Rugby player drowns, five others missing

Fifteen people, including members of the public, were rescued after being pulled out to sea at Blue Water Bay Beach.
The National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) saved those caught up in rip currents shortly after midday on Sunday, the South African Press Association (Sapa) said.
The dead man and the five still missing are all thought to be in their early 20s.
Mr Hoskins told Sapa: “These young men were preparing to compete in a Saru (South African Rugby Union) Easter tournament in Cape Town in a fortnight and were

enjoying a carefree day on the beach with their team-mates.
“To have their afternoon turned into a day of tragedy is shocking for the whole rugby community and our thoughts and prayers go out to their families.”
Meanwhile, the Stormers are going to have to make a significant all-round improvement and deliver their first full 80-minute performance of the season if they hope to

leave for New Zealand on Sunday as still the only unbeaten team in Vodacom Super Rugby.

When the Highlanders lost to the impressive Brumbies in Canberra at the weekend and the Stormers later in the day scraped home 24-19 against the Lions in Johannesburg, it confirmed the Cape side as the front runners in the competition. But three of their wins have been at home, two of them were a long way short of convincing, and in all their games there have been times when the Stormers have gone on what can best be described as a walkabout.

With the exception of the coastal derby against the Sharks, where they started slowly, the trend has been for the Stormers to be well ahead at the halfway mark and then to let the opposition back into it in the third quarter. Against the Lions it was the half-hour point that coincided with the Stormers going off the boil, and the Lions, severely depleted by injury, dominated play everywhere but on the scoreboard from then on.

The Stormers deserve credit for the way they defended in the second half. They should also have pleased coach Allister Coetzee with the way they were able to retain composure under pressure and then find a bit of an extra gear heading into the final quarter, when the Lions were swarming all over them. Two visits into Lions territory were enough to force the penalties that saw them secure the win. — News24.