The pressure continues to pile on Eric Ten Hag at United. The URC resumes after a historic Rugby World Cup. Gary Lemke looks at this and more ahead of a massive sporting weekend!
PROTEAS PLAYING FOR TOP SPOT
The Cricket World Cup semi-finals only take place on 15th and 16th November, but in all truth we should know the identity of the semi-finals after this weekend. At worst we will be able to have an educated guess as to who will be in the top four. The winners of South Africa’s game against India will determine first and second on the table. Then, New Zealand versus Pakistan and England versus Australia might well point to who finishes third and fourth. Of most interest in the Proteas match is whether they will bat first, or chase a target. Batting first they have scored 1877 runs for the loss of 28 wickets at 67 runs per wicket. Chasing, they have put on 478 runs for 19 wickets, an average of 25. A reminder: First plays fourth in the semis and second meets third.
We going to the Semi-Final, Pakistan are going home. Well Done #Proteas 💯🔥 pic.twitter.com/jjMcNjPsPF
— 𝗢𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀𝗲 𝗠𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗲 🔥🚀 (@unclescrooch) October 27, 2023
PRESSURE MOUNTS ON TEN HAG
Could the unthinkable happen and Erik ten Hag is sacked as Manchester United manager, even as soon as this week? He is currently second favourite to be the next EPL manager out of a job after a poor run of recent form, with suggestions he’s lost the dressingroom. United travel to Fulham on Saturday in a match they can’t afford to lose. Apart from that match, the two other highlights are Newcastle hosting Arsenal and table-toppers Tottenham hosting London rivals Chelsea. With Man City at home to Bournemouth, Spurs are likely going to need to beat Chelsea to keep their spot at the table after this weekend.
🚨 Erik ten Hag's treatment of Harry Maguire and Jadon Sancho has left some of Manchester United's players questioning the manager's harsh man-manager methods.
— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) November 3, 2023
(Source: @MailSport) pic.twitter.com/XC8l3aK3h9
MAX ROADSHOW MOVES TO BRAZIL
I’m starting to feel like a fraud in that you probably think every time there’s a Formula One race this season, I’m using copy and paste, while just changing the venue. To be honest, it has that ring to it. Max Verstappen has won 15 of 18 GP’s this season and has 291 points. That’s more than double than second-placed Sergio Perez and there’s no reason to suggest this weekend’s Brazil GP in smoggy Sao Paulo will yield anything other than a Verstappen win. He’s again odds-on in the betting to win, which is. crazy when it comes to F1, with Lewis Hamilton the only other driver at single figures. In recent months the Mercedes of Hamilton has been showing signs of progress against the Red Bull, but for now Max still seems more machine than human.
Max Verstappen wants to avoid a repeat of the situation at last year's #BrazilianGP where he caused a stir for ignoring Red Bull orders to yield position to Sergio Perez. 👇#MaxVerstappen #redbullracing #formula1 #F1 https://t.co/ZDfpVHkb13
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) November 2, 2023
BOK TROPHY TOUR WINDS UP
If you’re in Durban or East London this weekend you can be part of the victorious Springbok trophy tour of South Africa. There’s little doubt that Siya Kolisi’s champions will be mobbed by the communities of those two cities – they finish up in Durban at 1.45pm on Saturday after starting out in Umhlanga at 9.30am, and they will be on the streets of East London from 10am to 2pm on Sunday. If you’re in one of those areas do be sure to try to catch a glimpse of the celebrations and be part of history, and hysteria. It’s been a wild, exhausting ride so far.
The champs have arrived in the Mother City 🏆🇿🇦🏉@Springboks @CityofCT pic.twitter.com/BXsfsoguTU
— Love Cape Town (@lovecapetown) November 2, 2023
MIXED BAG FOR SA’S URC TEAMS
While the weary and wounded combatants recover from the Rugby World Cup, the United Rugby Championship continues to give fans their fix from Friday to Sunday. South Africa’s four sides in the competition are all in action, and two of them are favourites to win. The Sharks are expected to beat the Ospreys away, while the Bulls are similarly favoured for their away visit to Zebre. However, a tougher task awaits the form side of the past two seasons, the Stormers, as they have a tough tie on artificial (astro) turf in Glasgow, while the Lions are also underdogs at Benetton. There are eight games and while the favourites rarely come through with a 100 percent success rate, should you wish to back those favourites outright in an acca it comes to around 10/1.
Aphiwe Dyantyi gets his first start for the Sharks against the Ospreys. #URC https://t.co/KRZi0QVQYU
— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) November 2, 2023
ALL EYES ON ATTICUS FINCH
The standard of racing in Gauteng is stepping up a notch with the headline act of their season, the Summer Cup, taking place on 25th November. Saturday’s main feature is the R400 000 Victory Moon Stakes, a Grade 3 contest over 1800m, that is a traditional warm-up for the big event for some of the contenders later this month. The best fancied of those in the field as a Summer Cup principal is Atticus Finch, chasing a fourth consecutive win. He’s favourite here and 14/1 for the Summer Cup, so all eyes will be on him to see whether he’s a potential winner of that Grade One. Are this stage my money is on Cousin Casey at 8/1 for that one.
