Ken Borland

There may still be a lot of water to flow under the bridge in terms of LIV and a deal to unify golf once again, but the Stinger GC team, made up of four South Africans, is pushing ahead with plans to grow their popularity at home and ultimately bring the breakaway league to this country.

Latest reports suggest Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, LIV’s chief backers, is in advanced talks over buying a 6% investment in PGA Tour Enterprises.

Richard Glover, the general manager of Stinger GC, which comprises Louis Oosthuizen, Dean Burmester, Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel, says LIV is here to stay and eager to expand their presence in South Africa.

“It’s a team that really works and now we are trying to build a business brand for it. South Africans understand team sport and Stinger comprises four very authentic people, what you see is what you get with them. They are great friends and they have a great relationship,” Glover, who was previously the CEO of Tennis SA and a vice-president of the ATP Tour, told Rapport at Leopard Creek this week.

“I’m absolutely convinced LIV can work in South Africa and there is definitely an interest in hosting an event here. The when and the where are still open for discussion, but I believe there is a big opportunity for that moving forward. Maybe in 2026 or 2027?

“The obstacles are the exchange rate and the economic situation here, but LIV see it as a key market because of the history of golf here and the support base it has. LIV would resonate with our fans and it would be incredibly exciting to see some of the best golfers in the world up against our South African boys on their home turf.

“Ultimately we want to grow the Stinger and LIV brands here. We want to have a year-round footprint, so you will see Stinger clothing in the pro shops,” Glover said.

Burmester and Schwartzel were both in contention at the weekend in the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek, while Oosthuizen is the defending champion. There is clearly nothing wrong with the standard of play in LIV Golf.

“We’re still all competitors. It may be a different tour, but it’s definitely not the case that our games have become worse,” Schwartzel said. “There are great players on the LIV tour, names all the way through like Mickelson, Johnson, De Chambeau and Cam Smith, and we work extremely hard. We still arrive on the Monday and have an extra day to practise. Playing three rounds actually makes it harder to win because there is no let-up. I shot 71 on the first day here [Leopard Creek] and in LIV that would put you out of contention. With four rounds, you have more of a chance to make up the deficit. People who doubt the standard of play are just looking for excuses to criticise the tour.

Some of the brash new elements LIV have introduced would be considered terrible behaviour on the established tours, but this year’s event in Adelaide provided incredible entertainment.

Stinger GC and Ripper GC went head-to-head in a playoff for the title and the intensity was incredible, perhaps because they are the two teams with the strongest identities, being composed of South Africans and Australians respectively.

“Growing up, I played cricket and used to dream of the stadium-style contest. That was the closest I’ve got to experiencing that,” Burmester said. “There were thousands of people within yards of the golfers. I could barely make my backswing in some places, you’re asking 30 rows to move back. It was nervewracking and we lost, but it really helped my game.

“South Africa would be an incredible fit for LIV and there is work behind the scenes to make it happen, we are pulling on many strings. I feel we can create that Australian vibe, that stadium-style finish.”

Imagine a rematch at Sun City, South Africa versus Australia? With the Chasing the Sun documentary team doing behind-the-scenes coverage as they are currently doing for Stinger GC …

“That playoff was a critical moment for LIV and the scenes in Adelaide were incredible,” Glover said. “South Africa against Australia is always a grudge match because we both have such strong national identities. We would love a rematch with the Rippers!”

Pace bowling at the DP World Wanderers Stadium can be a rewarding occupation, but there is a great deal of precision and effort required to garner the success that Codi Yusuf has been enjoying for #ThePrideOfJozi.

The 26-year-old Yusuf took five for 71 in the first innings of the DP World Lions’ previous match at their Johannesburg fortress, and added the key wicket of Eddie Moore in the second innIngs as the men’s team beat World Sports Betting Western Province by 125 runs in their CSA 4-Day Series match that ended last weekend.

It was fine, fiery and skilful stuff from Yusuf and it is the sort of pressure-inducing bowling that he and the rest of the DP World Lions attack want to bring to their next match, against the Dafabet Warriors from Eastern Province, at the Wanderers from Thursday.

The convincing victory over Western Province was a repeat of last season’s thrilling final and it has taken #ThePrideOfJozi to the top of the standings, with two wins and a draw giving them 60.14 points. The defending champions have a healthy 13.74-point lead over the second-placed Momentum Multiply Titans.

“We are in a good position at the moment and you want to give yourself the best chance of winning the title, like we did last season when we had a home final,” Yusuf said. “We’ve got the majority of our games in the early part of the competition at home and that stands us in good stead. We are the defending champions and obviously we want to hang on to that trophy.

“We are gelling very well as an attack, so we will look to bring a lot more of the same. We look to play hard in the field, not give the opposition as much freedom to do their thing. It’s nothing too complicated, the DP World Wanderers pitch will give you a lot of help if you do the basics right.

“It’s our backyard so we do have a bit of an advantage and we know how to bowl on the slope. But your length is also extremely important. If you bowl a touch short then the ball will go over the stumps and the batsman gets the pace of the pitch better and the ball moves too early so they have extra time to adjust and get set.

“You don’t want to bowl full, but slightly fuller than back-of-a-length, you want to challenge the top of off-stump, get the batsman on the front foot as much as possible. And you also need energy on the ball,” Yusuf said.

Last season was the kindling for Yusuf to burst on to the scene as one of the most promising young fast bowlers in the country. Having previously struggled to nail down a regular place in the DP World Lions starting XI – in the three seasons between 2020/21 and 2022/23 he played just eight matches and took 17 wickets at 35.52 – in 2023/24 he played an integral part in the four-day triumph with 21 wickets in six games at an average of 33.57.So far this season, he is going even better, with 13 wickets in three matches at just 23.61.

