Ken Borland

DURBAN, KwaZulu-Natal – Brian Harris was playing on his home course at Mount Edgecombe Country Club Estate but he still played out of his golf brogues as he helped his Swedish professional Fredrik From to victory in the Vodacom Origins of Golf Pro-Am on Wednesday.

Harris is a long-standing member of the North Coast club and he fired twin rounds of 79 off a nine handicap as he and From amassed 88 points in the 36-hole event.

And it was Harris collecting pars on the last two holes that played a crucial role in their victory, which understandably left the Senior golfer delighted.

“Fredrik the pro played pretty well and fortunately I was also able to help when it was really needed. Fredrik said to me with two holes left that ‘I don’t really want to tell you, but we are leading by two points’. Luckily I was able to finish with two pars, which was crucial,” Harris said after sealing his place in the Vodacom Origins of Golf Pro-Am Series final to be played at Sun City from January 25-28.

But before contemplating Sun City cocktails and golf at one of the most prestigious courses in the country in the new year, Harris praised Vodacom for surpassing his expectations in the first Origins of Golf Pro-Am he has played in.

“It was a magnificent tournament. I had been told so much previously about the Origins of Golf series but never played before, and it turned out to be just fantastic. I have been a Mount Edgecombe member for more than 20 years now, so fortunately I know the course well. And it was in outstanding condition, which is a tribute to Kevin Stone [director of golf at Mount Edgecombe CC] and his team,” the beaming Harris said.

Former South African Amateur representative Zethu Myeki from Randpark Golf Club won the women’s competition.

South Africa levelled their three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Saturday, winning the second ODI by 67 runs in a rain-affected match, victory being achieved through the medium of the traditional principles of winning 50-over cricket.

They won the toss and batted first, opener Janneman Malan getting a masterful 121 and the rest of the top-order supporting him in successive partnerships of 43, 96, 38 and 86.

With Heinrich Klaasen providing the explosive finish with his impressive 43 off 27 balls, South Africa were able to post a commanding 283 for six in 47 overs, the match being shortened due to a wet outfield after showers in the morning.

Ace fast bowler Kagiso Rabada then struck twice in the fifth over and, with medium-pacer Wiaan Mulder also chipping in with the new ball, Sri Lanka were rocked early on as they struggled to 19 for three.

And then the South African spinners took over, Keshav Maharaj, on his Proteas captaincy debut, squeezing the batsmen hard with one for 32 in eight overs, and Tabraiz Shamsi bringing his wicket-taking ability to the fore with a career-best five for 49 in 7.4 overs.

It was in impressive all-round display by the Proteas and there were several important contributors who supported the main stars.

Aiden Markram (21) helped ensure a solid start with the bat, before Reeza Hendricks came in and batted with beautiful fluency to stroke 51 off 54 balls and ensure the Proteas took momentum into the middle overs.

Malan went through tough times against spin, but his maturity and class were evident as he battled through and also overcame painful cramp attacks. He has now scored three centuries already in the eight ODIs he has played and he boasts the ridiculous, Bradmanesque average of 104.50.

Klaasen came in at 177 for three in the 36^th over and showed intent from the outset and his glovework was also sharp.

Rabada had taken two for 16 in six excellent overs up front, but then sprained his ankle and had to leave the field, but Mulder and Andile Phehlukwayo produced tidy seam bowling as well.

Charith Asalanka threatened to chase down Sri Lanka’s revised target of 265 in 41 overs after another rain delay when they were already four down, as he struck a dangerous 77 off just 69 balls. He and Dasun Shanaka (30) added 64 for the fifth wicket and Chamika Karunatne caused problems as well with his 36 off 23 deliveries before he was outfoxed by Maharaj.

Western Province came to Loftus Versfeld full of running and adventurous rugby, but it was the Bulls who scored the bulk of the tries – six of them – as they cruised to a 48-31 victory in their Currie Cup semifinal in Pretoria on Friday night.

Western Province were simply battered into submission by the Bulls pack, who dominated the set-pieces and bossed the collisions with utter ruthlessness. But it was far from 10-man rugby by the home side as flyhalf Johan Goosen not only kicked superbly out of hand and from the tee, but sparked the backline with his tremendously skilful passing and adept vision.

