All posts tagged South Africa

All Blacks versus Springboks

There is more interest than usual in the test match this morning between the All Blacks and Springboks being played in Pretoria this morning.

The Springboks won the first of two Rugby Championship games between New Zealand and South Africa in Wellington last month (36-34). There is more pressure than usual for the All Blacks – if they lose then the Springboks will be unbeaten against them in 2018.

It is good to have a test with more interest at stake. One loss for the All Blacks is not uncommon but not a bad thing, but a second loss against the Springboks would be a major blow for them.

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by Pete George on 7th October 2018  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pete George on 7th October 2018

https://yournz.org/2018/10/07/all-blacks-versus-springboks/

South Africa objects to Trump tweet

Another controversial Donald Trump tweet:

This has raised concerns in South Africa.

CNN: South Africa hits back at ‘unfortunate’ Trump tweet on land reform

On Thursday, the South African government said Trump’s tweet was “based on false information” and said it would call on the US Embassy to explain the President’s remarks.

“South Africa totally rejects this narrow perception which only seeks to divide our nation and reminds us of our colonial past,” the government tweeted. “South Africa will speed up the pace of land reform in a careful and inclusive manner that does not divide our nation.”

“Hysterical comments and statements do not assist in the process,” Khusela Diko, spokeswoman for President Cyril Ramaphosa, told CNN. “The majority of South Africans want to see land reform. The majority of our farmers, white and black want to be a part of this initiative.”

Land is a complex issue in South Africa. Racist policies of the past forcefully removed black and non-white South Africans from the land for white use.

There has been a land redistribution and restitution provision in the country’s constitution since South Africa held its first democratic elections in 1994. The government has been criticized for not moving quickly enough to settle land disputes.

If Trump and the US have concerns over land reforms in South Africa tweeting about it seems a dumb way to raise the issue.

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by Pete George on 24th August 2018  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pete George on 24th August 2018

https://yournz.org/2018/08/24/south-africa-objects-to-trump-tweet/

All Blacks v Springboks

I’m glad I got up to watch the test between New Zealand and South Africa at Cape Town this morning. A classic match.

The ABs were relentless at times but made a lot of mistakes and failed to capitalise on their dominance. The teams were barely separated after a 50 minute first half.

Then the second half was absorbing. The Springboks started well and took the lead, and the lead kept changing from there. A couple of very good All Black tries, but the Springboks kept coming back. In the end a 25-24 scoreline was a fair enough reflection on how the game went, but it could easily have gone either way.

Commentators complained about the red card but I think that was the only option. A deliberate late charge with forearm contact to the head had to result in marching orders. It would always have been a yellow at least so it made no difference to the final outcome, apart from giving the All Blacks what turned out to be a crucial 3 points.

 

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by Pete George on 8th October 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pete George on 8th October 2017

https://yournz.org/2017/10/08/all-blacks-v-springboks-2/

All Blacks v Springboks

It’s been a good year for rugby. First the Lions tour, drawn. Then Australia came very close to upsetting the All Blacks in Dunedin after a great come back from a poor first test.

Tonight the ABs get to test themselves against a resurgent Springbok team. This is the last home game of the year but it should be a good one.

It’s good to have a diversion from the election campaign.

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by Pete George on 16th September 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pete George on 16th September 2017

https://yournz.org/2017/09/16/all-blacks-v-springboks/

Guptill v. South Africa

South Africa let loose in their last few overs to put up a challenging total of 279/8  in today’s one day game. Commentators called it a formidable total.

But Martin Guptill.

180 not out.

The fourth highest chasing score in a one day match ever, with the higher scores being 185, 183, 183.

A great innings, which ties the series with one game to go.

 

 

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by Pete George on 1st March 2017  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pete George on 1st March 2017

https://yournz.org/2017/03/01/guptill-v-south-africa/

All Blacks dominant

The All Blacks have dominated the Springboks in their final Rugby Championship game, scoring seven tries in a second half rout and nine in the game to South Africa’s five penalties. The final score was a record high versus the ‘Boks, 57-12.

The All Blacks played very well but the Springboks were very disappointing. They did little but shovel the ball a bit and kick a lot.

The AB’s have dominated the whole Rugby Championship, winning all games and leaving South Africa, Australia and Argentina scrapping over the dregs.

With the latter two soon to play their final game the table already says it all, with none of the others getting half the AB’s points – in fact no matter what the result is there the All Blacks have clocked up as many or more table points than the other three teams combined.

rugbychampionship2016

With their dominance this year some games get boring but this game was well worth watching given the performance of the All Blacks, they played some fantastic rugby.

 

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by Pete George on 9th October 2016  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pete George on 9th October 2016

https://yournz.org/2016/10/09/all-blacks-dominant/

Two T20 triumphs

Both New Zealand teams won their final World t20 pool matches overnight and both have topped their pools in impressive style.

