Pack the cooler box and charge the phone, because this weekend will not sit still. Your SA sport weekend watchlist runs from a Saturday in Gaborone to a Sunday morning in Gqeberha, where the Proteas start a Test they simply cannot lose. In between, our three biggest football clubs hop across borders, the rest of the Premiership fills the gap at home, and Polokwane finally gets its big stadium back. Rugby takes a breather: there is no URC round. Every confirmed kick-off is in our weekend fixture guide; this is the why.
Match of the weekend: South Africa v Australia, second Test
Sunday, 10:00, St George’s Park, and the arithmetic is brutal. Australia are 1-0 up in a three-match series. Lose this one and the series is gone before anybody reaches Newlands on 27 October.
The selectors have not waited around. Tristan Stubbs is out of the squad, Matthew Breetzke is in, and Ryan Rickelton takes the wicketkeeping gloves, with Kyle Verreynne kept in the 17. Kagiso Rabada, who missed Durban, is named and in contention. We went through every change in this morning’s Fluit’s Five.
Where will it be won? With the bat, early. At Kingsmead the Proteas trailed by 106 on first innings, and Josh Hazlewood finished the job on the last day with 6/49. A new-look order has to buy the bowlers time, because a fit Rabada with runs on the board is a very different proposition from a Rabada defending a deficit.
The table matters too. Every Test in this series counts towards the World Test Championship, and our explainer on the WTC maths shows how much a second defeat would cost. Set the alarm.
Fixtures to watch on your SA sport weekend watchlist
African Stars v Orlando Pirates, CAF Champions League
The champions of South Africa go to Botswana to play the champions of Namibia. African Stars are the home side but could not play at home, with no Namibian ground approved by CAF, so the tie lands at the Botswana National Stadium in Gaborone. No kick-off time is confirmed.
What to watch: whether Pirates treat it like a home game. They arrive on the back of a 3-0 league win over TS Galaxy and should be favourites. But first legs in unfamiliar places have a habit of shrinking the gap. A clean sheet would be a fine afternoon’s work. Our full preview of the Pirates trip lands later today.
Red Arrows v Kaizer Chiefs, CAF Confederation Cup
Chiefs head to Ndola, Zambia, to face a Red Arrows side that cruised through the first round and would love a famous scalp. The Zambian club has never reached the group stage, ZamFoot points out, so this tie means plenty in Ndola.
What to watch: patience. Chiefs have been good at not losing and bad at finishing teams off. An away goal in Ndola, and the second leg in Durban starts on their terms.
Wiliete v Mamelodi Sundowns, CAF Champions League
Sundowns hold the trophy, skipped the first round as one of CAF’s top seeds, and start in Angola on Sunday against a Wiliete side that put five past Foresters of the Seychelles over two legs. CAF has not confirmed the venue or the kick-off.
What to watch: rotation. Sundowns lead the league and won the MTN8 final against Pirates last weekend, and Miguel Cardoso has a lot of football to manage. How Sundowns took the MTN8.
Sekhukhune United v Marumo Gallants, Betway Premiership
The underrated one. Saturday at 18:00, this is the first match at the New Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane since its pitch was rebuilt, the PSL fixture list and FARPost confirm. Limpopo fans who have waited all season to see the big stadium used again have a reason to turn up.
What to watch: the pitch itself, honestly. If the surface plays well, expect it to become a regular stop: Kaizer Chiefs are due to take some home games there, FARPost reports.
Under pressure: Kaizer Chiefs
Eight league games, three wins, five draws, no defeats, and fourth on the table. It sounds respectable until you look at what comes next. Chiefs have drawn three league games in a row, the last a 1-1 at home to Stellenbosch on Tuesday, and now comes a Confederation Cup double-header against Red Arrows, with the Soweto Derby against Pirates waiting on Saturday 31 October.
Those three big games will shape how Fernando Da Cruz’s first months in charge are remembered. Our numbers piece on the Chiefs draws showed points slipping away from winning positions. Do that in Ndola and the return leg becomes a nervous night. Do it in the derby and nobody will remember the unbeaten run.
The ScoreLine question of the weekend
If Chiefs could only win one of those three big games, which should it be: the first leg in Ndola, the return in Durban, or the Soweto Derby? Africa is the bigger prize on paper, the derby gives bragging rights for months. Choose one, and defend it at the braai.
The weekend’s fixtures
| Date | Match | Competition | Kick-off (SAST) | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday 17 October | African Stars v Orlando Pirates | CAF Champions League | To be confirmed | Botswana National Stadium, Gaborone |
| Saturday 17 October | Red Arrows v Kaizer Chiefs | CAF Confederation Cup | To be confirmed | Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, Ndola |
| Saturday 17 October | Chippa United v Kruger United | Betway Premiership | 15:30 | Buffalo City Stadium, East London |
| Saturday 17 October | Golden Arrows v Milford | Betway Premiership | 15:30 | King Goodwill Zwelithini Stadium, Durban |
| Saturday 17 October | Sekhukhune United v Marumo Gallants | Betway Premiership | 18:00 | Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane |
| Sunday 18 October | South Africa v Australia, second Test, day one | Test series | 10:00 | St George’s Park, Gqeberha |
| Sunday 18 October | Wiliete v Mamelodi Sundowns | CAF Champions League | To be confirmed | Angola, venue to be confirmed |
| Sunday 18 October | Siwelele v Polokwane City | Betway Premiership | 15:30 | Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein |