Orlando Pirates produce the BIG result of the weekend. And they weren't even playing in the PSL.

Chipper at Chippa: former Chiefs keeper Dalyan Hawes

ONE point for Kaizer Chiefs on the opening weekend? Well it's better than Arsenal!

South Africa's the reigning champions went on a long winning run to start last season under Stuart Baxter but there is no reason to panic just yet.

Perhaps the most impressive facet of Chiefs opening clash in front of 35,000 at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was the deadpan reaction from new coach Steve Komphela, the man who talks the talk.

Encouraged to pontificate about a wonderful game packed with erm... flowing football, Komphela immediately put his first League match in perspective: “A great game? That’s not what I saw. I’ll have to have another look at it!

“We got a point. Should I be happy with that? I’m happy with the defence but we didn’t score a goal. And we should have. Kaizer Chiefs need to be consistent.”

Komphela is right of course. In England, champions Chelsea also got off to a one-point start against lowly Swansea, a very similar result to Chiefs given the reputation of the clubs involved.

But in front of a huge crowd, the side that took a record 69 points winning the PSL title last season never really looked like winning.

Komphela has the same problem Baxter had last season: he doesn’t have a decent striker. David Zulu was largely anonymous again, Bernard Parker simply refuses to attack the ball in the box, there's no sign of a great goal-getter on the horizon: the goals are going to have to come from the midfield.

Typically Siphiwe Tshabalala came closest, rattling Dalyan Hawes’ cross-bar. But at the other end, the returning Itumeleng Khune was the busier of the two goalkeepers, keeping on effort out with a hastily out-stretched leg.

Hawes, a former Kaizer Chiefs goalkeeper who played college soccer in the USA, was impressive but didn’t need a miracle to keep Chiefs at bay. He did, however, have a strong debut and I suspect the 23-year-old's "short term contract" will be extended, which is rare from Mr Mpengesi.

Truth is, despite the SuperSport hype, it wasn’t a great game. It was nice to see the PSL put out a crowd figure for once (they only do it for big crowds, two or three times a season), but in truth, most will have left disappointed. There’s a long season ahead but the early red card for Chiefs - coming after their off-side goal against Maritzburg United in the MTN8 - will have the cynics whispering.

Too many decisions got the way of the big clubs in South Africa, too many referees are eager to please the mega-rich dictators of our game. It has to be examined. But it won't be. Any more than our attendance figures, transfer dealings or international selections.

But why focus on the grim? In truth, as I write, the best performance of the weekend didn’t come from the PSL in the opening weekend at all.

It came from Chiefs’ Soweto rivals Orlando Pirates against CS Sfaxien. Their 2-0 win, with goals from Menzi Masuku and Thabo Rahkale, was great to watch. The Tunisians lost it when Sifiso Myeni began showboating in front of the Orlando fans, a moment to savour.

How long have we waited to see a bit of Khasi Magic disrupt our northern cousins? They hated it. It's what we should be doing.

It was South Africa football at it’s best, and a result which just about guarantees the Buccaneers a place in the CAF Confederations Cup semi-finals with Egypt’s Zamalek. Nine points from four games represents top stuff from Eric Tinkler, the coach who still doesn’t have a contract.

Tinkler was typically down-beat after the game, as he juggles his squad to keep them fresh after an off-season of long trips around the continent. But the bottom line: "I'm proud of my players. They've been through a lot."

Both the PSL and the British Premier League are barely out of the blocks yet. Chelsea and Chiefs will have better days. So will Arsenal and Mamelodi Sundowns. But we can say this with some confidence: Orlando Pirates are doing the nation proud.

Global piracy in turmoil as Buccaneers ask: Who is this swashbuckling Tokela Rantie?

A desperately-needed late winner for Orlando Pirates against Jomo Cosmos at a delirious Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Sunday has got Buccaneers fans scratching their heads. Just who is this super-sub Tokela Wayne Rantie they were asking from Port Elizabeth to Soweto.

Making just his second appearance, the 21-year-old looked compact, dangerous – and dare we say it – not unlike a young Benni McCarthy as he snatched all three points off Jomo’s rock bottom Ezenkosi.

Ironically the young man from Parys in the Orange Free State – the Afrikaans version of Paris on the banks of the Vaal has its own mini-Eiffel Tower but little in the way of footballing history - may yet get to play alongside the 33-year-old McCarthy, currently hamstrung and out of the Pirates line-up.

