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Rob Houwing’s ‘Tops on the Telly’ column
It’s true ... ambitious, brilliantly-conditioned England look very, very threatening to the rest of the Test-playing world right now.
Two-nil to the good against India, an embarrassing 4-0 whitewash of the No 1-ranked team now looks reasonably likely - remember that even successive draws from here would be enough for the “Poms” to seize top spot on the ICC table.
They have various on-song batsmen, including an importantly revitalised Kevin Pietersen, a wicketkeeper in Matt Prior who is also scoring extravagantly, and a really impressive cupboard of quick bowlers with impressive reserve strength to draw on.
Tremlett nursing a niggle? They can simply summon a Bresnan, who gets up noses straight away a la Freddie Flintoff and also smacks the balls lustily from an ever-shortening England tail.
India look more than a little cowed and ill-prepared ... and boy, aren’t the predominantly English Sky commentators (presently also servicing SuperSport viewers, of course) rubbing it in?
I love listening to the likes of Nasser Hussain - my personal favourite - and Mike Atherton and David “Bumble” Lloyd as much as the next guy, but even these normally exemplary, dispassionate commentators have slightly put the cart before the horse, I feel, in their general adulation for Andrew Strauss’s team over the last few days and implied installation of them, in some cases, as global masters.
They have rather built Rome in a day, if you like, by combining England’s last Ashes series win Down Under and the early advances against India to deduce that they must be the best.
Yet all of this rather glaringly bypasses South Africa, inactive of late yet still officially No 2 and therefore a whisker ahead of England as things stand.
In addition, when I last looked the Proteas could boast bragging rights, broadly speaking, over the very nation in question.
The last time they met on English soil in 2008, Graeme Smith’s side won 2-1 in a four-Test series to end a decades-long drought (admittedly one exaggerated a tad by our spell in isolation).
And when Strauss and company came to South Africa more recently, two summers back, it was 1-1 although with widespread agreement even from English critics at the time that the visitors had rather “escaped” considering that they clung on for draws, nine down in their second innings, on two occasions - at Centurion and Newlands.
Interestingly, their team thrashed by an innings in the final Test at the Wanderers contained no fewer than nine members of the side who disposed of India so purposefully at Trent Bridge earlier this week.
So are England really about to become the best on Earth?
I know there will be other activity for both sides in the interim, but just maybe we should reserve judgement until next year, when the Proteas visit England again for a three-Test series ...
Rob’s awesome foursome
1. New Zealand v Australia, Tri-Nations rugby
Auckland, Saturday 09:35, M-Net, SS1, SHD
It’s sad to say that the Tri-Nations finally turns “serious” ... conspicuously without the presence of South Africa. Instead we have to watch, and probably with some awe, from afar as these Trans-Tasman foes go head to head and at overwhelmingly full strength. The game doubles as a Bledisloe Cup match, with the All Blacks very quickly retaining it if they win at Eden Park in a fixture some regrettably see as an “early World Cup final” which is set for the same stadium. The more mischievous among us Saffers may wish a few untimely knocks and bumps among the protagonists! I back New Zealand to extend a golden run on home soil against the resurgent Wallabies to 12 wins on the trot, but not by very much on this occasion.
2. England v Wales, RWC warm-up match
London, Saturday 15:30, SS6 & HD
This match is worth watching live -- or perhaps recording for later viewing if it clashes with something more locally appetising – for the simple reason that the World Cup is around the corner and Wales, the visitors to Twickenham, are the Springboks’ first RWC opponents in Wellington on September 11. So treat it as a spying assignment. Plus I have a friend who, perhaps having eaten some of the wrong kind of mushrooms, stubbornly insists England are realistic candidates for World Cup honours. The hosts will have Durban-born former “bad boy” Matt Stevens among the run-on XV at prop, and an even less likely name for the white jersey – Saracens’ Mouritz Botha! – as lock cover on the bench ...
3. Blue Bulls v Lions, Absa Currie Cup rugby
Pretoria, Saturday 17:05, M-Net, SS1 & SHD
I reckon we could be in for a hammer-and-tongs Highveld derby, especially with Lions scrumhalf stalwart Jano Vermaak suddenly signalling his intention to go “northward” to the enemy camp next season. My inclination is to fractionally tip the Bulls, with redemption strongly on their minds after a 35-7 humbling at Newlands and some brawny Boks back in the Loftus mix. Also, their early position on the table is rather more parlous than that of their opponents, so victory is a bit of a “must”. Still, the Lions ought to have plenty of fire in their bellies and could easily play havoc with my prediction.
4. Manchester United v Manchester City, FA Community Shield soccer
London, Sunday 15:30, SS3, SH2 & Maximo
This annual season-opener in England, between the defending league champions and FA Cup winners, is in its 89th occurrence and probably still more commonly branded as the “Charity Shield” by slightly older folk. A few fossils will certainly recall a not-so-charitable meeting between Liverpool and Leeds in 1974, when Kevin Keegan and Billy Bremner got their marching orders for spiritedly slugging each other. And the Mancunian derby factor at Wembley this time could mean a reasonably spicy affair all over again. These two last met in this particular event in 1956, when United prevailed 1-0. Local soccer fans have various MTN8 quarter-finals on televised offer this weekend, too.
