Roar Guru
Joined September 2014
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I worked for the Sunday Times in Johannesburg for several years as a sportswriter. I also wrote sports for the Cape Times, the Argus, Business Day, the Pretoria News and for the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. In all, I have been writing about sports for more than 40 years.
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I wonder what people locked up in dinghy prison cells for killing rhinos think about the Oscar Pistorius affair. One poacher was sentenced to…
I note with interest a story published on the weekend in Hong Kong's South China Morning Post, in which South Africa's greatest ever golfer,…
What on Earth was Dr Frankenstein doing sipping coffee and tapping on an iPad at a sidewalk cafe in Cape Town? It's said the…
Heyneke Meyer has dug himself into a hole I can't see him easily escaping from, and I won't be surprised if the Springbok coach…
'Lucky', our pub owner's dog, wants victory so badly at Ellis Park that he can already taste it. He is always among the regulars…
Heyneke Meyer doesn't need a lobotomy to calm him down anymore. The win at Newlands will have done wonders for his mental outlook. Although…
Heyneke Meyer has for too long ignored the elephant in the room. It's about the way the Springboks play. It's an obvious truth the…
Phil Mickelson is beginning to look more like Mickey Mouse after Europe gave the Americans another beating in the Ryder Cup. After the 161/2-111/2…
Coach Heyneke Meyer's habit of giving younger players token time on the totem pole is unlikely to see the Springbok tribe riding off with…
New Zealand stand supreme atop the fiery volcano of world rugby and don't look likely to slip into the fire. When the World Cup…
If predicting the outcome of a match is bullet-proof, you could hold the prize-giving first at Newlands next weekend, give the trophy to the…
A bronze sculpture of a golfer stands in a club near London. Few fans looking at it will recognise his face, let alone his…
Mongolian warlord Genghis Khan captured more than 12 million miles of territory back in the 11th century, more than any other person in history.…
Ever since Young Tom Morris drove a gutta percha ball along bumpy fairways and through gorse and heather - so tough that sheep sharpened…
A top South African boxing promoter once tried to get me fired because I wrote that he should stop "feeding his champion fighter creampuffs".…
The Springboks just love their tough-guy image. Blasting away in rugby's OK Corral while sharpshooters outgun us. Remember Boot Camp and its tough guy…
Almost every critic is writing about how Serena was trying to match Graf’s Open-era “record”. It’s a case of not letting the facts get in the way of a “good” story.
The fact is that Court won 24 singles slams and Graf 22. Reporters have access to the internet like everyone else, and a quick check will show that Court holds the record.
My mistake about the Graf slam in 1988. I should have checked, but so should others when they didn’t check the feats of Court.
Has tennis forgotten Margaret Court?
Correct, My mistake about Graf’s slam. However:
Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles.[3] Her 22 singles titles is second all-time behind Margaret Court (24), and marks the record for most Major wins by a tennis player (male or female) since the introduction of the Open Era in 1968.
In 1988, she became the first and only tennis player (male or female) to achieve the Golden Slam by winning all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year,[4] furthermore, she is the only tennis player to have won each Grand Slam event at least 4 times.
Has tennis forgotten Margaret Court?
Correct, My mistake about Graf’s slam. However:
Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles.[3] Her 22 singles titles is second all-time behind Margaret Court (24), and marks the record for most Major wins by a tennis player (male or female) since the introduction of the Open Era in 1968.
In 1988, she became the first and only tennis player (male or female) to achieve the Golden Slam by winning all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year,[4] furthermore, she is the only tennis player to have won each Grand Slam event at least 4 times.
Has tennis forgotten Margaret Court?
Correct, My mistake about Graf’s slam. However:
Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles.[3] Her 22 singles titles is second all-time behind Margaret Court (24), and marks the record for most Major wins by a tennis player (male or female) since the introduction of the Open Era in 1968.
In 1988, she became the first and only tennis player (male or female) to achieve the Golden Slam by winning all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year,[4] furthermore, she is the only tennis player to have won each Grand Slam event at least 4 times.
Has tennis forgotten Margaret Court?
I am not sure the fix is in. I have no problems with his personal behaviour. He appears to be a decent guy.
However, my maid Mavis is also a decent person. Maybe she should put her name in the hat.
Amidst a tsunami of criticism, Heyneke is unlikely to survive
Hi Biltong,
Yes I agree we have the players and we were outsmarted. Yet our talent has to be developed and you don’t do that by relying on the old brigade.
I believe that with the right coach, we could develop a team that could win the World Cup in 2019. Plumtree, Ackermann … who knows?
I too have tired of beating the same anti-Meyer drum. I am sure he is passionate about what he does and committed to the cause. But that is not enough.
The jury is out on what SARU will decide. Remember this is South Africa where anything goes.
Amidst a tsunami of criticism, Heyneke is unlikely to survive
Superb descriptive story, Harry! I am at a loss for words to praise it further.
Losing in London: A long day in the city
HM didn’t bring through the younger players. They just emerged as the years rolled by. Helen Keller could have seen that his tactics were old-fashioned. We have lost all of the games against the All Blacks in recent times minus one.
Some were close but they always figured out how to beat us. Coaches are measured by results and his overall ones have been poor. Too many excuses and too many apologies. He may have seen the light now. Who knows? I wouldn’t bet on it.
The fat lady sings after All Blacks swing it
Maybe Johan Ackermann, the Lions coach. Meyer has not got an impressive CV. Coach for Leicestershire for nine games, an assistant coach to the Boks, coach of the Blue Bulls and then Bok coach.
