Sidestep

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...