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The former South African schools’ captain Muzi Manyike has passed away. His family confirmed his passing after identifying his remains at the Garankuwa mortuary on Monday. 

Manyike, a former head boy of Jeppe High School for Boys’ in Johannesburg, was reported missing in November last year. 

According to mortuary records, his body was found on the 20th of November 2020 near the R101 Hammanskraal north of Pretoria. The cause of his death is still unknown. 

The family is working with the South African Police Service to establish the circumstances surrounding his death.

Manyike was last seen on 18 November 2020 in Pretoria North. 

Manyike represented the Golden Lions in the various age groups at school. He first attended Jan Viljoen in
Randfontein before moving to Jeppe.

He made a name for himself at Jeppe not just on the rugby field but also as a young man with a lot of potential.

The utility back who played most of his representative rugby in the midfield also attended one of SA Rugby u20’s alignment camps last year.

Manyike was part of the SA u18 sevens team which was crowned champions of the Capricorn 7’s tournament in Windhoek in 2016.

 

 

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1972	Potchefstroom

 

SA Rugby has rejigged coaching roles in the Rugby Department – in Sevens and Junior Rugby – the governing body confirmed on Saturday.

Two staff members have been promoted into new roles after serving in assistant capacities, with Bafana Nhleko moving into the head coach position of the Junior Springboks, while former Blitzboks player Sandile Ngcobo is now the new head coach of the SA Rugby Sevens Academy.

“We’re committed to ensuring there is a development pipeline for our coaches and with Bafana and Sandile, we’ve accomplished that as both have been in our systems for some time,” said Rassie Erasmus, South Africa’s Director of Rugby.

“Bafana first joined the Junior Springbok coaching structures as an assistant coach in 2018 and he will now take over the reins from Chean Roux, who will remain involved with our Under-20 Academy.

“Sandile, who played for the Blitzboks when they won back-to-back HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series titles in 2017 and 2018, has been assisting Marius Schoeman since he hung up his boots, and with Marius now basically overseeing our sevens programme, it made sense to promote Sandile into the role of head coach.”

Nhleko was excited about the prospects of taking over as Junior Springbok head coach, even though the World Rugby U20 Championships have been canceled for 2021.

“Yes, it’s disappointing that we won’t have a World Champs this year, but age-group rugby is a different beast and I’m very excited to get stuck in as soon as possible,” said Nhleko.

“I really enjoy the challenges and pleasures of working with the youngsters, especially in South Africa where we have a rich heritage of wonderful junior players.”

Honing his coaching skills in the familiar environment of the sevens programme is paramount for Ngcobo: “I see this as a great opportunity to grow as a coach, to keep on working with experienced people such as Neil Powell, Renfred Dazel, and Marius, and to help ensure our pipeline of untapped talent providing players for the Blitzboks runs smoothly.”

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

SA Rugby has approved the resumption of non-contact training for all amateur rugby – schools, clubs, and associations – within specific safety conditions required by the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The decision was taken in view of the recent easing of adjusted Level 3 lockdown regulations, with the current downward curve in the rates of infection.

Schools, associations, and amateur clubs will only be allowed to resume non-contact training under the following strict circumstances:

• All the conditions for the return to training of contact sport as published in the relevant Government Gazettes and directions are met;
• On the publication of any further changes and amendments stipulated in the Government Gazettes and directions must be implemented immediately;
• Contact sports may only return to train and not to play;
• All the relevant and applicable health and safety measures are observed and that there is no physical contact between participants during training.

Meanwhile, SA Rugby also confirmed the restart of the amateur rugby season will follow a structured approach to ensure the health and safety of players and management are taken into consideration.

The initial phase comprises a minimum of four weeks’ non-contact training where the emphasis will be on fitness, conditioning, and strength training.

Phase two, if permitted by the relevant bodies, will see a minimum of four weeks’ gradual integration of contact training, paving the way for a return to play in the third phase.

SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux said this is an important step in getting the local amateur season off to a good start, but he emphasised the need for responsible behaviour from these rugby communities.

“SA Rugby is the custodian of rugby in the country but school sport falls under the auspices of the Department of Basic Education and they must therefore adhere to the government’s rules and regulations,” said Roux.

“Schools have got their own COVID management committees, and together with the school headmaster, they will provide the final say on whether the school participates in rugby or not.

“The ultimate responsible person will be the principal of each school. It remains our collective responsibility to ensure that the players and coaches who participate in the game of rugby do so in a safe environment and mitigate against the risk of unnecessary illness and injury.”

