he Lions bowed out of Stade Marcel-Deflandre with their heads held high after laying down a stirring emotional display in honor of the late Hyron Andrews against La Rochelle.

Manchester City fended off Ipswich despite a late penalty scare, Liverpool came from behind against 10-man Brentford, and Pedro Neto inspired Chelsea to victory at Everton.

French giants La Rochelle emerged victorious, clinching a 31-14 bonus point win over the Lions in their Champions Cup clash at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre in France on Saturday night, amid extremely emotional scenes after the sudden tragic passing of Lions lock Hyron Andrews on Friday. Andrews was found unresponsive after a fall at the team hotel a day earlier, and the Lions heroically made the tough decision to play their first ever match in the Champions Cup, in his honour. It was then a massively gritty performance from the Lions that pushed La Rochelle the whole way, despite the intense emotions that must have been running through the players, and it took until the final few minutes for the hosts to make the game safe. Before the match there were emotional scenes in La Rochelle, as Lions club captain Francke Horn, injured for this match, placed Andrews No5 jersey in front of the team as they stood arm-to-arm for a perfectly observed moment of silence, with a number of Lions players in tears during it. The Lions also announced that they have retired the No5 jersey in the Champions Cup this season and will utilise the No24 jersey over the rest of this season’s competition. Superb start It was then a superb start to the match for the Joburg side, as they started on the front foot, took play into the La Rochelle 22m, and outside centre Henco van Wyk smashed over from close range for the opening score in the fourth minute, converted by captain Chris Smith. In the fifth minute the brilliant La Rochelle crowd then applauded for a minute in honour of Andrews in another very emotional moment. The home side responded in the 17th minute, as they took a quick tap on the Lions 5m and then swung the ball quickly out wide, where wing Tevita Ofa brushed off a poor tackle attempt from fullback Quan Horn to go over in the corner for the converted score to level things up. In the 27th minute Lions flank Siba Mahashe was yellow carded after a team warning for penalties in their 22m, and La Rochelle hit the front three minutes later, after setting up a lineout deep in the Lions 22m, before their maul was stopped short, but flank Oscar Jegou broke off and powered over to score. It was then La Rochelle’s turn to concede a yellow, to hooker Pierre Bourgarit for a deliberate knock on with a line break on, and the Lions took advantage as they kicked the penalty to the corner, saw the maul stopped and hooker Morne Brandon forced his way over, with Smith’s conversion levelling the scores in the 34th minute. Halftime lead But La Rochelle made sure they would take a lead into the halftime break as they exposed a poor Lions defensive line off a lineout, with a kick pass into space allowing wing Davit Niniashvili to pick up on the bounce and go over untouched to make it 19-14. The first 20 minutes of the second half was incredibly hard fought, but eventually La Rochelle extended their lead as they mauled over from a 5m lineout, with replacement hooker Tolu Latu dotting down to move into a 24-14 lead. The Lions then threw everything they could at the French giants, but mistakes at crucial times cost them, while they also thought replacement scrumhalf Nico Steyn had scored to haul them back into the match, but the TMO picked up a forward pass in the build up and chalked it off. That allowed La Rochelle to seal the bonus point and make the game safe in the 76th minute as on attack in the Lions half they worked space out wide and replacement back Avakuki Niusalelekitoga ran into the corner for the final try of the match. A few minutes later the final whistle went, with most of the Lions players dropping to their knees, likely physically and emotionally spent after showing incredible courage to play this match. Scorers La Rochelle: Tries – Tevita Ofa, Oscar Jegou, Davit Niniashvili, Tolu Latu, Avakuki Niusalelekitoga; Conversions – Antoine Hastoy (3) Lions: Tries – Henco van Wyk, Morne Brandon; Conversions -Chris Smith (2)

