Total and Utter disaster!

As you read this South Africa are no longer the rugby world cup champions or even going to participate at next year’s AFCON.


At some point I started thinking this was all just a bad dream and my alarm will go off any minute now. Things could not get any worse than this. South Africa is a sporting country. We take our sport as seriously as we take our politics, maybe even more seriously.

Ace Ntsoelengoe and Jomo Sono

When you look at the history of South Africa you will find sport playing a part all the time. During the years of apartheid sport was used to keep South Africa away from the rest of the world. Our best footballers (Jomo Sono), cricketers (Graeme Pollock) and rugby players (Naas Botha) never got a chance to represent their country in a World cup.


When we were readmitted to the world of sport after 1991 sport played a big part in bringing the country together. The 1995 Rugby World Cup and 1996 African Cup of Nations were celebrated by all South Africans.2011 has been an awful year in South African sports as a whole. It started badly with the Proteas getting knocked out at the quarter-finals of the Cricket World Cup. Now this just opens those wounds.

We have to accept defeat because it comes with sport. In any match there has to be a winner and a loser. But what disappoints people a lot is how a team fails to win or the manner of the defeat. As a fan I feel better if my team loses to a better team or superior talented team. What hurts the most is when a team does not perform to their full potential and fails to win. You look at the opposition and just wonder how we lost that game. You think of all the missed opportunities. It leaves you feeling empty inside and even let down by the team.

The Springboks were better than Australia on Sunday. They dominated territory and possession throughout the game. They created more chances to score but just did not take them. We did not lose because Australia was the better side or our players were old or even because of the referee Bryce Lawrence. We simply did not use our opportunities. This is what hurts the most.

Bafana Bafana did not qualify for AFCON 2012 because they failed to beat Sierra Leone at home, in front of their fans. The CAF rules have nothing to do with it. We cannot even blame the pitch or the hotels as we normally do when we play outside the country. This was a home game. Before the game the plan was simple and straight-forward “beat Sierra Leone and collect 3 points”. All the pre-match interviews and analysis were that we have to win the game to give ourselves a chance to qualify. I use the word chance because even a win could have still not guaranteed qualification if Niger had beat Egypt. We had the bulk of possession, created enough scoring chances to get the goal and our defense was solid. How did we not win the game then??? We were happy with a draw. Suddenly the initial plan was changed/modified whatever you might call it. Suddenly a win was not that vital anymore. 

Itumeleng Khune leading the dance moves

We have to look forward and learn from our mistakes. There is talk of vision 2014 when it comes to Bafana Bafana. I think we should be preparing for 2022 right now. Identify players who are around the 11 year old/12 year old age bracket and start preparing them for the World cup in 2022. Start doing some long-term planning for a change because the short-term planning of 4 year cycles has not done us any good.

The Springboks will be back. We wait to see the new coach and new captain. But they are blessed with a lot of young talent waiting for their chance to wear the green and gold. In the meantime lets get behind the Proteas as they take on the Australians this summer. I am looking forward to seeing how Gary Kirsten will do as the new coach. Do not rush to start showing off your new dance moves. Please!

A Summer of Cricket for the Proteas!

The Proteas have not played a single match since they crashed out of the World cup early this year.

This will be a busy season of cricket for them as it starts with a visit from the old enemy Australia.

Coaching the side

A lot has happened since the world cup around the Proteas set-up with regards to changes. They now have a new coach in Gary Kirsten who won the world cup with India. It will be interesting to see how the team plays with him in charge. Allan Donald is the new bowling coach replacing Vincent Barnes. He has worked in England and New Zealand before this. I hope he does something about our fast bowling reserves as I think we are lacking. A guy like Wayne Parnell will gain a lot from working with AD.

New Captaincy

AB De Villiers is the new ODI captain after Graeme Smith stepped down from the position. Hashim Amla will be his deputy.

