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Springboks sweat on Mapimpi injury in wake of Tonga win – ARN News Centre
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AFP
South Africa will send wing Makazole Mapimpi for scans on a fracture to his cheekbone in the wake of Sunday’s 49-18 victory over Tonga that took the defending champions to the brink of a Rugby World Cup quarter-final place.
Should they progress, it may be without the 2019 World Cup winner after he clashed heads with tackler Augustine Pulu in an incident that was reviewed by the Television Match Official, but not sanctioned with a yellow card.
“Makazole has a fracture of his cheekbone, so he will go for specialist scans to determine the severity of it,” Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber said after the seven-try win.
Better news for Nienaber was the return of flyhalf Handre Pollard, who played 50 minutes in his first test for 13 months. Pollard had featured for only 30 minutes for his club Leicester Tigers since May after recovering from a calf problem.
“He will get better with more game time, he was solid,” Nienaber said. “His ball carries were decisive, in defence he level-changed well and put some proper shoulder into his tackles. His off-the-ball work was good, as was his kicking game, both going for poles and in general play.”
The Boks won’t know if they have a quarter-final place until Scotland meet Ireland in Paris next Saturday, but it looks likely they will progress from Pool B, which would mean a two-week break before their knockout stage fixture.
Nienaber does not mind some time away from the game and said it was similar to when they lifted the trophy in Japan four years ago.
“We also finished our pool quite early and we had a 12 or 13-day preparation break before the quarter-final against Japan,” he said.
“It is something we have done before and it worked well back then. We will give the players two to three days off, a mental break, and then start preparing and see what we can do better if we want to stay in this competition to the end.”
The Boks conceded three tries in a World Cup match for the first time since their stunning loss to Japan in 2015, a run of 17 games, but Nienaber was not concerned.
“From a defensive point of view, I am very proud. If you look at the attitude of the defence against a Tonga side that have got better as the tournament has progressed, it was there and the boys put in a big shift. Sometimes you just have to applaud the opposition.”
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Indian chess star Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu produced a brilliant final-round victory to win Norway Chess 2026, capping a dramatic finish to one of the year’s most prestigious tournaments.
Entering the final day half a point behind leader Wesley So, Praggnanandhaa knew only a win would give him a realistic chance of claiming the title. The 19-year-old delivered under pressure, defeating Vincent Keymer with the white pieces to secure the full three points and surge to first place.
The victory lifted Praggnanandhaa to 18 points, enough to overtake Wesley So and clinch the Norway Chess crown in Oslo.
So, who had led the standings heading into the final round, drew his classical game against Alireza Firouzja before winning the Armageddon tiebreak. However, the extra points were not enough to keep him ahead of the charging Indian grandmaster.
Firouzja completed a strong campaign to finish third overall.
Elsewhere, world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen signed off in style with a classical victory over reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju, delighting home fans with a final-round win.
Final Standings
- Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu – 18 points
- Wesley So – 17 points
- Alireza Firouzja – 15.5 points
Assaubayeva dominates women’s event
In the Norway Chess Women’s tournament, Bibisara Assaubayeva completed a dominant campaign to secure the title after having already wrapped up first place with a round to spare.
The final day featured three decisive classical games, eliminating the need for Armageddon tiebreaks.
Women’s world champion Ju Wenjun handed Assaubayeva her first classical defeat of the tournament, while Zhu Jiner defeated Humpy Koneru to secure second place overall. Anna Muzychuk also ended her campaign on a high note with a victory over Divya Deshmukh to finish third.
Norway Chess women’s final standings
- Bibisara Assaubayeva – 16.5 points
- Zhu Jiner – 16 points
- Anna Muzychuk – 15 points
Praggnanandhaa’s triumph marks another major milestone in the young Indian grandmaster’s rapidly rising career and further strengthens India’s growing influence at the highest level of world chess.
The battle for the Norway Chess 2026 title is set for a thrilling finish after a dramatic Round 9 left three players firmly in contention heading into the final day in Oslo.
Tournament leader Wesley So maintained his narrow advantage after drawing his classical game against Magnus Carlsen before winning the Armageddon tiebreak to secure valuable extra points.
The standout result of the day came from Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, who defeated reigning world champion Gukesh Dommaraju with the black pieces. The victory earned Praggnanandhaa three points and moved him to within half a point of the tournament lead.
Meanwhile, Alireza Firouzja kept his championship hopes alive by overcoming Vincent Keymer in Armageddon after their classical game ended in a draw.
With one round remaining, Wesley So leads the standings on 15.5 points, followed by Praggnanandhaa on 15 points and Firouzja on 14.5 points, setting up a nail-biting conclusion to the tournament.
Assaubayeva seals women’s title
In the women’s competition, Bibisara Assaubayeva secured the Norway Chess Women 2026 title with a round to spare.
Assaubayeva drew her classical game against Anna Muzychuk, who later claimed the Armageddon win. However, the result was enough to guarantee Assaubayeva an unassailable lead at the top of the standings.
The only decisive classical result in the women’s event came from Zhu Jiner, who defeated Divya Deshmukh to move into second place.
Elsewhere, Humpy Koneru and Ju Wenjun drew their classical encounter before Ju Wenjun claimed the Armageddon victory.
After Round 9, Assaubayeva tops the women’s standings with 16.5 points, ahead of Zhu Jiner on 13 points and Anna Muzychuk on 12 points.
Praggnanandhaa wins Norway Chess 2026 title after stunning comeback
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