It’s true he was successful as the Blue Bulls coach, but in those days most teams played the South African way. But he was found out later when it really mattered in the international arena.
I can’t see any foreign coaches being interested in coaching the Boks. They will note how some of our coaches have been treated by Saru.
The fat lady sings after All Blacks swing it
Meyer stuck with experienced old crocs and largely ignored younger players in the run-up to the WC.
He was forced to bring in younger players only because of injuries to them. I don’t believe he is the man to forge a new team.
It’s not the two points that are relevant, it’s the way we played the game. Bennie Osler and Danie Craven may have liked his game plan but most modern coaches don’t.
The fat lady sings after All Blacks swing it
They taste better when they come from the best of a flock of sheep.
Can the Boks steal the gleaming gold trophy?
Agreed.
Also, World Cup Rugby is responsible for the Laws, not Joubert.
Too many fans and critics don’t know the Laws of rugby and the TMO protocols (also decided by World Cup Rugby).
When you point finger, remember that three point back at you.
Anger directed at referee Craig Joubert is a disgrace
Who cares whether Joubert ran off the field. What a load of crap. Face up to the players. What pre-pubertal nonsense.
There are two issues: the ref’s decision made in 4 tenths of a second and the Scottish fans reaction.
Fans and critics will continue to argue about whether Phipps intended (a key word, if you read the Laws of the game) to play the ball. And whether the Australians should have been given penalties on other occasions.
If every decision had to be referred to the TMO, a game would take double the time. In any event, protocols allow a ref to only refer to the TMO for foul play and whether it was a try.
The reaction, particularly by Gavin Hastings, was appalling. Some fans should grow up. It’s only as game and one that should be watched in a spirit of sportsmanship.
If World Cup Rugby issues statements that criticise refs over every vital penalty (and remember earlier ones are just as crucial as later ones), who would want to ref? I can’t imagine cricket umpires being subjected to the same treatment.
Anger directed at referee Craig Joubert is a disgrace
Will Greenwood’s article is worth a read: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/rugby-world-cup/11941250/Attack-Craig-Joubert-for-the-difficult-decisions-he-made-against-Scotland-and-you-are-attacking-the-spirit-of-rugby.html
Anger directed at referee Craig Joubert is a disgrace
Your criticism has always been constructive, Biltong. That’s the way it should be. I have no time for critics who write stuff because it will make our fans happy.
I don’t write stories because I want a pat on the back. I care about the Boks as much as anyone else and hope they win. But even Helen Keller could have seen that the All Blacks have a better coach, tactics and team than the Boks.
A couple of moments of brilliance from Habana could help, but I don’t think a hard forward slog will be enough. Who knows? The boot might decide the outcome. But the Boks will have to up their game considerably to win.
Can the Boks steal the gleaming gold trophy?
Agree absolutely. I have played sports since I was 10 years old. My first golf competition was a Prentice championship at my home club in East London, South Africa at that age.
Whether I won it is not the most important aspect. It was how I played the game. My father and mother, both golfers, instilled in me and importance of sportsmanship.
When I got older, I became a sports writer and enjoyed writing stories for about 45 years. You will realise that I am now an old fart at age 76, but I retain the same philosophy. It’s just a game.
My meaning in life comes from other far more important aspects: my family tops the list.
Although I played a good game of golf, tennis and cricket, winning was not the only thing as US football coach Vince Lombardi once said.
To this day, I admire excellence but sportsmanship still tops the list.
The reaction to Craig Joubert’s decision is appalling. Big money has had a bad effect on sports. Many players in all sports cheat and some coaches encourage them to do this.
And I don’t pound my chest in reflected glory when the Boks win. After all, they won the game. not me.
Rugby care factor? Unreasonably high
Absolutely. The disgrace involves the fans and critics like Hastings and Dawson
SPIRO: Joubert has been dudded by World Rugby for correct call
The Boks have as much chance of drowning Harry Houdini as beating the All Blacks. Will Meyer pull a rabbit out of the hat or rather, as Pieter de Villiers said, a rat?
A 45% chance of winning, according to a SunTimes story, are silly stats. Mark Twain called them damn lies?
I must report that every time I watched the Boks lose, I was sitting in the same chair at my club and wearing my favourite red hat.
I will be using the same chair and wearing that hat again on Saturday despite desperate pleas by SA fans at the club.
Those stats mean we have a 100% chance of losing.
Can the Boks do a Harry Houdini?
I would rather that he had jumped on the bus to the airport. I don’t think I can take another four years of Mompara Meyer.
Can the Boks do a Harry Houdini?
The sad thing is that Meyer thinks he is right. In the original squad, he had 11 players from the 2007 one. He even wanted Bakkies Botha, Juan Smith and Jaque Fourie in it, too.
Talk about living in the past. I can report though that it is not true that Heyneke was once seen at a Stellenbosch cemetery, spade in hand, at Danie Craven’s grave!
Jokes aside, why did he think that the old crocs would be the All Blacks? Because of injury, HM has unwittingly found himself with a younger team. Without the injuries, he would still have played de Villiers and Matfield. And what on earth was his pal Morne Steyn doing in the squad?
I expect the first half to be a tough forward battle. The Boks will try to overpower NZ at the start but I can’t see a big points difference after 40 minutes. The All Blacks are far better finishers and have a better bench and I expect a stunning second stanza.
If the Boks lead at half-time, HM will hope to sit on the lead. That could be a big mistake.
Can the Boks do a Harry Houdini?
Court’s view of homosexuality is irrelevant. We are talking about her records in slams on the tennis court.
Has tennis forgotten Margaret Court?