This week Gary Lemke has a look at how the South African contingent will be vying for a last-four spot in this weekend's URC quarter-finals, while Roland Garros action continues.
SINNER GUARANTEED OF NO1 SPOT
With Novak Djokovic out of the French Open due to a torn knee meniscus, Jannik Sinner will become the new men’s world No1 when the rankings are updated on Monday. He is the first Italian to ascend to the top and the second player born since 2000 to reach the summit.
The other? Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner and Alcaraz met in the semi-finals at Roland Garros, with the winner taking on No4 seed Alexander Zverev or Casper Ruud in the final. Perhaps 2024 will go down in history as when the changing of the guard finally came to men’s tennis after the extended dominance of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. The women’s final is between No. 1 seed Iga Swiatek and No. 12 Jasmine Paolini.
STEYN WILL LEAD THE COMRADES SMILES
If you’re a runner competing in Sunday’s Comrades Marathon, well done. You’re likely to find that the discipline and stress of the training is a lot worse than the race itself. Of course, for the vast majority, the winners of the men’s and women’s categories will have finished in Pietermaritzburg hours earlier and a lot of interest will be around Gerda Steyn.
The best women’s ultra-distance marathoner in the world – anyone disagree? – is expected to break her “up” record of 5:58:53 set in 2019. The obvious question, which we will only know the answer to in August, is whether record runs in the Two Oceans and the Comrades will have taken some zip out of her legs when the Olympic marathon comes round. What we do know is that Steyn will be smiling for every step of the shortened 85.91km journey.
CALM BEFORE THE CWC T20 STORM
It’s one of cricket’s truisms that the shorter the game the bigger the chance of an upset. Which is why South Africa have a chance at winning the T20 World Cup. Which is why we saw the United States beat Pakistan in a Super Over (one-over shootout) on Thursday.
Even so, there seems to be a certain air of inevitability about this T20 World Cup, We’ve got 20 countries and matches like Oman versus Australia, Uganda against New Zealand, Nepal versus the Proteas, and so on. Uganda did beat Papua New Guinea, but it feels as though there’s an “A” Division and “B” Division at play. Yes, there are some biggies, but it’s from the Super Eights where this World Cup really starts. Twenty different countries is a lot, even for T20.
BIG RACE HIGHLIGHTS HWB GREYVILLE CARD
Richard Fourie should break Anthony Delpech’s record 334 season winners as a jockey this weekend, and it could even come on the classy Lucky Lad in the R2-million Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge, a Grade 1 event over 1600m at Greyville on Saturday.
Draw 11 won’t help him though and perhaps the winner will come from one of the better-drawn champion three-year-olds, Main Defender and Sandringham Summit. The Gold Challenge is a race that traditionally the country’s best miler wins, which means it might be a bit short for See It Again. Fourie went into Friday’s meeting on the Fairview Polytrack just five winners short and riding six favourites. The fat lady has started to sing.
BULLS SHOULD WIN WELL. THE STORMERS?
All the cliches can come out. Fasten your seatbelts, put the beer on ice, get the popcorn, and more. It’s quarter-final weekend of the United Rugby Championship and both the Bulls (home to Benetton) and Stormers (away to the Warriors) will be representing the pride of South Africa.
The Bulls should win quite handily, and the Stormers certainly have a puncher’s chance in Glasgow. Tournament favourites Leinster are home to Ulster while yet another Irish side, Munster, host Wales’ Ospreys.
MORE ‘RACING’ EXPECTED AT CANADIAN GP
After the Monaco Grand Prix, won by Charles Leclerc and in which the first 10 cars on the starting grid finished in that order a fortnight ago, the F1 roadshow is in Canada this weekend where the Gilles Villeneuve circuit stages the Canadian GP. One thing is certain: There will be more overtaking than they were in Monaco, but the obvious question is whether anyone will be able to get past world champion Max Verstappen if he finds himself on the front row come Sunday’s start.
