Ken Borland

Players who drop potentially crucial catches in the penultimate over of a tense ODI normally wish to remain anonymous, but Rassie van der Dussen did not have that luxury because it was his brilliant century, his first hundred for the national team, that had kept the Proteas in contention in the opening match of the series against Pakistan at Centurion on Friday.

Van der Dussen’s superb 123 not out off 134 balls lifted South Africa to 273 for six after they had slumped to 55 for four. The 32-year-old was himself dropped before he had scored, Asif Ali diving full length at second slip but failing to hold on to a very tough chance off Shaheen Shah Afridi, but no-one was talking about that catch after the game.

Instead, the talking point was the even more difficult, steepling catch Shadab Khan offered to Van der Dussen at deep midwicket off Lungi Ngidi with Pakistan needing 13 off nine balls to win. It was during that awkward period after the sun has set and floodlights are yet to take full effect, and the fielder had to race in from the boundary to try and take the catch. Shadab survived, getting two runs and Pakistan went on to win off the last ball of the match.

“It was a half-chance and if I was able to get under it earlier then things could have gone our way. But it was twilight and the floodlights hadn’t really taken effect yet and I barely got fingertips to it. But that’s just sport, it’s a game of fine margins and as a professional sportsman you have to be ready for that decisive moment. The bowlers fought brilliantly but it just didn’t go our way,” Van der Dussen explained.

Far more attention should be played to his determined effort with the bat though. A strike-rate of 91.79 may be considered relatively sedate in this day and age, but with South Africa sent in to bat at 10am on a tacky pitch and a trio of excellent Pakistani pacemen bowling with great discipline, it was no leisure cruise for Van der Dussen.

“You want to perform under pressure and we were early on, but I managed to get us to a competitive total. You have to assess conditions and the pitch was a bit difficult with the toss playing a big role. On the Highveld it’s always difficult in that first hour, hour-and-a-half, because the pitch retains moisture which allows the ball to sit up, it’s a bit two-paced and it’s difficult to hit through the line.

“It’s challenging batting first and you just try and give the team a base that they can capitalise on towards the end. But we lost wickets so our backs were against the wall early on. To get to that score was really positive, but the pitch got a lot better, getting flatter and it becomes really difficult to defend, the batsmen can score quite freely. I give a lot of credit to the bowlers because normally teams in that situation get home with five or six overs to spare,” Van der Dussen said.

A 136-minute 44 not out by opener Janneman Malan has kept the Cape Cobras in with a chance of victory going into the final day of their 4-Day Domestic Series match against the Warriors at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth on Tuesday.

Malan’s resolute innings lifted the Cobras from a shaky 52 for three as, with wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne showing the same determination in batting out 41 balls for six not out, they reached stumps on 82 for three. The visitors therefore need another 183 runs on the last day to post their first win of the season, after the Warriors fought back strongly from a first-innings deficit of 61.

The Warriors took their overnight score of 91 for two to 325 all out, thanks to Rudi Second notching his second century in successive matches, a classy 114 off 154 deliveries with 18 fours.

His third-wicket stand of 167 with captain Yaseen Vallie (57) was the foundation of the Warriors’ comeback. Lesiba Ngoepe chipped in with a quickfire 30 and Sinethemba Qeshile (30*) and Glenton Stuurman (22) then added 42 important runs for the ninth wicket just to ensure the challenge was stiff for the Cobras batsmen in the final innings.

The target of 265 became even more daunting when Mthiwekhaya Nabe removed Zubayr Hamza (19) and Tony de Zorzi (0) with successive deliveries.

Calvin Savage was earlier the best of the Cobras bowlers with four for 81 in 22 overs.

Rassie van der Dussen’s tenacious 107 not out was the only thing standing between the Knights and a walk in the park to victory over the Imperial Lions in their match in Bloemfontein.

But Van der Dussen has already been dismissed in the Lions’ follow-on innings, caught in the slips off Duan Jansen for 14 on the last ball before rain stopped play, the Lions struggling to stumps on 43 for two, still 167 runs behind.