“I’ve learnt a lot in the last two seasons and I think I’ve played my role better. It’s nice to be able to lead the attack, I enjoy the responsibility. I’m feeling good at the moment, I’m in very good rhythm even though I’ve had a bit of a no-ball problem,” the University of Johannesburg alumnus said.

Yusuf’s growing standing in the local game has been underlined by his appearances for the Paarl Royals in the first two editions of the Betway SA20 league, and he was also chosen to represent the SA A team at the start of this summer.

The Knysna-born Yusuf is certainly in Elysium in terms of where his career is at, speaking with great enthusiasm about both the DP World Lions and the Royals franchise.

“It’s just very exciting, a lot of life-changing things are happening for me at the moment. The SA20 is coming now and that has allowed players like me to get more exposure, a lot more people can see what I’m about.

“It also helped me here at the DP World Lions because Russell Domingo saw me bowl at 145 against his Sunrisers Eastern Cape team, he saw there was more about me and he backed me in T20 as well.

“We are enjoying a lot of success as a union, we have an unbelievable coaching staff with a lot of knowledge. I just try to be a sponge and learn as much as I can from them. So I’m definitely very excited for the next few years, I just want to learn more and progress in the game,” Yusuf said at the announcement that DP World are now a logistics partner of the Betway SA20.

For now, Yusuf and his team-mates are focused on ensuring the DP World Lions do not slip up against the winless Warriors, to ensure they go into their break from four-day cricket still firmly ensconced at the top of the log.

The excellent build-up for the new SA20 tournament continued this week with the news that Sky Sports in the UK have signed a five-year deal to also show the tournament, expanding the global reach of the new T20 league and also bringing in some much-needed hard currency.

With the tournament kicking off in Cape Town next Tuesday evening in Cape Town, everything would seem to be in place for the SA20 to explode into the consciousness of cricket fans.

While co-owners SuperSport will obviously have the African broadcast rights for the league, the all-important Indian market was sown up by the 10-year deal signed with Viacom 18, the dynamic new entertainment network that is growing rapidly on the subcontinent. They are believed to be paying at least $240 000 per game, so this year’s 33 matches will bring in nearly $8 million (R135 million).

Contracts are also being finalised to ensure the tournament is broadcast in other major cricket markets like Australia/New Zealand and the Caribbean.

There is a title sponsor in BetWay, who have signed a “multi-year” deal, and CSA are intimating that the league will make a profit in its first year, having earlier predicted a five-year wait before the SA20 would be in the black.

One does still wonder, however, about a few finer details.

Is a run of five successive fixtures between February 3-7 on the Highveld – with matches at both the Wanderers and SuperSport Park on February 4 – going to enjoy good crowds? The semi-finals follow from February 8 and there is a good chance either the Joburg Super Kings or Pretoria Capitals will be involved in those too.

And is the tournament loadshedding-proof and, if so, are those emergency back-up measures not going to significantly decrease profits?

But here’s hoping for some magnificent action to take our minds off all the troubles currently surrounding South African cricket, never mind the country as a whole.

Having looked into my crystal ball, I would, if forced to, put money on a MI Cape Town versus Paarl Royals final.

MI Cape Town, in particular, have a marvellous attack – Jofra Archer, Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada and Rashid Khan could bowl 16 of their 20 overs, which leaves opposition batsmen with plenty of thinking to do when it comes to taking them on.

Gauteng may be the financial capital of South Africa but Durban is rapidly becoming the rugby capital as the Sharks confirmed the mega-signing of Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth on Thursday, on a long-term deal that will keep him at Kings Park from July until 2027.

Thanks to the cash cow that is their equity partners, Etzebeth will move from being one of the highest-paid players in France while he was with Toulon, to one of the highest earning players in South Africa, as befits a veteran of 97 Tests and a perennial contender for any World XV. Although the Sharks cannot come close to matching the reported R20 million a year Toulon were paying him, Durban offers other perks in terms of lifestyle and networking with the range of leading businesspeople who have invested in the franchise.

A happy Etzebeth will mean the Sharks’ tight five will be getting a considerable boost.

“I’m looking forward to coming to the Sharks and living in Durban, and I expect this to be a wonderful chapter in my career,” Etzebeth said in a statement released by the Sharks on Thursday.
“Family and being closer to home was a big motivating factor, as well as being able to represent a great team like the Sharks. I can see things are happening there.

“Siya Kolisi is there and we’ve been friends since were in the provincial U19s together and now we will get to play for the Sharks together.

“Along with my Springbok team-mates Bongi Mbonambi, Makazole Mapimpi, Lukhanyo Am, Thomas du Toit, all guys I know well. I’m also really excited to meet a few new guys,” Etzebeth said.

The 30-year-old admitted to being impressed with what the Sharks have managed to build so far.
“I’m looking forward to playing at the Shark Tank, the local derbies against the Bulls, Stormers and Lions will be awesome,” Etzebeth said. “I’m looking forward to being back in South Africa and playing in front of the Sharks fans there.”
“I chatted to Siya, I gave Thomas a call and chatted to them. Off the field things work, on the field we can see things are working and the team is doing well.

“I enjoyed watching the last game against the Bulls and the victory away from home, and this is a brand I definitely want to be associated with and which I’m proud to be joining,” Etzebeth said. “Attracting a player of Etzebeth’s calibre underlines the importance the Sharks place on building a winning squad, which is aligned to the vision of being the biggest franchise in world rugby,” said CEO Eduard Coetzee.
“We’re also focused on building a strong group of players for a number of years, not just the immediate future, and Eben’s long-term contract reflects this.”