It’s true ... ambitious, brilliantly-conditioned England look very, very threatening to the rest of the Test-playing world right now.
Two-nil to the good against India, an embarrassing 4-0 whitewash of the No 1-ranked team now looks reasonably likely - remember that even successive draws from here would be enough for the “Poms” to seize top spot on the ICC table.
They have various on-song batsmen, including an importantly revitalised Kevin Pietersen, a wicketkeeper in Matt Prior who is also scoring extravagantly, and a really impressive cupboard of quick bowlers with impressive reserve strength to draw on.
Tremlett nursing a niggle? They can simply summon a Bresnan, who gets up noses straight away a la Freddie Flintoff and also smacks the balls lustily from an ever-shortening England tail.
India look more than a little cowed and ill-prepared ... and boy, aren’t the predominantly English Sky commentators (presently also servicing SuperSport viewers, of course) rubbing it in?
I love listening to the likes of Nasser Hussain - my personal favourite - and Mike Atherton and David “Bumble” Lloyd as much as the next guy, but even these normally exemplary, dispassionate commentators have slightly put the cart before the horse, I feel, in their general adulation for Andrew Strauss’s team over the last few days and implied installation of them, in some cases, as global masters.
They have rather built Rome in a day, if you like, by combining England’s last Ashes series win Down Under and the early advances against India to deduce that they must be the best.
Yet all of this rather glaringly bypasses South Africa, inactive of late yet still officially No 2 and therefore a whisker ahead of England as things stand.
In addition, when I last looked the Proteas could boast bragging rights, broadly speaking, over the very nation in question.
The last time they met on English soil in 2008, Graeme Smith’s side won 2-1 in a four-Test series to end a decades-long drought (admittedly one exaggerated a tad by our spell in isolation).
And when Strauss and company came to South Africa more recently, two summers back, it was 1-1 although with widespread agreement even from English critics at the time that the visitors had rather “escaped” considering that they clung on for draws, nine down in their second innings, on two occasions - at Centurion and Newlands.
Interestingly, their team thrashed by an innings in the final Test at the Wanderers contained no fewer than nine members of the side who disposed of India so purposefully at Trent Bridge earlier this week.
So are England really about to become the best on Earth?
I know there will be other activity for both sides in the interim, but just maybe we should reserve judgement until next year, when the Proteas visit England again for a three-Test series ...
Rob’s awesome foursome
1. New Zealand v Australia, Tri-Nations rugby
Auckland, Saturday 09:35, M-Net, SS1, SHD
It’s sad to say that the Tri-Nations finally turns “serious” ... conspicuously without the presence of South Africa. Instead we have to watch, and probably with some awe, from afar as these Trans-Tasman foes go head to head and at overwhelmingly full strength. The game doubles as a Bledisloe Cup match, with the All Blacks very quickly retaining it if they win at Eden Park in a fixture some regrettably see as an “early World Cup final” which is set for the same stadium. The more mischievous among us Saffers may wish a few untimely knocks and bumps among the protagonists! I back New Zealand to extend a golden run on home soil against the resurgent Wallabies to 12 wins on the trot, but not by very much on this occasion.
2. England v Wales, RWC warm-up match
London, Saturday 15:30, SS6 & HD
This match is worth watching live -- or perhaps recording for later viewing if it clashes with something more locally appetising – for the simple reason that the World Cup is around the corner and Wales, the visitors to Twickenham, are the Springboks’ first RWC opponents in Wellington on September 11. So treat it as a spying assignment. Plus I have a friend who, perhaps having eaten some of the wrong kind of mushrooms, stubbornly insists England are realistic candidates for World Cup honours. The hosts will have Durban-born former “bad boy” Matt Stevens among the run-on XV at prop, and an even less likely name for the white jersey – Saracens’ Mouritz Botha! – as lock cover on the bench ...
3. Blue Bulls v Lions, Absa Currie Cup rugby
Pretoria, Saturday 17:05, M-Net, SS1 & SHD
I reckon we could be in for a hammer-and-tongs Highveld derby, especially with Lions scrumhalf stalwart Jano Vermaak suddenly signalling his intention to go “northward” to the enemy camp next season. My inclination is to fractionally tip the Bulls, with redemption strongly on their minds after a 35-7 humbling at Newlands and some brawny Boks back in the Loftus mix. Also, their early position on the table is rather more parlous than that of their opponents, so victory is a bit of a “must”. Still, the Lions ought to have plenty of fire in their bellies and could easily play havoc with my prediction.
4. Manchester United v Manchester City, FA Community Shield soccer
London, Sunday 15:30, SS3, SH2 & Maximo
This annual season-opener in England, between the defending league champions and FA Cup winners, is in its 89th occurrence and probably still more commonly branded as the “Charity Shield” by slightly older folk. A few fossils will certainly recall a not-so-charitable meeting between Liverpool and Leeds in 1974, when Kevin Keegan and Billy Bremner got their marching orders for spiritedly slugging each other. And the Mancunian derby factor at Wembley this time could mean a reasonably spicy affair all over again. These two last met in this particular event in 1956, when United prevailed 1-0. Local soccer fans have various MTN8 quarter-finals on televised offer this weekend, too.
