Former Zimbabwe senior national football squad coach Sunday Marimo is the hot favourite to be appointed new Bush Bucks coach. The Eastern Cape side have been without a coach following the departure of Mlungisi Ngubane two weeks ago. Ngubane, who guided Bucks back to the Premiership after winning the first division last season, has since joined Golden Arrows as an assistant coach.

Springbok lock Victor Matfield will not withdraw his legal action against the South African Rugby Football Union (Sarfu). Matfield and his fellow Boks, Richard Bands, Christo Bezuidenhout and Dale Santon are waiting for a date at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration to finalise the issue.

South Africa’s huge wealth of players hasn’t translated into a winning Springboks team in recent years because of poor selection, says coach Jake White. Just a few months into his job, White had no qualms about criticising his predecessors when asked to pinpoint why South Africa had failed to beat New Zealand for four years.

Everton boss David Moyes has declared himself hopeful that Wayne Rooney will commit himself to a new, five-year deal at the Merseyside club. ”I think we have made a good offer,” Moyes said. Everton’s hopes of hanging on to their most precious asset have not been helped by the boardroom crisis at the club.

Former deputy president of the South African Rugby Football Union (Sarfu) Keith Parkinson reiterated on Wednesday that the main reason for his resignation was that he had lost confidence and trust in the leadership of SA Rugby — and not prompted by a deal made with South African players in Australia.

American Lance Armstrong dealt another blow to his closest rivals on this year’s Tour de France by winning the 16th stage, an innovative 15,5km time trial up the legendary Alpe d’Huez in France on Wednesday. It was Armstrong’s third stage win of the race and his 19th individual stage win overall from the Tour de France.

South Africa’s Jeremy Maartens rode to a fantastic stage win in the fifth stage of the Tour of Qinhai Lake in China on Wednesday after outsprinting his three escape companions. Maartens, who rides for Microsoft in South Africa, was part of a six-man group that got away after 40km of racing.

Os du Randt does not look like your typical politician but the giant Springbok prop was all diplomacy ahead of Saturday’s Tri-Nations Test against the All Blacks. The man who has single-handedly caused the New Zealand selectors to alter their settled front-row combination refuses to compare Greg Somerville with the All Blacks propping team-mate he has replaced, Carl Hayman.

France Under-21 international midfielder Matthieu Flamini has been branded a traitor after reportedly agreeing to leave Olympique Marseille for English champions Arsenal. ”He’s a traitor,” said Marseille coach Jose Anigo. ”He cheated me. He didn’t sign for us only because of the money.”