The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Champions South Africa set several milestones in their blitz of Namibia
- Player of the Year award a wide open affair
- Sapura expect red-hot Azreen to trouble the big guns
| Champions South Africa set several milestones in their blitz of Namibia Posted: 22 Sep 2011 06:09 PM PDT RUGBY WORLD CUP DEFENDING champions South Africa broke their own Rugby World Cup points record with an 87-0 blitz of doughty Namibia to all but seal a place in the quarter–finals at North Harbour yesterday. The Springboks didn't quite replicate their landslide 105-13 win of their African neighbours four years ago but they still finished with 12 tries, seven of them coming in the final 20 minutes as the floodgates opened. It was a night of milestones with the Springboks bettering their previous record winning RWC margin of 66 points against Uruguay in 2003. South Africa also equalled their own record run of 10 unbeaten games at the World Cup and former IRB Player of the Year Bryan Habana set a new Springbok try–scoring record with his 39th career try. Winger Gio Aplon, replacement back Juan de Jongh and scrum–half Francois Hougaard all scored try doubles with fly–half Morne Steyn finishing with 20 points. "Pretty pleased, making progress. In the first half, we got stuck into a few bad habits. But we refocused at halftime, switched our game and got into a bit more shape. We needed the game time," said Springboks skipper John Smit. The Namibians gave it a crack and held the Springboks to 31-0 at halftime before the effort told and their defensive line cracked wide open. South Africa moved to 14 points at the top of Group D, eight ahead of Samoa and nine ahead of Wales, needing only one more point in their final group game against Samoa next week to clinch a berth in the last eight. The Springboks have now collected 153 points in their three games at the World Cup and are moving ominously into form ahead of a likely quarter–final with Australia. Habana finally overtook Joost van der Westhuizen to establish a new Springbok try–scoring record with his team's second try in the 22nd minute. Right winger Aplon, who proved a handful for Namibia, scored the opening try after seven minutes helped by centres Jaque Fourie and Frans Steyn. But the Springbok scoring was stalled by dropped ball and wayward lineout throws until Habana scooted clear after a great cut–out pass from lock Danie Rossouw. The Springbok pack was relentless with loosehead Gurthro Steenkamp prominent and were awarded a penalty try in the 30th minute after attempts for a pushover try. Fourie extended his Springbok record for most career tries as a centre to 28 when he scored off a clever Frans Steyn offload. Fourie has now scored nine tries in the World Cup. Fourie's try claimed South Africa a scoring bonus point and a 31-0 halftime lead. The impressive Frans Steyn crossed nine minutes after the interval off a Pierre Spies offload and Morne Steyn's conversion pushed the Boks to a 38-0 lead. Morne Steyn's last act was to convert his own 60th–minute try from the sideline for seven out of seven kicks before he was replaced along with Frans Steyn and Steenkamp. He finished with 20 points from a try, six conversions and a penalty. The tries began to flow late in the half as the Namibians got tired with Aplon nabbing his second and replacement de Jongh and Hougaard helping themselves to doubles. – AFP |
| Player of the Year award a wide open affair Posted: 22 Sep 2011 06:08 PM PDT ATLANTA: With Tiger Woods no longer the dominant force he once was, the race for the 2011 PGA Tour's Player of the Year award is intriguingly wide open. Six players have won twice on the US circuit this season – Steve Stricker, Bubba Watson, Nick Watney, Mark Wilson, Keegan Bradley and Webb Simpson – while world number one Luke Donald has been Mr. Consistency. The days of Woods racking up multiple titles, and probably two Majors along the way, are a fading memory and speculation about who might win this year's award has sparked wide debate among the players. "Player of the Year is much more interesting now than it was for about the last 10 years," Geoff Ogilvy told reporters on the eve of this week's season–ending Tour Championship. "There's actually a discussion." Asked where he would place the greatest significance in casting his own vote on the players' ballot, Ogilvy replied: "Consistency to me is always very impressive because it's hard to do that. "It's not easy to win any week, but it's probably easier to win one tournament than it is to be consistent. That blows me away. People who play well every week are incredible. "But we don't play golf to be consistent, we play golf to win big tournaments, so I guess the successful guy is the guy who wins big tournaments. There's no obvious Player of the Year this year." Britain's Donald, who has been the most consistent player in the game over the last 12 months but has to yet to win a Major, agreed. "It is a little bit open," the Englishman said. "There might be a few guys who have more of a shout than others, but I think a win this week would sway a lot of people's minds. "No one has really dominated as much as they have when Tiger was winning. A few guys have won two events this year, but there's no clear–cut winner." Woods, a 14–time Major champion, has been voted Player of the Year 10 times in the last 14 years with Mark O'Meara (1998), Vijay Singh (2004), Padraig Harrington (2008) and Jim Furyk (2010) breaking up his monopoly. However, Woods has been a shadow of his once–dominant self after losing form and fitness following the break–up of his marriage and no other player has managed to take over as a serial winner in a single season. There have been four different Major champions this year – Charl Schwartzel (Masters), Rory McIlroy (US Open), Darren Clarke (British Open) and Bradley (PGA Championship). For Matt Kuchar, the 2011 vote should probably go to Donald who won the prestigious WGC–Accenture Match Play Championship and has recorded a season–best 12 top–10s in 17 starts. "Right now, I'd have to pick Luke Donald," said the American world number eight. "Keegan Bradley, having won the PGA and having won another tournament as well, has thrown his hat in that conversation. "But Luke Donald, being so consistent and taking over the number one spot in the world and retaining it, is proving that he's been the best player in the world. He plays steady every week and always seems to have a chance." –Reuters |
| Sapura expect red-hot Azreen to trouble the big guns Posted: 22 Sep 2011 06:07 PM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Azreen Rizal Nasir is going great guns for Sapura in the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL) and much is expected of him as his team prepare to face the top guns. The 22-year-old Penang-born player has scored five goals in two matches and Sapura expect him to continue firing on all cylinders in the next two weeks. Sapura play UniKL today and Nur Insafi and UiTM next weekend. Sapura coach I. Vickneswaran said that Azreen had matured as a player since joining Sapura in 2009. "He was just a fringe player in the last two years, drifting in and out of the national training squad," he said. "But all that changed when he received a last-minute call-up to the Guangzhou Asian Games team last year. He has since become a regular." All five of Azreen's goals have been from field attempts. He scored a hat-trick against Armed Forces on Sept 18 and followed it up with a brace in the 3-2 win over Maybank on Wednesday. But Azreen is not an out-and-out forward. Instead, he operates from the midfield, where he partners S. Kuhan and Mohd Marhan Jalil. "He gets into a lot of space by coming in from behind. So, he often finds himself in good scoring positions. The team work is also good and there is good support from those around him," said Vickneswaran. Sapura plan to collect full points against UniKL today in the hope that it will keep them at the top end of the standings. Sapura are second in the standings with six points, trailing Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) on goal difference. But Vickneswaran knows it won't be easy against a UniKL side who are desperate to collect full points after dropping two in their opening draw with UiTM. Besides, UniKL will be in high spirits after the morale-boosting 4-3 win over YNS on Wednesday lifted them into third spot, two points behind the joint leaders. |
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