Chatter from Cow Corner

TOPIC 1 — ROLAND GARROS UPDATENew champions guaranteed in both draws. Sinner gone — heat stroke or choke, you decide. Alcaraz never showed up. Djokovic lost to a 19-year-old Brazilian who came back from two sets down. Swiatek gone. Coco gone. Of the top ten men, only Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime are still standing. Of the top ten women, only Mirra Andreeva. The youngsters have dismantled the establishment completely. Qinwen Zheng came through qualifying and is in the semi-finals. Maja Chwalinska — unseeded Pole — has been the women's fairy tale. Last check, Sabalenka was losing to Diana Shnaider in the third set. Zverev is 67% favourite to finally win his first Grand Slam — having led by two sets in his last two finals and lost both. The question that has defined his entire career gets answered on Sunday. TOPIC 2 — FIFA WORLD CUPNine days away and the chaos is magnificent. Drake has booked suites. Bad Bunny will be at Mexico games. Charlize Theron is going to the opener. Meanwhile SAFA couldn't get a visa for the assistant coach OR the head of security. SAFA doing SAFA things. Iran's Sardar Azmoun — the Iranian Messi — posted a photo with the Emir of Dubai, was accused of treason and his World Cup ended before it started. Brazil have lost Estêvão and Rodrygo before kicking a ball. France are hoping Saliba is fit. Opening game tickets are sitting at $2,938 — R47,800 — and not selling as fast as FIFA expected. There are reports of inconsistent bounce on some playing surfaces. Three rule changes: time-wasting gets you a corner kick, no covering your mouth after scoring, and bigger VAR. South Africa are the only African nation with an entirely homegrown squad — 19 local-based players, the third highest at the whole tournament behind Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Group A is winnable. Mexico at the Azteca is the hardest game. Czechia and South Korea are beatable. This is the best chance this generation gets.TOPIC 3 — SA RUGBY TALENT DRAINThe pipeline is going younger and younger. James and Josh Mackenzie — brothers from Kingswood College — both went to Glasgow Warriors before finishing school. James was an SA U18 player. Harry Soboil from Rondebosch is at Edinburgh and representing Scotland U19. Josh Neill, also Rondebosch, is at Leinster and won two Man of the Match awards for Ireland U20 in the Six Nations. Schoolboys. Redirected before they've played a franchise game. The structural problem: 3,000 Grade 12 players competing for 60 to 90 franchise spots. The rest go to Varsity Cup, club rugby or smaller provinces — or overseas. Only Ntokozo Makhaza from the entire Varsity Cup ecosystem made the Bok alignment camp. TOPIC 4 — BEST PERFORMANCE IN A LOSING CAUSENicolas Mahut played 11 hours and 5 minutes across three days at Wimbledon 2010, won more points than his opponent across 980 total, won more points in the deciding set — and lost. Federer was masterful in the 2008 final against Nadal and still lost in what is called the greatest match ever played. Mbappé scored a hat-trick in the 2022 World Cup final, dragged France back from 2-0 down, and lost on penalties. Dusautoir made 38 tackles, scored a try and won Man of the Match in the 2011 Rugby World Cup final — France still lost. Ricky Ponting scored 164 in the 438 game and still lost to Herschelle Gibbs and Makhaya Ntini. LeBron scored 51 in a Finals game and lost. TOPIC 5 — FAST FIVEThree questions. No Googling. First: which South African-born player played in the losing team in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final at Ellis Park? Second: which Australian bowler took 12 for 128 in the Sydney Test South Africa won by 5 runs in 1994 — and who took 10 wickets for South Africa in the same match? Third: Cristiano Ronaldo once scored a hat-trick in a Champions League match and still ended up on the losing side — which two of his former clubs were involved, and where was it played?

