2oceansvibe.com

Work is a sideline, live the holiday

Thursday, April 24, 2025

March 23, 2021

2oceansvibe Weekend Sports Wrap

Another Six Nations hammering for England, some outrageous goals, and a South African victory on the European Tour. Happy four-day week to us all.

[imagesource:here]

Each Monday (or Tuesday), I’ll be putting together a wrap of the weekend’s sporting action, standout moments, and major talking points, with a focus on football, cricket, and rugby.

So, off we go…

All hail the mighty four-day week.

There was plenty of sporting action this past long weekend, so let’s cut the waffle and get down to business.

It was a great weekend for 34-year-old South African Justin Harding, who secured victory in the Kenyan Open, which forms part of the European Tour circuit.

Two clear headed into the final hole on Sunday, Harding finished calmly to claim his second Tour win, having struggled with his form over the past year or so:

The win means he climbs 74 places in the official Official World Golf Ranking, and he now sits 121st.

Here are the full highlights from the final round:

Rugby-wise, we’ll start locally, and a heartbreaking finish for the Stormers, and eighthman Juarno Augustus in particular.

With the Stormers trailing by five, and time up on the clock, Augustus burst through the Bulls defence to score the winning try.

Except rather than dotting down, he dropped the ball, and the Stormers lost 29-34:

Flashbacks for Robbie Fleck, no doubt.

Elsewhere, Sharks prop Ntuthuko Mchunu did manage to hold his nerve after a barnstorming run against the Lions, although it wasn’t enough to see his side to victory:

Shades of Richard Bands.

Cheetahs fullback Rhyno Smith was clearly inspired by teammate Frans Steyn’s love of the drop goal from distance, nailing this long-ranger for his side against the Pumas:

The pick of the matches from New Zealand saw a Richie Mo’unga masterclass lead the Crusaders to a win over the Blues in the Super Rugby Aotearoa clash:

Mo’unga’s 28 points saw his side win 43-27, in what was a thoroughly entertaining clash.

The full highlights, for those who missed out:

At this stage, I would urge any Welsh rugby fans to look away, because we’re about to deal with the heartbreak of that last-gasp loss to the French.

Up by 10 points, with a man advantage, and less than 15 minutes away from winning another Grand Slam, the men in red fell apart.

A try in the 82nd minute secured a 32-30 win for les Bleus, with some referee controversy also a big talking point after the whistle.

Welsh fans, you’ve been warned:

That was tough to watch, but watching Ireland hand England another resounding defeat was not.

Eddie Jones’ side was beaten 18-32, a score that was perhaps kind to the English after a really lacklustre showing:

Once footage of English prop Ellis Genge’s repeated elbows to the head of Irish skipper Johnny Sexton spread, watching England get klapped was all the more sweeter:

Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira was not impressed, saying that Genge needs to be dealt with, to which Genge replied:

That’s world champion Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira, being chirped by a man who plays in the first English side to be beaten by Scotland, Wales, and Ireland in the same year since 1976.

Show some respect.

It was also the final match for South African-born Irish stalwart CJ Stander, a beloved figure in his adopted country.

After the match, he just about held it together:

Let’s finish the rugby section with a few crunching hits:

So we have arrived at football, and my customary moan about Newcastle United.

Hammered 3-0 by Brighton, who were one place above the Toon in 16th prior to Saturday night’s kick-off, without putting up an iota of a fight.

Owner Mike Ashley says he will not sack Steve Bruce, despite this:

Alright, see you next season in the Championship, then.

The pick of the reduced Premier League fixture list this week was the Arsenal comeback against West Ham.

Down 3-0 after just 32 minutes, Arsenal rallied back to secure a draw, with the help of two West Ham own goals:

I genuinely cannot believe the return to form of Jesse Lingard, although that ‘Beans’ video means I will never like the man.

The FA Cup quarter-finals were the reason for the reduced Premier League fixtures, with Chelsea, Southampton, Man City, and Leicester securing their place in the final four with wins.

Manchester United fans have reason to be angry with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær, who rested some key players for the clash with Leicester, only to see his side lose 1-3.

Here at home, the Soweto Derby finished 1-0 to Chiefs, with Samir Nurkovic scoring a lovely goal:

It’s just not the same without the vuvuzelas.

There were a few calamity own goals, including this from Union Berlin’s Bundesliga hammering at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt:

For comedy value, that can’t hold a candle to the own goal from Dumbarton’s Ryan McGeever against Forfar.

Add in the fact that the ‘keeper’s name is Sam Ramsbottom:

Imagine being 16 and scoring a professional hat-trick?

Enter Nicolás Siri, who beat Pele’s record for youngest player to ever score a professional hat-trick, with his three goals for Uruguayan outfit Danubio against Boston River:

He also scored on his debut last week, meaning he has four goals in two matches.

Barcelona is said to be watching him closely, which reminds me – Lionel Messi is still the greatest footballer that has ever walked this planet.

After a subpar start to the season, Messi now has 23 goals and eight assists from 26 La Liga matches, and five goals and two assists from six Champions League appearances.

Not bad for a man past his best. For a trip down memory lane, here’s a look back at some of his iconic goals, with great commentary to boot:

(Click on the tweet’s date and you’ll be redirected to the thread.)

Any time a goalkeeper scores is worth mentioning, and Moroccan ‘keeper Yassine Bono scored an injury-time equaliser for Sevilla against Valladolid in La Liga this past weekend.

Watch from the 50-second mark:

After the match, Bono said that scoring was an amazing feeling, adding that “strikers are lucky”.

There was a contender for the FIFA Puskás Award from France, where Armand Lauriente scored a stunning long-range free-kick in the dying minutes to clinch a point for his side against Nantes.

It comes with some great commentary, too. You’ll have to click ‘Watch on YouTube’ below to view it.

Finally, cricket, and more supreme skill from the Proteas women’s side in India.

Having secured a 4-1 ODI series win, with some nerveless run chases, the sides switched to T20s.

No bother, with our ladies successfully chasing 130 in the first match, and 159 in the second, scoring the winning runs off the final ball, to lead the best of three series 2-0.

I have no highlights to show you, but SuperSport should really upload a few to their YouTube channel so we can show off their skills.

Unfortunately, off the field, the running of the game in this country has been dealt another hammer blow, with another mess at boardroom level.

I don’t have the energy to go down that road again, but read this for more insight into the arrogance of Cricket South Africa’s Members’ Council.

The Indian men’s team is faring slightly better than their female counterparts, having beaten England 3-2 in their T20 series.

The fifth and final match featured this outrageous catch by Chris Jordan:

Jason Roy’s face, head back and laughing, just about sums it up.

The ODI series has just kicked off, with India mounting a decent score in their 50 overs.

I feel like some David Warner bashing is a good place to wrap things up, so let’s finish with this thread on how he’s been very fortunate throughout his career:

(Click on the tweet’s date and you’ll be redirected to the thread.)

I’d say his greatest escape was convincing the Australian public he deserved a second shot at wearing the national team’s colours after Sandpapergate.

We won’t forget as easily, if ever.

More Stories

2oceansvibe is the biggest solely-owned online news platform in South Africa, publishing up to 30 stories a day since 2001. Our audiences enjoy a mix of business, tech, entertainment, politics and hot viral content.

Read More
Facebook Twitter Instagram

More on 2ov

Sections on 2ov