Thursday, and the weekend is already arguing with itself. France have handed their No 10 shirt to a scrumhalf, Bafana meet the man who still owns their scoring record, and the Proteas sit on top of the world with very little room to spare. Here is your SA sport news Thursday, five things deep.
1. The Big One: SA sport news Thursday starts in Paris, with Dupont at 10
The French federation has settled the argument. Its official team sheet for Friday puts Antoine Dupont, the captain, in the No 10 jersey, with Maxime Lucu at scrumhalf. Romain Ntamack, Matthieu Jalibert, Antoine Hastoy and Thomas Ramos are all missing from the 23, RugbyPass reporting all four injured, so France have turned to their captain. RugbyPass notes he has never played flyhalf in a Test.
Fabien Galthié has also brought back Julien Marchand at hooker and Gregory Alldritt at No 8, and the federation says both picks are meant to strengthen the pack.
Our view: that is a message aimed at the Bok forwards. A scrumhalf asked to run the game from 10 needs time on the ball, and Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx, Wilco Louw and company will want to take it from him at every scrum and maul. Friday, Stade de France, 22:10 SAST. Our Springbok team for Paris
2. The Matchday Move: Bafana v Kenya, Friday at 18:00
Tomorrow it is Bafana’s turn. SAFA has South Africa hosting Kenya at the Orlando Amstel Arena in Johannesburg on Friday 13 November, kick-off 18:00 SAST, with the return leg in Nairobi on Tuesday 17 November. Two meetings, four days apart, one opponent.
Kenya’s ticket to the finals is already booked, because CAF made the co-hosts automatic qualifiers. That changes the sums for everyone else in Group D, and we will not rehash the table here: our explainer sets out what these two results can do for Bafana’s own ticket. Friday night football at home, in a week like this, is not one to watch from the couch if you can help it. What is at stake in Group D
3. The Talking Point: Mosimane against the man who still owns Bafana’s scoring record
Benni McCarthy is still Bafana Bafana’s all-time leading scorer, and on Friday he sits in the other dugout as Kenya’s coach. Across from him is Pitso Mosimane, who, TimesLIVE notes, is the only South African coach to win the CAF Champions League three times. Mosimane has brushed off the idea that knowing McCarthy’s football hands him an edge, TimesLIVE reports.
Our view: he is right to, and the bigger danger may run the other way. McCarthy knows South African players and what a home crowd expects of Bafana, and a coach whose side is already through can take risks that Bafana, with a ticket still to win, cannot. Edge for Kenya, or burden for Benni? Argue it out. Bafana’s qualifying campaign
4. The Stat That Matters: 124
One hundred and twenty-four. That is the Proteas’ rating at the top of the ICC men’s Test team rankings, in the ICC’s update of 31 October, two points clear of Australia on 122. They climbed there by winning the series against Australia 2-1, after losing the first Test in Durban by 214 runs.
Why it matters: Sunday’s Test is their first since reaching No. 1, and two points is a thin cushion. Home Tests against Bangladesh are the kind a top-ranked side is expected to win, which is exactly what makes them awkward. Nobody gets thanked for beating the team they were supposed to beat. How Newlands sealed the climb
5. The One to Watch: Tony de Zorzi
Tony de Zorzi is back. Cricket South Africa named the left-hander in the Test squad on 2 November, after the hamstring injury that ruled him out of the series against Australia. The first Test against Bangladesh starts at the Wanderers on Sunday 15 November at 10:00 SAST.
Whether he plays is the selectors’ call, and they have not named an XI yet. What is worth watching is simpler: a batter who saw No. 1 won from the sidelines now has a chance to help keep it. On a Highveld pitch, a fit left-hander with something to prove is always a story. What the squad tells us
The braai question for Thursday: a scrumhalf at flyhalf in Paris, or Benni in the away dugout at home. Which twist makes your Friday night more nervous? Pick one and defend it.