The Lions began the third day well-placed on 124 for two, but spinner Shaun von Berg caused a major collapse when he trapped Wesley Marshall lbw for 38.

With only Van der Dussen providing much resistance, the Lions lost their last seven wickets for 63 runs as Von Berg took five for 93 in 28 overs in a fine display of leg-spin bowling.

Von Berg dismissed Marshall for 2 in the follow-on innings and the in-form Dominic Hendricks (27*) will have to bat long for the Lions on the final day.

It was a great weekend in SuperRugby for the two expansion sides from Argentina and Japan, while the Sharks and Lions kept the South African flag flying.

It has certainly been a good two weeks for the Sunwolves, with successive wins. It takes time to settle in a competition as demanding as SuperRugby, and this was even true for the Jaguares, who are basically a full national team.

The Stormers never settled in the heat of Hong Kong and it was really hot, especially at 1pm when the game kicked off in scorching temperatures. Even though the final result was close, the Stormers never really looked like winning the game. Their tries came from Sunwolves’ mistakes, two of them from an intercept try and a crosskick, and they weren’t really constructed by the visitors.

What was concerning was that there were three occasions when the Stormers tried to launch from lineouts, but there were knock-ons in the set-up play. When that happens you just cannot build any pressure on the opposition.

You have to credit the Sunwolves for being bold and working their way down the field for the matchwinning drop goal by Hayden Parker. But if the Stormers’ defensive line had come up harder they could have certainly charged down that kick because Parker went left first and then right, but they just did not put enough pressure on him.

The Bulls were really poor in Buenos Aires and all their good work against the Sharks has been undone. From the first minute, when Ivan van Zyl’s exit kick was charged down and then Warrick Gelant totally missed the ball when he tried to kick, they were under pressure.

They were pinned back in their 22 with sheer line-speed by the Jaguares and they were manhandled at forward. I just thought the Bulls were very sluggish, they didn’t get around the corner and they could not set properly in defence. Perhaps the hard physical battle with the Sharks took it out of them and then it’s a helluva flight to Buenos Aires with a long layover in Sao Paulo. The Bulls’ tight forwards were not at their best, they’re not normally so unaggressive.

But you have to give credit to the Jaguares, to put fifty on the Bulls is something nobody else has managed to do this year and they are clearly getting their development structure right. Coach Mario Ledesma was in Australian rugby for so long and he is employing some of the same systems. An example is Nicolas Sanchez standing at the hooker position in lineout defence, which is similar to what Bernard Foley does at the Waratahs and Wallabies, they hide away their flyhalf.

You also see the Australian influence in their will to move the ball and keep it alive, plus they are now more rugby fit. To win four games in a row away from home was phenomenal and the Jaguares will be a handful in any playoff game.

The Jaguares’ match against the Sharks this weekend is a key game and it will also be interesting to see how Argentina then do in their June Tests against Wales and Scotland, how their players cope back at international level.

It was good to see the Sharks beat a depleted Chiefs side and their only disappointment will be that they did not get the bonus point, which could be vital the way the South African Conference is going.

The Lions struggled a lot against the Brumbies but their forward pack and lineout maul took them through. It was also the sort of match where Rohan Janse van Rensburg is so valuable because in those one-on-one situations he can always break the tackle.

The Lions will certainly be pleased to get back to winning ways and the victory keeps them in control of the conference. Their rolling maul was devastating, back to its best, and it kept them in the game in the first half. They will also be pleased with how well their scrum went – they struggled a bit at the start but just improved more and more.

Elton Jantjies also grew in confidence, even after the red-card incident in which Rory Arnold definitely gave him a premeditated smack to the head, which is good for the Springboks because I see him being the starting flyhalf.

With Swys de Bruin as the attacking consultant for the Springboks, it looks like a smart move by Rassie Erasmus to let Elton play with his mentor there to get the best out of him. It will also be good for Swys, but he’s going to be very tired working through three Tests and then getting straight back to SuperRugby; but his first time in the national set-up will certainly have him enthused.