AB has been participating in the Champions League T20 over in India and has suffered a broken hand during the tournament. He will be out for about 6 weeks. This has ruled him out of the ODI series against Australia and a chance to lead the side for the 1st time. Amla will take over in his absence. Should be interesting to see Amla’s style of captaincy? He is a very reserved character.Smith continues as Test captain as usual. There are no changes there.

Selection Dilemma

 One Day side
The injury to AB is a triple loss for the side. He is a captain, wicket keeper and top order batsman. Replacing him will no doubt upset the balance of the side. It looks as if Mark Boucher will return behind the stumps but the selectors might use this opportunity to give someone else a chance maybe looking at the future.

There are also questions regarding the spinners in the side. The world cup was played in Asia and South Africa could play 3 spinners sometimes more. Johan Botha, Robin Peterson and Imran Tahir did a great job but now the selectors will be forced to pick one spinner in South African conditions. This will not be easy. Graeme Smith is another question mark as he has stepped down as ODI captain and has been injured lately.

Test Side 
The Test team appears settled apart from a couple of areas. Alviro Petersen hit a century this past weekend to start the domestic season. He has not cemented his place opening the batting next to Smith. His position is uncertain this season. The 6th batsman also is uncertain right now. We are not sure between Ashwel Prince and JP Duminy as to who will bat there. It looks likely that Imran Tahir will make his Test debut against Australia this season as Paul Harris has been left out of contract. The rest of the bowling appears solid.

A person fighting for a place in the side is Jacque Rudolph. It will be interesting how long the selectors will keep ignoring his talents.

Summer Fixtures
South Africa will play 2 T20 matches against Australia to start the summer in October. This will be followed by 3 ODI matches and 2 Test matches. In December Sri lanka will arrive to play 3 Test matches and 5 ODI matches. In February and March next year the Proteas will embark on a full tour of New Zealand.

It is going to be a busy 6 months for the Proteas and their fans.

2011 Rugby World Cup : The Last 8

Frans Steyn will be a huge loss for the Boks

South Africa vs Australia: October 9th Time: 07h00




This should have been a final or a semi-final. These two teams are meeting too early in the tournament. The Wallabies will be the favourites to win this one. The tri-nations results this year have been totally one sided in favour of the Aussie side. They beat the Springboks home and away.



The Boks go into this match unbeaten at the World cup. They were clinical against Fiji and Namibia, lucky against Wales and survived the thugs from Samoa. The Australians on the other hand struggled in 1st half against Italy and lost against Ireland.

The loss of Frans Steyn will be huge for the Springboks. It is going to be a tough encounter for both teams.

I predict a narrow win for the Boks.

England vs France October 8th Time: 09h30

On paper this should be an easy win for England but we all know the game is played on grass. Both these teams will be low on confidence but for different reasons. France lost 2 matches out of 4 group games. The loss against All Blacks was expected but the one against Tonga was a shock. The Japanese gave them a good run in the 1st match. This is not the same French side we know from previous world cups.

England have had an average world cup. They won all their group games but needed a last gasp try from Ashton to beat Scotland. The problems for them have been off the field with the British media trying their best to ruin the sides chances by showing players activities between games.

I will not be surprised if France finally announces their arrival at this world cup by beating England.



New Zealand vs Argentina October 9th Time: 09h30
This is a mismatch if ever there was one. All Blacks should be too strong for Argentina even without their best player Dan Carter.

It will be important though to see how they play without him. Argentina would have to play their best rugby ever and NZ their worst for us to see an upset. I predict a walkover for All Blacks.

Wales vs Ireland October 8th Time 07h00
These two teams have looked very impressive so far. Wales have hardly made any mistakes in the group stages. They managed to give the defending champions Springboks a huge scare and were unlucky to lose. Ireland provided the early shock of the tournament by beating Australia. This win flipped the whole script of the world cup. They also looked very good against Italy yesterday.

I predict Ireland will win this one and might go on to play in the final even.

The fun starts now!!

