A lot can happen in seven days – especially in the world of sport.
Legends can rise, and fall – and leave. Records can be broken. And lockdown rules can change (again). It’s really rather a lot for you to keep up with.
That’s why every week we take a look around and round up the most interesting sports writings out there – just for you.
Here’s what we found out this week…
Cricket SA: Confusion Continues
So CricketSA has seen some changes this month, what with the resignation of CSA president Chris Nenzani and chief executive, Dr Jacques Faul and the appointment of Kugandrie Govendor as new Acting CEO (and that was just last week). Well, Govender will be acting in that position for a while longer: after nine months of (well-paid) suspension, CSA has finally terminated CEO Thabang Moroe’s employment, based on an independent forensic audit that was…troubling, to say the least. Anyway, CSA has announced that Lucy Davey will be taking up the role of Head of Communication. And CSA will elect new leadership at their September AGM and they will be tasked with plotting the 2020/21 home international and domestic season, among other things. As South African Cricketers’ Association (Saca) chief executive Andrew Breetzke notes, SA cricket is at a crossroads.
Rugby Gets Rough – And Reading
South Africa’s franchise teams will return to full-contact training from early next week, following completion of final health checks.Sadly, the Southern Kings board decided to withdraw the team from all rugby activities for the rest of the year. There’s just not enough money to fund the costs of playing in domestic competitions – and (much as we might wish otherwise) that’s not going to change anytime soon. Internationally, the Japan Rugby Football Union has withdrawn its national side from the forthcoming eight-team Test tournament involving the European Six Nations teams and Fiji later this year, courtesy of coronavirus complications. And in rugby reading news, Jonathan Bell Publishers has confirmed it does not intend to withdraw the revised version of Jeremy Daniel’s Siya Kolisi, Against All Odds, despite Kolisi’s wife Rachel, lashing out at the author and publishers on her Instagram page.
Boxing Is Back, Baby!
Also returning to the practice field – or the ring, as the case may be: boxing returned to returned to action internationally, notably; in the United Kingdom and the United States, where tiny but terrifying power puncher Naoya Inoue is being hailed as the new Manny Pacquiao. And now, under lockdown level 2, it’s starting to make a comeback in South Africa as well. That’s good news for fighters like Gabriella Drewery, one of a number of promising fighters that call Vibrant Sports Boxing Club, in Ottery, their boxing home. But Boxing SA is also looking to plan beyond COVID-19. And in the meantime, we get to see a rugby/boxing crossover, as the Lions have confirmed that flyhalf Elton Jantjies and Vodacom Bulls wing Cornal Hendricks will square off in a ‘battle of the backs’ boxing showdown on 2 September. All in good fun, of course…
Tennis, Anyone? Djokovic & Williams Go For GOAT
World tennis number one Novak Djokovic heads into the U.S. Open as the favourite to win his 18th Grand Slam – especially since chief rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal won’t be there, thanks to (respectively) a knee injury and coronavirus-related issues. This could bode well for Djokovic’s bid to become the greatest of all time (GOAT) in men’s tennis. But he’s not counting the rest of the competition out just yet. Meanwhile, women’s almost-GOAT Serena Williams is chasing the all-time grand slam singles record of 24 championships held by Margaret Court at the US Open. Despite earlier than expected defeats in her first two events back, and though she has lost the last four slam finals she has appeared in, the 38-year-old’s huge experience may yet give her the edge over younger opponents at this month’s US Open.
Higher, Further, Better: From Golf To Games
While we’re on the subject of GOATS and good stuff…we’ve already talked about how basketball and football has been getting better – but did you know that golfers have been driving further and further? Thanks to new drivers, better balls and improved athleticism, average golf drives in tournaments have increased by 30 yards in 25 years – and resulted in Bryson DeChambeau driving a full 423 yards on the first tee at the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village. Meanwhile, young pole vaulter Armand “Mondo” Duplantis has already reached new heights in his sport earlier this year, before the pandemic slowed his Olympic ambitions. And lockdown hasn’t slowed folks from getting into the Guinness Book Of Records, for everything from stacking cans to juggling toilet paper to playing Football Manager 2020.
Football: New Awards For SA & Lionel Leaves, Messi-ly
Locally, we’re getting closer to identifying our own champions, at least when it comes to footballing: the South African Football Journalists’ Association has announced the launch of the first annual Safja awards, acknowledging and celebrating male and female footballers as well as football journalists for their efforts at the end of each domestic season. The inaugural ceremony will take place in September 2020. But one football great whose fate is up in the air is Lionel Messi, who asked Barcelona on Tuesday to leave the club he has been with for 20 seasons, since he was 13 years old, and where he picked up six Ballon d’Ors, which honors the world’s top football player. And Barcelona fans are kind of angry with the guy they hold responsible: club president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
And that’s the week in sport. Don’t like it? Them’s fighting words. I’ll see you in the boxing ring…
Did we miss anything? Any interesting developments we should be talking about? Why not let us know at info@capeat6sport.co.za? Or if you want to know more about what’s been happening in sport, why not check out the latest issue of the Cape At 6 magazine?