TOPIC 1 — NEWLANDS TICKET DEBACLECSA sent a "Sold Out" email at 09:00 for tickets that went on sale at 09:30. The Barmy Army got 12%. South African fans got 13%. Resale tickets hit R4,465 before lunch. This is what happens when your national cricket board sells the New Year's Test to overseas tour packages before ordinary fans have finished their coffee — and there's still no Sky Sports broadcast deal to show for it.TOPIC 2 — FOOTBALL SEASON WRAPOrlando Pirates won a treble. Sundowns won the CAF Champions League. Arsenal won the Premier League. All the big leagues wrapped up — and now Arsenal face PSG in the Champions League final in Budapest on 30 May. Arsenal went unbeaten in Europe all season. PSG lost twice and still made it. One has won this before. The other has been waiting 22 years. And one of them is about to be very disappointed.TOPIC 3 — DOPING IN SA RUGBYAsenathi Ntlabakanye gets 18 months — his doctor refused to testify. Aphiwe Dyantyi got four years, won Breakthrough Player of the Year, came back and just won the French Pro D2. Chilliboy Ralepelle got eight years after two previous positives. Elton Jantjies got four years and is now coaching at a school in Johannesburg at 33. Meanwhile no All Black or England rugby player has ever been banned for performance-enhancing drugs. Not one. A former Georgian captain got 11 years for swapping samples. South African rugby has a problem it refuses to name properly.TOPIC 4 — TOP ATHLETES WHO NEVER WONKarl Malone. Jim Kelly — four straight Super Bowls, four losses, no ring. Jonah Lomu — changed rugby forever in 1994, lost to the Springboks in 1995, never lifted the Webb Ellis Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo — won in England, Spain, Italy and Saudi Arabia, five Ballons d'Or, a European Championship — and no World Cup. Merlene Ottey — seven Olympics, nine medals, zero gold. And an entire generation of South African cricket: Kallis, AB, Amla — individually brilliant, collectively never champions. Pete Sampras and Martina Navratilova never won Olympic singles gold. Sometimes the biggest prize is the one that gets away.FAST FIVE — QUESTIONS ONLYIvan Lendl represented two countries at the Olympics — name both.Brian O'Driscoll played 141 internationals for Ireland and the Lions. How many Rugby World Cups did he play in — and name the years.Which club has suffered the most losses in UEFA Champions League history — and what is their win percentage?

TOPIC 1 — HOSPITALITYWatching sport used to cost the price of a ticket. Now it costs the price of a small car, a hotel in Sandton, and your children's university fund. Welcome to corporate hospitality.Watching the Springboks play the All Blacks will set you back R9,995. That's before you've had a drink. The Barmy Army flew to South Africa for three Tests — 23 nights, flights included — and paid up to R210,000 each. The All Blacks' full 31-day tour package hit 384,000 Rand. No flights. Sold out anyway. Meanwhile the ordinary fan is standing in a queue at Loftus in the rain wondering why his pie costs R85.TOPIC 2 — URC vs SUPER RUGBYThe Bulls fly to Belfast on a Tuesday. The Stormers play Dublin on a Saturday. The Springboks play New Zealand in July. Nobody is sleeping. Welcome to the calendar from hell.The URC is more physical, more competitive and better for SA rugby. Also: the players are awake for eleven months of the year and the Currie Cup has lost 120 of its best players. Super Rugby had bad travel and worse results. The URC has great travel and great results — and a Champions Cup that nobody in South Africa can explain, a Challenge Cup that nobody watches, and a scheduling problem that SA Rugby is now desperately trying to solve before someone actually collapses.TOPIC 3 — IPL UPDATEKlaasen is third in the run charts. Rabada is second in wickets. Markram has no fifties. Jansen is struggling. And Quinton de Kock has played three innings and averaged 66. Cricket is chaos.Heinrich Klaasen is batting out of his skin — 555 runs, average 50, in the middle order. Rabada has 21 wickets. And then there is everyone else. Markram has no fifties. Jansen is really struggling. Ngidi got injured just when his slower ball was terrifying people. De Kock has played three times and averaged 66 — a statistical masterpiece of irrelevance. The surprise package is Donovan Ferreira, striking at 173 for Rajasthan like a man who heard there was a party and showed up early. Baby AB is watching from the dugout. Virat Kohli is 38 and averaging 54. South African cricket: it's complicated.TOPIC 4 — BEST SPORTS DUOSShaq and Kobe couldn't be in the same room. Matfield and Bakkies barely needed to speak. Wasim and Waqar destroyed everything. Great duos are built on chemistry — or beautiful, productive dysfunction.Shaq and Kobe won three NBA titles and then imploded spectacularly — both going on to win separately, as if to prove the partnership was the problem and the brilliance was personal. Wasim and Waqar took 559 Test wickets together and scared a generation of batsmen into early retirement. Anderson and Broad took 1,039 — together, over a career so long their opponents' children had started playing cricket. Matfield and Bakkies played 62 Tests, won a World Cup, beat the Lions, and collected trophies like most people collect speeding fines. And Navratilova and Pam Shriver won 109 consecutive doubles matches — which in tennis terms is basically winning every Tuesday for three years.TOPIC 5 — FUN FAST FIVE FACTSFive questions. No help. No Googling. And if you say "I think it's..." you've already lost.Q1: How many times did Glenn McGrath dismiss Mike Atherton in Test cricket — and how many were ducks?Q2: Which Springbok front row trio holds the record for most Tests together — and how many times did they play as a unit?Q3: Which SA family produced a father, a son, and a coach — all three affecting South African cricket — and how?Q4: Which SA bowling partnership has taken the most Test wickets combined — and how many?Q5: The Bryan Brothers won 118 doubles titles together. Which Grand Slam did one of them win separately — with a completely different partner — after the brothers retired?

