With Bafana Bafana set to take on an energised Rwanda in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier away from home this week, here are a few stars who could cause problems for Hugo Broos' team, including a Belgian-born wonderkid!
South Africa claimed an important 2-1 win over Benin on Saturday, with the victory making them the only team in Group C to pick up three points in the opening round of fixtures. Goals by Percy Tau and Khuliso Mudau were enough to get South Africa's World Cup journey off to a flying start, but they are now poised for a tough trip to Rwanda, who are also unbeaten after a goalless draw with Zimbabwe last Wednesday.
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Rwanda have a new manager at the helm, Torsten Spittler, who was appointed at the beginning of this month after previous boss Carlos Alos Ferrer left the job in July 2023 to become head coach of the Belarus national team. Spittler, 62, is expected to put up a tough tactical battle against Broos on Tuesday afternoon as he boasts extensive coaching experience, having previously assumed roles in Mozambique, Sierra Leone and the Arabian Peninsula. Rwanda are winless in five matches in 2023, though, so Spittler will now be desperate to get the Amavubi Wasps back to winning ways, and will likely be leaning on the following stars to do just that against SA.
Hakim Sahabo (Standard Liege)
Arguably, Rwanda's biggest dangerman is exciting teenager Hakim Sahabo, who has already been handed the side's No. 10 shirt at the tender age of just 18. Born in Brussels in Belgium, the attacking midfielder received his first cap in November 2022 after impressing for Lille's U19 team in France. This caught the eye of Standard Liege, who tied the youngster down to a three-year contract in July, which will run until 2026. He thus now plies his trade in Belgium's second tier, a division many South Africans will be familiar with after Tau previously played there and won the 2018/19 Player of the Year award during his loan stint at Royale Union Saint-Gilloise.
Fiacre Ntwari (TS Galaxy)
Rwanda No. 1 Fiacre Ntwari will be quite familiar with several members of the Bafana squad as he plies his trade in the DStv Premiership with TS Galaxy. The 24-year-old goalkeeper joined Tim Sukazi's side from AS Kigali in July, and has already started challenging for a starting berth, having featured three times for the Rockets this season, keeping one clean sheet in the process. Ntwari has largely been utilised by Galaxy in cup games so far, where he has helped the side to the semi-finals of the inaugural Carling Knockout Cup.
Djihad Bizimana (Kryvbas)
Captain Djihad Bizimana could also pose a serious threat to Bafana, with the deep-lying midfielder expected to be a thorn in SA's attacking endeavours. Plying his trade in the Ukrainian top flight with Kryvbas, the 26-year-old is among the more experienced players in the Rwanda squad with 28 senior appearances since 2015, and has been playing in Europe for five years now, having also represented clubs in Belgium.
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The match between Rwanda and South Africa kicks off at 15:00 (CAT) at the 10 000-capacity Huye Stadium in Butare.
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