Well well well. As much as we wanted to believe SA Rugby about the Southern Kings’ chances of making it into the expanded Super 15, there was always a little voice in the back of our minds, referred to as Cynical Sam (as mentioned to me by a friend), who knew otherwise. The Southern Kings […]
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The Bolt effect
In Beijing, Usain Bolt set the 100m world record with a time of 9.69s. Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago finished second in a time of 9.89sec (a personal best) and third, in a time of 9.91sec, was Walter Dix of the US, again a personal best. In the 200m, Bolt set a world record […]
Debating race is not ‘backward’
I was not unsurprisingly taken aback when I heard that the latest occupant of the Union Buildings expressed his opposition to a national debate on race. Being from the school of thought that views deliberation as the cornerstone of a democratic society, the president’s opposition to it sits quite uneasy with me. Equally disconcerting, if […]
Super 15 bids: SA Rugby last to submit!
Since June 8 2005 SA Rugby has carried the Eastern Cape Super Rugby franchise around its neck as a self-imposed albatross after declaring that SA had six Super Rugby franchises and this past week has seen a glaring display of dereliction of duty by SA Rugby’s Sanzar representatives. The 15th team, in an expanded Super […]
170 000 unsold Lions tickets!
There has been a little bit of a dust-up and finger pointing between SA Rugby and the Lions over the question of some unsold tickets and why? The number of unsold British & Irish Lions Tour tickets after 9 matches is a staggering 170 000. Take the average round value cost for provincial and mid-week games […]
Fear and loathing in the Age of Aquarius
By Bevan Jones Two thousand odd years (give or take) is a long time to wait for things to change. Were the 60s the tipping point or are we now only entering this supposed golden age with the cracks in capitalism starting to appear? If we don’t hurry up even the hippies are going to […]
Wanted: A hitman for Bafana — desperately!
We all had our fears before this tournament about how Bafana would be swamped in a an avalanche of goals. I thought one may have to hide behind the couch as we squirmed in front of the whole world. But alas, the boys have done us proud. In fact, one can have a reasonable amount […]
Rugby verbatim: They said it!
“I met a couple of South Africans in the hotel lobby the other day and they asked me how I was involved with the Lions. When I told them I was the defence coach they just said, ‘best of luck mate’.” Shaun Edwards, British & Irish Lions defence coach “I have invited Australia and New […]
No, actually, you do want me to lie to you
The truth is the most overrated thing in the world when it comes to relationships. This fact permeates all the stages of a relationship, from the courtship and honeymoon period, to the stage of “showing one’s behind” and even to the unfortunate, though mostly inevitable end to these necessarily doomed engagements. Throughout all these stages, […]
The Southern Kings (explained)
The Southern & Eastern Cape were awarded a Super 14 rugby franchise on June 8 2005 with a unanimous SA Rugby Union Presidents Council resolution, which allowed the South Eastern Cape franchise to prepare for the Super 14 by playing Currie Cup rugby in 2006 and be in the Super 14 in 2007 and 2008. […]
Sanctimonious bigot gets my blood pressure up
(This piece first appeared on tonylankester.com) I’m usually pretty open-minded when it comes to reading or hearing the views of foreign journalists about South Africa. I enjoy hearing their perspectives, even if they are sometimes a bit naive and dewy-eyed. Occasionally I will get frustrated that they fail to see a broader picture or take […]
Will an inept SA Rugby result in catastrophe?
While many local rugby fans, players, supporters and administrators are preoccupied with the poor SA Super 14 form; are going through the motions of the Vodacom Cup; thinking about the British & Irish Lions tour starting the end of May and preparing a team for the Currie Cup in July, a more sinister and monumental […]