DURBAN – Sing with me, “One only Molinari, there’s only one Molinari, one Molinaari, there’s only one Molinaari”… this was being chanted at Carnoustie on Sunday late afternoon.
Congratulations go out to Francesco Molinari as he became the first player representing Italy to win a major in golf. Blitz Boks got a bronze in the Sevens World Cup and that’s ok. Moving right along…
It’s a ‘Final Four Fantasy’ Super rugby semi-final line-up. The ancestors are showing me red everywhere baba…… so we take this to be red and white of the Lions to be facing the red and black of the Crusaders, come next weekend in the Grand Finale.
The Crusaders are 4/10 favourites at home in Christchurch against their fellow countrymen from upstate, the Hurricanes at 22/10 for the win tomorrow morning.
There is a healthy handicap of +9 points with most bookies. Crusaders are 160 minutes away from yet another Super rugby trophy, deservedly so to be fair?
Both teams riddled with All Blacks, the home span will have the upper hand upfront and the Canes ‘All Black’ half backs will run the ball all day, and try to outscore their opponents at home.
This should be a banger indeed and an upset shouldn’t be written off lads.
Then we have the top team in South Africa and Australia taking each other on in the Highveld tomorrow afternoon; it’s Lions versus Waratahs at the famed Ellis Park Stadium at 15h00.
The Waratahs will play a tactful game and the visitors do have the metal to get the job done, however….. the Lions may have the upper hand being at home, also having won in recent games both home and away against their opponents.
From what I saw last week in both their quarter-finals, I suggest that the + 11 points for the Waratahs is the value bet.
One can also punt the Totals bet, going under 48. 5 points, which some of the bookies offer at 12/10.
The Lions play the Waratahs in Johannesburg on Saturday. Photo: Christiaan Kotze/Backpagepix
In Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton is coming off the come-back of his life in Germany. Sebastian Vettel lost his way at home in an absolute thriller even for your fair-weather fan, like one Sangoma.
Question being, is there value to Lewis Hamilton’s lead in the drivers’ championship?
Ferrari is still the fastest car at the minute, so there is still a good race ahead for the championship.
This weekend in Budapest, Hungary, is the last race before the summer break.
Vettel is the favorite this weekend at 18/10, Hamilton at 28/10, Verstappen at 33/10 and Ricciardo at 7/2, with 16/1 bar the rest, for the win.
Surely Vettel will pull some points back and watch out for Red Bulls this weekend too.
In the drivers’ championship, Lewis Hamilton has now become 6/10 favorite after good fortune and a young master class drive last weekend.
Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes celebrates on the podium after the 2018 German Grand Prix. Photo: Ronald Wittek/EPA
Those that like a little more contact, there is a bout in the UK on Saturday evening between heavyweights Dillian Whyte and one Joseph Parker.
The New Zealand born Parker goes in as a slight favourite at 7/10 and will be sure to rush Whyte in the early rounds. These bones don’t see this bout going the distance, so look at a Joseph knockout to upset the poms and the local lad.
Tour de France comes to an end this weekend, where the upper echelon will be watching the ‘Pelaton’ ride into the beautiful Paris Champ-Elysees come Sunday afternoon.
The favourite Froome flopped and the Welshman Geraint Thomas held down yellow after taking major strides in the Pyrenees towards his maiden yellow jersey, after a brilliantly contested Tour.
🚴🚴🚴🚴🚴🚴🚴💨 #TDF2018 pic.twitter.com/qlegZBBPSY
Sanele Tshabalala