30 Sport PRETORIA NEWS THURSDAY NOVEMBER 10 2016

THE DEFENDING champions in the competition once known as the RamSlam, but which goes without a sponsor in 2016/17, believe they will be in the mix to win it once more but the absence of key contributors to last season’s triumph is cause for concern.

The Titans – who unlike the title they’re defending do have a sponsor in the form of Multiply – start off this season’s campaign at the Wanderers on Saturday evening, playing a second ‘Jukskei derby’ in a week against the Highveld Lions. And while Albie Morkel acknowledged that experienced heads like himself, David Wiese, Heino Kuhn and Farhaan Behardien remain, the absence of Quinton de Kock, who’s with the Proteas Down Under, Chris Morris through injury and Tabraiz Shamsi, also in Australia, robs them of a trio of match-winners.

De Kock was the leading run-scorer last season, Morris the top wicket-taker, while Shamsi, the left-arm wrist spinner provided aggression allied with mystery. “Especially the two bowlers, that will hurt us, we have to be smarter with the ball this season,” said Titans skipper Morkel.

The Titans will employ an attack most likely featuring bowlers who have starred for them in the Sunfoil Series, including Rowan Richards, Wiese and Lungi Ngidi and spin will come from leg-spinner Shaun von Berg.

Fortunately, explained Morkel, those players are in form having helped the Titans overcome a slow start to the season, which saw them lose

TITANS HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO RETAIN T20 TITLE – MORKEL

EDDIE JONES’ England are on the rise – they are unbeaten in nine games under his tenure and are the Six Nations cham-pions to boot. They’ve achieved this success in a relatively short period, mainly due to the rejuvenated commitment that Jones has instilled into this players. Here, WYNONA

LOUW looks at the six key men that drive this new look England.

OWEN FARRELL

What comes to mind first when one thinks of Owen Farrell is his boot. And the fact that he seldom misses a kick at goal. But there’s much more to him than just his deadly precision. Farrell is a real game manager and he is a player who can get into his

opposition’s mind. Whether it’s telling touch judges where the line-out should be, shouting at his teammates to “smash ‘em” (their opposite man) or making hit after hit, he is a lot to deal with. So whether he pulls the strings at No 10 or leads the defensive line at No 12, Farrell is a man to watch.

BILLY VUNIPOLA

I shudder to think of what this No 8 can do to opposition defences, especially poorly organised ones. He describes his style of play as a fourth front-rower, and it’s easy to see why. Vunipola’s sheer strength and power is as close to a human train as can be, and that can be seen in his ability to break through defences and get over

the gain line. But any strong man can break through tackles when the momentum is going. Vunipola, however, can do it from a standing start. On many occasions it has taken up to five players to stop him. Defenders, beware.

CHRIS ROBSHAW

An openside flanker (although he plays more like a hybrid between six and seven), Chris Robshaw has an incredibly high work-rate, both offensively and defensively. His tackling is relentless and he does a great deal of the unseen graft as well. So, I think it’s safe to say the Boks can’t afford to slack at the breakdowns on Saturday.

MAKU VUNIPOLA

They say bad luck comes in threes, so luckily for the Boks there isn’t a third Vunipola brother in the England squad ... The Saracens loosehead prop is not exactly known for his scrummaging prowess, but he makes up for that by usually ending up as one of the top tacklers in a match. Oh, and let’s not forget about those barnstorming carries. He was an influential figure during England’s 3-0 series whitewash of Australia in June, and whether it’s Vunipola or bad boy Joe Marler that will pack down in the No 1 jersey against Allister Coetzee’s charges, it’s going to be tough up front.

COURTNEY LAWES

There are few things that can rattle a player more than a thumping hit during a game. And no-one will know that better than anybody who has ever had the pleasure of being tackled by this man, who can play at lock or loose forward. Needless to say, England can enjoy capitalising on many dislodged balls and fumbled passes by their opponents if this man gets a shot this weekend. Oh, just to clarify if anything is unclear; Lawes of course usually targets the halfback pairing (as he should). So, a friendly note to the lucky men who will wear the green and gold No 9 and 10 jerseys at Twickenham – don’t let him get you off your game. Now back to Lawes, all I’m going

to add is that his line speed is phenomenal for such a big man, which makes the impact of those tackles even worse.