Rassie Erasmus, the SA Rugby Director of Rugby, said while there will be excitement amongst these rugby communities, it is very important that they adhere to the protocols.

“Schools, clubs, and associations have waited for a long time to restart training after such a prolonged absence away from the game because of the pandemic,” he said.

“Schools rugby is the foundation of our game and where our future Springboks are born. We’ve already lost an entire season and we’re working very hard at ensuring they play again this year, keeping in mind the fluidity of the pandemic.

“While they will no doubt be very excited for the prospects of restarting rugby activities, we must emphasise the importance of strict adherence to the guidelines of the Government, as well as SA Rugby’s own Covid-19 protocols.”

SA Rugby will immediately communicate any future changes that may affect amateur rugby as directed by the Government.

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

Cricket South Africa (CSA) today announced a 15-man South Africa Under-19 squad following the conclusion of the CSA Under-19 Franchise Cubs Week, in Stellenbosch.

Western Province’s Daniel Smith, who less than 24-hours earlier led the Six Gun Grill Cape Cobras to the Cubs Week title, has been named the captain of the junior Proteas.

The left-hander enjoyed a prolific campaign with the bat as he recorded 301 runs across four appearances for the Cobras and finished second on the run charts behind Jordan Hermann. The Northerns’ opener amassed 364 runs for the Momentum Multiply Titans at a staggering average of 91.00, including the highest individual score of the week of 139 against the VKB Knights in the opening round of matches.

Caleb Seleka and Darian Naidoo earned their inclusion in the national squad after impressive performances with the ball for the Imperial Lions and Cobras respectively. The former’s spin garnered nine wickets at a remarkable economy of just under three runs an over. Naidoo enjoyed similar success as his pace yielded nine wickets, with a best of 4-36 against the Hollywoodbets Dolphins.

In addition to the 15-man squad, five players have been included as part of an extended training squad. Among those five are one of the tournament’s leading wicket-takers and Central Gauteng Lions seamer Liam Alder and talented KZN Inland all-rounder, Luc Benkenstein.

The SA U19 squad will feature as the 16th team in the CSA 3-Day Provincial Cup and Provincial One-Day Challenge, scheduled to start next month. Shukri Conrad’s side will compete in two three-day matches and three 50-over encounters. Further tournament details will be announced in due course.

“Firstly, credit must go to Cricket South Africa for successfully hosting the first age-group tournament of the season in a bio-secure environment,” commented CSA Under-19 Selection Convener Patrick Moroney.

“Cubs Week provided the opportunity to access the talent and level of competition from across the country and we certainly have some exciting young cricketers within our provincial stable. Having to narrow 84 players to a 15-man squad is never an easy decision, especially given the calibre of talent that was on display this past week, but we do believe we’ve chosen a well-balanced squad.”

“The 15 players were capped during a closing ceremony on Sunday night. The five additional players will travel with the core squad and will receive their caps if they are selected to compete in the Senior Provincial tournaments.”

U19 head coach Conrad added: “I am extremely pleased with the group of players that have been selected to compete in the Senior Provincial tournaments.

“The competitiveness with which the teams approached Cubs Week and the mental tenacity which the players performed was particularly impressive, especially during the matches that went down to the wire.

“I am looking forward to seeing these players carry their form to the next level. I believe the experience they will gain from playing against senior cricketers, especially in the three-day format, will be highly beneficial to their development.

“This is the first of many steps as we build towards next year’s ICC Under 19 World Cup, in the West Indies. It is a long way to go and other players will have the opportunity to make their way into the squad,” concluded Conrad.

The South African u19 squad is: 

Daniel Smith (captain, Western Province), Dewald Brevis (Northerns), Jan Hendrik Coetzer (Northerns), Michael Copeland (Central Gauteng Lions), Jordan Hermann (Northerns), Taheer Isaacs (Central Gauteng Lions), Darian Naidoo (Western Province), Caleb Seleka (North West), Andile Simelane (KZN Inland), Jade Smith (Eastern Province), Kaden Solomons (Western Province), Joshua Stevenson (Eastern Province), Nathan Steyn (Easterns), Asakhe Tsaka (Western Province), George van Heerden (Eastern Province).

Five additional players: Liam Alder (Central Gauteng Lions), Luc Benkenstein (KZN Inland), Ethan Cunningham (Western Province), Selo (Valentine) Kitime (Northerns), Samuel Ruwisi (Central Gauteng Lions).