In terms of the Springbok squad announcement this weekend, there are certainly some new guys who deserve a chance. Warrick Gelant is certainly an example of that, he should definitely be in the mix and I would play him at fullback. He’s an exciting runner and he has good feet, plus he has done some phenomenal things with ball-in-hand, he makes magic happen.

Aphiwe Dyantyi of the Lions is brave and good in the air and he has been so good on the wing that it was a surprise to see him played in the centres last weekend, where he doesn’t have that same freedom.

Travis Ismaiel also played really well, with power and precision, when he was fit and one wonders whether Erasmus will be brave enough to have two uncapped wings feature in his plans.

I think Faf de Klerk will play scrumhalf with Jantjies, there seems a good chance of that halfback pairing, and in terms of the forwards, the Springboks should have a really strong pack, and Erasmus will be hoping for no more injuries in this last round of SuperRugby before the international break.

A guy like Marco van Staden may come into it – he does all the right things, he’s hard to shift off the ball and I can imagine him playing with Jean-Luc du Preez and Duane Vermeulen in the loose trio.

Rassie could go with Francois Louw, but there are only 17 Tests left before the World Cup. You do need massive experience to win a World Cup knockout game, but you don’t want to get to the final year and have to blood new players. You need to get those guys into the mix now for the World Cup.

Guys like Jesse Kriel and Damian de Allende have been part of the Springboks for the last three or four years, which is what you want going into World Cup year.

It’s also worth noting that Japan in September will be hot and you need young and vibrant players. It will be very different to playing in Europe, it will be hot and humid.

Test matches are like cup finals and Erasmus needs to win every one for the South African public. He needs to win series and to do that against England would be a great way to start his tenure, an excellent achievement.

John McFarland is the assistant coach of the Kubota Spears in Japan and was the Springbok defence coach from 2012 through to the 2015 World Cup, where they conceded the least line-breaks in the tournament and an average of just one try per game. Before that, McFarland won three SuperRugby titles (2007, 09, 10) with the Bulls and five Currie Cup crowns with the Blue Bulls. In all, he won 28 trophies during his 12 years at Loftus Versfeld.

An inspired batting performance by the Titans as they posted the highest ever score in CSA T20 Challenge history led them to victory over the Highveld Lions in Centurion on Wednesday night and kept them in first place on the log with one match remaining.

The Titans, led by opener Jonathan Vandiar’s 67 off 41 balls, scored 230 for five in their 20 overs after being sent in to bat, all seven batsmen who came to the crease making a contribution.

It improved on the 225 for six the Eagles, as the Knights were then known, scored against the Lions in Potchefstroom in 2004/5, the first season of domestic T20.

The Lions were in with a shout while Rassie van der Dussen was blazing 45 off 18 balls up front, but Malusi Siboto picked up three wickets in two overs and eventually they could only score 184 for seven in their 20 overs.

David Wiese was outstanding with the ball, taking one for 21 in four overs.

The Warriors produced an incredible batting performance of their own in East London as they chased down 217 with an over to spare to beat the Dolphins thanks to Jon-Jon Smuts’ great innings of 107 not out off just 58 balls.

The Titans, who gained a crucial bonus point, play their last game against the Warriors, who are two points behind them but have a game in hand. That match on Sunday will decide whether the final is held up in Centurion or down in the Eastern Cape.

The Lions are now in danger of losing out on a playoff spot to the Cape Cobras, who replaced them in third place after their bonus point win over the Knights at Newlands, thanks to outstanding all-round games from Kieron Pollard and Wayne Parnell, and a typically hard-hit half-century from Richard Levi.

The Lions just struggled to take wickets against their northern neighbours with Aiden Markram (27 off 23), Heinrich Klaasen (26 off 15), Heino Kuhn (29 off 11), Albie Morkel (32 off 17), Farhaan Behardien (19* off 9) and Wiese (17* off 5) all chipping in around Vandiar.

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