FRIDAY, 8.45AM:
SPRINGBOK selectors have named the squad to play in the game against the French Barbarians in Biarritz on Tuesday. Coach Nick Mallett selected Western Province star Percy Montgomery to play at fullback — his natural position.
“Until last year Percy played virtually all of his rugby at fullback. He has been moved around to accommodate other players. But my choice, fullback, is his position. This management team has got to have a proper look at him at fullback in order to weigh up our options,” explained Mallett’s assistant coach, Alan Solomons.
Andrew Aitken will lead the team. “The decision to award Andrew Aitken the team captaincy was an easy one,” added Solomons. He said five players will make their senior debuts for South Africa: McNeil Hendricks, Aitken, Bobby Skinstad, Phillip Smit and Wium Basson.
SOUTH AFRICA:
Percy Montgomery (Western Province); McNeil Hendricks (Boland), Joe Gillingham (Gauteng Lions), Franco Smith (Griqualand West), Breyton Paulse (Western Province); Jannie de Beer, Werner Swanepoel (both Free State); Andrew Aitken (capt),Bobby Skinstad (both Western Province) Phillip Smit (Griqualand West), Braam Els (Free State), Wium Basson (Blue Bulls), Dawie Theron (Griqualand West), Naka Drotske (vice-capt, Free State), Toks van der Linde (Western Province). Reserves: Dan van Zyl (Mpumalanga), Boeta Wessels (Griqualand West), Thinus Delport (Gauteng Lions), Willie Meyer (Free State), Dale Santon (Boland), Warren Brosnihan (Gauteng Lions).
FRENCH BARBARIANS:
Sebastien Viars; Philippe Bernard-Salles, David Dantiacq, Vae’ga Tuigamala (New Zealand), Christophe Dominica; Waisele Serevi (Fiji), Franck Corrihons; Serge Betsen, Scott Quinnell (Wales), Marc Lievremont, Olivier Roumat, Jean Mattheu, Pieter de Villiers (South Africa), Vincent Moscato, Jean-Jacques Crenca.
SPORT BRIEFS
WEEKEND’S PSL FIXTURES MAMELODI Sundowns coach Ted Dumitru hopes that his charges will start converting their chances into goals, he said ahead of their PSL game against Santos in Cape Town on Sunday.
FRIDAY’S MATCHES:
Jomo Cosmos vs Hellenic (Green Point) and Manning Rangers vs AmaZulu (Chatsworth)
SUNDAY’S MATCHES:
Supersport United vs Kaizer Chiefs (Rand Stadium), QwaQwa Stars vs Bush Bucks (Charles Mopeli), African Wanderers vs Moroka Swallows (Kings Park), Bloemfontein Celtic vs Real Rovers (Pietersburg) and Vaal Professionals vs Cape Town Spurs (Iscor Stadium).
WAGNER REAPPOINTED MARLENE WAGNER has been reappointed coach of the South African senior netball team for next year’s Commonwealth games in Malaysia. She will also take the team to the World Championships in New Zealand in 1999.
SA LOSES TO POLAND THE South African hockey team lost 1-0 to Poland in the international hockey series in Maritzburg on Thursday night. Just nine minutes from fulltime, Poland scored through Zbigniew Juszczak in this closely contested match.
COETZER THROUGH TO QUARTERS SOUTH AFRICA’S Jeff Coetzer advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITF Central Africa Satellite tennis tournament after beating Wesley Whitehouse 7-6 (7-2) 3-6 6-4 in Gaborone on Wednesday.
SA STUDENTS TO PLAY FRANCE THE South African students XV rugby squad to play their French counterparts in Paris on November 21 was named on Wednesday.
THE SQUAD:
MJ Smith (UFS), Donovan van Wyk (Pentech), Kaya Molotana (East London Technical College), Jorrie Kruger (UFS), Johan Schutte (UP), Jannie van der Walt (RAU), Tim Iraka (Rhodes), Kholekile Ralo (Pta Tech), Dave van Hoesslin (US), Louis Koen (US, v/c). Owen Nkumane (Wits), Ian Brown (RAU), Gustav Japhta (UP), Pierre Ribbens (UP, capt), Johan van Wyk (US), John Williams (UP), Piet Boer (UP), Janus Labuschagne (RAU), Selborne Boome (US), Gerhard Laufs (UP), Charl van Rensburg (UFS).
FRITZ CLEARED SPRINGBOK lock Fritz van Heerden has been cleared to play for English club Leicester by the South African Rugby Football Union. Sarfu CEO Rian Oberholzer said: “Although we would like to persuade our players not to leave this country, we decided that by imposing the 180-day period we would only hurt Fritz.” Sarfu had contemplated imposing the restriction permitted in International Rugby Board regulations, to discourage players from accepting lucrative contracts from overseas clubs.
WAPNICK BEAT KHAN SOUTH AFRICA’S Craig Wapnick beat Pakistan’s Zubair Khan 17-15 15-7 15-10 in the first round of the men’s World Open squash in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, causing the biggest upset of the tournament.