The first time I heard of the Springboks was in 1993. My earliest recollection of this national brand was the lost (0-1) home series against the French. The only thing I recall from this was the heavy scar on the face of the Les Blues’ captain, Jean-Francois Tordo, giving the thumbs up as he left […]
Sport
Posted inEquality, News/Politics, Sport
Die Bokke must get humiliated, for the good of this country
By Nduh Msibi South Africa, so divided, yet so united. Thank you Springboks. Never has the country been so divided and all the while united over what it wants for its rugby team than at the present moment. The problem with the current team is twofold, the lack of transformation and the approach of our […]
Posted inSport
Win it? Pfffft, the Springboks will be lucky to even survive RWC 2015
The Springbok, once abundant and fiercely protected, is now endangered. World Cup? With all that grey in Victor Matfield’s beard I thought the Springboks were off to play on the Senior Tour. I’m serious. It’s borderline embarrassing. We’re so laden with experience we’ll do well to keep it up for the first 80 minutes, let […]
Posted inNews/Politics, Sport
Durban 2022: A moment to savour
South Africans appear studiously underwhelmed by the award of the 2022 Commonwealth Games to Durban. The public response has been at best a yawn, with the general tenor being snipingly negative, which is par for the course when much of our political discourse is conducted in 140-character Twitter put-downs. There was certainly little of the […]
Posted inGeneral, Sport
Liquid Viagra: Comparing descriptions of wines and rugby players
Have you noticed the rugby critics’ poetic descriptions of beefy rugby stars? Yes, those gladiators who are all about to knock the bejesus out of one other in the quest for victory in the new World Cup? Oh, those scholarly sports writers and their strained attempts to create an elegant portrait of yet another testosterone-laden […]
Posted inEquality, General, News/Politics, Sport
This black life matters
Michael Brown was killed a year ago. They used to say, “It’s been a long, hot summer” but it’s been another long, hot, horror-filled year in the US; every single day another Michael Brown. This is someone I know. In high school, Kadeem was a force in the middle of the field. He owned his […]
Posted inEquality, General, News/Politics, Sport
Losing in straight sets to the truth about Mandela
Just having tea this morning in Illinois, US, checking out the early rounds at Wimbledon on ESPN, one of the American all-day sports TV channels. Turns out it is 40 years since a black man won Wimbledon for the first and so far the only time — Arthur Ashe in 1975. Yay Arthur. Three of […]
Posted inNews/Politics, Sport
Welcome to The Pollsmoor & Blatter
Welcome everyone. Here at The Pollsmoor & Blatter we pride ourselves on a five-star rating for excellence as depicted in the movie Vyfster available on the movie channel, channel 4, on the in-house entertainment bouquet. Please leave all your personal belongings at the front desk and follow the concierge for personalised his and his bathroom […]
Posted inNews/Politics, Sport
Fifa, Blatter and SA crookery: No surprises
So Sepp Blatter gets the Fifa presidency again at the tender age of 79. He has been president since 1998, far too long to be in power over one of the most powerful, economy-boosting juggernauts the world has ever known. If a country gets the green light to host the World Cup, the payoffs for […]
Posted inNews/Politics, Sport
Ah yes…Jordaan and Africa’s first World Cup…remember that
By Bernadine Jones Fifa has been implicated in a scandal of note — bigger than Giggle-in-Chief ‘s Nkandla apparently. The South African 2010 World Cup tournament was punctuated by euphoria. South Africans forgot their flaws, their divisions, their classifications, and for one brief moment, we really were the rainbow nation, hosting “Africa’s first World Cup”, […]
Posted inSport
Proteas, it’s our turn to eat
In Greek mythology, Proteus was a sea god best known for his ability to change his form at will. Proteus’ peculiarity gave birth to the adjective “protean”, which generally means versatility, flexibility, and adaptability. It was based on these characteristics that Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist Carl Linnaeus named a genus of South African flowering […]
Posted inNews/Politics, Sport
South African mediocrity vs Mbalula’s hypocrisy
Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula, the “Razzmatazz” himself, has caused a furore by going off like a dirty bomb at Bafana Bafana. “The two-legged Goats” — as I call them — were brutally booted out of the African Nations Championship (Chan) by the Super Eagles of Naija. This is maybe the gazillionth time that the Goats* […]