AUSTRALIA were listed at 4-7 favourites by bookmakers William Hill on Thursday to beat defending champions South Africa in their World Cup semifinal at Twickenham on Saturday. South Africa were quoted at 11-8 with a draw at 18-1. New Zealand are still tipped to win.

TELFORD VICE, Bloemfontein | Friday 7.30pm Zimbabwe 292. South Africa 29-0 DIFFICULT as it may be to believe, Shaun Pollock found a downside to taking his 10th five-wicket haul in Test cricket against Zimbabwe at Springbok Park on Friday. His father, Peter, enjoyed nine such golden days during his 28 Test matches. Shaun is playing […]

NATIONAL cricketer Makhaya Ntini is a free man after winning his appeal against a six year sentence for rape on Friday morning, because the state had not proved beyond a reasonable doubt that he was guilty, the judge said.

ALL Black kicking machine Andrew Mehrtens will start for New Zealand in their Rugby World Cup semi-final against France on Sunday, New Zealand media reported. Mehrtens had been in doubt since damaging his left knee at the bottom of a ruck during the All Blacks’ 30-18 quarter-final win over Scotland last weekend. But Mehrtens’ knee […]

KWAZULU-NATAL dominated the second day’s play of the four-day SuperSport Series match against Western Province at Newlands on Friday, thanks to a solid 135-run partnership from skipper Dale Benkenstein and Errol Stewart. The two took the score from 129 for three to 264 before Benkenstein was excellently caught at third-man by Ryan Joffe for 71. […]

VETERAN Wallaby centre Tim Horan is in doubt for Saturday’s World Cup semi-final against South Africa at Twickenham after being laid low by a stomach virus. Horan was up all night with nausea and stayed at the team hotel to recuperate while the rest of the team trained on Friday morning. Team doctor John Best […]

BILL BARCLAY, London | Friday 9.00am. WORLD Champions South Africa and Australia will provide two very different versions of southern hemisphere rugby at Twickenham this Saturday when they battle for a place in the World Cup final. The contrast in style of the two sides is encapsulated in the fly-half contest between South Africa’s Jannie […]

YOUNG twenty-somethings James Bryant and Justin Kemp both bettered their own first class bests as Eastern Province took control of their Supersport Series match against Easterns at St Georges Park on Friday. At the close, the hosts had reached 344 for six — an overall lead of 60 — with Kemp still unbeaten at the […]

PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki says the Springboks were the best in a letter wishing the team well in their World Cup semi-final clash against the Wallabies. “I am convinced you are world champions,” Mbeki wrote in a letter addressed to captain Joost van der Westhuizen. “The whole world looks up to you as such.” Mbeki added: […]

SOLID batting, superb bowling and the news that Makhaya Ntini was a free man conspired to help Border take command of their Supersport Series match against Griqualand West at Buffalo Park on Friday. After the news had filtered through that Ntini had won his appeal against a rape conviction, Border celebrated by piling up a […]