The All Blacks beat the Pacific Islanders 41-26 in a 10-try Test of fast and physical rugby in New Zealand on Saturday which gave deserved credibility to the formation of the composite Polynesian side. Although heavily favoured to win, the All Blacks were flattered by the final score.
The Lions completed a weekend of Absa Currie Cup shocks when they edged Western Province 32-28 in a thrilling encounter at Ellis Park. The Lions led 16-15 at halftime. Despite being outscored by four tries to two, the Lions were full value for the win and had the boot of flyhalf Nel Fourie to thank in the end.
In a scrappy Currie Cup fixture at Absa Park in Kimberley on Saturday afternoon, the Bulls outplayed Griquas to the tune of 30 points to 17. Many times during the match, Griquas found themselves short of the Bulls’ try on umpteen occasions only to throw away their chances of scoring a try.
Left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori took career-best one-day international figures of five for 30 as New Zealand beat the West Indies by 107 runs in the NatWest Series final at Lord’s in London on Saturday. It was the first time in the series a match had been won by the team batting first.
Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe on Friday told hundreds of young supporters of his ruling party that the parliamentary elections due next year would be a ”fight” against British Prime Minister Tony Blair. ”We are fighting Blair. It is an anti-Blair election…” he said.
The principal claims justifying the invasion of Iraq — that Saddam Hussein had biological and chemical weapons and was developing nuclear weapons — were fundamentally wrong and the result of a ”global intelligence failure”, a US Senate investigation has concluded.
The rand is likely to continue strengthening, leading to some difficult decisions for the South African Reserve Bank, says economist John Loos. Loos warns that the Reserve Bank might have to turn its attention to the current account imbalance, as this ”may deteriorate significantly should the rand go even stronger”.
In a country which sees ”bastard” and ”ratbag” as terms of endearment, a call for a return to old-fashioned standards of courtesy might seem out of place. But the Australian prime minister has called on his country — well known for its fertile imagination in inventing terms for vomiting — to behave with more civility.
It was a little court in a big desert, and the lawyers grew uneasy as the shadows lengthened: lions are nocturnal hunters. It was a surreal safari, where baseball caps and sunglasses replaced wigs and robes, but there was no doubting the seriousness of this week’s effort to bring justice to the Kalahari.
Africa’s masses had to be mobilised for a revolution to improve the continent’s political, economic and social situation, says President Thabo Mbeki. Writing in his weekly online column, ANC Today, Mbeki said that this duty would fall on the Pan African Parliament and the African Union.