Forget Egypt…Let’s Beat Sierra Leone

Bafana Bafana need to beat Sierra Leone in their final group match in Mbombela Stadium on October 9th and hope Niger drop points in Cairo against the reigning African Champions Egypt.




CAF has announced that the last round of qualifiers will kick-off at the same time. This will not give anyone an advantage.



Group G

Team               MP    W   D    L    GF   GA   GD    Pts

Niger                5      3    0    2    6      5     1      9

South Africa      5      2    2    1   4      2     2       8

Sierra Leone      5     2     2    1   5      5     0       8

Egypt                5      0     2    3   2      5    -3       2



Sierra Leone

The Leone Stars will come to South Africa knowing that a win could be enough for them to qualify for the African Cup of Nations finals. They are coming here for the 3 points and nothing less. This makes them a dangerous side. Sierra Leone managed to beat a young Egypt side last month at home 2-1.

"It is possible that we defeat South Africa in their own backyard and it is likely that Niger will drop points in Cairo". Coach Lars Olof Mattsson told sierraleonefootball.com.

They have 2 dangerous strikers who play overseas. Mohamed Bangura and Ibrahim Teteh Bangura who play for Glasgow Celtic (Scotland) and Bursaspor(Turkey) respectively. Mohamed Bangura scored the winning goal last month against Egypt.

Leone Stars last played in the African Cup of Nations finals in 1996 when South Africa hosted it. This is a team with something to prove.

They are not good travellers as they have failed to win away from home in any of their previous qualifiers. Sierra Leone lost by 3-1 away to Niger and played a 1-1 in Cairo against Egypt. Yes they will be dangerous but I do not expect them to win.

South Africa

Bafana Bafana have been impressive during the qualification rounds. They led this group for long periods of time. The tables turned in just one game in Niger where they lost for the 1st time 2-1. At home Bafana have won both their matches and have not conceded a single goal. Interestingly the 2 goals they conceded in Niger was the first time their defence had been breached in qualification.

In front of a packed crowd at Mbombela Stadium Bafana Bafana need to play their own brand of football that has seen them beat Egypt 1-0, Burkina Faso 3-0 and Niger 2-0 in recently. South Africa have improved in their passing game and keeping possession of the ball during their home games. Patience will be important in this match as the nerves sometimes cause teams to rush things.

For me the AFCON gives us a chance to make a statement in African football that we are back. The players that we have are in a position to restore the pride of South African football in the continent. It all starts on the 9th of October by clinching qualification to the 2012 event. Players like Thulani Serero, Andile Jali and Daylon Claasen need to announce their arrival in international football at a big tournament like the AFCON.

Katlego Mphela was badly missed against Niger but will be back for this game. He has been in devastating form for Sundowns this seasons scoring almost in every match played. Lehlohonolo Majoro and Bernard Parker have settled in nicely in their new surroundings at Naturena by finding the net a few times. At the back Siyabonga Sangweni is proving to be the signing of the season for Orlando Pirates with his solid play and no doubt would keep the two dangerous Sierra Leone strikers quiet during the match.

South Africa will be too strong for Sierra Leone at home and should win this match easily.

Pitso Mosimane

South Africa failed to qualify for AFCON 2010. Pitso has been tasked with restoring Bafana Bafana’s pride in African football. He has also had to build a team that will qualify and compete in Brazil 2014 World Cup.

He has his critics who feel he is an arrogant man. Personally I think he believes in himself and his ideas. He has a good relationship with his players and technical staff. This is the man who took over a side from Carlos Alberto Parreira after the 2010 World Cup.

South Africa play a very attractive brand of football these days and have a good record in the last 2 years as they continue to climb in the FIFA Rankings. Qualification is very important to AFCON is very important for the team and for Pitso as he will be able to test his team in tournament conditions and against the best of Africa. Pitso has a very good football brain and will come up with a match-winning strategy against Sierra Leone.

