Paul de Wet's crucial 50-metre intercept try before half-time set the platform for a second-half onslaught, with the Bulls running in seven tries to comfortably dispatch Zebre.

Following a hard-fought 2-1 win over Guinea, Pitso Mosimane targets improved efficiency in front of goal as South Africa prepare for their next AFCON 2027 Qualifier in Egypt.

The Bulls got their URC campaign underway in the best possible way by thrashing Zebre in a ruthless display in Parma on Saturday night. Last season’s finalists scored seven tries, including a penalty try, in a 47-13 victory to give the South African teams a clean sweep in round one. The hosts controlled much of the opening 20 minutes, with the Bulls struggling to build any attacking rhythm as handling errors repeatedly disrupted their attempts to play with ball in hand. Zebre opened the scoring through fullback Tommaso Allan, who kicked a 13th-minute penalty goal, before the Bulls were handed a major opportunity when lock Matteo Canali was yellow-carded for illegally stopping a maul. The Bulls were awarded a penalty try in the 26th minute which seemingly turned the momentum in their favour. Allan brought the hosts back within a point with another penalty shortly afterwards, but lock Reinhardt Ludwig then powered over for the Bulls’ second try in the 31st minute, with flyhalf Curwin Bosch adding the conversion to put the visitors 14-6 ahead. The Bulls continued to apply pressure and were rewarded again just before the break when scrumhalf Paul de Wet intercepted a wayward pass and ran 40m to score. Bosch converted once more to give the Pretoria-based side a 21-6 advantage at half-time. It was one-way traffic after the break as lock Ruan Vermaak and centre Harold Vorster dotted down to stretch the Bulls’ advantage. Bosch remained perfect off the kicking tee, converting both tries. As play entered the final quarter, there was finally something for the Zebre supporters to cheer about as captain Allessandro Fusco stepped his way over the line. The Bulls continued pounding away at the Zebre line in the dying minutes, and were rewarded when Ludwig crashed over for his second of the night and replacement wing Zak Burger dived over in the corner to seal an accomplished performance on the road for Johan Ackermann’s team. The Bulls now travel to Limerick where they’ll take on Munster next Saturday. ZEBRE PARMA – Try: Allessandro Fusco. Conversion: Tommaso Allan. Penalties: Allan (2).BULLS – Tries: Penalty try, Reinhardt Ludwig (2), Paul de Wet, Ruan Vermaak, Harold Vorster, Zak Burger. Conversions: Curwin Bosch (4), Willie le Roux. This story first appeared on sarugbymag.co.za. It is republished here with permission.

Get the Daily Lotto results as soon as they are drawn on The Citizen, so you can rest easy and check your tickets with confidence. Estimated Daily Lotto jackpot for Saturday, 26 September 2026: Daily Lotto: R520 000 Daily Lotto results for 26 September 2026: The winning Daily Lotto numbers will appear below after the draw. Usually, within 10 minutes of the draw. You might need to refresh the page to see the updated results. Daily Lotto: 10, 15, 18, 19, 23. For more details and to verify the Daily Lotto results, visit the National Lottery website. How to play Daily Lotto in SA? If you are buying a ticket in-store: Pick up a betslip in any lottery store. Choose five numbers between 1 and 36 or ask for a Quick Pick. Entries cost R3 each. You can play a max of R150, but you are allowed to play multiple boards. Select how many consecutive draws you wish to enter, up to a maximum of 10. Leave blank for a single draw. Take your betslip to the teller to pay for your ticket. Write your details on the back of your ticket in case you need to claim a prize. If you do not sign your ticket and you lose it, anyone can use it to claim the prize. If you are playing online: Set up a lottery account here and make a deposit to pay for tickets. Choose five numbers from 1 to 36 or select ‘Quick Pick’ to generate a random set. Repeat this on as many boards as you want to play. Decide whether to enter a single draw or multiple draws. Confirm and pay for your entry.