But for those mystified by the maturity of Rantie’s 12-minute cameo as a substitute on Sunday, there is a history, suggesting the real possibility that Julio Leal may have unearthed a real nugget. The manner of his winner – cool control on a long ball from captain Lucky Lekgwathi, easing past the defender to ram the ball beyond bemused Cosmos goalkeeper Avril Phali – suggests there’s plenty more to come.

After his heroics which led to wild celebrations from under-pressure Brazilian boss Leal, the “unknown Buccaneer” grinned: “I really don’t have much to say! I was just sitting on the bench, analysing the weaknesses of their defence, when the boss put me on.

“I came on when there was a lot of pressure. It was 1-1 and could’ve gone either way. It was a matter of taking that information I had gathered and then putting it in to practice, which I did.”

Rantie has played for Ferroviario de Beira and Clube Desporto de Maxaquene (there’s video of him in action at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY-QPzHh9uI) in Mozambique and spent time with Swedish club IFK Hässleholm before arriving at Orlando on a season-long loan after scoring twice for the Stars of Africa Academy in a 3-2 friendly defeat against the Buccaneers.

Farouk Khan, the man behind the Stars of Africa outfit which discovered Rantie and re-established his credentials after he left Sweden following work permit problems, says: "Rantie will come in handy for Pirates when it comes to scoring goals, Tokelo is a great player and I think he will also add value to the Under-23 national side and Bafana Bafana when they see him."

Rantie may lack the reputation and hairstyle offered by Bongani Ndulula and the more established Pirates strikers but come Wednesday night’s Premier League clash and the Telkom Knock-Out quarter-final three days later – both against the reviving Moroka Swallows - he may just get the chance to prove his worth with McCarthy and Thulasizwe Mbuyane both doubtful.

For now though, he lives with the memory of that first Pirates strike: “It still feels like a dream. I don’t know how to explain it. Just amazing.”

Holland 2 Slovakia 1... who will pick the Oranges now they're through to the last eight?

AH the Dutch. So clinical, so perfect, so bloody Orange.

Four games, four wins, seven goals for, two against—and through they go to a quarterfinal against Brazil in Port Elizabeth on July 2.

Dunga's dynamos have to favourites after their emphatic 3-0 win over Chile tonight but with Arjen Robben and Wesley Sneijder clicking, these Dutch could yet drive Brazil nuts.

Robben, proving he’s completely recovered from a dodgy hamstring, made his first start, and scored the opener after just 18 minutes. Sneijder played him in, and his low shot from 25 yards was pretty unstoppable.

With courageous Slovakia trying to find an equaliser, Sneijder clinched it seven minutes from time by slotting home Dirk Kuyt’s pull-back.

Robert Vittek was left to score a penalty with the very last kick of the match, but that was it from Slovakia, playing in their first World Cup finals since Czechoslovakia split in 1993.

It’s not like the Dutch aren’t in good form. They were unbeaten in qualifying, and are currently on a record-run of 23 games unbeaten.

Just twice Slovakia threatened to upset the orange apple cart in front of 62,000 at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium. Maarten Stekelenburg was needed to tip over a Miroslav Stoch effort, and then he was called in to action from close range to deny Vittek.

Strange then that the ever-increasing orange army here are complaining about their form. Though England, France, and Italy would give anything to be in the last eight, the Dutch feel their side lacks flair.

They have never won the World Cup before, but there is a hankering after the “total football” of the sides that reached the finals in Germany '74 and Argentina '78.

Still, with Sneijder, Robben, and Arsenal’s Robin Van Persie beginning to fire, this could yet be a uniquely orange World Cup.

For an inside look at Soccer City, the World Cup final venue, see action from last night’s Argentina win over Mexico: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOzgJ5i6LkA

Neal Collins is in South Africa to marvel at the South Americans, mourn England... and promote his first novel A GAME APART, the real story behind this World Cup. For more information see www.nealcollins.co.uk.

Uruguay first into the last eight with a 2-1 win over South Korea... Suarez extends the South American dominance

Uruguay clinically disposed of plucky South Korea in Port Elizabeth, their 2-1 win secured by the consummate finishing of Ajax striker Luis Suarez.

Cracking game to start the knock-out phase, but no surprise. By my calculations, South American teams have played 16 games at South Africa 2010, coming away with 11 wins, four draws and a single, meaningless 2-1 defeat by ten-man Chile at the hands of Spain in the last game of the group phase.

To give them their full name, the República Oriental del Uruguay (the Eastern Republic of Uruguay) survived the rain, a late equaliser, a dismal crowd and an appalling surface to continue the CONMEBOL dominance of this World Cup – and reach the last eight for the first time since 1970.

