New English Rugby Football Union chairperson Tom Ilube said he plans to launch a bid for the 2031 Rugby World Cup. Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP
Latest sports news and fixtures Saturday 2 November 2019
The Springboks are in action but there is plenty of other sporting action on this first Sturday of November.
New English Rugby Football Union chairperson Tom Ilube said he plans to launch a bid for the 2031 Rugby World Cup. Photo by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP
The big day is here, the Rugby World Cup final dominates our roundup of the latest sports news and fixtures but there is plenty of other action on the first Saturday of November.
Latest sports news and fixtures today, 2 November
Rugby World Cup Final
England vs South Africa in Yokohama 11:00
The Springboks face England in the Rugby World Cup final for the second time and will be aiming to repeat the triumph of 2007 and lift the Webb Ellis trophy in Japan.
“Japan have already made Rugby World Cup 2019 a tournament to remember, not just for being welcoming hosts but for changing the world order, moving up the rankings with famous wins against Ireland and Scotland and making their first appearance in the knockout stages.
“Now England aim to make their own mark on the world order by striking a blow for the northern hemisphere against their supposed betters from the south. A formidable South Africa team stand in their way, and could ruin everything for Eddie Jones’s team in what promises to be a fascinating final of contrasting styles.
“The Springboks have their own momentous landmark in sight. Should they win, Siya Kolisi would become the first black captain to lead South Africa – or any other team – to the title. That, according to the 2007 Springbok winner Bryan Habana, would unite his country and “would have a much greater impact than 95”, when Nelson Mandela famously donned a Springbok shirt.
“Jones has led England to the top of the world rankings in spectacular style in recent weeks but that is not nearly enough to satisfy him or his players. If England do not win in Yokohama they will regard their seven weeks in Japan, and four years of preparation before then, as a failure.”
Rugby World Cup
Telkom Knockout
Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates, Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban 15:00
Kaizer Chiefs will renew their rivalry with Orlando Pirates in the 2019 Telkom Knockout Cup quarterfinal match at the Moses Mabhida Stadium.
Amakhosi are coming into this encounter as clear favourites having won five successive matches across all competitions including the recent 2-0 win over Mamelodi Sundowns.
Ernst Middendorp’s men are hoping to go all the way and clinch a record-extending 14th Telkom Knockout trophy and also end their four-year trophy drought.
George Maluleka, the Chiefs midfielder, is confident that they can get a positive result against a Pirates side which has blown hot and cold this season.
“Pirates are very big rivals of Kaizer Chiefs and when you play against them you always want to be on the winning end,” Maluleka said.
“For us, it’s very important to remain focused and carry out the game plan, from the technical staff side.
“We cannot get ahead of ourselves. As a club, as a team, we have been doing very well and we just want to carry on. Because we know as a team where we are going.”
Chiefs duo of Reeve Frosler and Kearyn Baccus is expected to miss Saturday’s clash due to injuries.
Meanwhile, Pirates will be hoping to continue their steady progress under coach Rhulani Mokwena by securing their second successive win having defeated Highlands Park 1-0 in midweek.
The Buccaneers were beaten in last season’s Telkom Knockout final and they are looking to go one step further by claiming their second title and also end their five-year trophy drought.
Wayne Sandilands, the Pirates goalkeeper, is wary of Chiefs’ lethal strikers Khama Billiat, Leonard Castro and Samir Nurkovic.
“We know what they are capable of, we will respect them,” Sandilands said.
“But as the coach said, we will obviously do our analysis and see where their strength are and maybe which situations we can manipulate them not to allow their strengths not to happen.
“So, we will do our homework and on the day see what questions are being posed and how effective we are in trying to impose on them.”
Pirates have declared a clean bill of health in his team ahead of their eagerly anticipated clash with Chiefs.
Supersport United vs Golden Arrows, Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit 20:15
SuperSport United and Golden Arrows will compete for a place in the semifinals of the Telkom Knockout when they meet at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.
SuperSport eliminated defending TKO champions Baroka from he competition with a penalty shootout win on October 19, while their last outing was a 1-1 draw away to Bloemfontein Celtic in the league on Wednesday night.
Matsatsantsa won their only Telkom Knockout title in 2014 and last season they got as far as the quarterfinals before falling 1-0 at the hands of Kaizer Chiefs.
The Tshwane club have already tasted cup success this season, beating Highlands Park in the MTN8 final last month, but this hasn’t quenched the club’s desire for the campaign as they now shift their focus back to the TKO.
“Winning the MTN8 doesn’t mean we are done for the year . we are still hungry. After winning, we had our moments of celebrations and then the next day we went back to training and running like it’s no body’s business,” said SuperSport defender Clayton Daniels.
“His [head coach Kaitano Tembo’s] attitude has rubbed off on the players. Last season, we lost in the final of the MTN8 and that was his first cup final as a coach, and we knew we disappointed him, so it was important to make him proud this year.”
Arrows needed extra time to defeat Polokwane City 1-0 in the last 16 round of the TKO, while they extended their winning form with a 2-1 home triumph over the same team in the league this past weekend.
Abafana Bes’thende have never won the Telkom Knockout, nor reached the final. Last season they stumbled at the first hurdle, losing 2-0 away to eventual champions Baroka FC in the last 16 round.
Arrows boss Steve Komphela has been impressed by SuperSport’s progress as of late and predicts nothing but a tough battle at a stadium where Matsatsanta usually play their best football.
“SuperSport United are playing more as a unit, they seem to be understanding their coach now and their work ethic is on another level,” Komphela said.
“Their 4-3-3 formation is clear. When you play against them you must be ready to face a very solid team. Our encounter might be decided on small details.”
