane to win their second trophy of the term – having already won the MTN8.!function(e,t,r){let n;if(e.getElementById(r))return;const o=e.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];n=e.createElement("script"),n.id=r,n.defer=!0,n.type="module",n.src="https://playback.oovvuu.media/player/v2/index.js",o.parentNode.insertBefore(n,o)}(document,0,"oovvuu-player-sdk-v2");Pirates' triumph, which came courtesy of goals from Tapelo Xoki and Terrence Dzvukamanja after Sibusiso Vilakazi's lead for Sekhukhune, sealed what has been an incredible debut season for Riveiro.Enroute to the cup double, […]
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Cape Town – Duane Vermeulen is still in with a chance of making the Springbok Rugby World Cup squad after being included in a 33-man group for the upcoming training camp in Durban.Bok coach Jacques Nienaber included several overseas-based players in the squad that was announced on Saturday night, including Japan-based Damian de Allende, Willie le Roux, Malcolm Marx and Lood de Jager, while Ulster No 8 Vermeulen is also among the loose-forward group.A squad of 33 players will gather in Durban on Monday for the second #Springboks preparation camp – more here: https://t.co/obLOrzNwcA 🇿🇦#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/qT2oQV7WrJ— Springboks (@Springboks) May 27, […]
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Johannesburg – It won't go down as the “perfect season”, but Orlando Pirates will look back at this campaign with a glee after winning two trophies and qualifying for Africa's elite competition.Pirates' latest achievement came on the last day of the season after they beat Sekhukhune United 2-1 in in the Nedbank Cup final to win the crown in front of a sold out Loftus Versfeld on Saturday night.Scenes at Loftus Double delight for Pirates☠️Despair for Sekhukhune 🦔#NedbankCupFinal pic.twitter.com/aBYrnwSgpx— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) May 27, 2023 This was Pirates' second trophy of the season having won the MTN8 late last […]
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Cape Town – It was a heartbreaking finish for the Stormers as Munster scored a try in the 75th minute to take the lead and win 19-14 in the final of the United Rugby Championship (URC) in Cape Town on Saturday.While the Stormers kept them scoreless for most of the second half, that crucial score in the dying minutes brought the URC trophy to the visitors after a stellar first-half display where they took control of the game and gave the Stormers nothing to work with.The Munster players and fans celebrate at the DHL Stadium while @BryanHabana and Stormers fans […]
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Munich – Bayern Munich have won their 11th straight Bundesliga title, a 90th minute goal from Jamal Musiala sealing a late 2-1 win at Cologne after Borussia Dortmund were held 2-2 at home to Mainz.With Bayern needing a win to overtake Dortmund, the England-raised Germany forward hammered home with the clock winding down, ensuring the Bavarians keep their grip on the title for another season.Dortmund knew a win would guarantee a title, but were 2-0 down after just 25 minutes, with striker Sebastien Haller also having missed a penalty.Dortmund scored two second half goals to draw the game but the […]
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Cape Town – David Kriel grabbed a brace as the Blue Bulls overturned a disastrous first-round Currie Cup defeat to beat the Pumas 24-17 at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday.The Pretoria side were hammered 63-15 at Loftus Versfeld in their opening match in March, but produced a sweet victory on Saturday to stay alive in the semi-final race.Jake White's team are now on 31 log points, level with Western Province (fourth) and the Lions (fifth), but are sixth on points difference with two league games left – against the Griffons (home) and Cheetahs (home).They will be delighted with the fighting […]
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Monaco – Max Verstappen claimed pole for the Monaco Grand Prix with Fernando Alonso keeping the Red Bull world champion company on the front row after qualifying on Saturday.Ferrari's Charles Leclerc will start Sunday's race on the second row alongside the Alpine of Esteban Ocon."You have to go all out and risk it all," said Verstappen."I knew I was behind, I'm very happy to be on pole for the first time here."The session was red-flagged when Sergio Perez smashed his Red Bull into a wall leaving last year's winner at the rear of the grid.With overtaking at a premium on […]
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Paris – French rugby star Mohamed Haouas has been placed in police custody for alleged domestic violence, his lawyer Marc Gallix told AFP earlier today.The 29-year-old married father of two, who plays for Montpellier and has won 16 international caps, was detained yesterday, Gallix said, confirming a report published earlier today by French sports daily L'Equipe.He was part of France's Six Nations squad this season, although he received a red card for headbutting on his only appearance, against Scotland, and was banned for the rest of the tournament.He is currently awaiting the verdict of a trial held in Montpellier this […]
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London – Erling Haaland became the first man to win both Premier League player and young player of the year awards in the same season earlier today.The 22-year-old has taken just 35 appearances to set a new Premier League record of 36 goals in a single season to help Manchester City retain the title."I am honoured to have become the first player to win both awards in the same season – thank you to everyone who voted for me," said Haaland in a City statement."It has been an incredible first season in the Premier League and lifting the trophy last […]
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Cape Town – Western Province could receive a much-needed Stormers injection for their all-important Currie Cup clash with the Griquas in Kimberley on Friday.Some fringe players of the United Rugby Championship (URC) side, along with the likes of wingers Leolin Zas and Angelo Davids, could feature for Province as they need to win the next two matches with bonus points to guarantee them a spot in the playoffs of the Currie Cup.On Friday in Athlone, the WP youngsters fought valiantly but in the end, they were outclassed by a URC-laden Lions team with the visitors coming away with a 32-12 […]