Sport Matters

Indispensable. . . the All Blacks engaging in their best war tool - team talk. I   never toasted England’s victory in anything like I did on Saturday when the Roses defeated the All Blacks in a high voltage encounter that had Twickenham screaming from all sorts of emotions until the final whistle. I am happy for England because New Zealand’s unbeaten run was fast becoming a tag of invincibility, something the sport of rugby does not need for itself. Apart from ending NZ’s unbeaten run that had gone through 20 matches undisturbed, England were huge on the night, awesome. I don’t know what they had for their pre-match meal but I never saw the England rugby team stand so tall, and yet so vigorous in its movements, whether in attack or defence. I don’t wish to name anybody in their squad because it was a thorough team work they dished out on Saturday. So pumped up were England that they looked like they could win another match soon after the final whistle had gone at Twicken...

V for veteran. . . Johannes Kekana won the City to City marathon between Joburg and Cenurion, now he wants the Soweto title, despite his age.  South Africa’s premier standard marathon (42.2km), the Soweto Marathon, is upon us again - on Sunday. And once again, South Africa’s prowess in marathon-running is under the spotlight, for valid reasons. Before unknown Michael Mazibuko won the men’s race last year, the title had been in the hands of visiting athletes, mainly from Lesotho. At the age of 24 Mazibuko emerged at the right time for marathon running, albeit Kenya introduces international marathoners from the age of 20. His victory last year, which was totally unexpected, raised hopes for the country which in the past had produced some of the finest marathon runners in the world. The Soweto Marathon used to be the stage where these great home brewed marathoners used to meet. I caught the tail end of that era when I was a sports reporter. Previews ahead of the Soweto ra...

Joy for Bafana. . .  Happy scenes for South Africa fans might not amount to any significant success on the soccer field if the local football fraternity continues to isolate itself from the rest of the continent. The leaders of African football are in South Africa for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations draw later today. Under normal circumstances, the gathering in Durban by CAF and FA executives from across the continent should not look odd in one of Africa’s premier cities, if South Africa was not at odds with the fortunes of football in Africa. The South African football public normally does not care about the events on the continent. I don’t have to go far back to cite the most recent example for my argument. This past weekend when in South Africa we were immersed in the affairs of domestic questions, this time via the Telkom Knockout, the focus of the rest of the continent was on the conclusion of CAF Champions League’ semifinal programme. For the record, Esperance de Tunis ...

You have a chance. . . this is the message new Bafana Bafana coach Gordon Igesund has been preaching to South African players where they are in the world. Two of South Africa’s major sports are managed by two new coaches – Heyneke Meyer for rugby’s Springboks and Gordon Igesund for soccer’s Bafana Bafana. But being new in their jobs, and the fact that both got the hot seat after being overlooked in the past, about sums all that is common between the two coaches. It is incredible that while Igesund is generally seen to be Bafana Bafana’s saviour by the football fraternity, after years of underperforming by the team, Meyer carries himself as Sprinboks’ messiah. He was however brought down to earth with a thud in his first championship in charge – the recently ended Castle Rugby Championship. Arrogance in team selection proved to be Meyer’s Achilles heel. The resounding victory over a disjointed Australia at Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld was about the only highlight in the series ...

Big time. . . Josia Thugwane celebrates with the SA flag after winning the marathon in 1996 Atlanta Olympics. With him is second placed Lee Bong-Ju from Korea. So far so good for the London Olympics, despite the slightly sour bit earlier on about certain events taking place in front of empty seats. The records are tumbling down everywhere, and from the South African point of view, swimming is providing the best cheer in the opening week. Despite the hustle and bustle of London, my thoughts are in Peterborough, 140km north of the capital. Though the medium size city has its attractions, and a rich history, Peterborough is hardly in the news. It is not in the news now as the games surge ahead, though other England cities have been drafted in to host certain events. However one of my lasting memories of the Olympic Games is embedded in this city on the banks of the gentle River Nene. One day in 1996, when I was a sports reporter, I happened to be waiting at a bus station o...

On warpath... Al Merreikh players celebrate another victorious moment inside the usually packed Al Merreikh Stadium in Omdurman, Sudan. Merreikh are formidable campaigners in CAF contests. The gripping PSL 2011/12 season is over, and congratulations are in order to league champions Orlando Pirates and the SA cup winners SuperSport Unites are in order. The two teams now must carry the momentum forward into the CAF competitions, a territory that has almost become a taboo subject for South Africa football fraternity. It boggles the mind how SA football expects to progress and “conquer” the world when it totally ignores the continental championships. We have dreams of matching the biggest clubs in the world, as can be seen with the overwhelming excitement when the Vodacom Challenge comes, with the invitation of one overseas club, more often from England.   The Vodacom Challenge, which is a private enterprise of Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs and their jersey sponsor Vodaf...

Heavenly. . . even though soccer is a like a religion to many fans, God cant be expected to endorse any team. After weeks of proclaiming God’s favour for their survival in the Premier League, Black Leopards and Jomo Cosmos finally get a chance to take the matter in their hands today. Both owners of the two clubs, David Thidiela for Leopards and Jomo Sono, have evoked the mercy of God for their football problems, saying the Almighty has a plan for them and all that jazz. I don’t begrudge Thidiela and Sono’s beliefs, but in football God is neutral. I don’t know about other sports but I suspect the same vibe goes. There is no way God can select any team for relegation because that would be bias, which is an unholy thing to even think about it. The fact that some clubs are more wealthy than others, or more organized, does not mean heaven is whispering words of wisdom in their ears, so that they could be more dominant over the others. Inequality and forgettable decision-makin...