Telkom Knockout previews from PSL.co.za.
WGC-HSBC Champions Day 3
Matthew Fitzpatrick took the 36-hole lead at the World Golf Championships – HSBC Champions after rounds of 66-67 at Sheshan International.
Louis Oosthuizen leads the South African challenge with rounds of 68 and 69 on the par 72 course.
Guinness Pro14
Scarlets vs Toyota Cheetahs, Parc y Scarlets, Llanelli 17:00
The Cheetahs will have the extra motivation of making Joseph Dweba’s 50th cap a memorable one on Saturday when they face the Scarlets in Wales in their second Guinness PRO14 tour match.
The Free Staters, who suffered a heart-breaking 24-22 defeat against Connacht last week, will look to return to their winning ways after a blazing start to their campaign in which they recorded three back-to-back wins, but with the Scarlets also boasting three wins in their four matches, a big match-up is expected at the Scotstoun Stadium.
Dweba has been a stand-out performer for the men from Bloemfontein, scoring five tries so far this season, while the hard-working hooker also proved to be a key player in the Toyota Free State Cheetahs’ Currie Cup victory earlier this year, and their coach, Hawies Fourie, believes he can inspire the team further this weekend.
“It is a special achievement for any player; I’m really glad for Joseph,” said Fourie.
“He has been putting in the hard yards and I hope he will repeat that success this weekend and show the way for the team. Joseph is an inspiration for many of the players in the team and we really hope he has another great game.”
Zooming in on the clash against the Scarlets, Fourie said he would like an improved performance from his charges after they went down in injury time last weekend. They will be without Dries Swanepoel (centre) following his three-week suspension for a dangerous clean-out at a ruck.
“We will have to improve in a few different areas,” said Fourie.
“We conceded too many penalties against Connacht in the first half and we didn’t play particularly well in the half. We only had 32 percent possession and made a lot of handling errors – 15 in the entire game – and we will have to improve on that.
“We are a ball-in-hand team, and we want to score tries and play at a high pace. If we want to do that effectively we need to stop making so many mistakes. We conceded 13 penalties as well, so we gave the ball away against Connacht 28 times.”
Fourie expected a tough challenge from the hosts, and said:
“They also play at a high tempo, and they attack from broken play and play off turnovers. They also have a really different kicking game.
“They kick a lot of grubbers and chips behind the opposition and they score a lot of tries from that, so we will have to be wary of their kicking game. They come up at a very fast pace too, which we will have to deal with, but we have a few plans on how to counter that.”
Latest sports news
Kaizer Chiefs have lost midfielder Kearyn Baccus to injury ahead of their Telkom Knockout quarterfinal against Orlando Pirates.
Pieter-Steph du Toit and Cheslin Kolbe have been nominated for the World Rugby Player of the Year award.
George Coetzee had to dig a little deeper in the second round of the Vodacom Origins of Golf at Simola Golf and Country Estate to hold on to his lead and he did just that on Friday as he signed for a 69 to total 14-under-par and take a three-shot lead into the final round.
“A strange start for me today,” he said, “I couldn’t get going and I kept hitting average shots.”
He opened his round with three straight pars before making back-to-back bogeys on the fourth and fifth holes. After two more pars, a lonesome birdie got onto his card and then he made par to turn in 37.
“Two more pars preceded his second birdie of the day and those gains sparked something in him because after two more pars on the 13th and 14th holes, he made two consecutive birdies on the par-five 15th and on 16.
“I’m happy that it finally came together,” he said of his back nine. “I hit a couple of nice shots just as we were coming over the mountain and that momentum carried through.”
ANA Report
Three Premier Division coaches are in hot water with the Premier Soccer League (PSL) after they allegedly made inappropriate statements concerning match officials in post-match interviews.
The PSL Prosecutor has written to Cape Town City coach Benni McCarthy, Lamontville Golden Arrows coach, Steve Komphela and Highlands Park coach Owen da Gama to explain comments attributed to them in the media on match officials.
The Premier Soccer League (PSL) has charged Cape Town City midfielder Mpho Makola who was yellow-carded in a recent match against Kaizer Chiefs in Cape Town.
He’ll be charged with misconduct and assault after he allegedly assaulted match official Abongile Tom during the Telkom Knockout fixture on 19 October 2019 at Cape Town Stadium.
Makola and Cape Town City will appear before the PSL Disciplinary Committee on 14 November 2019.
If found guilty Makola could be slapped with a heavy fine and a prolonged match suspension sentence.
Maritzburg United were the first team to book their place in the 2019 Telkom Knockout semifinals following a 4-3 penalty shoot-out (1-1 after extra-time) win over Highlands Park at Harry Gwala Stadium in Pietermaritzburg on Friday evening.
Gabriel Nyoni scored the decisive spot-kick for the hosts who beat Bidvest Wits by the same manner in their round of 16 tie.
The two goals on the night came from a Jerry Msane header and a Mlungisi Mbunjana own goal on either side of the break, in regulation time.
The Isuzu Southern Kings stumbled to a disappointing 50-0 defeat against the Glasgow Warriors – who were strengthened by several Rugby World Cup players – in their second Guinness PRO14 tour match at the Scotstoun Stadium on Friday evening.
The home side dominated the first half completely, scoring five tries to none by the Southern Kings, with two yellow cards by the visitors assisting the Warriors’ cause. This dominance on attack saw the men from Glasgow enter the break 29-0 up.
The hosts added two tries and penalty try to their tally in the second half, while their effective defence denied the Southern Kings from earning a single point for their efforts – despite spirited attempts at times.