GEORGE FORD

Just like Farrell, George Ford is spot-on with his kicking out of hand and at goal. He helped England become a real attacking force when he got to wear the England flyhalf jersey alongside Johnathan Joseph after Farrell sustained an injury that ruled him out of the 2015 Six Nations. Ford’s agility is deceptive. He is an elusive athlete with ball in hand and glides and slides through defenders. His attacking abilities provide England with a real spark to keep them on the front foot when attacking. He pulls the strings with his wide array of passes and kicks, chips and flicks. So all in all, there’s no telling what magic Ford will dish out.

Six of England’s best set to do battle with Boks

STUA

STUART HESS their first two games, and surge to the top of the Sunfoil Series table. “For us the most pleasing aspect from the four-day competition is that a number of guys have made big contributions and most of them will be in the T20 side. As captain of the T20 team I know I can pick players who are in form, there’s no need to hide anyone.”

In de Kock’s absence, young Aiden Markram, who’s scored two hundreds and a half-century in three innings in the Sunfoil Series, will be given a chance at the top of the order, something that excites the elder statesman Morkel. “Aiden’s been making lots of runs, I’m not sure how he will go in this format, so there’s a bit of an unknown factor there, but it’s exciting.”

The Titans’ strength is in their middle order where Morkel, Wiese, Behardien and Qaasim Adams, provide an experienced power hitting unit that can certainly change the course of an innings.

Morkel cited the Knights as being one of the major contenders for this year’s crown. “The Knights have made some smart signings,” said Morkel of the franchise that will contain Dave Miller, Theunis de Bruyn and Marchant de Lange in their line-up. The first clash between the two teams on November 18 in Benoni is certainly shaping up as one not to miss in the opening week of the competition. The Knights will meet the Cape Cobras in the first match of Saturday’s double header at the Wanderers, at 1pm.

The Lions remain a threat according to the Titans captain. “They win most of their games through their spinners, they slow the game down very well,” he said.

Paige turner for BoksScrumhalf will have to be at his best if the Springboks are to down England

RUDY Paige had finally got his start for the Springboks when he

ran on at his home ground of Loftus Versfeld to take on Aus-tralia during the Rugby Cham-pionship.

That was just over a month ago on October 1, and the tears were streaming down the face of the 27-year-old from Hei-delberg in the Western Cape during the national anthem.

It was as if he had come full circle after the “trauma” he had to endure at the Rugby World Cup last November, when he was brought on for the last three minutes of the third-place play-off against Argen-tina by then-coach Heyneke Meyer, despite the Boks hav-ing already secured the victory well before the end of what was essentially a meaningless game.

Paige did what he does best in the Wallaby game – clear-ing the ball out quickly to his flyhalf, making good decisions and not hesitating at the break-downs, and putting in a few accurate kicks and courageous tackles.

He was everything the lively but erratic Faf de Klerk was not, and he was here to stay.

But then Kane Douglas’ trailing knee struck Paige’s head, and he left the field in the 57th minute, missing the next week’s Test against the world champion All Blacks in Durban.

So, Saturday’s massive en-counter against England repre-sents almost a second coming for Paige.

He was highly efficient again in last week’s tour opener against the Barbarians, but it’s all about the big occasion at Twickenham.

Paige will face the biggest game of his career, for a num-ber of reasons, and some of those are not of his own doing – the Boks come off a 57-point pummelling against New Zea-land, they are embarking on a more positive style of play, and the fit-again Pat Lambie is likely to start ahead of Elton Jantjies.

Paige had Morné Steyn alongside him at Loftus, and both men were well-versed in

what was required in familiar surroundings.

Plus Wallaby scrumhalf on the day, veteran Will Genia, is not the force he used to be.