With a population of just 3.5million Uruguay are hardly a huge nation. On land-size alone, they are the second-smallest country in Latin American (after tiny Surinam) but become the first side from SouthAmerica - apart from big guns Argentina and Brazil - to reach the World Cup quarter-finals since Peru in 1978.

It was hardly a classic, but it was pretty absorbing, unlike the surface at the brand new Nelson Mandela Bay stadium, which was cutting up badly.

Uruguay took an early lead after just eight minutes when former Manchester United striker Diego Forlansaw his cross slip past an embarrassed Jung Sung-Ryong, leaving Suarez to slot into an empty net. Predictably the Group A winners – who left France and South Africa in their wake – shut up shop for a while after that.

South Korea, representing Asian dreams, had it all to do and when a 68th minute free-kick floated into the Uruguay box it looked like we were headed for extra-time and even penalties. Maurico Victorino could only flick on and Bolton's Lee Chung-Yong headed past Fernando Muslera for the equaliser amid incredibly soggy scenes.

But ten minutes from time, Suarez produced the champagne moment to clinch it. A Uruguay corner from the right ended up with Nicolas Lodeiro. He offered the ball to Suarez, who had nowhere to go. So he eased past a defender and send a wonderful winner curling in off the far post. Cue hysteria.

Suarez will now be linked with all the big money clubs in Europe. He's 23 but is a bit too dramatic for my liking. But he scored 35 goals in 33 games for Ajax last season. And in three Ere Divisie seasons, he's got 74 in 94 games.

With Forlan pulling the strings in front of a defence that has conceded just one goal in the tournament so far, who will bet against “South America's Switzerland” beating the winners of the Ghana v USA game at Soccer City on July 2 – and reaching a semi-final against Brazil in Cape Town? They've won it twice before, the last triumph was in Brazil 60 years ago. Even Uruguayans can dream.

Soweto, the ultimate World Cup destination: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mUVdUk0GMQ. Includes fantastic dancing lady and the ultimate World Cup companion!

Neal Collins is in South Africa to marvel at the South Americans, pray for England... and promote his first novel A GAME APART, the real story behind this World Cup. For more information see www.nealcollins.co.uk.

John Terry's extraordinary u-turn puts England back on course before Slovenia showdown

John Terry has made a remarkable u-turn after Sunday’s shocking press conference which threatened to blow the England camp wide open.

Terry, who spoke of being denied a beer after his side’s appalling 0-0 draw against Algeria on Friday, has come under pressure from colleagues and fans for what he calls his “attempt at honesty”.

Stripped of the captaincy over a relationship with former team-mate Wayne Bridge’s partner just three months ago, Terry attempted to raise his concerns over selection and morale at Sunday night’s emergency team meeting.

But on finding he had little support from his fellow senior professionals, yesterday he saw fit to confide in the Daily Mail’s Matt Lawton in a last-ditch effort to defuse tension before tomorrow’s win-or-bust clash against Slovenia in Port Elizabeth.

Terry insists: “It was never my intention to upset the manager or the players. If I did, I apologise. I just wanted to be honest. I was asked a question about Joe Cole and I went too far.”

Like many others, Terry believes his Chelsea team-mate Cole should start on the left of midfield. But after telling the world only Wayne Rooney and Cole were capable of cutting open defences, Capello blasted his former captain yesterday for speaking out.

Terry added: “I have told the manager he has my total support and I would like to stress that I don’t believe I have been a disruptive influence in the camp.

“I would now like to put this episode behind me and concentrate on trying to win what is a massive game for England. All I was trying to do was to say how important it is to me to try to win the World Cup.”

Terry’s volte face is remarkable. On Sunday it appeared he was ready to lead a France-style player revolt, along the lines of the Bobby Robson mutiny at Italia 90. But yesterday he told Lawton: “I just hope people at least appreciate that I have taken the time to call you and have asked you to report what I have to say in response.”

Neal Collins is in South Africa to complain about England's performance and promote his first novel A GAME APART. See www.nealcollins.co.uk.

To see Neal at the National Arts Festival on July 4, go to http://www.computicket.com/web/event/neal_collins_a_game_apart/148367625.

South Korea 2, Greece 0: the first shock of many at the 2010 World Cup

THREE games in and we have the first shock of the 2010 World Cup. South Korea, ranked 47 in the world, were simply too much for Greece, ranked 13, winning 2-0 in a clash of two of the globe’s most troubled nations at Port Elizabeth.

Off the field, the Greek economy has imploded, they’ve had street protests and social unrest. How they needed a good old sporting success to lift the nation. In South Korea, there’s political unrest and protests against their missile-wielding northern neighbours (who play Brazil on Tuesday). They needed a little on-field boost nationally too.

