FOOTBALL

South Africa’s 2-0 defeat to Chile came as no surprise to coach Joel Santana and he wants the team to get used to playing similar opposition if the World Cup hosts are to be competitive at the 2010 finals. The Brazilian’s charges were handed a comprehensive lesson in Wednesday’s friendly international, laying bare the task facing Santana.

RUGBY

John Smit will be wearing his familiar Sharks No2 jersey when he faces the Stormers in the opening Vodacom Super 14 clash of 2009 at Newlands on Saturday. The Springbok captain was moved to tighthead prop during the last overseas tour and national coach Peter de Villiers intends fielding him there in the series against the British and Irish Lions. However, Smit moved back to hooker when Bismarck du Plessis was injured against Scotland, and with Du Plessis only just coming back from his lay-off, Sharks coach John Plumtree named him at hooker when he announced his team on Thursday.

CRICKET

The Nashua Cape Cobras coach Shukri Conrad has named the strongest Standard Bank Pro20 team on paper to take on the Nashua Dolphins in the first leg of the semi-final at Newlands on Friday. Graeme Smith will captain the side and open the batting with Herschelle Gibbs, while J.P. Duminy will feature at number four. The rest of the team includes Henry Davids, Richard Levi, Justin Ontong, Andrew Puttick, Roger Telemachus, Rory Kleinveldt, Charl Langeveldt and Claude Henderson. The Dolphins are expecting Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya to return.

GOLF

It wasn’t the first time he shot 29 for nine holes, but it came in a timely fashion for Michiel Bothma as he led the first round of the Vodacom Championship on eight-under 64 at the Pretoria Country Club.

GOLF

Seventeen-year-old South Korean Noh Seung-yul crammed an eagle and nine birdies in a spectacular 10-under-par 62 to take the first-round lead at the Malaysian Open on Thursday.