Goosen’s ability to spot space out wide and his skill in throwing long, flat passes across the face of the defence led to two tries in the first 10 minutes, putting the Bulls 17-0 ahead.

Western Province recovered from their hesitant start through the first of two tries to wing Edwill van der Merwe, but the Bulls’ mixture of power, great support play and running lines, and their eye for space saw them score three further tries before the break for a commanding 38-12 lead at halftime.

If Western Province were ever going to get back in the game, they needed to score a couple of tries early in the second half. They started well, with Van der Merwe going over for his second try after fullback Sergeal Petersen had broken through close to a ruck.

But Van der Merwe was denied his hat-trick try when the TMO ruled he did not have control of the ball when he finished superbly in the corner, despite the tackles of powerhouses Harold Vorster and Arno Botha. The winger was certainly not in touch and to rule he did not have control of the ball was a hopelessly harsh conclusion based on the replays.

Had the try stood, the gap could have closed to 26-38, but instead the dominant Bulls scrum won a penalty under their poles and the home side were back on attack.

With 12 minutes remaining, the exuberant Cornal Hendricks literally dived over the defence to score and seal the  triumph and an amazing performance by the Bulls.

Van der Merwe did eventually get his hat-trick try in the final minute, kicking through a dropped pass and then skinning Hendricks. Western Province’s one shining light is now off to the Lions though. Has rugby in the Western Cape ever been in such a dreadful state?

Scorers

Bulls – Tries: Cornal Hendricks (2), Johan Goosen, Arno Botha, Lionel Mapoe, Marcell Coetzee. Conversions: Goosen (6). Penalties: Goosen (2).

Western Province – Tries: Edwill van der Merwe (3), Hacjivah Dayimani, Andre-Hugo Venter. Conversions: Tim Swiel (3).

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber would have been delighted that his gamble in selection in bringing in several fresh faces and bodies for the opening Rugby Championship Test against Argentina paid off as his team dominated the contact areas en route to a comfortable 32-12 victory.

A new front row, centre pairing and back three was chosen for a crucial Test against difficult, physical opposition just a week after the gruelling series against the British and Irish Lions, and the energy they brought paid off as the Springboks made 21 less carries than Argentina but made 112 more metres with ball-in-hand. And the Pumas are generally considered to be one of the foremost teams when it comes to carrying the ball up.

“We made a few changes because of player welfare and the new guys coming in were nice and fresh. The guys who played last Saturday against the Lions are still a bit sore, but the new guys were climbing in today and we got a lot of energy from them. It’s only the second Test Argentina have lost since the World Cup and they’ve played New Zealand, Australia and Wales all twice.

“Our analysis and game-plan was spot-on though and the players really followed through. But we are only one-third of the way through our season and we have to box smart in terms of how we keep the players fresh. I compliment Daan Human on the new front row really taking their chance, he has an unbelievable vibe going in terms of competition between the front rowers,” Nienaber said on Saturday night.

It looked as if the Springboks would rue going to sleep a bit in the second half and not turning their dominance into more tries, and Nienaber admitted afterwards that he had forgotten that in the Rugby Championship the bonus point is awarded for scoring three more tries than the opposition and scoring four tries is not necessary.

The Springboks may have binned their marvellous display against the British and Irish Lions and are focused on defending their Rugby Championship title, but the mental challenge of getting up again after climbing such a high mountain in their last two games was also going to be a major factor against Argentina.

“We did really well because Argentina are a difficult team to play against. We had to try and keep our emotional intensity after the Lions series and that challenged us. We had to pull through somehow this week and I think it was a really excellent effort by the players,” Nienaber said.

The coach said the experience of players like Frans Steyn, who shored up the inside centre channel very effectively, Jesse Kriel and Elton Jantjies had also been a big factor in the Springboks being able to celebrate another victory.

“A lot went into this week after we had a couple of beers after winning the Lions series, and there was awesome work put in by the players. The guys were clued up and tuned in straight away and guys like Frans, Jesse and Elton brought nice stability. We needed some maturity out there and they brought a lot of calmness and composure,” Nienaber said.