ALL Black legend Zinzan Brooke has written off France’s chances of beating Australia in Saturday’s World Cup final. The French produced an extraordinary performance in defeating the All Blacks in the semi-finals, but the former All Black eighthman believes a repeat is unlikely. “I cannot see the entire French side repeating their Twickenham performance,” Brooke […]

SARAH BULLEN, Cape Town | Thursday 12.45pm NEW vehicle sales fell 6,1% in October from September, according the latest figures released by the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers (Naamsa) on Wednesday, despite a long-term positive outlook for the industry. Naamsa said that sales in October fell to 17306 units from September’s 18421 units. Compared to […]

FORMER New Zealand captain Sean Fitzpatrick has predicted that All Black coach John Hart will step down after the rugby World Cup. “There are issues to address, for sure. I don’t think we’ll be seeing John Hart coaching the All Blacks any longer,” Fitzpatrick wrote in his column in Thursday’s Daily Telegraph. “John is a […]

SPEAKING in Paris at an international conference on globalization Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma spoke on Wednesday of the crushing effects of the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis. “It is ironic that countries that have instituted sound fiscal and monetary policies so as to try to improve the lot of their nationals should be undermined by the […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cardiff | Thursday 1.00pm. THE All Blacks are nervous about their reception by the public when they return to New Zealand after their crushing defeat in the World Cup semifinals. A welcome home parade, organised when victory in the final seemed assured earlier in the tournament, has been cancelled after the shock 43-31 […]

THE Swedish foreign aid agency has cut off assistance to an education project in South Africa’s Northern Cape Province after two local employees admitted embezzling funds, officials said Tuesday. Swedish embassy spokesman Thomas Kjellson said on Monday that the two employees of the city of Kimberly had forged cheque signatures and faked an accountant’s audit […]

FRENCH fly-half Christophe Lamaison lost count of how many points he scored in his side’s momentus 43-31 World Cup semi-final win over New Zealand at Twickenham on Sunday. “How many points did I score? I don’t know,” Lamaison said after a perfect goal-kicking performance had yielded him 28 points. The French, in dire straits for […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cape Town | Tuesday 6.30pm. SUNDOWNS will be on a mission to avenge their 1-0 defeat by Orlando Pirates in the first leg semi-final of the Rothmans Cup. Sundowns’ unbeaten 15 run of 15 matches at Loftus Stadium came to an abrupt end when Denis Lota thumped in a goal in the 17th […]

MPUMALANGA’S outspoken former transport MEC, Jackson Mthembu, has finally been charged for driving without a license after wrecking a luxury government vehicle five months ago. He allegedly smashed the government-issue Mercedes-Benz into a tree at high speed while on African National Congress business in Witbank just before the June elections. Mthembu, who now chairs the […]

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Cardiff | Wednesday 10.00am. TIAAN Strauss, former Springbok skipper and now Wallaby eighthman, will retire from international rugby after the World Cup. The thirty-two year old has again been passed over by the Australian selectors for Saturday’s tournament decider against France at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Strauss, who also did play against […]