Gary Lemke looks back at a jam-packed sporting weekend as the Springboks clinched consecutive wins over Australia Down Under, while Dricus Du Plessis defeated Israel Adesanya in an electrifying UFC bout.
BOKS CONTINUE BUILDING A DYNASTY
Australia were swatted aside for the second successive week as the Springboks produced another dominant performance in the Rugby Championship, this time a 30-12 win being added to the 33-7 scoreline of a week earlier. The All Blacks rebounded to beat Argentina 42-10 and now head for South Africa for back-to-back Tests.
The Springboks conceded one try in those 160 minutes against the Wallabies, when they were down to 13 men, and the second Test mauling in the wet came with 10 changes made to the side from a week earlier. All that remains for the Boks now is to find sustained consistency – we need to remember they won one, lost one to Ireland last month. The nuggets that Rassie Erasmus is polishing already suggests that the Boks are going to be some side when the 2027 World Cup swings into view.
WHAT NEXT FOR ALL-CONQUERING DRICUS?
Now that Dricus Du Plessis has defended his UFC middleweight belt by making Israel Adesanya tap out, what happens next? First, the South African must enjoy his victory lap, it’s a brutal sport and he deserves to bask in the afterglow. A couple of observations. Du Plessis looked the hungrier of the two and turned things around when they looked to be tilting Adesanya’s way. Du Plessis also appears physically bigger and stronger than any other middleweight, and he can manhandle them.
With that physique, is a step up to light-heavyweight in the picture? Adesanya needs to retire. He has lost three of his last four and for a while hasn’t seemed right mentally. He suffered an emotional breakdown in the final press conference and I don’t think he wants to be a fighter anymore. In fact, at times he looked gunshy against the aggressive champion.
THE EPL’S ’BIG FOUR’ OFF TO SMOOTH START
The English Premier League kicked off on Friday night and there were wins for those widely expected to be in the top four come the end of the season, which is 37 rounds of matches away. Man United opened with a 1-0 win over Fulham, Liverpool saw off promoted Ipswich 2-0, Arsenal had the same scoreline over Wolves, while the most eye-catching result would have been Man City’s victory at Chelsea.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa came away with a win at West Ham which not many sides will do this season. Obviously, it’s too soon to panic for anyone, but Everton’s 3-0 defeat at home to Brighton will be worrisome for everyone connected with the Toffees. They already look to be a side that’s going to struggle this campaign.
MAHARAJ STARS IN PROTEAS SERIES WIN
Cricket is all about statistics so here’s a couple after South Africa won their Test “series” 1-0 against West Indies, with a 40-run victory inside four days in Guyana. Keshav Maharaj took most wickets in the two Tests (13) to move to an all-time South African record 171 for a Test spinner. He was named Man of the Series.
Tony De Zorzi (163) scored most runs – we spoke about his potential before the opening Test – but I’ve still got a problem with two Tests making a “series”. A total of 505 overs were bowled in the series, which, at 90 overs a day means there were 5.6 full days of Test cricket. I know I’m a stuck record, but you cannot ever convince me that fewer than six full days of play can be justified as a fully-fledged Test series.
MINISTER OF SPORT NOT PULLING PUNCHES
Controversial American boxer Ryan Garcia, who has a recent history of banned substance abuse, took to X to say he’d put $500,000 on Dricus du Plessis beating Israel Adesanya. SA’s minister of sport Gayton McKenzie quickly responded after the fight.
“I’m going to invite you as a special guest to our lovely country South Africa for the next fight on home soil,” tweeted the new sports minister. He is certainly outspoken, having promised to bring a Formula One race to South Africa and also saying that for the next Olympics, Team SA will be taking 400 athletes to get more medals than they did in Paris. He’s also said that he wants to make (car) spinning the No. 1 sport in the country.
I’m going to invite you as a special guest to our lovely country South Africa for the next fight on home soil for @dricusduplessis , thanks for supporting us, we shall revenge your kindness upon your arrival here. https://t.co/LxqYvlAFU1
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) August 18, 2024
AROUND THE COFFEE POT …
The Bulls remain the only unbeaten side in the Currie Cup after seven rounds, while the Lions have moved to second after they beat Western Province and the Sharks upset the Cheetahs. A feature of the season is the high scoring. The Bulls average 40 points per game and six of the eight teams average at least 31 points a game …
Francesco Bagnaia won for the seventh time in 11 races when he took the checkered flag first in the Austrian MotoGP. That took him above Jorge Martin at the top of the standings, while Brad Binder moved up to sixth overall after finishing fifth at the Red Bull Ring.
FULL TIME ⚡️🏆#BackTheBulls | #DefendTheHerd pic.twitter.com/xrA83UvfqS
— Official Blue Bulls (@BlueBullsRugby) August 16, 2024