The New Zealand women’s team restricted South Africa to 99. Devine and Kasperek each took 3 wickets.

They then easily reached 100 in 14 and a half overs with the loss of only 3 wickets. Bates (29), Priest (28) and Devine (27 not out) all contributed.

Their semi final opponent won’t be decided until other pool matches are played.

And the Black Caps outplayed Bangladesh to complete a clean sweep of their pool. They batted well on a slow pitch to reach 145 for the loss of 8, with Williamson top scoring with 42. Munro also adapted to the conditions well to score 35.

They then restricted Bangladesh to a record low score of 70. Elliot and Sodhi each took three wickets.

England have just beaten Sri Lanki in the other men’s pool to secure second slot so will be the Black Cap’s opponent in the semi finals. South Africa have missed the cut with a game yet to play.

West Indies won Group 1. They will play the winner of India versus Australia.

 

4 Comments
by Pete George on 27th March 2016  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pete George on 27th March 2016

https://yournz.org/2016/03/27/two-t20-triumphs/

Pistorious found guilty of murder

A South African court of appeal has overturned the verdict in the trial of Oscar Pistorious, upgrading the conviction to murder.

This doesn’t surprised me. It surprised me that the original verdict was just of manslaughter.

Firing multple shots into a bathroom knowing that someone was in there msut have been with the knowledge that it could kill someone.

Specific intent to kill is more difficult to determine but multiple shots suggest some degree of intent.

The big unanswered question is whether there was intent to harm or kill Reeva Steenkamp. This may remain unanswered.

 

10 Comments
by Pete George on 4th December 2015  •  Permalink
Posted in Crime, General
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Posted by Pete George on 4th December 2015

https://yournz.org/2015/12/04/pistorious-found-guilty-of-murder/

New Zealand 20 – South Africa 18 (fulltime)

What’s happened in the last four weeks and what’s happened in the last four years doesn’t matter. At 4 am (New Zealand time) the All Blacks and the Springboks will start the first Rugby World Cup semifinal exactly the same 0-0.

From there it’s up to the teams. May the best team win.

UPDATE: And the best team has one, just. It could have gone either way right to the end but the All Blacks were good enough to close it out.

A classic semi final match and a classic All Black-Springbok battle.

29 Comments
by Pete George on 24th October 2015  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pete George on 24th October 2015

https://yournz.org/2015/10/24/new-zealand-0-south-africa-0/

Southern hemisphere semis

A slightly surprising win to Argentina and a near shock loss to Australia has resulted in an all southern hemisphere semi final in the Rugby World Cup.

The semis will be:

  • South Africa versus New Zealand – 4 am Sunday 25 October (NZ time)
  • Argentina versus Australia – 5 am Monday 26 October (NZ time)

Results from the quarter finals:

  • South Africa beat Wales 23-19

The Springboks ground out a win against a weary looking Wales without wowing. They are still in the hunt but surely have to lift and show more enterprise to match it with the All Blacks in their semi final.

Wales were gallant and kept close but looked like they ran out of gas after some punishing pool games and an awful injury toll.

  • New Zealand beat France 62-13

The All Blacks bltized Les Bleus as individuals and the new Zealand team came into form at the business end of the tournament. The question will be whether the ABs can repeat this sort of performance again next week. And if they win that whether they can lift to that level again. They are well prepared and may, but sport does funny things sometimes. They must now be favourites.

France battled well in the first half but couldn’t match the ABs and couldn’t keep up in the second half. They have serious questions to ask about their coaching and club system.

  • Argentina beat Ireland 43-20

I didn’t see this game but the Pumas pounced after showing promise in pool play and ended up with a decisive win.

Ireland had lost some key players to injury after a punishing clash with France last week, which turned out to be both teams’ peak.

  • Australia beat Scotland 35-34

Scotland nearly had a shock win over the Wallabies with a late intercept try putting them in front but a controversial penalty two minutes from full time let Australia rescue what would otherwise have been an embarrassment.

Scotland played very well an deserve much credit. That penalty was a huge blow but they bumbled the lineout that led to the penalty. And then after the Wallabies took the lead Scotland kicked off deep, Australia took it and played out the remaining seconds. Why on earth didn’t Scotland kick short so they could contest possession instead of giving possession to the Aussies on a plate?

Australia managed to do what counts, they won, and they scored five tries, but they didn’t have a very good game in many respects. They looked lacklustre. Their scrum fell to pieces. Scotland may have beaten them on turnovers. And Foley missed his first three kicks (but nailed the one that really counted at the end).

The Wallabies will have a big battle against Argentina next week and will have to up their standards.

Already this World Cup has been a major disappointment for the Northern Hemisphere, with four teams from the south filling all semi final slots.

3 Comments
by Pete George on 19th October 2015  •  Permalink
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Posted by Pete George on 19th October 2015

https://yournz.org/2015/10/19/southern-hemisphere-semis/

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