Frank Lampard scored twice for Chelsea in their 4-0 win on Wednesday over West Bromwich Albion, putting the defending champions at the top of the league standings. Also, Thierry Henry and Pascal Cygan each scored two goals in Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Fulham; Bolton beat Newcastle 2-0; and Blackburn and Tottenham drew 0-0.
New Zealand rugby coaches will be poring over video footage of unbeaten Tri-Nations champions South Africa this week to find a way through a seemingly impregnable defence. New Zealand coach Graham Henry said the Springboks deliberately hand the ball to their opponents and then seek to impose themselves.
Kimi Raikkonen has signed a pre-contract at Ferrari and is to replace record world champion Michael Schumacher at the famed Italian formula-one team from 2007 onwards, Germany’s Bild daily reported on Thursday. Bild said Schumacher could swap cockpits with Raikkonen as he is reportedly in talks with the Finn’s outfit.
The fact that so many pundits fancy the Springboks’ chances of beating the All Blacks in the Tri-Nations decider at Dunedin in New Zealand on Saturday is a good thing and a bad thing. This is the opinion of former Springbok captain Morne du Plessis, who earned 22 Test caps for his country and led the side in 15 of those matches.
Banking group Absa foresees nominal house price growth of at least 20% for 2005, but single-digit growth for 2006. "Nominal house price growth of at least 20% seems likely for 2005 as a whole, taking into account growth in prices of about 27% in the first six months of the year," the bank said in a statement.
The Land Rover bounced down a yellow dirt track, carrying three khaki-clad European tourists streaked with sweat, exhilarated after an elephant-spotting expedition. By the roadside, farmers sitting on fallen tree trunks complained that a herd of elephants had broken through electric fences yet again, wreaking havoc among their plots of cassava and fruit trees.
South Africa’s July 2005 producer price index (PPI) rose by 3,6% year-on-year from a 2,3% increase in June, Statistics South Africa said on Thursday. Nico Kelder, economist at the Efficient Group, commented: "This is a very high increase — higher than we expected."
Limpopo police on Wednesday arrested 18 people who claim to be doctors in Bushbuckridge, following a tip-off that they were targeting the elderly. Superintendent Moatshe Ngoepe said it was believed that the so-called doctors would set up a ”pay-point” and then send a group of young women to recruit the elderly.
League leaders Pirates held on for a 3-3 draw in their Premiership match against Santos, which was played at the Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town, after leading 2-0 at the interval. The home side looked as if they had snatched an early lead, but then Lebohang Kukume was adjudged to be off-side and that was all the incentive the visitors needed.
Opener Lou Vincent’s 172 steered New Zealand to the second highest one-day total in history and a 192-run victory over Zimbabwe in the opening match of the triangular series on Wednesday. New Zealand notched 397 for five as Vincent’s innings at the Queens Sports Club beat countryman Glenn Turner’s prior record as the highest one-day score from a New Zealander by one run.