Proteas vs New Zealand: Newlands Test 2013

The Proteas start off their 2013 campaign against New Zealand at Newlands on 2 January 2013 in the first of two tests. It might look like a one sided affair but the Proteas will still have their work cut out for them.

Newlands have been good to the Proteas and especially the top order over the last couple of seasons. But as good as the pitch can be it can also be very temperamental. Ask Australia who took a 180+ run lead into their second innings on the second day. They were bowled out for a meagre 47 in their second innings and lost the test inside 3 days by 9 wickets.

Newlands is known to support the bowlers in the morning session, but if a batsman gets in they stay in for a long time. Days 1-3 is good for batting and then the going gets though. The bowlers and spinners can expect more and more assistance during days 4 and 5.

With the current high summer temperatures in Cape Town, winning the toss and electing to bat first will be vital. Next will be to bat for atleast the first 2 days and posting a high total. Then it is merely a case of taking 20 wickets with out batting again. New Zealand has the batsmen to do this, but their bowling attack doesn’t look that threatening. They will need at least 550+ runs should they hope to stand a chance of winning and then it will still probably be a tame draw.

The Proteas with 7 batsmen can post this type of total easily and the bowlers can do the job required. They will need to get Guptill and McCullum early and then it is just a case of piling on the pressure. It is a game that is the Proteas’ to lose rather than New Zealand’s to win.

Look forward to some great batting and inspired bowling from both sides. If you are in Cape Town go down and enjoy a day in the sun watching some good cricket and experience a great atmosphere.

City, United and Gunners end 2012 on a high

Manchester United maintained their 7 point lead over Manchester City at the top of the league, while Tottenham Hotspur moved 4th and Arsenal 5th on the last weekend of action for the year.

Spurs had to come from behind against Sunderland after the host scored the opening goal against the run of play. An own goal cancelled out the lead before Spurs scored the winner.

United took the lead at Old Trafford against Westbrom courtesy of an own goal. Robin van Persie scored their second goal after coming on as a substitute. The game nearly got postponed due to heavy rains that fell over the last couple of days.

City took an early 2-0 lead through two Dzeko goals. A red card for Nasri just before halftime nearly had the champions in trouble. An own goal by Norwich keeper, Bunn, gave City a 3-4 win away from home. It keeps them in the hunt for the title.

Arsenal demolished Newcastle in a 7-3 at home with Theo Walcott scoring a hatrick. Ashton Villa went down 3-0 to Wigan Athletic and Stoke City, playing with 10 men, secured a late equalizer to draw 3-3 against Southampton. Reading beat West Ham 1-0 to steer clear of the bottom.

Swansea took a 2-1 victory over Fullham.
Chelsea secured a 1-2 win over Everton and trough doing this they secured 3rd spot. Liverpool took an emphatic +-3 win over QPR.

The new year will see City, United and Chelsea chasing each other for the championship, while Spurs and Arsenal will probably fight it out for 4th and a spot in the Champions League.

John Mitchell quits as Sales Sharks Coach

John Mitchell has quit as Sales Sharks head coach after just one month in the job. Sales owner Brian Kennedy released the following statement:

“John was brought in on a consultancy basis with a view to the possibility of being employed in a longer term position within Sale Sharks.

“He has had to return to South Africa for personal reasons which we respect. We are grateful for his valuable and insightful contributions albeit for a shorter term than envisaged.

“Steve Diamond, Bryan Redpath and Pete Anglesea will continue to coach the side, implementing many of John’s ideas, and building on last night’s excellent performance.”

This comes short on the heals of Mitchell’s reinstatement as head coach at the Lions after a lengthy suspension, it was later agreed that Mitchell will stay on as a Technical Consultant with the Lions. After this he took up the position with Sales. There has also been hints at a possible link to a position in New Zealand for the former Kiwi player and coach. Only the future will tell.

“Mr Cricket” calls “Close of Play”

Mike Hussey, Mr Cricket, has announced his retirement from test cricket after the 3rd and final test against Sri Lanka. He has also said that he will retire from all international Cricket at the end of the Australian summer.

Hussey, 37, made his test debut for Australia at age 30 in 2005. He has 78 test caps and scored 6118 runs at an average of 51.41. His career includes 19 hundreds, 29 fifties with a highest score of 195. Not only is he a superb batsman, but his performance in the field has saved Australian many runs. Any batsman playing against him knows that you don’t take a risky single to him.

Hussey made his ODI debut in 2004 and played 185 games to date. His 5442 runs include 3 hundreds and 39 fifties at an average of 48.15. Hate him or love him, he is going to be missed by opponents, team mates and cricket fans through out the world. A truly remarkable player that put his body on the line for his team.

