The club, particularly the coach is seemingly still fumbling in the dark trying to find the light switch.
A big shout out goes to our national men’s rugby squad who are out there in ‘big’ brave Japan to do duty in the Rugby World Cup tournament. We wish them luck in their attempt to grab their third title. Bring it home Bokke!
In our domestic football league, things are definitely getting heated up as the clubs complete a third of the season’s calendar. Top of that whole lot (literally) are the ‘Glamour Boys’ who have held fast to their prime log position for nine matches now.
It is early days yet but it has to be said that the Naturena team, unlike in other years before, are playing to a better tune this time around. I do not know whether it has something to do with the chemistry between the Motaung family and the German-born coach. Or that the team has just caught a wake-up call and decided to play like the Kaizer Chiefs of old.
Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Motaung senior turned 75 years old earlier this month or it could be that coach Ernst Middendorp and Motaung senior are the same height. Whatever it is it is definitely not good news for the other teams in the Absa Premier League.
No one knows this better than Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane. Prior to their matchup this past weekend Pitso had engaged in some mind games trying to fluster the Amakhosi with sniping comments. Pitso said some nasty stuff like the Naturena lot were beneficiaries of dubious refereeing. Pitso rolled out that same excuse after this past weekend’s game. Ouch! He is clearly hurting.
Across town, at the headquarters of the ‘Ghost’, the lights don’t shine so bright anymore. This past weekend they took in some more ‘load-shedding’. The club, particularly the coach is seemingly still fumbling in the dark trying to find the light switch. The Buccaneers are in serious need of a bailout in the coaching department!
Granted, the Pirates players are trying to come to terms with the mojo of coach Rhulani Mokwena. One wonders how long it will be before club chairman Irvin Khoza calls a halt to the painful and expensive lessons that the coach still has to take in before he, Khoza, decides that beyond a certain point would be too dangerous for a rookie coach to continue.
I suspect Khoza might want to let Mokwena run around some more in the next quarter segment to see whether he can get the club back into the Top 8 bracket. Failing that it will be back to second fiddle, if not out the door for the young Rhulani.
As for the league newcomers Stellies FC who inflicted much pain upon the luckless Buccanneers, they ought to be in seventh heaven today. I mean, after all, this Stellies club are still learning how to strap on their boots and trying to locate the goalposts regularly, so getting one over a biggie such as Pirates is a whole generation’s worth of salve to their ego. Well done Stellies!
Over at Wits, I see the unsung and unassuming Gavin Hunt is out trolling the CAF cup cupboards again. The Clever Boys did well against foreign opposition way out in Mozambique at the weekend and came back winners.
We salute them and wish them success to the end. Salang.