He does not mind to play ugly football just as long as the team wins at the end of the day. The great thing about this match is that Pitso knows exactly what result is needed. A draw is not enough. Only a win is needed.

Hope in Egypt

Former USA coach Bob Bradley is set to become Egypt's new coach, but it is not known yet whether he will play a part when the Pharaohs take on Niger in their final Africa Cup of Nations group match. He might want to use some of the older players and not the under-23 guys. When there is a new coach players tend to lift their game trying to impress him. This will be good for Bafana Bafana.

Egypt have been poor in this Group phase. For defending champions to play 5 games and not win a single match is bad. But they remain unbeaten at home. This is another good thing for Bafana Bafana. Niger will find it difficult to win in Cairo even if it is against an under-23 side. The crowd is always hostile.

No team has been able to get an away win in this group. This favours Egypt and South Africa who are both playing at home.

Possible Starting Line-up Bafana Bafana : Khune, Sangweni, Gould, Ngcongca, Tshabalala, Jali, Pienaar, Khuboni, Parker, Mphela



By Siyabonga Mavuso

Weekend Sports Wrap

These are my highlights of the weekend of sport we had:






Springboks 49-3 Fiji

It was a rugby lesson for the Islanders of Fiji on Saturday morning South African time. The Springboks showed that they can play exciting try-scoring rugby just like the All Blacks have been displaying so far. This was a perfomance of defending champions. Anyone of the 15 players could have walked away with a man of the match award. Before people start to say "it was only Fiji" well we have have to remind ourselves how well Fiji played 4 years ago in France. They are not pushovers as people think. The discipline showed by the Springboks is very encouraging for the remainder of the tournament. They managed to score 6 tries without conceding a try themselves. Namibia is next.



Floyd "Money" Mayweather Jr knocks out Victor Ortiz

Big time boxing is known for its controversy over the years. This goes from points decisions that are not expected to ear-biting incidents. You might say we should expect the unexpected in boxing.



I was looking forward to this particular match because we have not seen Floyd Mayweather Jr inside the ring in over a year. This was a perfect opportunity to see him losing his unbeaten record to a young fit champion in Ortiz.



Floyd looked in peak condition for this fight and he has not lost any of his sharpness. The first 3 rounds totally belonged to Mayweather. He was throwing the most punches and landing them. In the 4th round Ortiz started coming back into the fight and was pushing Floyd on the back foot most of the time. Ortiz had him on the ropes and then after landing a series of powerful punches he did the unthinkable....Ortiz head-butted Mayweather! The head-butt was shocking but it was followed with an apology from Ortiz. The ref pulled the fighters apart and deducted a point from Ortiz. When he told the fighters to resume fighting Ortiz gave Mayweather a hug and continued apologising. Mayweather responded with a left-right combination to a defenceless Ortiz and that was all she wrote...



This KO left a bitter taste in the mouth (no pun intended). Any boxing fan wants to see a fair KO. Mayweather was well within the rules as the ref had instructed the fighters to continue boxing. Ortiz forgot the all important rule in boxing. Protect Yourself At All Times!



Manchester United 3-1 Chelsea



This is my match of the season so far. It was brilliant, heart-breaking and hilarious at times. Anyone who loves to watch football would have enjoyed this one. Two giants of English football going at it for 90 minutes.



The main charaters for this match were Fernando Torres, Wayne Rooney and Nani. Every highlight in this game included one or two of these guys.



I will start with Fernando Torres. He has had a very difficult time at Chelsea and has struggled to find his form of 2 seasons ago. But on this day the old Torres was back. His movement was a joy to watch, he was setting up play for other team-mates and he scored a beauty of a goal. Yes I will mention THAT MISS but we have to look at the positive. Nani scored a cracker of a goal. Rooney managed to block his own penalty kick and Berbatov continued his lack of form in front of goals.