 

The undefeated Cape Cobras will take on the Titans in the final of the 2021-edition of the Cricket South Africa’s Cubs Week (u19) at the Coetzenburg Oval in Stellenbosch on Sunday.

The Cobras kept their unbeaten record intact with a narrow one-wicket victory over the defending champions, the Lions, in their final pool match on Saturday.

The Lions’ Taheer Isaacs (114*) unbeaten century helping his side to a competitive total of 257/7 in their allotted 50 overs. The Cobras got past the target thanks to contributions by Ethan Cunningham (50), Kaden Solomon (44*), Michael Levitt (38), Kai Curran (34) and Daniel Smith (33).

Nkhanyiso Mkhize (3/39) was the pick of the Lions’ bowling attack as they almost managed to book themselves a place in the final and an opportunity to defend their title.

The Titans’ captain and opening batsman, Jordan Hermann (71), continued his excellent for as they defeated the Warriors by 40 runs. Hermann has scored 350 runs at an impressive 117 runs per innings during the tournament thus far.

Dewald Brevis (58) also managed a half-century as the Titans reached 228/8 in their allotted overs. The Warriors were bowled out for only 188 runs with Nathan Steyn (4/34) and Hardus Coetzer (3/41) causing most of the damage.

The Warriors’ captain, George van Heerden, also continued his good run of form with the willow as he top-scored with 44 runs. He has scored 297 runs thus far at an average of 149 runs per innings.

The Dolphins’ captain, Luc Benkenstein, produced an allround performance to help his side to a 44-run victory over the Knights. Benkenstein first struck 81 runs as the Dolphins reached 272/9 in their allotted overs.

He got some assistance from Nicholas Hatten (54) and Chad Laycock (29). Mvulu Chabalala grabbed four wickets for 41 runs as he was once again the shining light in the Knights’ bowling attack.

Benkenstein, the son of former Protea-batsman Dale Benkenstein, also was the pick of the Dolphins’ bowling attack with his spin bowling with figures of 3/34. For the Knights it was Lerato Nqoyi (73*) who shined with the bat and provided resistance with the help of his captain, Reeza Alexander (51).

Summarised Scorecards: 

Dolphins 272/9 (Luc Benkenstein 81, Nicholas Hatten 54, Chad Laycock 29; Mvula Chabala 3/41, Stefan Nel 3/47); Knights 228/8 (Lerato Nqoyi 73*, Reeza Alexander 51, Liam Doherty 29; Luc Benkenstein 3/34). Dolphins won by 44 runs.

Lions 257/7 (Taheer Isaacs 114*, Ronan Herrmann 27; Ethan Cunningham 2/29); Cape Cobras 258/9 (Ethan Cunningham 50, Kaden Solomon 44*, Michael Levitt 38, Kai Curran 34, Daniel Smith 33; Nkhanyiso Mkhize 3/39). Cape Cobras won by one wicket.

Titans 228/8 (Jordan Hermann 71, Dewald Brevis 58, Nathan Steyn 26*; Adam Richards 2/23); Warriors 188 (George van Heerden 45, Lihle Sizani 39, Extras 27; Nathan Steyn 4/34, Hardus Coetzer 3/41). Titans won by 40 runs.

 

A second century for Jordan Hermann at this year’s Cricket South Africa’s Cubs Week helped the Titans to a convincing eight-wicket victory over the Dolphins on the third day of the tournament in Stellenbosch.

Hermann (100*), who also captains the Titans, reached his century after dispatching a full toss from the bowling of Luc Benkenstein to the boundary. It was touch and go if he would be able to reach this milestone.

Dewald Brevis (41*) saw off a tense maiden over from spin bowler Thulani Chiliza with only five runs short of the victory to give Hermann the opportunity to record his third century of his Cubs Week career.

Hermann now boasts the most centuries ever by any player at the Cubs Week since its inaugural tournament back in 2009. This tournament has been a springboard for the careers of Protea players like Quinton de Kock, Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, and Theunis de Bruyn to name a few.

The Cape Cobras is the only unbeaten side left in Stellenbosch and will face the second-placed Lions on Saturday. If the Cobras keep their unbeaten record intact and the Titans beat the Warriors in their final pool match, we will see a Cobras versus Titans final on Sunday.

The Cobras defeated the Warriors by three wickets thanks to half-centuries by Kai Curran (67) and Daniel Smith (58) as well as some valuable contributions by Michael Levitt (35) and Kaden Solomon (28*).

