Monday after a weekend like that, and even the traffic feels lighter. Fluit’s Five 2 November skips the recap, because you have read the reports, and goes straight to the questions the weekend left behind: the Highveld, Turin, the log and a December date in Durban. Five things, then back to work.
1. The Big One: Fluit’s Five 2 November starts at number one
The ICC made it official on Saturday. South Africa now head the men’s Test team rankings on a rating of 124, two clear of Australia on 122. One honest footnote before the braai gets carried away: in the World Test Championship standings the Proteas sit in the top two, with New Zealand above them.
The angle nobody has run yet is what comes next. Bangladesh arrive for two Tests, at the Wanderers from 15 November and at SuperSport Park in Centurion from 23 November. Newlands was won by an off-spinner, with Keshav Maharaj left out and Simon Harmer trusted as the frontline spinner. Gqeberha was won by the seamers, who shared 17 of the 20 Australian wickets.
Our view: that is the luxury of being number one. The selectors take two winning attacks to the Highveld and can pick the one the pitch asks for. Harmer has earned first claim on the spinner’s spot. Every wicket of the decider, and how the series turned.
2. The Matchday Move: a Bok team for Turin, expected tonight
Rassie Erasmus will name his side to face Italy this evening at about 18:00, according to Planet Rugby. SA Rugby’s match centre carries no time for it yet, so treat that as one outlet’s report until the team appears. The Test itself is fixed: Saturday 7 November, 13:40 SAST, at the Allianz Stadium in Turin, as SA Rugby’s match centre lists it.
Two things to look for when the 23 lands. First, whether any of the six uncapped players in the 37-man squad is handed a start. Second, how the Boks cover hooker, with Malcolm Marx and Jan-Hendrik Wessels the only two in the squad. The Boks lead the southern group on 15 points but are level with New Zealand, so a bonus point in Turin is worth chasing. How the table works.
3. The Talking Point: who really runs the title race?
Saturday gave the log two leaders in one evening. Pirates won the derby 2-1 in the afternoon and went top; Sundowns put four past Durban City that night and took the spot back. The Premier Soccer League’s own table this morning reads Sundowns 26 points from ten games, Pirates 25 from nine.
Our view: the team in second is the team in control. Do the sums on the PSL’s figures and neither side has lost a league game, but Pirates are collecting 2.78 points a game to Sundowns’ 2.60, and they have that game in hand. Win it and they are two clear. Sundowns hold the top spot; Pirates hold the advantage. And keep an eye on AmaZulu, quietly third on 22 from nine. The derby and Sundowns’ reply.
4. The Stat That Matters: 6 for 16
Six wickets for 16 runs in 21.1 overs, 14 of them maidens. Harmer gave Australia less than a run an over in the final innings at Newlands, and with 4 for 104 in the first innings it added up to ten in the match. Cricket Australia’s report confirms it is his first ten-wicket haul in Tests and the best innings figures of his Test career, and it made him player of the match.
What it means: before Cape Town, the 37-year-old had four wickets in the series at 72.75 apiece. One Test turned that debate on its head. He took the last six Australian wickets to fall, and Bangladesh will have noticed. Cricket Australia on how Harmer did it.
5. The One to Watch: the Sharks, and a December rematch
The URC has gone quiet for the Test window, which makes this the moment to notice the Sharks. Saturday’s 15-3 in Limerick was their first win at Thomond Park, and the club’s results page now shows four wins from five league games. The only defeat was 39-22 against the Stormers in Cape Town on 10 October.
That is why 5 December is circled. The Sharks host the Stormers at 17:00 in their first game back, the one URC side to beat them this season, and both coaches have five weeks to think about it. A team that can win in the Limerick rain will fancy a home rematch. How the Thomond Park win was built.
Tonight’s braai argument: Pirates with the game in hand, or Sundowns with the top spot? And while the fire catches, one spinner or two at the Wanderers? Pick a side and bring a reason.