1) Surprise recall in the Proteas woman World Cup team. Balanced team , ready for World Cup.2) Roland Garros, the clay, no Carlitos, can anyone stop Sinner? Is Iga back and can there be a new champion.3) Sports pay, Premier League players earn huge relative to revenues, IPL players too, tennis players not so much. Mbappe earns 25 times Dupont!! 4) Who made 100 and a 50 in their only test match and then got chopped? Who scored 6 tries for the Boks on debut and then never scored a try again? 5) Fun fast five facts. Shabnim facts galore!

GOLDEN OLDIESFive people who refused to retire. Merlene Ottey competed at seven Olympics across 33 years, finishing for Slovenia at 52. Martina Navratilova won a Grand Slam title at 49 — a month shy of her 50th birthday. Venus Williams still making WTA main draws at 44. Ma'a Nonu still bulldozing defenders in the French Top 14 at 43. Imran Tahir still taking T20 wickets at 47 — at a better average than his career stats.U20 RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIPBack-to-back champions. Junior Springboks clinched the 2026 title with a round to spare — 56-17 against Australia in Gqeberha. Argentina helped by beating New Zealand in the same round. Nine-match winning streak going back to last year's World Championship in Italy. Key players: Yaqeen Ahmed, Jack Benade, Riley Norton. How many of this squad play for the senior Boks within five years?EPL RUN-INArsenal lead with three games left and have just reached the Champions League final in Budapest on 30 May. Bukayo Saka beat Atletico Madrid 2-1 on aggregate. They haven't won the league in 22 years. They've never won the Champions League. Both are now on the table simultaneously. City dropped points at Everton when it mattered most. Remaining: West Ham, Burnley, Crystal Palace.SPORTS SONGSSister Bethina. A young man called Mgarimbe jumped on a microphone at Action Bar in downtown Johannesburg at two in the morning, wasted, and sang over a beat his friend had made on a laptop. The next morning he begged his friend to delete it. He didn't. A few weeks later Mgarimbe was sitting in his Hillbrow flat and heard a taxi drive past playing his song. That song is now played after the national anthem at every Springbok home test. South Africa's unofficial second national anthem.FUN FAST FIVE FACTS

🏏 Topic 1 — Proteas Women vs India (4-1)Full match-by-match results table across all five T20Is at Kingsmead, Wanderers and Willowmoore Park. Wolvaardt's historic 115 off 47 balls in Match 3 gets its own section — the fastest SA women's T20I century, her 17th international hundred, level with Meg Lanning and Smriti Mandhana. India's perspective including Deepti Sharma's career-best 5/19 in the dead-rubber match. And the World Cup context — both teams are in the same group in England in June.🏉 Topic 2 — Is School Rugby Too Serious? SA Rugby's new 2026 tackle laws are the anchor. Then a structured debate — arguments for and against — covering weight mismatches, the concussion crisis, the professionalisation problem, and the pipeline argument. Paul Roos coach Corné Uys's own words: "they are still only boys." Ends with three discussion prompts for Sasha and Luyanda to put to each other.🌍 Topic 3 — URC Final Two LapsFull 16-team standings table after Round 16, colour-coded (Sharks in red, top-8 in green). SA's four stories: Stormers top with home QF secured, Lions in third fighting to stay there, Bulls seventh clinging on, Sharks eliminated. Round 17 fixtures table. The Lions' first-ever SA Shield win gets its own mention.Topic 4 - Famous celebs who played sports.🎾 Kaley Cuoco — Regionally-ranked junior tennis player before The Big Bang Theory. Later married a pro tennis player. Penny could have gone pro.🎾 Matthew Perry — Nationally ranked junior in Canada. Trained 10 hours a day. Moved to LA at 15. His words: "Everyone in LA just killed me. I was pretty great in Canada." Gave up tennis. Became Chandler Bing.🤿 Jason Statham — Part of Britain's National Diving Squad. Represented England at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, 10m platform. Grew up alongside Vinnie Jones (professional footballer turned actor). Both ended up in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Two athletes, one film.⚽ Gordon Ramsay — Scouted by Rangers FC at 15. Knee injury ended it. Became one of the most Michelin-starred chefs in history. Still famous for screaming — which is more or less what he'd have been doing at Ibrox anyway.🏈 Dwayne Johnson — Defensive tackle at the University of Miami. Part of the 1991 national championship team. Went undrafted. Became the greatest WWE star of his era. Then one of Hollywood's highest-paid actors. Three careers. All successful. Still doesn't skip leg day.Topic 5 - Fun Fast 5 Facts.

1) Varsity Rugby concludes, stunning turnaround in half a decade in the fortunes of TUKS. General explanation by Luyanda through the similarities of US College Football.2) The Masters. Cheap ticket, impossible to get. Quirky rules, amazing history.3) Dirt season begins on the red clay, Coco Gauff has points galore to defend, Sincaraz just getting started. Red versus Green clay. Slip and slide time.4) Saucy nicknames, origin of Pele, Legs of Thunder .... South African football nicknames legendary.5) Fun Fast 5 facts. Who is The Crocodile? Rory's love life.

