Who says Christmas only comes once a year when we have Super Saturday?

11 November 2016 - 18:05 By Mninawa Ntloko
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Christmas only comes once a year but South African sports fans would be forgiven if they put on their party hats and blow whistles as if it’s December 25 on Saturday.

The television remote control has never looked more sexier and it’s safe to bet that Saturday will be marked by a roller-coaster ride of emotions.

SA’s main sporting codes — soccer‚ rugby and cricket — have so much at stake and no one can blame St. Nicholas himself if he also joins South Africans in front of their television sets on this sacred of days.

The SA cricket team will get the dream Super Saturday line-up rolling when they face hosts Australia on the first day of the second Test at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart in the early hours of the morning (South Africa time).

The Australians were comprehensively outplayed by the visitors in the first Test in Perth and they now have their backs against the wall.

The hosts will be desperate to make amends in the second Test and this is a must-win if they are to take the three-Test series to the decider in Adelaide from November 24.

Bafana Bafana will pick up the baton a few hours later when they host Senegal in a crucial 2018 World Cup qualifier at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane at 3pm.

The national team’s path to the 2018 global showpiece will suddenly become treacherous and mistier should coach Ephraim ‘‘Shakes” Mashaba’s charges fail to get past the tricky and star-studded Senegalese.

The rules of qualifying for the Soccer World Cup and other major tournament on the continent are very simple — win your home matches and try to get a draw away from home.

The South Africans managed the first part of the equation after they drew 1-1 with Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou last month and now need to execute the second part of the plan at home in Polokwane on Saturday.

The Springboks will take us into the evening when they face England at Twickenham.

The last time England beat the Springboks was in November 2006.

But the hosts should fancy their chances this time around as they are on a 10-match winning streak‚ nine of which have come under coach Eddie Jones.

This Test has the makings of a classic.

And should all of that still not be enough‚ there is the penultimate day of Nedbank Golf Challenge in Sun City.

Then there are the mouthwatering rugby Tests — Italy vs New Zealand‚ Wales vs Argentina‚ Ireland vs Canada‚ among others — also on Saturday.

Football is also well represented and the 2018 World Cup qualifiers featuring Cameroon vs Zambia and Nigeria vs Algeria should more than make up for the absence of Premier Soccer League action on this Fifa weekend.

Even the motosport fans will be taken care of and they can look forward to the qualifying session of the Formula One Brazil Grand Prix.

Who says Christmas only comes once a year?

- TMG Digital

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