SA sport suffered mixed results in the past few days, with the thrashing of senior rugby and cricket national teams, with soccer and boxing being the only saving grace.
The Springbok men’s and women’s sides were on the receiving end of chastising outcomes against New Zealand and France respectively, while the Proteas set an ignominious record when they lost by 342 runs against England to take the gloss off winning the one-day international series.
While the rugby teams get a shot at redemption when they swing back to action this weekend, the Proteas have moved to the T20 format to exact revenge, winning the opening match of the series on Wednesday.
Rassie Erasmus’s Boks will face New Zealand in Wellington on Saturday, with the girls vying for a Women’s Rugby World Cup semifinal berth at the expense of Black Ferns at Exeter’s Sandy Park.
Ironically, while rugby and cricket delivered sobering blows, Bafana Bafana are consoling the broken hearts of SA sports fans
Though the men’s team are favoured to exact revenge, after Erasmus overhauled the defence with seven changes, the women's side will be underdogs against the defending champions and one of the tournament favourites.
Ironically, while rugby and cricket delivered sobering blows, Bafana Bafana are consoling the broken hearts of SA sports fans.
Hugo Broos’s side has one foot on securing a ticket to the World Cup showpiece in North America, after holding continental rivals Nigeria to a 1-1 draw in Bloemfontein.
Bafana only need three points from the remaining two games, while Nigeria will have to fight hard to qualify for the play-offs.
There were plenty of positives to pick from Bafana Bafana’s performance, with Mbekezeli Mbokazi probably the most shining beacon after yet another stellar display.
Broos was lost for enough superlatives in crowning the 19-year-old as being fit enough to play for any top European team.
The Belgian deserves all the praise for the manner in which he has turned Bafana Bafana’s fortunes around, despite his often eccentric behaviour, which previously rubbed detractors the wrong way.
It has been a while since SA has had this confidence in the national soccer team but with Bafana Bafana on the cusp of World Cup participation for the first time since 2010, when the country qualified as host, plaudits could not be enough for the side.
Though Bafana are basking in glory, the Boks should not be dismissed as no-hopers, especially with the astute Erasmus still pulling the strings for the men side.
As for the Boks Women, the World Cup has proven to be yet another step in their building process, with the team qualifying for the last eight for the first time.
Daily Dispatch
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