The winners and losers in the rugby easter festivals from St. John's to Kearsney and everything inbetween. Proteas woman in the land of the long white cloud not quite up to the mark of a great all around Kiwi performance. Rugby time soon, the home and away, six nations vs the southerners looming large in July. Favourite sporting grounds. Fast fun five facts - records breaking chases, oldest rugby clubs. Who is Roland Garros?

🏉 Topic 1 — Schoolboy Rugby Easter FestivalsFull Noord-Suid results tables from Days 1 & 2 (Paul Roos, Grey College, Paarl Gim all impressing; Outeniqua shocking KES; the Drostdy upset over EG Jansen). Festival overview table across KERF, KES, St John's and St Stithians with dates and international touring teams. Big storyline: the quiet pull of schools away from Easter festivals towards Noord-Suid. Players to watch: Travis Pheiffer, Jaydon Viljoen (the drop from inside his own half is ridiculous), Lamla Mgedezi, Louis Koen Jr.⛳ Topic 2 — LIV Golf SAFull breakdown of the event, the Southern Guards' nine-shot lead collapse on Sunday (genuinely one of the great choke stories), DeChambeau in tears, the origin story with Louis Oosthuizen and Minister McKenzie, the commercial case (R1bn economic impact projection, 100k+ crowd) vs the cultural questions. Verdict section for discussion.🏏 Topic 3 — IPL PreviewFull SA player table (11 Proteas across all 10 franchises), the auction blockbusters, the Jadeja/Samson swap, the Dhoni retirement watch, and the glorious detail that Finn Allen — the man who destroyed SA in the T20 WC semi — is now in the IPL for KKR.😤 Topic 4 — Irritating Sports StarsSix suspects with full cases built: Neymar, Kyrgios, Kohli, McGregor, Ronaldo, and DeChambeau framed as "the reformed irritant" — very topical given Topic 2. Discussion prompts included.🎯 Topic 5 — Fast Five Fun FactsAll five connected to the episode's topics, with answer banners formatted in green.

IPL starts, who gets paid what? Is it the money or the exposure to get crazy endorsements?Rugby salaries, what do they get paid on a relative basis? Not as much!URC …. European Rugby Championship cup, unlocking the competitions differences. Too confusing for the ordinary person.WORST records in professional sport. No shaming! Fun fast five facts, some serious elite sports knowledge.

1) All the shushing doesn't stop Ramos from slotting the winner. Wales eat spaghetti in Cardiff with a wooden spoon and Scotland are always the nearly team.2) Schoolboy rugby in South Africa still killing it, the games that matter forever for the old pupils of the schools. Cannot shake that loyalty or replicate that passion. Puts South African rugby in a healthy position.3) Formula one boasts a fast growing and different fan base, thanks to new owners and Netflix. Kyalami or Cape Town?4) Those massive streaks, think your Snap streak is long, you know nothing.5) The things that make you smarter with your friends, listen in as we try stump each other.

Dave Rennie, New All Blacks CoachSo New Zealand just hired the bloke that Australia threw in the bin three years ago. Dave Rennie — sacked by the Wallabies, replaced by Eddie Jones, who then took Australia to their worst World Cup performance in history and couldn't get out of the group stage. Meanwhile, Rennie quietly went to Japan, won some games, chopped firewood in Manawatu, and waited. Now he's got the biggest rugby job on the planet. The man didn't even need to campaign for it — karma did the work. Quade Cooper said it on X and he's absolutely right: Australia pushed one of the best coaches in the game out the door and handed him straight to their rivals. Beautiful. And just to twist the knife: poor Jamie Joseph — overlooked THREE TIMES for the All Blacks job — was gracious enough to text his congratulations the moment he found out. Third time, mate. Third. Time.T20 World Cup 2026, ProteasSouth Africa went through the entire tournament without losing a single game. Beat India. Unbeaten. Unbeatable. Untouchable. Then a bloke called Finn Allen showed up at Eden Gardens, hit a hundred off 33 balls — the fastest in World Cup history — and it was over before the Proteas could finish their pre-match prayers. New Zealand won by 9 wickets with 43 balls still to go. FORTY-THREE BALLS. South Africa had five days left on the clock and still lost. Markram scored 286 runs all tournament. Ngidi took 12 wickets. It genuinely didn't matter. The chokers tag is not a label anymore — it's a lifestyle.Six Nations 2026England lost to Italy. England. Lost. To Italy. After 32 consecutive wins. In Rome. While being sin-binned TWICE including their own captain. Steve Borthwick stood at a press conference afterwards and said "discipline has cost us" — which is technically true in the same way you might say "the Titanic had a minor flooding issue." Meanwhile, Scotland went to Murrayfield and absolutely annihilated France 50–40, ending their Grand Slam dreams and blowing the title race so wide open that three teams are now in with a chance going into Super Saturday. France, Scotland, Ireland. One afternoon to decide it all. And poor Wales haven't won a match since March 2023. Not a sausage. They recorded the lowest Six Nations attendance ever at home this year. Even their own fans have given up.Proteas Choke HistoryWe take a loving, painful stroll through the greatest hits. 1992: SA need 22 off 13 balls, rain comes, and the scoring system — in its infinite wisdom — changes the target to 21 off ONE ball. Brian McMillan literally laughed. 1999: Klusener hits two fours off the first two balls, SA need 1 to win, Allan Donald drops his bat, runs, stops, panics, gets run out, and the match TIES — with Australia going through on a previous result. And 2015: Grant Elliott hits Dale Steyn for six to win it off the last ball, then walks over to the heartbroken Steyn on his knees and helps him up. It's simultaneously the greatest act of sportsmanship and the most devastating thing you've ever seen. Where were you? Because South Africa certainly wasn't ready.Five Quiz QuestionsFive questions, zero mercy. Answers included for the lazy.