His retirement leaves a big hole in the middle order of Australia. He will not be easily replaced and with two Ashes Series coming up in 2013, Australia will miss him.

Good luck with the future, Mr Cricket, we will miss you on the field.

Tony Greig dies aged 66

Legendary England Batsman, captain and later commentator, Tony Greig has passed away at the age of 66, on 29 December 2012. He had battled lung cancer over the last couple of months. Greig has been at the forefront of controversy for most of his career, but leaves a legacy behind.

Born on 6 August 1946 in Queenstown, South Africa, Greig qualified to play for England due to his Scottish ancestry. He made his test debut on 8 June 1972 against Australia. He went on to play 58 test, scoring 3599 runs at and average of 40.43. He took 141 wickets at an average of 32.20. He also captained England between 1975-1977.

In 1977 he was responsible for many England, West Indies and Pakistani players signing up for the Kerry Park World Series Cricket. This cost him the England captaincy. Through out his playing as well as commentating careers, Greg would get into trouble for statements made. Still he remained the favourite of many cricketing fans as he said what he thought. Tony Greig also suffered from epilepsy although few knew it during his playing years.

Tony will be missed by his family, friends, fans and cricket lovers all over the world. May he rest in peace.

Dave’s SA Sporting Moments of 2012

With 2012 drawing to a close and most people reflecting back on the year that has been, it just seems fitting to remember some of the great sporting moments of the year. Not all of them have been great but there has been a couple that stood out above the rest.

1. Oscar Pistorius competing at the Summer Olympics – Truly a moment to remember as he became the first disabled athlete to compete at an abled bodied Olympic Games.

2. Chad Le Clos beating Michael Phelps for gold at the Olympics – what a moment for a truly remarkable young man.

3. The Proteas beating England in England for the World nr 1 test position – showing that they are not chokers but has what it takes.

4. The Proteas beating Australia in Australia to retain the nr 1 test ranking – a moment that will last a life time.

5. The Springboks ending the year on an unbeaten tour in Europe – something we didn’t think would happen after the Rugby Championship.

6. Hashim Amla’s 311* vs England – a truly momentous innings by the World’s best batsman at the moment.

7. WP winning the Currie Cup – it might have been 12 years since the Cape side won the Currie Cup, but they did it in fine style this year.

8. Natalie du Toit’s medal haul at the Paralympics – a truly remarkable woman closing her career in true style.

9. Faf du Plessis’s debut – Faf grabbed the opportunity handed to him with both hands. His 110 saved the test and handed the Proteas the series.

10. England beating New Zealand – although not a SA team, every South African would have enjoyed that game.

And then there were the moments we would like to forget.

1. SARU blundering the SupeRugby Lions/Kings situation – not SARU’s best moment.

2. Springboks drawing against Argentina – this was a shock and had the rugby nation in uproar.

3. The Proteas bowing out of the T20 World Cup – once again we failed to win a mahor trophy.

4. Bafana-Bafana assistant coach being charged with match fixing – then again bribery is rife in our country. Why should our sport be different.

5. Eben Etzebeth being banned for a head-butt on Sharpe – surely the worst decision by a disciplinary panel this year. Had he at least made contact with Sharpe it would have been reasonable.

Both lists can go on and on as there has been many more great moments and not so great ones. Let me know what yours were.

New Zealand Herald Names 3 Springboks in World XV

The New Zealand Herald named their 2012 World XV rugby team. Not surprising that most of the team is made up of All Blacks and each one of them deserving their spot. They did included 3 Springboks, but what was suprising is that not one Australian made it into their side.

The team is as follows:

World XV

15. Israel Dagg, New Zealand
14. Cory Jane, New Zealand
13. Jonathan Davies, Wales
12. Sonny Bill Williams, New Zealand
11. Bryan Habana, South Africa
10. Daniel Carter, New Zealand
9. Kahn Fotuali’i, Samoa
8. Kieran Read, New Zealand
7. Richie McCaw, New Zealand
6. Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe, Argentina
5. Eben Etzebeth, South Africa
4. Richie Gray, Scotland
3. Dan Cole, England
2. Adrian Strauss, South Africa
1. Sona Taumalolo, Tonga

Bryan Habana returned to the form he displayed in the early days of his career. The WP and Springbok winger made life difficult for his opponents and scored some brilliant tries this season.

Eben Etzebeth came onto the scene with inspiring line-out work and all-round play. A name that will be heard for years to come. Only 21, he could have played in the Junior World Cup. His hard hitting tackles and aggressive demeanour has his peers taking notice of him.

