SA’s mixed bag
OUR national teams had a mixed bag of results over the weekend. Our record showed: Played three – one comprehensive victory, one admirable draw and one dismal loss.
The Proteas got the better of arch-rivals Australia in their one-day series. Quinton De Kock has been on fire while his fellow top order partners have made significant contributions.
The New Zealand All Blacks ran rampant against an embarrassing Springbok team at Kings Park.
It was a masterclass performance and they dominated all facets of play. Besides dominating, their ninth and last try, deep into added time, was scintillating. This was a record victory margin against SA, and with this pathetic performance by the Springboks, we must question if the Springboks vs the All Blacks is still the battle of the rugby giants?
THE qualifying rounds for the 2018 soccer World Cup in Russia are in full swing and Shakes Mashaba appears to be on shaky ground with recent results not up to scratch. Bafana Bafana has been drawn in group D together with Burkina Faso, Cape Verde and Senegal.
On paper our biggest threat should come from Senegal. However, Cape Verde has been one of the most improved teams over the last few years. Bafana Bafana kicked off their campaign away to Burkina Faso.
Bafana were on the verge of a memorable away victory but a last-gasp equaliser denied us the win. Itumeleng Khune produced some magic by saving a 10th minute penalty and making other top class stops.
ENGLAND laboured to a 2-0 win against lowly Malta while Cristiano Ronaldo scored four goals (his 42nd career hat-trick), in Portugal’s 6-0 win against Andorra. Gareth Southgate was drafted in at short notice while England search for a new manager. There have been calls for him to be considered on a permanent basis but he is not a long-term solution to England woes.
For the first time, Arsenal FC has hinted manager Arsene Wenger’s contract may not be renewed at the end of the season. The 66-year-old Frenchman celebrated 20 years at the club last week and the England job may be a perfect challenge for him.
Although Arsenal have been disappointing in recent years, managing a national team compared to a league side is vastly different.
You have to make use of the players you inherit as there is no transfer market. I think Wenger will bring out the best of the current crop of players, develop the youngsters and get England to play some attractive football.
IN the Formula One GP scene, Nico Rosberg took a giant step towards his first world championship against his fierce rival and Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Rosberg’s win means Hamilton is now 33 points adrift and the title is out of his hands with four races remaining. It appears Hamilton is starting to feel the pressure. In a controversial move, he refused to answer questions in his post-qualifying news conference, accusing the media of being “disrespectful” and then walking out. It is he who comes across as disrespectful and arrogant, especially now he has fallen further behind in the title race.
DURING a visit to the Fifa Football museum in Zurich in August, I jokingly asked one of the supervisors if Sepp Blatter would visit the museum. The quick-witted lady replied that there was a better chance of SA winning the World Cup than Blatter making a public appearance again! Football lovers would be very impressed by the interactive museum and I was proud to see memorabilia from the 2010 World Cup on display.