Orlando Pirates just executed Kaizer Chiefs 3-0 in the Soweto Derby like it was a personal vendetta from the 1970s player-stealing era. Expected win? Sure. But 3-0 at FNB with 100,000+ gatecrashers? That's not a scoreline, that's a war crime. PSL goals this season are apparently on strict calorie control — everyone's too busy exporting strikers to Europe before they can score twice.Cricket World Cup semi-finals locked: South Africa (unbeaten, fast-bowling gods on spin-friendly pitches — who saw that coming?) vs New Zealand. England sneaking through like that one mate who passes exams by copying. Coach has apparently yeeted every ego out the dressing room and replaced it with "team over self" + racial harmony glue. Result: Proteas suddenly playing like adults.Then we pivot to Tennis Dads: The Original Toxic Edition. Mike Agassi critiquing Steffi Graf's backhand like she didn't win 22 Slams. Peter Graf fighting refs at French Open. Richard Williams dropping an 85-page unborn-daughters-domination manifesto. John Haliburton literally invading the court to yell at Giannis. Michelle Wie's parents speedrunning her career into burnout. Moral: If your dad has a plan thicker than a Bible for your unborn kid's forehand, run.Podcast recommendations tier list speedrun:The Tennis Podcast — Kickstarter kings who basically live in Grand Slams.Lessons from the World's Best — deep therapy sessions with athletes.The Grade Cricketer — Aussie filth and vibes.Sports Criminals — "Russian doping? Let's gossip."The Upshot — rude, drunken sports dirt BBC won't touch.Sports Wars — 5-episode mini-docs on rivalries like Fedal and Kobe-Shaq. (Spoiler: They're already binging it off-mic.)Fun fast five facts finale:Last non-Joburg Soweto Derby? Durban 2007–08, fastest goal ever (19 seconds — guy basically spawn-camped).Happy Jele: 33 derbies, still standing.Chris Gayle: 63 sixes in T20 WC without ever hitting 1,000 runs total. 39% of his runs = pure sixes. Legend.Some dude named Brian Bennett batting at 146 average this tournament. Cricket math broke.

T20 Cricket World Cup (Men's)South Africa (Proteas) delivered a strong, clinical performance against New Zealand, chasing down 176 comfortably (led by Aiden Markram's unbeaten 86) to secure qualification for the Super 8 stage with their third straight win, regardless of their final group match.Their fast bowlers have been highly effective; Marco Jansen starred with career-best figures (e.g., 4/40 in that game).Shadley van Schalkwyk is the tournament's leading wicket-taker with 13 wickets so far (at age 37, playing for USA, not SA).Other highlights: Disappointment in the India-Pakistan match (Pakistan underperformed and lost convincingly); excitement from Zimbabwe's upset win over Australia (thanks to bowlers like Richard Ngarava/Blessing Muzarabani and Brian Bennett), showing smaller nations can beat giants in T20.Fun facts: Virat Kohli has the most T20 World Cup runs (1,292 at avg ~59, no centuries); tallest players are 6'8" trio (Blessing Muzarabani, Marco Jansen, Kyle Jamieson); Imran Tahir ranks high historically in T20 wickets.South Africa Women's Cricket (Proteas Women)The team is performing exceptionally well (often "under the radar") and recently played a T20 series against Pakistan (blending youth like 21-year-old left-armer Ayanda and 20-year-old all-rounder Kayla Reyneke with veterans like Marizanne Kapp and Laura Wolvaardt).Laura Wolvaardt praised for consistent excellence (some comparisons to Jacques Kallis).Upcoming: Tours to New Zealand; India and Australia visiting SA next summer (including Tests).Expectations: Strong in ODIs/T20s but likely to struggle in Tests due to limited experience.Pay gap: Narrowed in CSA-contracted salaries, but men earn far more via leagues like IPL/SA20.Ranked consistently top 4 globally, possibly now ahead of New Zealand.Six Nations Rugby (Men's, after Round 2)Scotland ended England's 12-match winning streak with a win (Scotland has won 6 of last 9 vs England).Italy showed progress (ran Ireland close but no draw/win).France is the only unbeaten team and dominant (though boosted by Wales' poor form); France leads standings (10 pts), followed by Scotland (6), England (5), etc.Wales struggling badly (lowest-ever Principality Stadium attendance for a Six Nations game).URC (with SA teams) credited for helping develop Italian, Irish, and Scottish players.Craziest Fan StuntsExamples: Manchester United fan not cutting hair until 5 straight league wins (stuck at 4); "Fan Man" James Miller parachuting into Holyfield-Bowe fight; Mets fan parachuting onto field in 1986 World Series; naked fan tackling a player in 1991 Currie Cup; prolific streaker Mark Roberts (580+ times); dangerous F1 track stunts criticized.Fast Fun Five FactsT20 WC: Kohli most runs; tallest players listed.Overall T20 wickets: Rashid Khan recently hit 700; Imran Tahir high historically.Women's all-format runs: Mithali Raj leads (predictions for Smriti Mandhana/Laura Wolvaardt to surpass).Rugby: England women's team holds dominant streak (34 consecutive wins; last tournament loss in 2018).Six Nations trivia: Bundee Aki (Irish, Samoan descent) never played for Māori All Blacks; Andre Watson (SA) first to referee two consecutive Rugby World Cup finals (1999, 2003).

