Ken Borland

Anrich Nortje and an in-form Heinrich Klaasen are back in the ODI fold and Keshav Maharaj has been handed the captaincy in the absence of Temba Bavuma, but what will the Proteas want to get out of their three-match ODI series against world champions England that starts at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday afternoon?

The series does not form part of the Super League, so there are no crucial World Cup qualifying points at stake.

A settled batting line-up in both personnel and strategy

The injury to Temba Bavuma has created the opportunity for someone else to show what they can do in the top-order. Janneman Malan will want to continue his phenomenal ODI form (averaging 59 with a strike-rate of 87) as Quinton de Kock’s opening partner, while showing the ability to match his approach to the game situation.

Aiden Markram could shift into the No.3 position and have yet another chance to establish himself in the ODI team, while Reeza Hendricks and Khaya Zondo are also options. Zondo is more of a middle-order batsman for KZN, however, and so is probably competing with Rassie van der Dussen (average 71, strike-rate 88) or the in-form finishing duo of David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen for a place.

In what is perhaps a backhanded compliment, England have recalled leg-spinner Adil Rashid to their squad, and the left-handed Miller and Klaasen, arguably South Africa’s best player of spin, will be crucial in countering him.

ODI cricket is a new game these days and the Proteas batsmen have to show they are keeping up with the new strategic demands.

Fast bowlers who can make batsmen squirm

England’s batting line-up have been at the forefront of the bold new approach in ODIs. But India’s superb attack showed in their series win against them in the last week that high-quality pace bowling can defuse the threat.

The resting Kagiso Rabada will be missed, but fast bowler Nortje is back to provide the hard lengths and fiery pace that is difficult to hit, while Lungi Ngidi has been in fine form with the white ball in recent times and Marco Jansen brings left-arm heat which can be awkward.

Maharaj to avail himself of intel

Given England’s recent battering of the two teams who contested last year’s World Test Championship final – New Zealand and India – and the Proteas currently being No.1 in those standings, the Test series against England is probably the priority, especially with no Super League World Cup qualifying points at stake.

Keshav Maharaj, besides having another opportunity to showcase his captaincy skills, is probably delighted to be able to avail himself of the opportunity to get used to the English pitches. The left-arm spinner is an excellent ODI bowler, and the two wickets he took in the first over of the last warm-up against the England Lions showed what a factor he could be in the series.

De Kock the man to lead the batting

Now that he no longer has the burden of captaincy, Quinton de Kock will want to show he is the leader of the Proteas batting line-up. While his T20 form of late has been frustrating (last 6 innings, HS = 34, average 17.50, SR 110.53), he has been consistently superb in ODIs with 751 runs in his 14 innings since 2020, at an average of 53.64 and strike-rate of 101.34. The 29-year-old will want to show that he is still a man to be feared by bowlers.

Joey Mongalo, the man behind the Bulls’ defensive steel in recent years, will take over as the Sharks’ Currie Cup head coach next season, the union confirmed on Monday.

Sean Everitt will continue to be the senior coach steering the Sharks’ United Rugby Championship campaign, while Springbok Sevens coach Neil Powell will oversee all the coaches in his position of Director of Rugby, and will arrive at Kings Park in time for the start of the new European campaign in September.

Mongalo, a University of Pretoria Masters graduate, will get the chance to be a head coach again having won the U19 Currie Cup with the Lions in 2016 and 2017. His work as the Bulls defence coach from June 2020 was highly rated, with the franchise dominating local rugby with back-to-back Currie Cup titles as well as making the final of this year’s URC.

Etienne Fynn, who oversaw a disappointing Sharks Currie Cup campaign this year, will work under Mongalo as a scrum/forwards coach. Former Springbok wings JP Pietersen and Lwazi Mvovo, along with former Sharks U20 head coach Mike Vowles and former utility forward Luvuyiso Lusaseni, will make up the rest of Mongalo’s coaching staff.

The URC team has been boosted by the signing of former French international and Bayonne head coach Yannick Bru, who will fulfil the role of breakdown coach. Bru won the Champions Cup twice as a player with Toulouse, whom he also served as an assistant coach for five years, before becoming the French national team’s forwards coach.

Bru’s extensive knowledge of European rugby will obviously be of great value for the Sharks as they negotiate the challenges of taking on English and French clubs for the first time next season. He will be joined by Warren Whiteley, Phiwe Nomlomo, Noel McNamara and Aksventi Giorgadze as the URC assistant coaches.

Powell’s arrival after the Sevens World Cup in September will complete the new dawn of coaching at Kings Park.

“Neil will be at the helm, to develop and oversee all rugby structures within the Sharks and to ensure that our teams are aligned in terms of the identified coaching DNA,” Sharks CEO Eduard Coetzee said.

“He will implement and manage an effective plan to achieve the franchise’s objectives, which is ultimately to win trophies. He will oversee the United Rugby Championship, as well as our first foray in the Champions Cup.

