If you wanted to understand why no South African team has ever won the Super 12 you could do no better than study the four games that made up two-thirds of round two of the competition this year. In Canberra on Friday a Bulls side that bases its entire tactical approach upon a dominant pack and a reliable goal kicker scrummed poorly and missed vital kicks.
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/ 25 February 2005
As the four South African franchises have one last go at winning the Super 12, the competition that gave southern hemisphere rugby its identity is being somewhat overshadowed by events elsewhere. The lobbying has begun for the right to host the 2011 World Cup and International Rugby Board chairperson Syd Millar is already accusing the Japanese media of misquoting him.
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/ 18 February 2005
By the time the Super 12 starts in earnest next week, there is a distinct possibility that some South African franchises may already be battling fatigue. The Stormers, for instance, have been playing warm-up games for three weeks in places as far apart as the Boland, Dubai and England.
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/ 21 January 2005
Ho hum. Another year, another race row, although it’s not often that such an evocative phrase as ”ethnic cleansing” makes it through the screening process into the public domain. That’s what Minister of Sport and Recreation Makhenkesi Stofile accused SA Rugby of at the weekend.
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/ 21 January 2005
The big prize at Durban Country Club this weekend is neither the R900 000 first prize, nor the second-oldest Open title in the game. For more than half the field it is the chance to win an exemption on to the full European Tour for, effectively, two years.
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/ 17 December 2004
After three weeks of high-profile events, golf in South Africa now takes a break for the festive season. There is a qualifier for the (British) Open Championship at Atlantic Beach in Cape Town on January 13 and 14, but the season proper doesn’t resume until the 20th, which will give the players an opportunity to burn off Christmas excess.
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/ 3 December 2004
There are certain things that are non-negotiable in rugby. One of these is that when you run down the tunnel and on to the field you have to look as mean as possible. Scowling is good, as is the 1 000-mile stare and in France it is de rigueur for a forward to already have a little blood dripping from the forehead.
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/ 26 November 2004
Who would have thought that South Africa would ever need to take a rugby lesson from Argentina? The Pumas have been the Cinderellas of southern hemisphere rugby for half a century, but after Saturday’s 24-14 defeat of France in Marseille they finally made it to the ball.
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/ 19 November 2004
Jake White is a canny coach in many ways. He cancelled practice on Monday and had one brief session on Tuesday. Beat England at Twickenham on Saturday and everyone will be praising White’s laissez faire attitude: lose and he will discover for the first time exactly how onerous the task of coaching the Springboks can be.
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/ 12 November 2004
The grand old lady of international rugby venues is closing down for refurbishment and the Springboks have been invited to the going away party. For those used to the matchless amenities of modern sports stadia, Lansdowne Road is a bit of a joke, but for those who relish the atmosphere that stands — as opposed to seats — confer, there’s nowhere else quite like it.