THURSDAY, 12.30PM:
TWO penalty tries given against the Northern Bulls cost them the match against Welsh champs Swansea on Wednesday night.
The game, which was played on Swansea’s home turf and was decided in driving rain, was frequently interrupted for a total of 22 penalties — 18 going against the Bulls.
Springbok scrumhalf Dan van Zyl scored two of his team’s six tries, but the Bulls could not counter the referee’s blows. The tourists play Pontyprydd on Saturday.
SPORT BRIEFS
SA START EASY IN SEVENS SOUTH Africa have been given an easy draw in the Hong Kong Sevens tournament, which starts on March 27. SA are included in Pool A, with Spain, Netherlands and Thailand.
Pool B includes France, Canada, Zimbabwe and Malaysia. Pool C features Fiji, Argentina, Papua New Guinea and Taiwan.
Pool D is perhaps the toughest, with Western Samoa, Tonga, Morocco and newcomers China fighting it out. Winning Pool E should be a formality for New Zealand, who shouldn’t have any problems disposing of South Korea, the United States or Singapore.
Pool F falls into the same class as Pools A and E, with Australia not likely to lose to Hong Kong, Japan or Sri Lanka.
AMANDA OUT THIRD seed Amanda Coetzer lost in three sets to Natasha Zvereva of Belarus at the Sydney International on Wednesday.
WINDIES U19 ROUT GUINEANS IN the lowest-scoring match of the Under-19 World Cup cricket tournament, the West Indies bowled out Papua New Guinea for 59 runs. The Windies reached the target in 36,5 overs without loss of a wicket.
SA SURFERS IN POUND SEATS SOUTH Africans Paul Canning, Greg Emslie and Sean Holmes started their campaign on the Association of Surfing Professionals 1998 World Tour in satisfactory fashion by reaching the last 32 in the R400 000 Reef Brazil Classic in Argentina at the weekend. Canning and Emslie both collected R6 500 in prize money, with Holmes pocketing R4 950.
HILLS FOR YOUNG BULLS FORMER Springbok prop Willie Hills has been appointed chief coach of the Blue Bulls under-21 rugby team for this season.
BOXING EXODUS ROCKS TRAINERS TRAINER Nic Durandt has lost WBU super-bantamweight champion Cassius Baloyi, WBC super-middleweight champ Sugarboy Malinga, SA junior-heavyweight champion Jacob Mofokeng and rising newcomer Lucky Sambo to trainer Elias Tshabalala. Brian Mitchell has joined with WBU bantamweight champ Patrick Quka and SA junior flyweight champion Mzukisi Sikali. SA middleweight champion Giovanni Pretorius has left Mitchell to rejoin Durandt.