Back to the drawing board for Bok coach
SIX matches into his tenure as Springbok coach, the man who was touted as a messiah and saviour, is now left with a marker pen and drawing board, as bigger challenges lie in wait.
Rassie Erasmus and his men in green and gold were left with egg on their faces this past weekend as fans had an unfortunate dose of déjà vu, with yet another loss to Argentina in the Rugby Championship.
This type of dismal showing was reminiscent of the disastrous Allister Coetzee era, as Erasmus’ record now stands as played 6, won 3, lost 3, for a 50% win/loss record.
The series win against England in June offered just a sliver of hope to long-suffering Bok fans as the coach seemed to have brought some innovative ideas and fresh personnel into a broken system.
However, a laboured victory against the Pumas in the opening match was somewhat of a warning sign of bad things to come and this was turned into full blown confirmation this past Saturday.
The team seem to be lacking leadership on the park, and this is probably the reason that veteran Duane Vermeulen has been recalled to the squad for the Boks’ toughest assignment this year.
The team face Australia and New Zealand in two away fixtures at the beginning of next month, and Erasmus is under no illusions about just how vital these games are.
“We have to get back to winning ways, and it is win at all costs now,” said a desperate Erasmus.
The coach has an uphill battle with two home fixtures against the same opposition also still to come.
Erasmus will do well to ready his troops for the ultimate battle, particularly against old foes the All Blacks, and the drawing board won’t be too bad a place to get things up and running again. MIKAYLLA Totaram is a multi-talented young athlete, who represents KwaZulu-Natal on multiple fronts while keeping her feet grounded at the same time.
Hailing from the Midlands, the exuberant 12-year-old is not only the captain of her volleyball and table tennis teams at Allandale Primary School but also shows promise in netball, swimming and gymnastics.
However, it is her karate accomplishments that have caught the eye as she looks forward to the National Development Karate South Africa Tournament in October, where she will be representing KZN in Kata and Kumite. This event will be held at the Durban Tongaat Sports Centre, and she will compete in the 12-13 age group.
caught up with her and her mother, Senieera, and both provided insights into the star, her recent accomplishments, goals and on the upcoming event.
“Mikaylla is a bright young lady, who has done our family, her school and province proud. She has achieved so much, in a short amount of time and we are fully behind her for the national event,” said her mom.
The dedicated karateka received her KZN development colours in karate in 2017, and recently participated in the Kanazawa Cup, in which she attained a silver for the Kata component and bronze for the Kumite. She replicated this feat at the Shotokan Karate International South Africa (SKISA) team challenge tournament a few weeks ago.
Such achievements provide the young lady with hope for the big tournament.
“This year, I worked extremely hard, and have great hope for the future, particularly the October national event,” said Mikaylla.
She feels that she owes her achievements to those closest to her.
“I draw inspiration from my parents and sensei Zahra Kader, who is currently ranked number one in the country at U-16 level and her dad, who is our senior sensei in our dojo, Asgar Kader. I am truly humbled by them and one day hope to inspire my two sisters in the same way.”
Away from her sporting accolades, the “straight A” student, public speaker and vegetarian remains a people’s person at heart, while also dabbling in art and getting involved in social programmes and community projects.
She is set to become a leader in the karate discipline and not just a national asset, but an international superstar, who could one day do South Africa proud on the world stage, perhaps at Olympic level.