Here’s the video of Ard Matthews (from Just Jinger fame) destroying the South African national anthem – Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika. Ras Dumisani who previously shocked the nation with his rendition of the anthem breaths a sigh of relief! He’s now not the only singer to have cocked up the national anthem in public.

Update: Ard Matthews has already apologised -

“Seriously, I am utterly devastated by tonight. This was a HUGE honour for me and I could not be more embarrassed and sorry…”

There’s a massive amount of conjecture around John Smit or Bismark du Plessis being the first choice starting hooker for the Springboks at the Rugby World Cup (RWC) later this year. Smit’s undoubtedly the best leader, Bismark’s undoubtedly a more skilled all round player – and this brings into focus the argument about what exactly makes a better player: is it just the measurable statistics (yardage, rucks hit, tackles, etc.) or should it include the “unmeasurables”, like an individual’s contribution to things like team resolve, collective brains trust and experience?

But the argument about these 2 players is bigger than just being a selection conundrum: it’s about making a World Cup win this year something bigger than just a World Cup win.

Certain events on a sports field transcend the contest and the result, and add to our national psyche. They reaffirm for all of us a larger truth about the potential for greatness residing within all of us, and not just the genetically fortunate sport heroes we chose to idolize. (more…)

FIFA kept their word of expanding into unknown markets by awarding the FIFA World Cup 2018 and 2022 to Russia and Qatar respectively.

Russia won the right to put on the 2018 World Cup, the first time it will have been staged in Eastern Europe after 10 editions in the western half of the continent.

Qatar, which has never qualified for the World Cup finals, will stage the 2022 tournament, a first both for the Middle East and for an Arab country. It will also be the smallest nation ever to host the World Cup.

Both new hosts are major energy producers and both had planned larger and costlier investment in infrastructure and new stadiums than all their respective rivals.

Fifa President Sepp Blatter, who announced the winners after a vote of his executive committee in the Swiss financial capital, said: “We go to new lands.

“Never has the World Cup been in Russia and Eastern Europe, and the Middle East and Arabic world have been waiting for a long time so I’m a happy president when we talk about the development of football.”

(more…)

England are in with a real chance of a shock victory in Thursday’s FIFA vote for the 2018 World Cup hosting rights after a pronouncement by Vladimir Putin looked to have caused serious damage to rivals Russia.

England now look to be neck-and-neck with Spain/Portugal though bid leaders accept there is still much uncertainty surrounding the secret ballot of the 22 FIFA executive committee members.

Holland/Belgium are also in the running, though they are very much the outsiders.

The scenario of England facing Spain/Portugal in the final has been backed up by the Iberian bid’s chief executive Miguel Angel Lopez.

Lopez said: “We are confident, we are not certain. We think we will win, we have eight votes for sure and it looks like it will be against England in the final round.”

Russian prime minister Putin’s announcement that he will not be travelling to Zurich was accompanied by an apparent attack on British media investigations into FIFA.

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New Zealand beat the Springboks 31 – 17 yesterday in Wellington to secure their second successive bonus point in the Tri-Nations tournament.

Ma’a Nonu, Mils Muliaina, Rene Ranger and Israel Dagg all scored tries for the All Blacks, while flyhalf Daniel Carter, who had a poor goalkicking performance in missing five attempts at goal, slotted two penalties and a conversion.

Piri Weepu also added a penalty for the home side, who had beaten the Springboks 32-12 in Auckland last week.

Danie Rossouw and Schalk Burger scored tries for the world champions, while Morne Steyn added a penalty and two conversions. (more…)

After six years of preparation and anticipation, heartbreak and joy, skepticism and optimism the World Cup in South Africa has come to an end. We reflect on the best and the worst of the tournament.

South Africans can hold their heads up proudly after the 32-day, 64-match 2010 Fifa World Cup™ and say “See, told you you could stick your Plan B”, as the tournament was a roaring success on all fronts and rightly earned a ’9 out of 10′ rating from Fifa president Sepp Blatter.

The naysayers were left choking on their words and the organisers and security forces will be patting themselves on the back long after the final bewildered World Cup tourist has left these shores. There was barely a disappointed word to be heard — until the Durban airport fiasco — and Brazil will do well to take a leaf out of SA’s ‘Believe completely in your own abilities, even if the rest of the world doesn’t’ manual.

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More than 2 million fans lined the streets of Madrid to welcome their World Cup heroes back from their successful campaign in South Africa.

The mega-party finished close to midnight on the Explanada del Rey on the banks of the Manzanares river, with players dancing to Queen’s classic We Are The Champions and thanking fans for their support.

Reserve goalkeeper Pepe Reina became an impromptu master of ceremonies, introducing the players to the delighted crowd one by one and cracking jokes about all of them.

Spain won the World Cup for the first time by beating the Netherlands 1-0 in an ill-tempered final Sunday in Johannesburg with an extra-time goal from Iniesta.

Their victory flight from Johannesburg landed three hours behind schedule in Madrid.

(more…)