Pup had that dog in him

Michael Clarke took everything the Proteas could throw at him during a brutal battle with Morne Morkel at Newlands. toffler.lol

Sometimes a Test innings is remembered for more than the runs.

Michael Clarke’s unbeaten 161 against South Africa at Newlands in 2014 was one of those knocks.

The Australian captain, nicknamed “Pup” from his early days in international cricket, walked to the crease in the series decider with the contest level at 1-1.

READ: Duan Jansen replaces injured Baartman for Australia ODIs

He soon found himself in a bruising battle with Morne Morkel.

The Proteas quick went short and attacked Clarke’s body during a hostile spell, repeatedly testing him with pace and bounce.

Clarke was struck several times but refused to give his wicket away, surviving the barrage before finishing the opening day unbeaten on 92.

He returned the following morning and eventually reached his century after spending 24 deliveries stranded on 99.

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Clarke went on to finish unbeaten on 161 from 301 balls as Australia declared on 494-7.

The punishment he absorbed became even more remarkable after the series. Scans revealed Clarke had suffered a fracture near his left shoulder joint after being struck during the Test.

Australia went on to win by 245 runs with just 27 balls remaining on the final day, sealing a 2-1 series victory.

It was not the biggest score of Clarke’s Test career, but the circumstances made it one of his toughest.

Against a Proteas attack determined to test his body as much as his technique, Clarke simply refused to back down.

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Photo: Morne de Klerk/Getty Images

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Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou blasted his players for their second half showboating, despite progressing to the final qualifying round for the Champions League group stages, with a 3-1 win over Mauritius’ La Cure Waves at the Orlando Amstel Arena on Saturday.

Pirates’ Ouaddou wanted more goals

Pirates led 3-1 at half time in Orlando, recovering from going a goal down to put themselves in a comfortable position, following a goalless draw in Mauritius in the first leg.

Ouaddou, however, wanted more goals and insisted that his side must take the Champions League more seriously.

“We dropped in terms of rhythm (in the second half),” Ouaddou told reporters.

“We had more control, but we didn’t manage to score. We could easily have scored three or four more goals. I say it again, the rhythm drops when we start not to be serious and start showboating.

“We have to understand if we want to win the Champions League, and we are ambitious … football is about going forward and scoring goals.

“I was really not happy about the second half. There is a second game now and we have to prepare and we have to be more serious. Our ambition is to win the Champions League, we don’t need to hide it.

“We must stop these things that don’t help the team. It doesn’t serve anyone, it just serves the ego of the player doing it (showboating). What I want as a coach is goals, and that is it.”

A good reaction

Pirates will play Namibian side African Stars in the final round of qualifying for the group stages. African Stars won 2-0 at home against Mangasports of Gabon to win on away goals following a 3-1 defeat in Gabon in the first leg.

Pirates fell in the final round of qualifying in last year’s Champions League, losing to DR Congo side FC St Eloi Lupopo and will be desperate to avoid a repeat.

Ouaddou, meanwhile, was pleased with the reaction of his side, who faced an embarrassing scenario against the amateur side from Mauritius, when they went 1-0 down early in Orlando.

Jean Ami capitalised on a howler from Sipho Chaine in the Pirates goal, but Kabelo Kgositsile equalised two minutes later. And goals from Kamogelo Sebelelebele and Yanela Mbuthuma won the tie for the Buccaneers.

“I really liked the reaction of our players … to score two or three minutes after (going behind) was really important. It proves our team has character and personality. The fact that we scored just after their goal gave us the power and energy to lift the rhythm of the game.”

South Africa made light work of Namibia in Windhoek to complete a dominant 3-0 ODI series victory.

South Africa cruised to a nine-wicket victory over Namibia in the third ODI on Sunday to complete a clean sweep of the series.

The Proteas dismissed the hosts for 156 in 36.2 overs before racing to 157-1 in just 21.3 overs.

Jordan Hermann and Connor Esterhuizen once again led the way with the bat, putting on 145 for the first wicket to effectively kill off the contest.

Hermann continued his impressive introduction to ODI cricket with 75 from 56 balls before falling with victory in sight.

Esterhuizen finished unbeaten on 68 from 68 deliveries, while Dewald Brevis came in and struck six from two balls to finish the job.

READ: Duan Jansen replaces injured Baartman for Australia ODIs

Earlier, the Proteas bowlers kept Namibia under pressure throughout their innings as the hosts struggled to build a total capable of challenging South Africa.

Namibia were eventually bowled out for 156, leaving the visitors with a modest target and an opportunity to finish an impressive week in Windhoek on a high.