Sasha and Luyanda discuss the T20 Cricket World Cup, highlighting the close game between Nepal and England, predicting a semi-final finish for South Africa, and identifying the South Africa versus New Zealand game as the decider for the top of their group. In their review of the Six Nations rugby, they agreed that the France versus England match would be the title decider and acknowledged Italy’s success, which propelled them above Scotland in the rankings, while also noting that Ireland fell to their worst ranking during the Andy Farrell era. The conversation shifted to sports personalities' use of social media, praising Rassie Erasmus's strategic interactions and discussing the fallout between Carlos Alcaraz and his former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero. They concluded the meeting by reviewing famous sports quotes, citing Wayne Gretzky's quote: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

SA 20 Review. Fourth season and still only two winners! Sunrisers Eastern Cape beat Pretoria Capitals in the final at Newlands.Australian Open - Womens segment. Coming down the wire, two semi finalists confirmed, Aryna Sabalenka dominant against newcomer US teenager (2nd best 18 year old in the world, Iva Jovic). Jovic tried, I think she is destined for good things, shows awesome maturity for an 18 year old. Sabalenka won 6-3, 6-0 and was dominant.Some amazing stats, Sabalenka won 67 of the 112 points, with 7 aces and 31 winners more than half beat Jovic. Watch this space, Jovic up to 20 in the live rankings.Are sport’s coaches easily disposable?This in light of All Blacks firing their coach Scott Robertson despite a 74% win record. Not quite “fair” I think. 2024, 71%, 2023, 75 percent. But world cup since 2015. In the NBA, the National Basketball association, you average tenure is 2.4 seasons. So every three years there is a new coach. Surely not great for continuity. In the premier league there were 14 managerial sackings in 2022/2023 …… Nottingham Forest have had three managers this season, they are 17th on the log and just outside of relegation territory. In a fast paced society where results and fan expectations meet financial realities, the axe is always quick to drop.Best sports playing kits. Iconic and easily recognisable. Liverpool, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United. LA Lakers, Chicago bulls, Juventus. Argentina football, Brazil football, Dutch Football, AllBlacks Rugby, there are some iconic ones out there.Fun fast five facts. In the first ever high profile South African T20 competition, the Standard Bank Pro20 Series in April 2004, what was unique about the second innings? The Dolphins from Durban played the combined franchise of Western Province Boland at Newlands. In the second innings, with the combined cape team chasing 122 to win, both openers Graeme Smith and Herschelle Gibbs made first ball ducks. Neil Johnson chewed up 24 balls for his pedestrian 8 runs, but they still won easily, 15 balls to spare.

We get to speak to a man who faced Murali in Galle, he got Matthew Hayden out when he'd made 380 (the then world record). He talks about career highlights and lowlights. The state of school cricket in Zimbabwe, as well as first class and the international setup. We then run through favourite test cricketers. And lastly, our usual fun fast five facts.

