Rob Houwing’s ‘Tops on the Telly’ column

I have had no signals at all from SuperSport that it is the start of something more regular again, but Joost van der Westhuizen is going back through the doors of the studios with their blessing.

The former Springbok scrumhalf and (mostly Afrikaans-language) television rugby commentator and pundit got the boot from the Randburg-based organisation in 2009 after being at the centre of a “sex tape” scandal.

He had been a long-time studio sidekick on the SuperRugby chat show to anchor Kobus Wiese, a colleague in the 1995 World Cup-winning Bok team.

While not everyone’s cup of tea, he could be belligerently opinionated and was certainly capable of sharp analytical observations, especially in his mother tongue.

But then his budding electronic media career went rather pear-shaped, for reasons mentioned above.

Now, though, the 40-year-old is earmarked for a return to live activity in front of the cameras, albeit in a slightly different guise: he has been invited to be a key guest on the Matthew Pearce-anchored “Road to New Zealand” programme, part of the long-range build-up to the 2011 World Cup.

It will be sandwiched between Super Rugby broadcasts next Saturday (April 9) in a near hour-long 16:00 slot on M-Net, SS1 and SHD – just ahead of the Stormers v Reds fixture at Newlands.

The latest instalment, marking exactly five months to go, will presumably focus heavily on reliving the 1999 World Cup, where the Boks were narrow losing semi-finalists to Australia and beat New Zealand in the playoff for third place – not the worst return for the champions of four years earlier.

Of course Van der Westhuizen was captain then, and also on the panel will be colleagues Breyton Paulse (he scored a wonder, solo try against the All Blacks), Jannie de Beer (who tormented England in Paris with his record five dropped goals) and lock Krynauw Otto.

My understanding from the corridors of SuperSport power is that Joost’s presence will be “purely on the basis of his personal role in the 1995 and 1999 tournaments”.

It is not so much a rapprochement as an editorial decision given his prominent role in both.

But I wouldn’t completely write off the possibility that it may also be a toe in the water, in terms of SuperSport gauging public reaction to Van der Westhuizen’s return.

Sooner or later, you would imagine Joost will be deemed to have “served his time” ...
 
Rob’s awesome foursome:

1. India v Sri Lanka, World Cup cricket final
Mumbai, Saturday 11:00, SS2, CSN, SHD & SABC3
As valiantly as one tries to be a citizen of the world, and not be too led by parochial influences, the World Cup just hasn’t been quite the same for us since South Africa bombed out, has it? Still, this IS the final and few can quibble about the right of either India or Sri Lanka to be there. We should be in for a good game, too, as the 1983 champions (the Indians) square up to the 1996 ones. I have this sneaky little feeling multi-skilled ‘Lanka are going to spoil the home party ... although just imagine the extra clamour for Gary Kirsten to fill the Proteas’ coaching shoes if his own charges grab the spoils.

2. Hurricanes v Bulls, Vodacom Super Rugby
Wellington, Saturday 08:35, M-Net, SS1 & SHD
Are the champions in genuine decline? That question may just be answered as they face up to their first overseas tour task, knowing that they have not yet truly convinced in any of their five outings in 2011 and have already tasted defeat twice. They are up against a Hurricanes team under some pressure themselves, however, because coach Mark Hammett read them the riot act after a 42-25 fiasco against the Rebels last weekend. If the Bulls want to weather the likely backlash, a few of their currently slightly dozy senior Springboks need to catch a wakeup ... and I back the visitors’ “structures” to just about prevail against the more mercurial elements offered by the fickle ‘Canes.

3. Sharks v Stormers, Vodacom Super Rugby  
Durban, Saturday 17:05, M-Net, SS1 & HD
The situation seems perfect, in many respects, for a smash and grab at Absa Stadium by the unbeaten, log-leading Stormers. They come off their first really vibrant win of the season, against the Force, whilst the Sharks have just ended a gruelling globe-trot with successive losses. But back at their beloved Absa Stadium, I rather suspect coach John Plumtree will exhort his men to two more weeks of gritty effort – against the Stormers and then Lions – ahead of a much-needed bye. After all, they did boss certain spells of the Twickenham game against the otherwise rampant Crusaders. This is arguably a bigger test than Loftus even was for the supposed hard-nosed renaissance of the visiting pack ... and the Stormers will fall short here by a whisker, methinks.

4. Chelsea v Manchester United, Champions League QF 1st leg soccer
London, Wednesday 20:45, SS3, SHD, Maximo & etv
All of the quarter-finals are pretty spicy, but most global attention will inevitably be focused on the humungous two-leg meeting between the Blues and Red Devils, with hostilities opening at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday. It is a re-run, three years on, of the 2008 final, in which United snatched the trophy after a penalty shootout in soggy Moscow. From a South African perspective, it is gratifying to note that the 20:45 kickoff is an hour “friendlier” than it would have been a few days back, before the clocks changed in England. Mind you, not many people should nod off over the course of either encounter ...