Adriaan Strauss had to step up and fill the boots of Bismarck Du Plessis who is rated by many as the best hooker in the world. His inclusion in this teamshows that he has done just that.

This is a team that I would not like to face in any game.

Six Nations 2013: Who will come out tops?

The RBS 6 Nations Championship is set to start in a couple of weeks with Wales defending their title. A lot has however happened since they won the Title in February 2012 and the title race is wide open. Here is a quick look at the teams competing and what their chances are.

ENGLAND

Runners up last year, England, has come a long way since Stuart Lancaster took over as coach. Not given a chance in 2012 they finished second. They followed this up with a series loss to the Springboks in May. Their year end tour results was a mixed bag with losses to the Springboks and Australia. They did however beat Fiji convincingly and then that emphatic win over the All Blacks. At current they must be favourites to win the 2013 title with probably only France challenging them.

FRANCE

Not their best performance in 2012, but then the French are known for being erratic and lacklustre at times. They have been up and down during the year end tour. A team that can beat the best in the world on any given Saturday if they pitch up with the right mindset. Then again the same team can lose to Zimbabwe and look like school boys. Still you can never write them off. They will be strong challengers for the title.

IRELAND

Ireland is probably the suprise package of the tournament. They have been neither here nor there throughout 2012, but possess the ability to beat all of the other teams in the competition. Ireland has a couple of brilliant youngsters coming through their ranks and this is promising signs for them. If they have what it takes to win the Six Nations in 2013 is to be seen. That they will be contenders is certain.

WALES

Wales had the best start to 2012 any northern hemisphere team could ask for. A Grand Slam, Triple Crown Six Nations title. After that it all went pear shaped for them. They had close losses to Australia on several occasions, but a loss to Tonga summed up their season. Frustration and disappointment. Not the way they thought it would have gone. Still if they can rise from the ashes of 2012, they will be a team to reckon with. It is however going to take a lot of hard work.

ITALY

Italy has grown year on year and will start to ask questions of the top 4 teams in the competition. They rely on a strong forward performance to dominate the set pieces and the breakdowns. Not a team that set the world alight with running rugby, but they can run when play is broken. They wil not challenge for the title yet, but they will be looking at the number 4 spot and believe that they can achieve that with a lot of hard work and discipline.

SCOTLAND

The disappointment for Northern Hemisphere rugby over the last two years. Andy Robinson went back to the drawing board more times than the Swazi King got married and in the end it cost him his job. Scotland has under performed for way to long and will look to rebuild and do it quickly during 2013. A new coach with fresh ideas might just be what they are looking for. Still they will be happy to finish in 4th or 5th.

It is going to be interesting tournament with upsets and good games. Who the winner will be depends on discipline and basics. Injuries might start to play a role as well with the NH season reaching a high in January. The team that is fit and has the best defence should win this. Early money is on England.

SARU, CSA: Take SA Sport back to the People

I have read and heard so much about transformation and change in sport the last 20 years, that I could probably write a whole book about it. Government is going on about it and is still trying to force it down everyone’s throats, while the various codes bodies promises that it will happen. Yet it is taking for ever and that is just making the whole evil cycle continue over and over again.

Onething that I have however noticed is that neither CSA or SARU is trying to really take their respective codes to the people. A case as point of view: Today I could watch India take on England in a T20 cricket match, 2 Big Bash T20 matches from Australia, yet I couldn’t watch a single ball of the Sunfoil series in South Africa. Not on Super Sport, E-TV or SABC. And even if Super Sport did braodcast it, how many South Africans do have access to pay tv?

The majority os youngsters in this country, both black and white, do not have DSTV. These are the future stars of rugby, soccer and cricket. Yet they don’t get to watch sport live on tv. Soccer is the only sport that gets shown on SABC. Every game that is. Cricket gets exposure if the games are played in SA, but then only the tests are live. ODI’s and T20 are delayed or not shown at all. Rugby is available only to the select few that has DSTV.

That is a shame. We don’t get to see our own in action, but we can watch players from all over the world play. When a touring cricket side visits SA they play warm up games, these are however never televised. What does it matter who airs it as long as we get to see it. Multichoice through Super Sport has the monopoly on cricket and rugby and still we get deprived of our beautiful sports.

It is time government steps in and force the Sporting Bodies to give SABC at least some of the games live so that everyone can enjoy it. Rugby tests are aired on SABC if you are lucky, after the game is done. No domestic rugby or SupeRugby is shown at all. And Super Sport can’t even show all the Currie Cup or Vodacom Cup games. This is where future stars play and are made.

Come on SARU, CSA and goverment, if you really want to see true transformation, take the game back to the public. Make it accessible to all.