Black Friday. End-of-year functions. Christmas shopping. Add the dreaded pandemic fatigue to that, and it’s no shame you haven’t been able to keep up with all the latest sporting news, and what it all means.
No worries – we’ve got you covered. Every week, we like to round up some of the most interesting sports writings out there – just for you (and you, and you, and you, of course).
Here’s what we found out in the last 168 hours or so …
Rugby Legends Rewarded
Okay, so in cricket news…bwahahaha! Nope, can’t do it. I’ve had enough. Whatever financial or governance woes cricket has, and whatever positive developments there may be, you can watch it on SABC. I’d rather talk about rugby. A little over a year after their Rugby World Cup 2019 victory (yeah, that was just a year ago, in the Before Covid times) SA Rugby’s Director of Rugby, Rassie Erasmus, and Springbok captain Siya Kolisi were honoured at the Hollard Sports Industry Awards for 2020 for (respectively) Leadership in Sport and Sport Industry Personality of the Year.
Also on the recognition front: Rugby’s most-capped XV of all time has 2 Springboks in the line-up – Victor Matfield has 127 test matches to his name, with Brian Habana close behind at 124. And with the Currie Cup having kicked off this weekend, why not keep the recognition flowing with images of Currie Cup golden oldies?
Football: The King Is Dead – Long Live The King
If you’re a football fan – and heck, even if you’re not, because there can’t be many names better known around the world – Diego Maradona died this week. The Argentinian athlete was a football legend – one of, and possibly the, greatest of all time, named FIFA Player of the Twentieth Century.
A creative player, he was responsible for two of the most famous (or infamous) goals of all time -the “Hand of God” and the “Goal of the Century” – both in the very same match (watch it all here). He led, without a doubt, a colourful life – but he’s also just a guy, you know? And one without a will, it seems, so seems like family squabbles may lie ahead. We could talk for hours about what Maradona meant to the game…but others have already done that better, so why not read that instead?
Fight Club: Homegrown MMA Masters & Iron Mike Boxes Again
The world may be dealing with a pandemic, but that’s no excuse to cut down on punching…and grappling, and generally beating up folks (in an athletic way). So mixed martial arts is still going strong. South African MMA flyweight JP Buys earned himself a place on the UFC Roster with a submission victory over American Jacob Silva in Dana White’s Contender Series – joining his American wife, Cheyanne.
Meanwhile, “Troublemaker” Faeez Jacobs has become a Bantamweight Champion at the mixed martial arts (MMA) organisation EFC, and Edson ‘Pretty Boy’ Machavane, currently ranked the fourth-best amateur bantamweight fighter in the country, hopes to one day become the UFC world champion. And speaking of world champions…Mike Tyson (not just an actor, for those too young to remember) returned to the boxing ring at age 54 to battle fellow former heavyweight champion Roy Jones, 51. It ended in a draw – but there were some great punches thrown along the way. Kids, this is why you’re supposed to respect your elders…
Horse Racing: Dodgy Jockeys, Dodgy Dealings, Summer Pudding
Oisin Murphy, two-time British champion jockey and number one jockey for Qatar racing, has been handed a three-month ban by France Galop for doping. In this case, he’s tested positive for cocaine, which he denies using, but he’s not going to be appealing the decision. In sunny SA, meanwhile, the racing industry (as a whole) has been facing some hard times for a while, ever since Phumelela Gaming & Leisure was caught up in the scandals of Markus Jooste, horse racing fanatic and former CEO of disgraced Steinhoff (aka South Africa’s biggest corporate scandal). Jooste himself is facing new fraud allegations, but, much to the relief of the local racing industry, Mary Oppenheimer Daughters (MOD) have won crucial creditor approval to take control of the racing assets of Phumelela. And SA jockey champion Warren Kennedy and Summer Pudding raced off with the R1-million prize at the World Sports Betting Gauteng Summer Cup. Nice. Now remember: don’t whip your horses, okay?
Formula One: The Need For Speed
Moving on to a type of racing that involves a little more horsepower (and a little less actual horses)…Lewis Hamilton continues to edge closer to becoming the greatest racer of all time, breaking record after record. The 35-year-old earned his 98th pole position start (and 10th pole for the season) for the 2020 Bahrain GP, setting a new track record in the process, and is on track to become the first driver to reach 100. Good stuff.
Meanwhile, Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has predicted “the beginning of the end” of Formula 1 if an ‘insulting’ and ‘humiliating’ power unit convergence system is introduced from 2022. But 2022 is far away – and there are still a few loose ends to tie up before the 2021 F1 season lineup is ready. Get to it, folks…
And that’s the week in sport.
Did we miss anything? Any interesting developments we should be talking about? Why not let us know at info@capeat6sport.co.za? And if you want to know more about what’s been happening in sport, just check out the latest issue of the Cape At 6 magazine, and find out more about virtual reality, township tennis and more. Enjoy!