1) 10th Edition of CWC starts February, can anyone challenge India? Will it be South Africa, England or Australia? One month, 13 days of three matches a day.2) FIFA World Cup 2026 predictions. Spain, England, Germany, Brazil, Argentina (again?). Ronaldo and Messi swansong.3) 6 Nations Rugby. Will France's home games against England and Ireland give them an edge? Wales or Italy for the wooden spoon again? Can Gregor Townsend survive a Scotland underperformance?4) Favourite sports movies. From Coach Carter and Rudi, to F1 and Pele: Birth of a legend, which one was your favourite. 5) Fun Fast Five Facts. Sri Lanka's Kandy cricket ground, Asgiriya, with a unique record. Which is the oldest rugby trophy in the world? Which cricketers have played for two different nations at T20 cricket world cups. Who made their FIFA world cup debut first, Bafana Bafana or the Elephants?

We get an opportunity to speak to Ryan Schaper, the father of golfer Jayden, who recently won the Alfred Dunhill Championship and the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. We ask him questions around the life of a pro golfer, the commercial and investment needed to become a pro golfer. Being a parent of a talented child.Your favourite sports books! And of course, your Five Fun Fast Facts.

1.⁠ ⁠Best & worst of SA sport in 20252.⁠ ⁠⁠Ashes wrap3.⁠ ⁠⁠AFCON preview4.⁠ ⁠⁠Favourite sporting moment 20255.⁠ ⁠⁠Fast Five Fun Facts1) The Rollercoaster Ride – Highs That Had Us Dancing, Lows That Had Us Crying into Our Braai Sauce! What a wild year for Mzansi sport! We went from choking on dust to sipping champagne. Let's dish the dirt with a cheeky grin: The Absolute Best Bits (Pure Goosebumps Stuff).2.⁠ ⁠⁠Oh England, bless your cotton socks! You rocked up to Australia – a place where you haven't won a Test in forever – with a team that's missed the last WTC final, barely any players who've toured Down Under... and then had the cheek to talk about a 5-0 whitewash? The arrogance! Australia had lost just ONE match all year (the WTC final to... us Saffas ). And what happened? Pat Cummins' boys dismantled you in record time – retaining the Ashes 3-0 in only 11 days of cricket! Shortest Ashes series ever, and England looked shellshocked.3) Ho ho ho... wait, it's AFCON time! Bafana Bafana are off to Morocco for a proper holiday thriller – three group games crammed into one week, like a festive braai backlog! Bafana ranked 11th in Africa, 61st overall – realistic expectations? With Hugo Broos' magic, a quarter-final would be massive, semis a dream, but don't rule out more!Squad vibes: 5 from Sundowns, 8 from Orlando Pirates (Buccaneers taking over!), 6 overseas stars... and ZERO from Kaizer Chiefs. Amakhosi fans, is this a problem? Drama alert – Chiefs drought continues!4) Epic Moments Mash-Up: Pure Sporting Poetry (With a Side of Drama!) Picture this cheeky collage of 2025 magic:Temba Bavuma strutting on Lord's outfield with the WTC mace – fresh off hobbling through his innings while the Proteas demolished Australia... right as the Aussies were busy thrashing England at home. Savage timing!Carlos Alcaraz clinching the French Open – just as Jannik Sinner's mom thought her boy needed one more point. Mum's heartbreak, Carlitos' glory – tennis brutality!Schoolboy Rugby Madness: K-Day derbies and Craven Week finals – those young lions tearing up fields, future Springboks in the making. Raw passion!These moments? Chef's kiss – sport at its dramatic, heart-pounding best!5) Fun Fast Five Facts: Quick-Fire Trivia to Impress at the Braai!Let's rapid-fire some bangers:Most wickets in a calendar year (Tests)? Shane Warne's legendary 96 in 2005 – spin wizardry unmatched!Who has won AFCON the most? Egypt – the Pharaohs with a record 7 titles!Has Mo Salah ever won an AFCON? Nope! Two finals (2017 & 2021), two heartbreaks. This year's his big shot!Which club has the most representation at AFCON 2025? Sudanese giants Al Hilal with 11 players, but shoutout to Orlando Pirates (9) and Mamelodi Sundowns flying the SA flag high!

Nqobile Ndlovu, a sport's research analyst from Cash n Sport talks about the following three topics:1) Which sporting codes are the most popular in South Africa from a viewership perspective? Football (soccer) reigns supreme as the most popular sport in South Africa, captivating millions with its grassroots appeal and massive followings. The iconic Soweto Derby between Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates is the ultimate showdown—one of Africa's biggest rivalries, drawing enormous crowds and nationwide hype. But there's plenty beyond the derby: rugby union (especially among Springboks fans) and cricket round out the "Big Three," uniting the nation in passion. Other crowd-pullers include athletics, netball, golf, and swimming.2) Which codes generate the highest revenues? While football boasts the largest fanbase, rugby and cricket often generate higher commercial revenue through broadcasting deals, sponsorships, and international tournaments like the United Rugby Championship and SA20 cricket league.3) Woman's sport in South Africa, from a commercialisation and and viewership perspective.Women's sport is surging! Viewership is climbing, with teams like Banyana Banyana (football) and the Proteas Women (cricket) expanding fanbases and excelling internationally. Netball remains hugely popular at grassroots level, while rugby's Springbok Women are breaking records. Commercially, it's an undervalued gem—growing audiences attract sponsors, but there's massive untapped potential for investment in broadcasting, merchandise, and equal media spend to fuel further growth.4) Great sporting families.The Barrett brothers—Beauden, Scott, and Jordie—are rugby royalty from New Zealand, the only trio to start a Test match together for the All Blacks, with over 200 caps combined and multiple World Cup appearances. Venus and Serena are the sibling champions of tennis. 5) Fun Fast Five FactsQuestions and facts related to the subjects.

