[imagesource: Andrej Cukic/EPA]

Each week, 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…

A weekend without English Premier League action – it really does feel odd.

Thankfully, that does mean no woeful Newcastle result to dampen the spirits, and we’ll kick things off with a very brief look at the Bahrain Grand Prix, the first race of the Formula One season.

All of the basics and race highlights are covered here, but suffice to say that Lewis Hamilton has picked up where he left off.

If you’d be so kind as to cast your mind back to Friday, we’ll kick off the rugby wrap with a masterclass from Jordie Barrett, who scored all 30 of the Hurricanes’ points against the Highlanders in their Super Rugby Aotearoa clash.

Three tries, three conversions, three penalties, and a reminder of just how destructive he can be:

The match was also notable in that  Aaron Smith became the most capped player in Highlanders history with his 154th appearance, surpassing Ben Smith’s 153 matches.

Following the clash, the Highlanders players performed a haka as part of a tribute, which reduced Smith to tears:

The Six Nations eventually drew to a close with the rescheduled showdown between France and Scotland.

The French needed a 21-point win, with a try bonus point, to pip Wales to the Six Nations trophy, but they fell well short, with the Scots securing their first win in Paris since 1999.

South African-born Duhan van der Merwe scored twice for the Scots, including the 85th-minute winner, in his side’s 27-23 win:

There were quite a few South Africans plying their trade overseas who dotted down this weekend, including the likes of Makazole Mapimpi, Malcolm Marx, and Franco Mostert.

Remember that when pronouncing Franco’s last name, you have to really roll the Rs.

Here at home, it was a try-scoring debut for Siya Kolisi at the Sharks, who trounced the Bulls 45-12 in a warm-up match for the Rainbow Cup, but we’re moving swiftly on.

If you had to sum up Hugh Bladen in a word, it would be ‘unbelievable’, so here’s a doccie worth watching:

“UNBELIEVABLE!”

“The Uncle – The Hugh Bladen Story” is now available to stream on Showmax Pro. It chronicles the remarkable life of the most famous voice in South African rugby 🎙️

— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) March 26, 2021

Click through here to watch the trailer.

Let’s finish with two unusual video clips, the first of which shows Ma’a Nonu clobbering Lyon halfback Jean-Marc Doussain in the French Top 14.

The 38-year-old Nonu, who isn’t the type to throw haymakers, was sent off, and 14-man Toulon was hammered  54-16:

Ma’a Nonu’s red card against Lyon 🟥

Jean-Marc Doussain was shown a yellow card for his actions. 🟨 pic.twitter.com/MFis2Tem6v

— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) March 28, 2021

Finally, here’s French referee Mathieu Raynal challenging Tolu Latu to a race from a kick-off, in a showdown he thinks he won:

[Quand Mathieu Raynal et Tolu Latu se lancent un défi sur le coup d’envoi de la 2e MT:]

– You’re faster than me?
– Oui, Want a race?

*Coup de sifflet …. Course

Mathieu Raynal : I have win !

😅😍💪 pic.twitter.com/1rbAM5FiX3

— David Reboursiere (@DavidReboursie1) March 28, 2021

With football’s international break in full swing, perhaps the most talked-about incident of the weekend came from Portugal’s World Cup qualifying 2-2 draw against Serbia.

In the game’s dying seconds, Ronaldo looked to have won it for Portugal, only for the officials to rule that his shot had not crossed the line.

pic.twitter.com/qN7e3f5cFr

— unfortunate football moments (@unluckyfootie) March 27, 2021

You can understand his frustration when you see some of the freeze frames, where it looks like the whole ball has crossed the line:

At the final whistle, the Portuguese skipper didn’t hang around, and left the field fuming:

Cristiano Ronaldo become the latest player to:

• Get a yellow 🟨 card for scoring

• Walk off the pitch before final whistle

• latest captain to damn the arm band

Was the referee decision right?#SERPOR

pic.twitter.com/0QnL2QTjld

— @Molatsportgist suspended (@chubbyMO_) March 27, 2021

There was no VAR, or goal-line technology, to overrule the on-field decision, and Ronaldo was still fuming hours later, when he posted this to Instagram:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Cristiano Ronaldo (@cristiano)

Translated, that means:

Being captain of the Portugal team is one of the greatest pride and privileges of my life. I always give and will give everything for my country, that will never change. But there are difficult times to deal with, especially when we feel that an entire nation is being harmed. Lift your head and face the next challenge now! Come on, Portugal!

There was also late drama in the World Cup qualifying clash between Spain and Georgia, with the latter looking good for a massive upset.

However, the Spaniards fought back in the second half, with an added-time strike securing a 2-1 win.

You can see Dani Olmo’s winning hit from the 7:55 mark:

English Premier League action will return this weekend, and I would suggest a good look through this thread is in order.

Some of these, from Edinburgh Fringe 2019 ‘Funniest Joke’ winner Olaf Falafel, are superb:

Premier League managers in art – a thread

1) Steve Bruce – Emma Koningin by Jan Veth pic.twitter.com/ZhBwRQG761

— Olaf Falafel (@OFalafel) March 27, 2021

Finally, and begrudgingly, I must discuss Bafana Bafana, and a dire failure to qualify for next year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.

Needing just a draw against Sudan, to book our place at the continent’s footballing showpiece, we were beaten 2-0.

Perhaps it’s a small mercy that neither SuperSport nor the SABC screened the match, which led to the official Bafana Bafana account tweeting out links to illegal online streams.

That tweet was soon deleted, but if you’re a sucker for punishment, you can watch the highlights below:

Let’s chat cricket, and a cracking finish to the five-match ODI series between India and England.

With the Poms looking down and out, Sam Curran battled back, and took them to within a few cleans hits of victory.

It was not to be, and England’s defeat meant they lost all three series on the tour.

We don’t have highlights to show you, but we can enjoy Joe Root bowling out Ben Stokes in the streets of London, from way back when, before COVID-19 was a thing:

Joe Root bowling Ben Stokes out in the streets of London.

Incredible send off 😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/roe1NgkZMd

— Cricket Mate. (@CricketMate_) March 28, 2021

At home, the Dolphins wrapped up the six-team franchise era with a crushing win over the Titans in Durban.

Despite weather delays, the Dolphins spinners had enough time to tweak their side to an innings and 76 runs victory, with the men from Pretoria mustering just 53 and 166 in response to the home side’s 295.

You can see that collapse for 53 in the package below:

Pakistan has touched down in South Africa, with the first match of the ODI series scheduled for Friday, April 2.

Which is a public holiday, to finish a four-day week, with a four-day week to follow.

Cheers to that.