Adam Wakefield

A look at the Super 15 log with one game to go before the play-offs begin (finals series? Bah) shows an interesting trend. The Chiefs top the log one point ahead of the Stormers, holding steady in second. The Brumbies are third, four points behind. However, the Stormers have only lost twice this year while […]

No other team has ever won a European Championship final 4-0. No other team has ever won three major tournaments in a row. And they did it all without a recognised striker on the pitch. Spain, in defeating Italy in the Euro 2012 final in Kiev, sealed their greatness in style as they shook off […]

I had the chance to interview Ross Skeate before he headed off to France to continue his rugby career. This was published elsewhere last week, and I’m now repeating it here. —————————————————————————————— Player movement has become common in professional rugby, and Ross Skeate, the former Western Province and Stormers lock who has spent the past […]

Super rugby was back in action following the June Tests, but many rugby fans will be looking towards the new Four Nations (i.e. the Rugby Championship) between New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and new comers Argentina. While the tournament may be new in format and participants, following the June Tests some old trends appear set […]

The ICC has recently approved a six-match T20 series between Australia and Pakistan, most likely to be held from August 22 to September 8 in the United Arab Emirates. This will be the longest ever international T20 series. For all the talk that less international cricket should be played, the sanctity of Test cricket be protected and […]

Two down, one to go. That is probably what Heyneke Meyer will be telling himself as the Springboks look to sweep England 3-0 when the two sides clash in Port Elizabeth on Saturday. The team chosen for the series has done the job and, apart from a dip at Ellis Park, has stuck to the task […]

Bafana Bafana sunk to a new low after drawing 1-1 with Botswana, a country with barely two million people versus South Africa’s 50 million. Perhaps the worst part was that such a disappointing showing in Gaborone was almost not surprising, such has been the malaise surrounding the national soccer team this year. Underachievement has become […]

Heyneke Meyer has proved once and for all he is his own man. His first Springbok squad was Pretoria blue (and pink) in complexion, with chunks of Shark and, to the consternation of the Western Cape, only sprinklings of Stormers included. The inclusion of Jano Vermaak and JJ Engelbrecht even though they have not been […]

The Springbok rumour mill has been in overdrive about who Heyneke Meyer would appoint as his short term skipper for the three Test series against England. With Victor Matfield’s return now expunged by the IRB’s ruling relating to retired players (established primarily to avoid players retiring to let illegal substances pass through their system supposedly), […]

Generational change is a gradual process lasting years, if not decades. The topic of gay marriage in the United States for example, was not supported by the majority of the population 16 years ago (60% vs 33%) but now just tips the scales in the column of favoured (54% vs 42%). The caveat here is that […]

I’ve been watching a fair amount of the IPL (I still have my misgivings about its constant commercial steriodisation), and in between all the the DLF Maximums – puke – and cheerleaders – double puke – and commentators on Valium – triple puke – there have been a whole bunch of adverts featuring Proteas players […]

The English Premier League season is winding down, with two matches to go in the world’s most watched football league. Manchester United, from cantering to yet another title, have managed to find banana peels on the pitch against Wigan, Everton and now their fiercest rivals on the other side of town, Manchester City, after the […]