The Warriors’ George van Heerden (81*) also have not failed yet with the bat in hand. He has scored 252 runs thus far at an average of an unbelievable 252 runs per innings. The losing side’s opening pair of Adam du Plessis (87) and Jade Smith (85) got their team off to an excellent start but in the end, it was not enough.

Caleb Seleka continued his run of form with the ball in hand for the Lions as he picked up three wickets for only seven runs as his side defeated the Knights by 125 runs.

The Knights were bundled out for a mere 87 runs with Liam Alder (3/16) and Gerard Coetzee (2/12) also causing problems for the losing side.

Summarised Scorecards:

Dolphins 196 (Colby Dyer 73, Luc Benkenstein 26; Jordan Hermann 2/7, Christiaan Daniels 2/23); Titans 201/2 (Jordan Hermann 100*, Dewald Brevis 41*, Valentine Kitime 35; Colby Dyer 2/32). Titans won by eight wickets.

Warriors 284/5 (Adam du Plessis 87, Jade Smith 85, George van Heerden 81*); Cape Cobras 285/7 (Kai Curran 67, Daniel Smith 58, Michael Levitt 35, Kaden Solomon 28*; Eli Thorne 2/36). Cape Cobras won by three wickets.

Lions 212/8 (Heinrigh Pieterse 45, Nkanyiso Mkhize 38, Simo Potelwa 33; Liam Doherty 3/22); Knights 87 (Extras 20; Caleb Seleka 3/7, Liam Alder 3/16, Gerard Coetzee 2/12). Lions won by 125 runs.

Hardus Coetzer (102*) and George van Heerden (100) recorded centuries on the second day of Cricket South Africa’s Cubs Week in Stellenbosch but could not save their respective teams, the Titans and Warriors, from suffering defeats against the Cape Cobras and Knights.

Coetzer came close to getting the Titans over the line as they ended just six runs short of victory. He struck one of his five sixes earlier in the final over, but as he and his final batting partner, Jabulani Nkosi (3), called for two runs off the third delivery of the over the latter got run out after some excellent fielding.

Coetzer faced only 95 deliveries in his innings. His partnership over the sixth wicket with Christiaan Daniels (54) got the Titans close, but in the end, it was not enough. Michael Levitt (4/43) and Salmaan Ajam (3/64) caused the Titans’ batsmen the most problems.

The Cape Cobras reached 274/7 in their allotted 50 overs on Tassies Oval. Captain, Daniel Smith (72), Nicholas Keevy (64), and Ethan Cunningham (53) all weighing in with half-centuries for the winning side.

Coetzer was also the pick of the Titans’ bowling attack as he ended up with figures of 2/39 in nine overs.

Van Heerden, who also captains the Warriors, ran out of partners as his side’s second-best batting effort came from a chap called Extras. Adam du Plessis (12) and Joshua Stevenson (11*) were the only other two batsmen who managed to get into double figures.

Van Heerden struck 12 boundaries in his innings before losing his wicket to Mvula Chabalala (3/38). The Knights won the clash on the Coetzenburg Oval by 49 runs.

The Knights who batted first reached 226/8 in their allotted overs thanks to contributions from GJ Maree (71), Lerato Nqoyi (44), and Liam Doherty (34*).

Luc Benkenstein (60), son of former Protea-batsman Dale Benkenstein, struck his second successive half-century of the tournament to help the Dolphins to secure a 51-run victory over the Lions.

Benkenstein, who also captains the Dolphins, scored an unbeaten 58 runs in his side’s opening match against the Cape Cobras on Wednesday. He also added value with the ball in hand as he picked up two wickets at the cost of 37 runs.

The pick of the Dolphins bowling attack was Colby Dyer grabbed three wickets at the cost of only 31 runs. Dyer also added 25 runs with the bat in hand.

The Lions’ Caleb Seleka had a good day at the office on Maties’ C-field by getting rid of three batsmen for a mere 21 runs.

Day three of the U19 Franchise Cubs Week continues on Friday. To follow all the action live from Stellenbosch, visit www.pitchvision.com.

Summarised Scorecards: 

Knights 226/8 (GJ Maree 71, Lerato Nqoyi 44, Liam Doherty 34*; Adam Richards 3/41); Warriors 177 (George van Heerden 100*, Extras 25; Mvula Chabalala 3/38, Reeza Alexander 2/28). Knights won by 49 runs.

Dolphins 241/8 (Luc Benkenstein 60, Joshua Stride 31, Colby Dyer 25, Nicholas Hatten 25; Caleb Seleka 3/21); Lions 190 (Ronan Herrrmann 36, Taheer Isaacs 34, Extras 33; Colby Dyer 3/31, Luc Benkenstein 2/37). Dolphins won by 51 runs.

