The South African men’s hockey team turned in a much-improved performance against Canada on Thursday evening to clinch the third hockey Test by two goals to nil and with it the series at Pretoria Technikon. Despite the morale-boosting series victory, South Africa have plenty of work to do if they hope to qualify for the Olympic Games.

Sam Allardyce is never backwards in coming forwards. He takes it on the chin so often you wonder if it has had a lasting affect. There are those who feel he looks like one of the Hungry Hippos in the infant board game, others who feel the need to nominate him for www.uglyfootballers.com (yes, it’s really out there).

At Real Madrid they like to make a major signing every year. They call their new superstars galacticos. Real coach Carlos Queiroz, formerly of Portugal, South Africa and number two at Manchester United, is starting to search for his latest money-is-no-object galactico.

No one says the word “Yes” quite like Ruud Gullit. His neck stiffens a little, his head nods, he gains in stature, he adds extra consonants to the word. Are you happy to be back in football management? “Yeshh!” Is it true you once had a friend called Ronnie Pinas? “Yeshh!”

So he was right then, all those weeks ago. At Lord’s, when he held a December thank you to the rugby writers in the Long Room, Clive Woodward told me we’d never see that World Cup winning side again. But now the real shocker. No Neil Back. He’s been left out in the cold.