Sidestep

Can the Springboks repeat the glory of 2007? Springboks to party like its 2007? When Jean de Villiers announced his retirement from international rugby a few weeks ago, he made it clear that he would now focus on being the ”number one” Springbok fan. He was rather positive for a player forced into retirement after a13-year injury prone career, during a rugby world cup tournament. Not long after swapping the captain’s armband for his supporters cap, De Villiers produced what Australian commentators would call a verbal “speculator” also known as a 50/50 pass. He quickly pointed out, that his injury enforced retirement could be a blessing in disguise for his Bok teammates in England. Drawing comparison between his shortened campaign, in 2007 and 2015, De Villiers joked that the stars could be aligning for another lightning strike at the rugby world cup. The last time the quadrennial event was hosted in the northern hemisphere, JDV’s tournament ended in its ...

The 2015 Springbok squad before leaving for the Rugby World Cup. The year 2003 was one of the most controversial build-ups for the Springboks ahead of a Rugby World Cup campaign. Back then, Rudolph Straeuli was the head coach and South Africa had their worst finish at the quadrennial showpiece – a quarterfinal exit to the All Blacks. Matters got worse for Straeuli and his staff when details of the infamous Kamp Staaldraad emerged. It was later revealed that players were forced to take part in barbaric team building tasks while cold and naked. Kamp Staaldraad had been designed to unify the players, but succeeded in tearing the team apart. Twelve years later, the team is faced with a different kind of challenge –transformation. Some might say the team is being dragged through the mud, while others believe it is about time Saru was stripped bare on this subject. Either way, we are at a crossroad in South African rugby. Be as it may, hundreds of f...

The Springboks at the end of their trai ning session. I had the privilege of attending the first Springbok training camp of 2015 (as part of the media, in case you were wondering) earlier this month. Top players from the Bulls, Cheetahs, Lions and Stormers began their final push to make the World Cup squad in England later this year. The Sharks who were on their Super Rugby Tour Down Under were not in attendance, but will be part of the training camp in June. I put together this video of the afternoon’s training session and presser with coach Heyneke Meyer. Enjoy!

It does not take much to get me out and onto a golf course, but this week I was left with a different appreciation for the game. I had the privilege of meeting some amazing golfers, who have had all the reason to give up on the game and so much more, but chose to fight on instead. Whatever I write here will not do justice to this group, so why not take a look for yourself. Please watch this 1,39”video and more importantly please support these guys this coming week at the Nedbank Disabled Golf Open.

If you missed the segment on Kaya FM 95.9, then enjoy. Super Rugby We are at the halfway stage of Super Rugby 2015 and while no teams are completely out of the playoffs, some are running out of time to make the knockout stages. The South African conference is getting congested with the top four teams separated by seven points. The Bulls lead the local charge with 28 points followed by the Stormers on 26, and that gap will either be increased or swapped around depending on what happens on Saturday night. The two heavyweights of South African Rugby will meet in a North South Derby at Newlands, with the men from the Cape feeling confident after ending their Tour Down Under with two wins in a row. The Bulls who haven’t left our shores yet have steadily improved after opening their season with two defeats . One of those losses was against the Stormers at Loftus, which ended 29-17. Expect a closer encounter this weekend but the spoils might again go to the ...

With captain AB de Villiers confirming a clean bill of health ahead of tomorrow’s all-important semi-final against co-hosts New Zealand, the captain and selectors must now decide on their best 11 for Auckland clash. While many might be quick to say, “Just go with the same team that demolished Sri Lanka”, it’s not that simple. For one, the 11 that beat the Lankans in Sydney are the same 11 that struggled against Pakistan… in Auckland. Yes, maybe they had an off day, but conditions at the SCG are different to that at Eden Park, and stats from this world cup confirm it. Auckland has been more favourable to faster bowlers. From the three matches played in New Zealand’s largest city, quicks have accounted for 43 of the 49 wickets to fall there. Spinners haven’t had a great time at the venue claiming four, with only medium pacers and part-timers performing worse. While Vernon Philander didn’t play at the venue due to injury, his replacement Kyle Abbott sent Ahmed...

Proteas made history, winning a knockout match at the Cricket World Cup. The Proteas began a new chapter in their bid for a maiden world cup title. For the first time at the tournament, South Africa won a knockout match. The comprehensive nine wicket victory over the 1996 champions also booked them a place in the semi-finals for a fourth time. 5am SA time The men in Green and Gold lost the toss, but their attitude after the anthems suggested they would not be settling for second place beyond that. A great opening spell of bowling between Kyle Abbott and Dale Steyn restricted the slashing Sri  Lankans to 16 for 2 after 6 overs. Thirimanne fights back Once Tillakaratne Dilshan (duck) and Perera (3) were gone Lahiru Thirimanne came out fighting with fearless strokes. After 10 overs he was the only top-four batsman to score a boundary and reach double figures. 10 overs gone At the other end Sangakkara – who is retiring from ODIs after this...

Danny Willett can't believe it. When I asked 2014 Nedbank Golf Challenge winner Danny Willett (pictured), what the key was to English success in South African golf tournaments, little did I know how relevant that question would be down the line. Although Willett was awarded the crystal golf ball for his heroics at the Gary Player Country Club, most people do not remember who finished right behind him? Besides, who remembers second place? Well there was something glaringly obvious about the leader board that December afternoon, apart from Willett’s four-shot win. St George’s Crosses occupied the top three spots, thanks to efforts of Ross Fisher and Luke Donald. The English dominance was, well, so dominant, that the next competitor was Germany’s Marcel Siem who finished nine shots adrift. The best placed South African was Tim Clark, 15 shots behind. Three more co-sanctioned events have since been held on our shores since then, with the English - specifi...

Proteas finish last For most South Africans, Sunday was ruined by the Proteas, who slumped to their heaviest world cup defeat to India in a Pool B match. The much talked about clash of the round failed to live up to expectations, ending up as a one-sided affair instead. For those who didn’t watch the carnage, I will sum it up: India won the toss, elected to bat first and won by 130 runs. While the post-match interview was broadcast from Melbourne, I couldn’t help but think of the old adage “Nice guys finish last”. The few days leading up to the key clash, both teams, particularly South Africa had only the nicest things to say about their opponents - India. With each interview arriving from OZ, we were constantly reminded how the two sets of players were good friends, with nothing but respect and fondness for each other - something accredited to the Indian Premier League. But once the match was over, nothing on the scoreboard suggested that this was a regu...

Breaking Boks If the first round of Super Rugby is anything to go by, South African players are in for a long or actually short year. The 2015 season is not even a week old and already the injury list resembles a basketball starting team (with the height to match). Injuries are bound to happen and part and parcel of a very physical game such as rugby. But with the world cup only seven months away, the Springboks will be hoping to have their strongest possible squad fit and ready for the approaching quadrennial showpiece. Ironically, this season Saru and the unions agreed to rest contracted Boks in order to have them fresh and injury free for the world cup. But round one of the first tournament of the season suggests that Heyneke Meyer could be missing key players come August. It’s already likely that Meyer will be without captain Jean de Villiers for their assault on the Webb Ellis Trophy. But with many brutal weeks between now and the world cup who els...