Despite captaining the Proteas Women team and winning every award she was nominated for at the CSA Awards ceremony, her main motivation is linked to the success young players are achieving on the international stage.
Wolvaardt received the titles of SA Women's Player of the Year, ODI Player of the Year, T20 Player of the Year, and Player of the Year at the selection's conclusion. These awards were a result of her outstanding performances during the selection period.
Specifically, she led in runs scored at the ODI World Cup, accumulating 571 runs at an average of 71.37, including centuries in the semi-final and final. Furthermore, she was the top run-scorer for the Proteas in the ODI series in New Zealand, and subsequently dominated the home T20I series against India, scoring 330 runs in five matches and being named Player of the Series.
At 27 years old and after two and a half years leading the Proteas, Wolvaardt is more satisfied with how the new generation is bringing a fresh and fearless approach to South African women's cricket. She highlighted young athletes such as Kayla Reineke and Karabo Meso, stating: 'I think young people like Kayla Reineke and Karabo Meso have immense power; they come out and just hit the ball. They are not afraid of anything. It's so exciting how fearless they are.'
As captain, she aims to create the most comfortable and welcoming atmosphere for them so they can perform at their best. Kayla Reineke, in particular, has already made a significant mark, receiving the International Rookie of the Year award on Thursday evening.
Wolvaardt is confident that the influx of youth will help Proteas finally achieve success in a major ICC tournament, after the team failed to advance past the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in the UK last month. She believes the team has a strong squad combining talent and experience. Although, in her opinion, the chances looked high on paper, something did not work out in the tournament. Now, she says, the main thing is to get as much game time as possible, as that is where real learning happens.
The next Proteas matches are scheduled against Zimbabwe and India before the ICC Champions Cup early next year.
Spain's captain Rodri is preparing for the anticipated 'physical' confrontation with reigning champions Argentina during Sunday's World Cup final. Rodri made a statement during a press conference in Manhattan, noting that Spain intends to ignore any possible provocations from their South American rivals and focus on executing their own tactics.
Rodri, who won the 2024 Ballon d'Or and plays in the midfield for the Spanish team throughout the World Cup, stated that the final promises to be unlike previous games of European champions. He emphasized that the match will be more intense, and the team needs to be ready for it.
“I think the match on Sunday will be quite different,” the Manchester City star told reporters. “It will be more physical, and we must be ready. But I believe that if there is one thing they know about this national team, it is our ability to play different games depending on the moment.”
Rodri added that the team is very complete, which is why they are in the final. When asked if he expects Argentina to resort to 'provocative' tactics, he replied that it is part of football. He noted that they will see how the game unfolds and prefers to think that Argentina is a team that gives its all and does not take such a path.
Nevertheless, he warned that if such a situation arises, they will have to ignore it and continue playing according to their plan so as not to fall for provocations.
The Spanish captain also expressed respect for his Argentine counterpart Lionel Messi, who is likely to play in the last match of his career, calling him the 'greatest of all time.' However, Rodri cautioned that Argentina is more than one person. He stressed: “What Messi means as a player and for Argentina goes beyond words. Obviously, for me, he is the greatest of all time. But Argentina is much bigger than Messi. They have proven that they are a very complete team with top players.”
He concluded that while Leo must certainly be taken into account, so must many other players.
Argentina reached the final after a difficult playoff run, which included a loss to Cape Verde in extra time, as well as dramatic victories over Egypt and England. Rodri believes these results demonstrate Argentina's mental resilience. “It speaks to their very competitive nature as a national team,” he said. “They are capable of bouncing back from adversity, and we take that into account.”
He added that they know what kind of team they are and will try to damage them as much as possible. Spain, meanwhile, reached the final by defeating tournament favorites France in the semi-finals, neutralizing the coordinated attack of 'Les Bleus' and outperforming the French in the midfield. Rodri admitted that this performance was 'one of the best' ever shown by the current Spanish team, but noted that to beat Argentina, they will need to raise their level higher.
The final match of the Southern Hemisphere stage of the Nations Cup will take place this Saturday, where the Springboks will host Wales at Kings Park Stadium in Durban. The match is scheduled for July 17th at 5:40 PM local time.
The teams are in diametrically opposed forms. The Springboks hold the top spot in the world rankings and aim to secure their eleventh consecutive victory. Meanwhile, Wales, ranked 12th, recently suffered a defeat against the Pumas in Argentina.
For the Springboks, particular attention is being paid to 20-year-old flanker Wusile Moyo. Although he has only played one match in the United Rugby Championship for the Sharks, coach Rassie Erasmus noticed something special in Moyo during the Barbarians match in June and wants to assess his capabilities in a full international match.
21-year-old Jaco Williams also gets a chance. This fast winger will play in a squad supported by his teammate from the Sharks, Aphelele Fassi, as well as experienced Kurt-Lee Arendse.
The Springboks squad includes veterans such as Kobus Reinach at scrum-half and Damian de Allende in the inside centre. Mani Leibbok is on the bench. Two other newcomers, Ruben van Heerden and Carlu Seydi, have achieved their debuts through different paths: they previously played for the Junior Springboks in 2017 and demonstrated patience and perseverance to make it into the main squad.
Furthermore, most of the Springboks squad possesses significant experience, with the exception of open flanker Paul de Villiers, who will play in his third Test. Wales has endured a period of terrible 18 matches without a win, but the Six Nations team has significantly improved this season. Nevertheless, another confident victory for the Springboks with a margin of at least 20 points is predicted.
The match will take place on Saturday, July 18th, at Kings Park Stadium in Durban. The game is set to start at 5:40 PM. Sunny weather is expected with daytime temperatures up to 26°C and nighttime temperatures down to 14°C. Andrew Bryce from Ireland is appointed as the referee, with Pierre Brusset from France and James Doleman from New Zealand serving as assistants. The Technical Match Official (TMO) is Ollie Hodges from Ireland.
After prolonged rumors, it was officially announced that Rhulani Mokwena has become the new head coach of Pyramids FC football club.
According to a report by Goal.com, 39-year-old Mokwena took on this position, replacing Krunoslav Jurcic.
Mokwena, who was born in Gauteng, joins the Cairo team after leaving Al Ittihad SC.
In March, Mokwena was detained by customs officials in Algeria at Houari Boumediene Airport. The detention occurred amid accusations of attempting to leave the country with undeclared foreign currency. He was ultimately found guilty and received a two-month sentence with a suspended sentence.
