TUESDAY, 11.00AM:
SPRINGBOK rugby coach Carel du Plessis has announced four positional changes to the team to face New Zealand in a Tri-Nations match on Saturday. James Small and Henry Honiball return to the backline, and James Dalton and Marius Hurter are back in the pack.
Joe Gillingham, who replaces injured Dannie van Schalkwyk, will join the squad in Aukland on Thursday. Reports that Andre Joubert will replace Van Schalkwyk have been proved untrue.
THE TEAM: Russell Bennett (Border); James Small (WP), Percy Montgomery (WP), Henry Honiball (Natal), Andre Snyman (N Tvl); Jannie de Beer (Free State), Joost van der Westhuizen (N Tvl,vice-capt); Gary Teichmann (Natal, capt), Andre Venter (Free State), Ruben Kruger (N Tvl), Mark Andrews (Natal), Krynauw Otto (N Tvl), Marius Hurter (N Tvl), James Dalton (Gau Lions), Os du Rand (Free State). Reserves to be selected from: Pieter Rossouw (WP), Japie Mulder (Gau Lions), Joe Gillingham (Gau Lions), Werner Swanepoel (Free State), Fritz van Heerden (WP), Dawie Theron (Griquas), Adrian Garvey (Natal), Naka Drotske (Free State), Hannes Strydom (Gau Lions), Johan Erasmus (Free State), Warren Brosnihan (Gau Lions).
Meanhile, The executive committee of the South African Football Rugby Union will meet on Tuesday to decide on how it will deal with the government task team investigating alleged irregularities in rugby. (see news story above)
SPORT BRIEFS
SA BEATS CANADA SOUTH African women’s hockey striker Pietie Coetzee scored two goals as South Africa beat Canada 4-1 in the World Cup qualifying game in Harare on Monday. South Africa now need to draw one of their two remaining matches to qualify for the World Cup finals being held in Utrecht, Holland, next year.
ELSE BACK AT No 2 SOUTH AFRICA’S Ernie Els has reclaimed his second spot on the world golf rankings after his top ten finish in the Sprint International on Sunday.
CRIME FEAR STOPS TOURNAMENTTHE Challenge ’97 World disabled games scheduled for Pretoria from September 20 to 28 have been cancelled because of the high crime rate in the country. The organising committee decided to cancel the tournament after only four countries — Germany, Britain, Israel and Poland — registered their athletes. This is a blow to the country as the disabled South African athletes were hoping to qualify for the Olympic Games in Sydney 2000.
SA BOWLERS AHEAD SOUTH AFRICAN bowlers are set to win gold medals in the men’s and ladies pairs and trips at the African States bowling tournament in Jwaneng, Botswana. Men’s pairs beat Zambia 28-10 on Monday morning. In the afternoon they beat Swaziland 39-9. The trips beat Zimbabwe 17-16.
The ladies’ pairs won their match against Zambia 19-15, then they beat Swaziland 26-17. The ladies trips beat Zimbabwe 20-13.
ETHIOPIAN BACKS CAPE TOWN The world 5 000m and 10 000m record holder, Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie, has come out in support of Cape Town’s 2004 Olympic bid. “I share Mandela’s view that staging the Olympics in Cape Town will signal the start of an African renaissance,” he said. “Africa and its sportspersons have competed all over the world. We want the Olympic Games on our continent, and we want it now.” He described the bid as an “African endeavour”.