1) Rugby World Cup Draw - Rankings are officially meaningless toilet paper – prove me wrong! 2) The Ashes 2nd Test – Is Bazball Dead? - England’s ego project just got humiliated by actual Test cricket – Bazball = Braindead3) Women in sport – required to do more for less - Equal pay? Nah, women deliver bigger moments for pocket change and zero respect4) Athletes who’d dominate other codes - Jonty Rhodes, Elise Perry. Curtly Ambrose. Ian Botham. 5) Fun Five Fast Facts (now properly unhinged) - 5 Sports Facts So Dirty You’ll Need a Shower After

The first three questions were for Lewis Manthata, SA School's cricket selector!1) What are the cricket weeks? Set the scene.2) Pathway to schoolboy cricket, life after school3) Players to watch at these weeks.4) Bucket list sporting events5) Fun fast five facts

1) Nedbank golf challenge, 43rd time, how the tournament has changed2) Cape Town 7s, how the global 7s scene has changed3) Review of the Autumn series, who are the winners and who are the losers.4) Best Sporting Franchises5) Fast Fun Five Facts (FFFF). Which are the only two club teams to win the Hong Kong 7s?

1) Proteas smash India 2-0, amazing2) World cup football, rugby and cricket draws3) Technology in sport, ruining the game of rugby?4) Great sporting comebacks. Capriati, Manchester United, Foreman, 5) Fun fast five facts, who was the first use of technology in cricket, Who managed 7 runs off one ball?

Rugby wrap of the weekend including World Rugby Player of the year, Springboks over Ireland in five card trick, England crash and burn in the Ashes in Perth, Proteas bossing India in Guwahati, Sporting teams fall from grace, Fun fast Facts. Who has a highest test score of 99?

A preview of the Ashes from a neutral point of view, the World Rugby awards, Bafana Bafana on the up, sporting meltdowns, Fast Fun 5 Facts (FFFF).

In today's episode we cover the rugby on the weekend, England/All Blacks, Italy/Springboks. Proteas epic victory at Eden Gardens. The cost of marathon running. Strange sponsorships in sport. Fast five facts (Fun!).

Why are there a lack of black batters in both the men's and women's game in South Africa, we speak to special guest and old friend Nqaba Matoti who works as a talent scout for Cricket South Africa. Greatest coaches of all time, who are yours? And the ongoing feature, sidestepping each other, stumping each other - fast fun five facts!

Boks crowing against France, India/Proteas preview, ATP Finals preview, sporting disappointments and Fast Five.

What goes better than peanut butter and jelly? Siya and Rassie. Plus, a look into France vs the Springboks. Viewership in South African sports. Once off legendary performances. Fast fun facts.

Protea's women fall short in final, Springboks vs. Japan rugby wrap, WTA finals - end of tennis year, Unfulfilled South African sporting talent and Fun Five Facts.

Proteas woman qualify for the final, with a resounding win over England. Bok team versus the Brave Blossoms. F1 hots up with the last four races. Your South African GOATs. Fast Five.

1) Woman's cricket world cup semi-finals confirmed2) Northern Hemisphere tours, Springboks vs. Japan3) Betting sponsors in sport4) Schoolboy rugby in South Africa5) Fast facts

Chatter from Cow Corner brings you:The 2025 Woman's World Cup Cricket, Australia still rampantProteas versus Pakistan Test Cricket 2025, monster turnaround from South AfricaRace in South African Sport.Iconic sporting venues around the world and in South Africa.The Fun Five, Fun Facts and True or False.

Can anybody stop the Australian's woman's cricket team at the World Cup, All Blacks tour fixtures announced, Schoolboy cricket week at the end of the year, Woman's pay disparities in sport and we quiz each other.

Woman's World Cup cricket ongoing. GOAT debate, yours is not mine and mine is not yours. Proteas vs. Pakistan. Sport's broadcasting in South Africa. Bafana-Bafana qualification for the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

1. 2025 Woman's Cricket World Cup2.⁠ ⁠⁠ICC World Test Championships3.⁠ ⁠⁠Finance in SA Sport4.⁠ ⁠⁠Tennis top 85.⁠ ⁠⁠Rugby outgoing tours