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Rugby fans have questioned why the Lions chose to play La Rochelle in France, barely a day after the shock death of one of their teammates, Hyron Andrews. The 31-year-old was found unresponsive in a shower in his hotel room. Paramedics were unable to revive him. In scenes from the match – which the French side won 41-13 – Lions were seen crying during a moment of silence. WHY DID THE LIONS PLAY LA ROCHELLE AFTER HYRON ANDREWS’S DEATH? In a statement post just hours after Hyron Andrews’s death was confirmed, the Lions confirmed that their Investec Champions Cup match against La Rochelle would go ahead. Just before kickoff, club coach Ivan van Rooyen told the media:  “It’s been a tough 24 hours and we’ve decided to celebrate Hyron, show respect to his wife and his children, and celebrate life. It gets taken away so quickly. “We’ve had hundreds and thousands of messages from all over the world. It’s not about winning or losing today. It’s not about rugby. He added: “We want to show the respect to Hyron, who was an unbelievable guy, an unbelievable player, a world-class dad and a world-class husband. “Us arriving for the game shows how much he means to us and how much it means to everyone.” TOO SOON? On social media, the Lions’ decision to fulfil their match against La Rochelle, despite a player’s death, was met with mixed reactions. While some respected the team’s honourable gesture, others felt it was too soon. Here’s what a few X users posted… @MaezaGiuseppe: “The game should have been postponed, but hey, it’s business” @HannieEvan: “These guys are absolutely broken 💔. Yet the game isn’t called off because money trumps humanity 💔” @wfreemantle: “The Lions should not be playing rugby tonight. No matter if the players themselves want to do it for Hyron, even if the family approves…They should not be playing! That’s not strength” @aahhtee: “We’re really quite disposable as humans. This Hyron Andrews situation is just a reminder. He died, and a few hours later, a revised team sheet was released with his replacement. They put someone in his spot and called it a day. Life simply went on. 💔” It's inhumane that these guys have to play rugby at this moment in time.I feel for them so much Austin 3:16 (@Lloydbhudda) October 17, 2026

Julius Malema is celebrating his son Ratanang’s 20th birthday with a typically embarrassing dad moment. The EFF leader’s firstborn is an aspiring DJ and an alumnus of the prestigious private school, St David’s Marist Inanda The Economic Freedom Fighter (EFF) leader has two other sons, Kopano and Munzhedzi, with his wife, Mantwa. JULIUS MALEMA CELEBRATES SON’S 20TH BIRTHDAY In a video posted on his social media platforms, Julius Malema gave the public a look at his birthday celebrations to son Ratanang. Like most dads, the EFF leader used the opportunity to playfully tease or embarrass his son. The 45-year-old pretended to hype up his son by dancing with a bottle of champagne. “Bottle guy from Slageng”, he joked, referencing the popular groove spot in Limpopo. A sheepish Ratanang was seen walking away. Take a look… Bottle guy from @slageng.🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/SrnGEJ9wYs— Julius Sello Malema (@Julius_S_Malema) October 16, 2026 LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON? Ratanang Malema is like his father in many ways.  The EFF leader’s firstborn made his political party debut earlier this year by encouraging the youth to register to vote. Speaking at the party’s mass voter registration campaign outside its offices in Gandhi Square, Ratanang – who matriculated from the affluent Johannesburg school, St David’s Marist Inanda in 2024 – backed EFF policies such as land expropriation without compensation and free, decolonised education. Introducing himself to the crowd, he said, “My name is Ratanang Malema, and I am from ward 13, Seshegong. We were called by the leadership to encourage young people to vote. He continued: “Young people need to stop standing on the sidelines, as politics affects them. We need to vote for change, for free education, liberation of our people and must vote for economic freedom in our lifetime”. Like his father, Ratanang has took on leadership roles at his alma mater, where he was named one of the warcry leaders. He is also an aspiring DJ, like his dad. 

The Reserve Bank wants all of South Africa's ATMs white-labelled, with free transactions below a threshold, starting with a pilot in January.

Apple's first foldable iPhone carries a steeper local premium than its new HomeView, HomePod mini 2 and Apple TV 4K.