The victory completed a 3-0 sweep after South Africa won the opening ODI by 99 runs via the DLS method before claiming the second by 157 runs.

It also capped an impressive series for some of South Africa’s less experienced players.

Hermann announced himself with 150 on ODI debut in the opening match, equalling the record for the highest score on men’s ODI debut.

Esterhuizen followed with his maiden ODI century in the second match, scoring 119 as South Africa posted 335-9.

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Attention now turns to the upcoming three-match ODI series against Australia, where the Proteas will have a very different look.

Only six players from South Africa’s squad for the Namibia series will move on to face Australia. Duan Jansen is the latest, joining Tony de Zorzi, Matthew Breetzke, Corbin Bosch, Bjorn Fortuin and Kwena Maphaka after replacing the injured Ottneil Baartman.

The bulk of the group that completed the 3-0 sweep will therefore make way as several established internationals return.

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Photo: Floris van Schouwenburg/Gallo Images

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Le Paris Saint-Germain a dévoilé son groupe pour le déplacement à Brest. À l’occasion de la 4e journée de Ligue 1, le champion de France se rend en Bretagne ce dimanche soir avec l’obligation de réagir après un début de championnat compliqué. Toujours sans victoire après trois journées, le PSG reste sur deux nuls et une défaite.

Plusieurs recrues convoquées

Luis Enrique a retenu un groupe de 21 joueurs pour cette rencontre. Plusieurs recrues figurent dans la liste, notamment Godts, Akliouche et Torres, tandis que Ousmane Dembélé et Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sont également présents.

Le technicien espagnol a aussi décidé de convoquer Adam Mouak, jeune gardien de 17 ans. En revanche, deux absences sont à signaler : Illia Zabarnyi et Senny Mayulu ne font pas partie du groupe parisien pour ce déplacement à Brest.

Après trois journées sans le moindre succès en championnat, le PSG devra donc profiter de ce rendez-vous pour lancer enfin sa saison en Ligue 1. Une réaction est attendue du côté des hommes de Luis Enrique, qui n’ont déjà plus beaucoup de marge après ce départ poussif.

The post PSG : le groupe pour Brest dévoilé, Zabarnyi et Mayulu absents appeared first on AfricaFootUnited.

Mils Muliaina, John Afoa and Aaron Cruden lauded the Springboks for being “comfortable being uncomfortable” after a dominant Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry win over New Zealand.

The former All Blacks on Sky Sport’s The Breakdown analysed the Boks’ 43-28 victory at Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday that sent the Kiwis home with a 3-1 series defeat and five wins from eight matches on tour.

“Obviously, as All Blacks, you look at this sort of progression but you’ve just got to take a step back,” Muliaina said. “I admire what the South Africans are bringing at the moment.

“They’re a step ahead of everyone. They’re comfortable being uncomfortable. What I mean by that is, when you put points on them, they don’t mind coming back and wrestling that arm-wrestle with you.

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“They’ve got so many weapons to do it. Is it their scrum? Is it their high ball? Is it their dominant carries? That’s what I’ve really enjoyed from the Springboks. They’ve got such a good team.

“We’re all disappointed about the result, but you’ve also got to look at who we’re playing against: the world champions,” the 2011 World Cup winner added. “For the last nine years, almost a decade, they have dominated in this space. We’re getting there, but you’ve got to take your hat off to the South Africans because they have been awesome.”

Cruden agreed, while acknowledging the improvement of the All Blacks under Dave Rennie in the face of a ruthless Bok outfit.

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“To be fair, I thought we were good. The uncomfortable fact is South Africa were just better. They were better in the sense that they absolutely pounced on any error that we made. They just transitioned really well,” the ex-flyhalf said.

“I love what Mils said about them being comfortable being uncomfortable. When they don’t have the momentum, they know, ‘Okay, we can wrestle this back. How are we going to do it?’ They go X, Y, Z, play their style, and that’s what it is.

“Yeah, it does hurt. But as I said earlier, we now know exactly what we’re chasing. We’ve got to put the plans in place to make sure we are closing that gap.”

CODIE: Boks just a bloody good side

Afoa, though, was more frank about the Kiwis’ shortcomings in contrast to Rassie Erasmus’ charges.

“There’s a real leadership gap,” the 38-cap prop said. “If I look at that forward pack, they’re some young guys out there. There’s no one in there who’s the real leader … When it’s getting tough and it’s right at that moment, stands up.

“The Springboks, they’ve got maybe five of them with the Man of the Match awards and 100 Test caps in the backline. The others just follow them. I think we just lack a bit of that, but that will come with time.”

Photo: Michael Franken/Michael Franken Photography

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