Cape Cobras 274/7 (Daniel Smith 72, Nicholas Keevy 64, Ethan Cunningham 53, Michael Levitt 27; Hardus Coetzer 2/39); Titans 269 (Hardus Coetzer 103*, Christiaan Daniels 54, Jordan Hermann 40, Dewald Brevis 25; Michael Levitt 4/43, Salmaan Ajam 3/64). Cape Cobras won by five runs.

 

A dashing century by Jordan Hermann on the opening day of the Cricket South Africa (CSA) Under-19 Franchise Cubs Week helped the Momentum Multiply Titans surge to a 94-run victory over the VKB Knights in Stellenbosch on Wednesday.

The left-hander blasted four sixes and 12 fours in a fine innings of 139 off 154 balls as the Centurion-based franchise made a bright start to the 14th edition of the tournament, which is being staged in a bio-secure environment (BSE) at the University of Stellenbosch.

There were also wins for the Six Gun Grill Cape Cobras and the Imperial Lions in what is the first national tournament being played in adherence with Covid-19 protocols.

The biggest star of the day, however, was Hermann after his explosive innings helped the Titans amass an impressive 267 for six after winning the toss and batting at Maties C Field.

The opener held his side together by being in the middle for 48.3 overs, with support coming via Ryan Maxi (46) and Hardus Coetzer (26*).

Reeza Alexander initially helped the Central Franchise make a good fight with the reply thanks to his 56 off 67 balls (8 fours, 1 six).

But he lacked any decent support as wickets tumbled around him.

Coetzer completed a strong all-round game by being the chief destroyer with three for 21 – the Knights bowled out for 173.

At Tassies Oval, meanwhile, the two Liam’s – McCarthy and Alder – shared eight wickets to ensure the Lions made a strong start with a commanding six-wicket win over the Warriors.

After winning the toss and bowling, the Johannesburg-based outfit sizzled with the ball by dismissing their opponents for just 162 in 41 overs. McCarthy claimed four for 26 and Alder nabbed four for 32.

Only Warriors captain George van Heerden managed to get the better of the better, but he eventually ran out of partners and was left stranded on a 71* (89 balls, 9 fours).

Heinrigh Pieterse (58* off 83 balls, 7 fours) and Reuben du Toit (54 off 40 balls, 4 fours, 4 sixes) both then hit half-centuries as the Lions cruised to victory with nearly 20 overs to spare.

Finally, the Cobras proved too good for the Hollywoodbets Dolphins at the main Coetzenburg Oval, sealing a mighty 83-run win over the KwaZulu-Natal outfit.

Captain Daniel Smith lead the way with the bat for the Cape side as they posted 218 all out after losing the toss and being asked to bat first.

Kai Curran (38) and Siyambonga Nyawose (33*) were the only other batsmen to cross 30, with Joshua Stride the pick of the bowlers with his three for 27 – ensuring the opposition were all out in 44.5 overs.

But the Dolphins’ innings unraveled even more quickly as they were blown away for 135.

Their captain Luc Benkenstein hit an unbeaten 58 off 75 balls (6 fours, 1 six) but lacked support in an innings that lasted 38 overs. Nicholas Hatton also struck 44. In the end, Darian Naidoo’s four for 36 proved key in what was an excellent start for the Cobras.

The tournament, with selected matches, live-streamed on SuperSport channel 245 via the DSTV Now app, is the foundation of the Talent Acceleration Programme (TAP) and all the players competing have a chance to be selected in the SA Under-19 squad that is due to be announced shortly after its conclusion.

Summarised Scorecards: 

Titans 267/6 (Jordan Hermann 139, Ryan Maxi 46, Hardus Coetzer 26*); Knights 173 (Reeza Alexander 56, Matthew Davids 24*; Hardus Coetzer 3/21). Titans won by 94 runs.

Cape Cobras 218 (Daniel Smith 61, Kai Curren 38, Extras 37, Siyambonga Nyawose 33*; Joshua Stride 3/27); Dolphins 135 (Luc Benkenstein 58*, Nicholas Hatten 44; Darian Naidoo 4/36). Cape Cobras won by 83 runs.

Warriors 162 (George van Heerden 71*, Jade Smith 25; Liam McCarthy 4/26, Liam Alder 4/32); Lions 166/4 (Heinrigh Pieterse 58*, Reuben du Toit 54; Adam Richards 2/28). Lions won by six wickets.