But with Lambie outside him, Paige will encounter a totally different environment if he wears the No 9 jersey, as expected, against England. There is a 60 percent chance of rain forecast for London on Saturday, with a maximum temperature of 11°C and a bit of a breeze.

So, the pitch will be slip-pery and the ball even more so, while it will be chilly and wet as well, all of which will make life very difficult for a scrumhalf.

Not only that, but England boast two fine half-backs in Ben Youngs and Danny Care, who have contrasting styles.

Youngs is the same age as Paige (27), but is vastly experi-enced with 63 Test caps com-pared to the five of the South African.

Youngs is renowned for his quick feet and pace across the ground, and has a strong kick-ing game, too.

He controls the tempo of the game for England as much as flyhalf George Ford does, and could prove to be a handful for Paige.

Care, though, is a more abrasive No 9 who likes to take on the defence and run with the ball, and enjoys getting stuck in on defence, too.

His tactical kicking is not as good as Youngs’, but he makes up for it in all the other areas.

There are still a lot of doubt-ers out there about whether he is the best option for the Boks, with Francois Hougaard’s in-jury perhaps having made it easier for coach Allister Coet-zee to go with Paige following the Lions’ De Klerk’s struggles during the Rugby Champion-ship.

But Paige must continue where he left off against Aus-tralia.

He needs to be sure in his decision-making, feed the back-line, kick well and defend hero-ically.

If he can do that on Sat-urday, it will go a long way to establishing himself as the first-choice No 9, and could just be the catalyst for an unlikely Bok win.

ASHFAK MOHAMEDCape Town

QUICK SERVICE IS KEY: Rudy Paige faces the toughest Test of his young international career when he runs on to the field to face England on Saturday. His speed behind the breakdowns will be vital for the Springboks. PICTURE: BACKPAGEPIX

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Chilemba looks beyond Gvozdyk

AFTER failing to dethrone Sergey Kovalev as light heavyweight king of both the World Boxing Associ-ation (WBA) and the World Boxing Association (WBA) in July, Isaac Chilemba feels he is ready for another shot at the reigning champion.

But first he needs to over-come Oleksandr Gvozdyk in Las Vegas next Saturday (November 19) in a bout that will see him feature on his conqueror’s under-card when Kovalev defends against American Andre Ward.

“I’m looking forward to being on Kovalev’s card as I’m confident I will steal the show and prove to the world that I’m one of the best.

And now that he is living the dream of many a boxers as he finds himself being trained by the man he ad-mired as a youngster - the legendary Roy Jones Jnr - Chilemba has every reason to be confident.

er of the decade back in “Roy is my idol, growing up I looked up to him. And now I am learning from him.

“I want to finish the year on a good note. Preparation is going as planned and get-ting better and better each day.”

Chilemba is ranked 10th by the World Boxing Com-mission (WBC) and he is not intimidated by the fact his opponent is ranked above him.

“He holds the North American Boxing Feder-

ation (NABF) title which he won by defeating Nad-jib Mohammedi. Probably, that’s what gave him a higher ranking” he said of his fourth-ranked adversary. “But come November 19th, he won’t be above me any-more because I’m going to beat him.”

Chilemba might be ranked lower, but he has a lot more experience having lost only four times in 30 fights while his unbeaten op-ponent has had just 11 bouts.

“I’m facing a boxer who is undefeated and a good prospect. I know he has a dream and he wants to make a name for himself as a fighter.

But they just took a wrong route, I know I’m too good for him.”

LESEDI HOBBS

SAO PAULO: Win in

Brazil on Sunday,

win the Formula

One title: Nico

Rosberg’s task

sounds simple

enough but is

a lot harder

to achieve.

The

German

is one step

away from

securing his first

championship,

which he will do if he

wins at Interlagos, regardless of

where Mercedes teammate,

triple champion

and title rival

Lewis Hamilton

finishes.

The odds are

in Rosberg’s

favour – he

has won for

the past two

seasons from

pole position

in Sao Paulo

whereas the anti-

clockwise circuit has

yet to reward Hamilton

with a victory.