“As a globally respected and admired coach, we are confident that he will get the best out of the players and bring a winning mindset to The Sharks. We look forward to him joining us before the start of the URC season in September.
“Although we made the playoffs of the URC and qualified for the Champions Cup, we want to be even more competitive. A strong foundation has been laid, and the time has come for us to build from this,” Coetzee said.

Having restricted world No.5 Belgium to just a 2-1 lead going into the final quarter, South Africa will burn with regret that they let their opening Women’s Hockey World Cup match slip and lost 4-1 at the weekend, making Tuesday’s clash against Japan vital if they are to make the quarterfinals.

A wonderful defensive effort by the 15^th-ranked South Africans saw them keep Belgium scoreless in the first 15 minutes, repelling 13 circle entries, seven penalty corners and seven shots at goal. But Belgium eventually broke through in the second quarter, with two penalty corner goals in a minute scored by Stephanie van den Borre.

But the setback did not douse the flame of returning coach Giles Bonnet’s team, and they fought back to dominate the closing stages of the first half, pulling the score back to 2-1 as debutant Jean-Leigh du Toit fired into goal from a short corner.

That gave them some momentum and belief, and the teams slogged out a goal-less, tight third quarter, South Africa being unable to convert from two penalty corners.

Unfortunately for the South Africans, it was the Europeans who took the game by the scruff of the neck in the final quarter and they were at their most dominant, winning seven penalty corners and creating 17 shots at goal. Charlotte Engelbert was open on the back post at a short corner and she finished easily, before adding her second goal when she reacted first from a save by goalkeeper Phumelela Mbande and fired into the bottom-left corner.

“We are in a very tough pool, but there’s always a surprise result in these tournaments and we hoped it would be us,” Bonnet said.

Having opened their campaign with a defeat, the South Africans play Japan on Tuesday at 6pm. Japan lost 2-0 to Australia in their opening match, so both teams will be desperate for a win to qualify for the quarterfinal crossover phase of the tournament, which is being staged in Spain and the Netherlands.

With the World Cup in France rapidly approaching, the selection of South Africa’s squad to face Wales in the incoming series in July will be under the spotlight.

Three former Springbok greats – Joel Stransky, the hero of South Africa’s 1995 World Cup triumph, 2007 World Cup winning captain John Smit, and Victor Matfield, the man of the match in the 2007 final -discussed who they would select at a function at the French embassy this week to unveil the tourism attractions in southern France.

Joel Stransky: “There should be one or two changes from the team we have seen in the past. There really must be an eye cast forward in selection to the World Cup, because Jacques will probably have to pick his squad in 12 months time.

“Some guys are getting on a bit. I don’t see Wales posing a formidable challenge given how they struggled in the Six Nations and lost to Italy. So it’s a chance to blood youngsters, certainly off the bench.

“He needs a fullback, Willie le Roux last year was already borderline and I don’t think Jacques should pick him. But who else is there? I don’t think Jacques will do it, but I would love to see Warrick Gelant play there, there’s Aphelele Fassi or maybe even Cheslin Kolbe has been suggested for fullback.

“But now’s the time, there were guys who have shone in the URC and you can’t ignore them. There are guys we all believe can play Test rugby, but my concern is that some of them have not even been at the alignment camps.”

John Smit: “The Springboks should use the Welsh games to see who the next eighthman, flyhalf and outside centre is. Other than that we have depth. I think Willie le Roux will still be at fullback, and we’ve got Aphelele Fassi and Warrick Gelant too, so there’s no drama in that position.”

Joel Stransky: “The problem is if we pick a similar squad to 2019 to play at the next World Cup then there’ll be half-a-dozen players 33 and over.”

Victor Matfield: “Whoever is going to play at the World Cup, no matter their age, they must play now. It was not a great year for the Boks in 2021 and they need to build a team and their confidence.

“There are one or two players who everyone says should be in the side, but they haven’t been at the alignment camps. Warrick Gelant and Evan Roos are unbelievable game-breakers.

“If you have one or two youngsters between the experienced players, then it will feel like they’re playing provincial rugby. But we’re not saying pick five or six new guys.”

Joel Stransky: “It might be better to pick the best 30 players now and, say one or two of them don’t step up, then you can always bring the older guys back in.”

John Smit: “The only worry with older players is that there is going to be a far bigger demand on athletes who can go the distance, so much depends on the capacity of players, the size of their engines and their ability to keep bouncing back on the field.”

Victor Matfield: “I don’t believe in testing players at Test level, but you need one or two players with x-factor that can bring the magic, otherwise you struggle to break teams down, especially with defences being so tight.

“Ruan Nortje is a fantastic player, but it’s unfortunate for him that we have four unbelievable second rowers: Eben Etzebeth is the best in the world, Lood de Jager is arguably second; there’s RG Snyman if he’s ready and Franco Mostert always adds value. Maybe Ruan will be in the group if there are a couple of injuries.”