Match Preview: Kaizer Chiefs vs Bloemfontein Celtic

They say everywhere Chiefs plays is like a home game for them because of their supporters who spreadout around South Africa. Well this is not true for atleast one fixture in the PSL season. Chiefs fans are always out-numbered when they visit Bloemfontein to play Cetic.

On Saturday 24 September Kaizer Chiefs will take on Bloemfontein Celtic at Seisa Ramabodu Stadium. The tickets for this match are already on sale and are being snapped up fast.

Kaizer Chiefs are on a high after beating their rivals and defending league champions Orlando Pirates this past weekend. This win has lifted the mood in the Chiefs camp following the 2 losses suffered in the previous week.

Celtic on the other hand are lying 9th on the PSL log table. This is after they lost in Cape Town against Santos 2-1. Celtic started the season well with a very good 3-0 win away against Golden Arrows with players like Mulenga and Mshengu on the scoresheet.

This is always a tough encounter as last season it ended 2-2. Kaizer Chiefs have not won an away game against Celtic since 2008/2009 season. Vladimir Vermezovic would want to correct this record and win the match. Nengomasha will be back in the side after serving his 1 match suspension for collecting his 3rd yellow card this season. Lucky Baloyi was not seriously injured against Pirates so he might be back into the team.

Clinton Larsen has done a very good job last season with Celtic and their home record was very impressive throughout the season. I cannot wait for this encounter between two very well supported teams in South Africa.

Result Last Season: Bloemfontein Celtic 2-2 Kaizer Chiefs
My Prediction : Bloemfontein Celtic 2:1 Kaizer Chiefs

WAIT, HE'S A SOCCER PLAYER?!" FOOTBALL NAMES THAT MADE YOU DO A DOUBLE TAKE....

Here's my top 5 list:
5. Bradley Grobler: When I saw this name on the Platinum Stars' team sheet, I immediately thought boxing. A rather skinny chap with a bad Cristiano Ronaldo hairdo steps onto the field!

4. Serge Djihoua: Chiefs made noise about this man when he was first scouted, but my early impression was of a soldier with forgettable football skills, and his appearance didn't help either.

3. Sam Pam: He came to Pirates during the height of militarianism in Nigeria, and one couldn't help but imagine this gentleman was seeking asylum in football, and we all ate humble pie as he marshalled the Pirates defence admirably.

2. George Koumantarakis: When I first heard of this man with an unusually long surname, and being ignorant about everything Greek then, I thought of the first 5 letters and immediately felt soccer was going to the dogs, literally.

1. George Mofokeng: You don't get too many Goerges in our football, and hearing the name obviously brought doubts to my mind, but he has stuck to the necessary and continues to do the job for his team.
 
How about these:


1. Merikani Mpangi

2. Marco di Giovampolo

3. Botende Eshele

4. Makweni Ayala

5. Innocent Mayoyo

6. Nascent Nkhwashu

7. Wayne Sandilands

8. Deshi Baktawer

9. Thomas O'Nkono

10. Avril Phali

11. ...and, yes... Energy Murambadoro!



And, no, there is no truth to the rumour that I dislike goalkeepers, but I think its good that players' names are written at the back of the jerseys and keepers spend most of the time facing the action on the field otherwise it would be like the Tower of Babel and some strikers would be distracted by the scrabble-busters on these keepers' backs!

6. Andile Jali: sounded like a street vendor who specializes in old clothes


5. Elias Pelembe: sounds like someone who is out on bail for housebreaking

4. Rudzani Ramudzuli: this name has weight more like Zinedine Zidane type of a player. I was scared when Chiefs played Leopards for the first time

3. Patrick Apataki: sounds like a 'masalamose', a magician who after touching you at the mall all your money turns into papers [so they say]

2. Thabo Nthethe: sounds like a pastor of those churches who wear white clothing you normally see in awkward places like alongside a busy highway underneath a tree, below bridges and are usually a congregation of less than 6

1. Moses Spandeel: sounded more like a new Sparleta product... first time I heard this name I went like: we are finally having an alternative to Creme-soda...