And yet the pressure of being

within touching distance of a

lifelong dream can play on the

mind, and increase the pressure,

while the fickle Sao Paulo

weather can wreak havoc with

the best laid plans.

Last year, Hamilton had

already won the title and his

focus was elsewhere. This

time he comes on the back of

two successive wins and, like

Rosberg, pictured, seeking a hat-

trick.

Another win for the Briton

would take the battle down to

the wire at Abu Dhabi’s Yas

Marina and, if Rosberg were to

fail to score in Brazil, a potential

‘winner takes all’ scenario.

“I’ll wait until the end of

the year,” said Formula One

supremo Bernie Ecclestone

when asked whether he felt

Rosberg looked a ‘fairly safe

bet’.

Rosberg will not be changing

his ‘one race at a time’ approach.

“There are still two races to

go and anything can happen in

this sport, so I need to focus my

energy on the factors that I have

in my control,” he said.

Hamilton is in unfamiliar

territory, with the title outcome

out of his hands even if he wins

in Brazil and Abu Dhabi, but

needs no reminding that it is not

over until it’s over.

Reliability, or lack of, can

swing the momentum either

way and Mercedes will be doing

all they can to ensure both

drivers have no mechanical

issues. The memory of his first

championship with McLaren in

2008, secured in Brazil with an

overtake on the last corner of

the last lap just when it seemed

local favourite Felipe Massa

had clinched the title, is always

there.

“It’s an unusual scenario to

be in – fighting for something

and not knowing for sure that

what you do will guarantee

you’re able to make it,” said

Hamilton. “One outcome would

be painful and the other would

be a great achievement.

“Regardless, I’m going

to keep pushing. Since the

beginning of my F1 career, I’ve

seen that everything can change

even at the very last moment,

so you have to fight to the bitter

end. I’ve never won in Brazil, so

I go into this weekend focused

on changing that.”

Away from the title battle,

both Mercedes drivers will

have to watch out for Red

Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo and

Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s

Sebastian Vettel and Kimi

Raikkonen.

Vettel must also watch his

language, after turning the air

blue in Mexico with his radio

rants.

Massa, meanwhile, will soak

up the atmosphere one last time,

with Sunday being his farewell

before retirement. McLaren’s

Jenson Button will also be

making what could be his last

appearance at the track where

he won the 2009 championship.

– Reuters

It’s a close shave as Nico heads into Brazilian GP

End of an era as Robbie P calls time on his career

SOMETIMES you just wake up one morning, and you realise “that’s me, I’m done”. And that is what led to Robin Peterson deciding to call it a day from all forms of cricket. Former Proteas left-arm spinner Peterson, who made his senior first-class debut in the 1998/99 season, announced his retirement from all cricket yesterday.

The 37-year-old was still actively involved at the Knights franchise this season after a move from the Cape Cobras, and featured in five Sunfoil Series games. Peterson still grabbed 6/83 against the Dolphins in Durban two weeks ago, and would’ve been a valuable part of the T20 Challenge side.

But the man who played in 15 Tests, 79 ODIs and 21 T20 internationals for the Proteas said that the time was right to quit. “I’m chilled. I’m back in Cape Town, it’s good to be back –

ah, yeah man! When I landed here, I just knew it’s the right decision, thank you very much,” Peterson told Independent Media yesterday.

“I just decided, that was me. I don’t know … I know players say that some days they just feel that they are not up for it, and I just woke up one morning during a four-day game and I was like ‘No, that’s me. I’m done’. Fielding for a 100 overs, it just seemed like such a long time, and I didn’t want to do that.

“I thought about it (playing in the T20 Challenge), but what’s the point really – let me spend some time with my family. Cricket has been good to me, I have no regrets, I’m not going to regret my decision now. It’s just the right time and I can enjoy my family time.

He won’t be totally lost to the game, though. “Maybe if there is an opportunity to get involved in coaching, I’m going to be studying now too.”

ASHFAK MOHAMEDCape Town

ROBIN PETERSON