Here is what the weather has in store for KZN, the Free State, and the North West on Sunday 27 September 2026. A Yellow Level 2 warning has been issued for KwaZulu-Natal as severe thunderstorms bring heavy rain, hail and damaging winds. KWAZULU-NATAL Morning fog patches over the interior, otherwise partly cloudy with scattered showers and thundershowers. The wind along the coast will be northerly to north-easterly in the northern parts until in the late morning, otherwise fresh to strong southerly to south-westerly The UVB sunburn index will be low. DURBAN Durban will be partly cloudy with scattered showers and thundershowers. The wind will fresh to strong southerly to south-westerly. Temperatures will range from 20°C to 24°C. The UVB sunburn index is going to be low. FREE STATE Partly cloudy and cool to warm with isolated showers and thundershowers except in the north-western parts. It will bewindy over the eastern parts. BLOEMFONTEIN Bloemfontein is going to be partly cloudy and windy with isolated showers and thundershowers. Temperatures will range from a minimum of 12°C to a maximum of 23°C. NORTH WEST North West is going to be partly cloudy and warm to hot with isolated showers and thundershowers over the extreme south-eastern parts. It will be windy over the eastern parts. MAHIKENG Mahikeng is going to be partly cloudy and windy. Temperatures will range from a minimum of 16°C. to a maximum of 30°C. Weather forecast data provided by the South African Weather Service.

The Springboks have shut down any questions relating to Andre Esterhuizen’s 2012 K-word racial scandal. This comes as the 32-year-old is set to captain the squad against the Wallabies on Sunday, 27 September.  The rugby player and SA Rugby have come under fire for not addressing the public about the incident that made headlines 14 years ago. SPRINGBOKS SNUB ANDRE ESTERHUIZEN K-WORD QUESTIONS In a press briefing on Saturday morning, the Springboks warned media representatives not to bring up Andre Esterhuizen’s past transgressions using the K-word slur. Media Manager Zeena Isaacs said, “Guys, just in advance, we are not dealing with the issue of the articles that are going around on social media and all sorts of things, so can I ask that you please stick to the game and ensure that all questions are game-related as opposed to all those other news articles that are going on around in South Africa. She added, “So please respect that”. Nevertheless, Andre was asked about the incident, but he did not answer as Isaacs stepped in to intervene. This comes as social media users have called for both the rugby player and the team to address the “elephant in the room”. X user @Blackieswart_ posted: “We’re going to need the @Springboks  to address the André Esterhuizen situation. To be honest, we simply can’t have this guy captaining the team this weekend, given what’s happened in his history. I’m sorry. Not with the Boks trying to broaden their brand”. @Oom_Rugby, added: “I think it will make sense for Andre himself to address it. As a Springbok captain, he owes us that” @Reneilwe posted: “Andre needs to address this issue. Avoiding it means that he is hiding, and the whole Springbok organisation not addressing it is problematic. We’ll judge the change when we hear from him personally”. To say Andre made a mistake is not really acurate . at the time it is what he believed. it is who he was.I think we can agree it was not a mistake.So then we have to start by asking why this is something he believed. was he born this way? no that is not how any kind of… Oom Rugby (@Oom_Rugby) September 25, 2026 We’re going to need the @Springboks to address the André Esterhuizen situation. To be honest we simply can’t have this guy captaining the team this weekend given what’s happened in his history. I’m sorry. Not with the boks trying to broaden their brand.— Blackie Swart (@Blackieswart_) September 24, 2026 LESSONS FROM SIYA KOLISI Andre Esterhuizen was asked to share his feelings about captaining the Springboks. He said: I’m just going out with the captaincy role, but it’s still all about the team. We’ve got so many leaders who help each other. And ultimately, it’s what we all do together on the field. “We play together…So I’m taking it on as an honour, and I’m very happy about it, but ultimately, we’re all together as a team. He added, “If you look at Siya, he’s been a tremendous leader for the Springboks. Just to always see him composed and calm, no matter what the situation is, and obviously relying on the guys around him as well. He knows when to step back and when to step up. I think that’s something I’ve taken from him.”

Solly Malatsi has withdrawn the Woan spectrum reservation, leaving Icasa free to license the idle frequencies.

Electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has announced Mteto Nyati will stay on as Eskom chairman.