Boks ‘huff and puff’ their way to defeat in Brisbane

Peter de Villiers

Boks ‘huff and puff’ their way to defeat in Brisbane
The Springboks suffered a disappointing 21-6 defeat to the Wallabies at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday and although they remain at the top of the Tri-Nations log and nine points clear of nearest rivals New Zealand, the Boks still need at least a bonus point from their last match against the All Blacks in Hamilton on Saturday, to clinch the championship. Continued

Boks subdue Wallabies and other Sporting News from South Africa

Bryan Habana

Boks subdue Wallabies to inch closer to Tri-Nations glory
The Springbok rugby team are riding the crest of a wave at the moment and it seems at though nothing short of the Apocalypse can stop the Boks from winning this year’s Tri-Nations competition after they defeated the Wallabies 32-25 at the Subaico Oval in Perth, Australia on Saturday. The Boks outscored their opponents by four tries to three with flyhalf Morné Steyn contributing a valuable 10 points with the boot.

The South Africans got stuck into the Australians from the get go and were already 12-0 up after just 10 minutes courtesy of tries from scrumhalf Fourie Du Preez (converted by Steyn) and centre Jaque Fourie. Steyn then added three more points six minutes later when the Wallabies were penalised for an infringement, pushing the score to 15 without reply … Continued

This Week in South African Sports

Caster Semenya

South Africa pinning hopes on Caster Semenya in Berlin
The 12th IAAF World Athletics Championships in Berlin are well under way and there have been some phenomenal performances on display with Jamaican sprinting sensation Usain Bolt’s unbelievable 9.58 secs in the 100m final, undoubtedly the pick of the bunch. However, the South African contingent have struggled to achieve their potential in a fiercely competitive environment, with medal hopes LJ van Zyl, Sunnette Viljoen and Ruben Ramolefi failing to produce the goods when it counted most.

Van Zyl was blown away by the competition in the first of Sunday night’s 400m hurdles semi-finals, clocking an ordinary 48.80 secs for sixth position. Continued

Boks down Wallabies to keep unbeaten record – and other sporting news

Victor Matfield

Boks down Wallabies to keep unbeaten record
The Springboks continued their rich vein of form in this year’s Tri-Nations competition when they defeated Australia 29-17 at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday afternoon. Bok flyhalf Morné Steyn once again had an outstanding game, slotting seven penalties and a drop goal for a personal tally of 24 points. The Bok win was set up by another dominant display by their pack of forwards with the lock pairing of Victor Matfield (pictured left) and Bakkies Botha proving particularly detrimental to the Wallabies. The towering duo dominated the lineouts securing ample possession for their team and starving the Wallabies of this critical commodity in the process …

The Wallabies struck first with a quick fire second minute try from fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper, which was converted by flyhalf Matt Giteau to put the visitors 7-0 in front. However, the Boks remained calm under pressure and responded soon afterwards with a well-taken try from ‘Man of the Match’ Matfield who chased a superb left footed grubber kick Continued

South African Sports Wrap – 5th August

5 August 2009 – This week in South African Sports – Guy Mortimer reports on what’s been happening this past week and what’s coming up!

Caster Semenya

ASA announce crack squad for Berlin
Athletics South Africa (ASA) on Tuesday announced a team of 25 men and six women for the IAAF World Championships in Berlin later this month. The team includes top athletes such as 800m runner Caster Semenya (pictured), LJ van Zyl, who has been sensational in the 400m hurdles this year, 1500m competitor Johan Cronje, 3000m steeplechaser Ruben Ramolefi, javelin thrower Sunette Viljoen, 110m hurdler Lehann Fourie and, of course, Beijing Olympic long jump silver medallist Khotso Mokoena. The team attended a training camp in Potsdam in July and have been sharpening their skills at another venue in Neubrandenburg. All the athletes will be competing today at a meeting in Spandau to determine their fitness levels before the World Champs … Continued

The Week that was in SA Sports – Sports Wrap

22 July – The week that was in South African Sports and what’s coming up – by Guy Mortimer

Oscar Pistorius

Oscar still falling short
Twenty-two-year-old double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius finished a respectable fourth in the 400m event in Velletri, Italy, on Saturday. The Pretoria-based Pistorius, aptly nicknamed the ‘Blade Runner’ due to his carbon fibre prostheses, was hoping to qualify for next month’s World Athletics Championships in Berlin, but his time of 47.42 sec was 1.87 sec adrift of the difficult 45.55 sec qualifying standard.

Consequently, Pistorius will probably have to wait until 2010 to qualify for a major able-bodied event as there are no more global championships taking place this year. However, he still has till August 3 to make the South African team for Berlin and had the satisfaction of defeating seasoned Mauritian runner Eric Milazar on Saturday - albeit by a mere one hundredth of a second. The race was won by Michael Mathieu of the Bahamas in 46.81 sec … Continued

Tri Nations is looming large …

Photo © SA Rugby

As a nation, South Africans are pretty much sports crazy and the Tri Nations* is looming large once again. Drinking beer, eating biltong and watching rugby go hand in hand so we thought it appropriate to give a few options of great rugby watching venues.  If you haven’t been lucky enough to get a test match ticket then watching the action surrounded by friends in a pub is the next best thing!

Johannesburg has a great number of venues on offer.  The Keg and Filly on Rivonia Road in Sunninghill (+27 (0)11 807-5590) is a popular watering hole for many, so it might be advisable to book a table ahead of schedule. If you live in Bryanston, what about trying The Baron Bryanston (+27 (0)11 706-0632), located on the corner of Main Road and Post House Road?  The Baron has a traditional bar but the new look Manhattan Grill promises a delicious dinner after the game … Continued