And they got it, courtesy of Lee Jung-Soon’s far-post tap-in the seventh minute and a quite brilliant goal from godlike captain and Manchester United star Park Ji-Sung in the 52^nd minute. The result was never in doubt. South Korea were efficient, aggressive, dominant. Greece, training in the heat of Durban and based at the swanky Beverly Hills Hotel (see my YouTube video on the subject http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px-ROLawUnU), simply had no answers, though they improved late on.

Celtic midfielder Ki Sung-Yong and Bolton striker Lee Chung-yong were among the recognisable Korean names for European fans, while Greece offered Celtic’s Georgios Samaras but didn’t pick Liverpool centre-back Sotiris Kyrgiakos

Experienced Greek coach Otto Rehhagel rarely attempts all-out attacking football, and once they’d gone behind, Greece never really recovered. Before the match Rehhagel said: “It's the first match and if you lose the first match your chances of getting through to the next round are limited.” That will rank highly among the things coaches wish they hadn’t said at this World Cup. They’ve got Nigeria next in Bloemfontein on the 17^th. It’s become a must-win. Korea have got Argentina in Johannesburg on the same day.

Both of these sides remain unlikely to qualify, but Korea can proudly claim to be the first winners at Africa’s first World Cup.

Veteran Korea keeper Lee “Spiderhands” Woon-jae was, sadly, left on the bench for Jung Sung-ryong. He made a spectacular 81^st minute save but otherwise had little to do but listen to the vuvuzelas in a sparse crowd of 30,000 in a 46,000-capacity Nelson Mandela Stadium. Another great venue – it will be full for the next one, Ivory Coast versus Portugal in Group G on Tuesday, with the vast South Africa Portuguese community dominant (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nIz0GAAlzc).

Down in Cape Town, France were suffering again. After last night’s awful 1-1 draw against Uruguay in Group A, their rugby team went down to the Springboks at a packed Newlands Stadium, where Vuvuzelas are banned.

And that’s the problem. Port Elizabeth is rugby and cricket territory. Even the African population – like legendary cricketer Makhaya Ntini from nearby Kingswilliamstown – play the uppercrust sports in the old British mission schools around the Eastern Cape.

A bit like England’s losing rugby international in Perth, Australia this morning where only 32,000 turned up at the 50,000-capacity Subiaco Oval, you can’t force people to watch soccer if it isn’t in their culture. Remember, South Africa is a vast country of many varied people and climates.

And that’s why this is just the first upset in what promises to be a hugely unpredictable World Cup. Inland, the nights are cold, the days are cloudless and hot. In Durban, it’s warm enough to swim in the sea even in mid-winter June. Cape Town can be like Manchester in December at this time of year, while Port Elizabeth is nick-named the windy city.

Question is, will the chilly late-kick off at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium tonight suit the USA or England. We will soon find out. But one thing’s certain. You can’t bet on it.

The World Cup venues: what the players, WAGs and fans can expect

THE World Cup venues in South Africa are so diverse, they could just be the key to England’s success next summer. Before tomorrow’s draw in Cape Town, players, WAGS and fans might be interested in a quick guide to the nine towns on offer.

From Cape Town in the south to Polokwane in the north, the grounds for next year’s tournament are stretched over 1,000 miles, the equivalent of travelling the length of England - and back.

The climate ranges from tropical to Mediterranean, the altitude from sea level in Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth to a breathless 5,000 feet in Johannesburg, with Pretoria, Rustenburg, Nelspruit. Bloemfontein and Polokwane also high on the escarpment which rises in the centre of the country.

Next June will be winter in South Africa, but that doesn’t guarantee rain. The inland cities (Johannesburg, Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Nelspruit, Polokwane and Rustenburg) are basically parched from April to September, with rainfall in the summer only. Though the World Cup pitches will be watered, generally amateur football is played on concrete-like surfaces with dead grass in the winter. Overnight frosts are not uncommon.

On the coast, Cape Town has winter rain, much like Britain, while steamy Durban can be wet all year round – though it has also suffered years of drought in the past. Port Elizabeth lies somewhere between the two, geographically and climatically.

Then there’s the development to consider. Cape Town is essentially a European city plonked on the end of the continent, with a rich history and nearby wine lands. Port Elizabeth and Durban are pleasant seaside resorts, though tropical Durban can get extremely humid in the summer, our winter.

Downtown Johannesburg has improved but Sandton, to the north, is where the cricket and rugby teams generally reside and offers just about everything a British town could offer. Similarly, the middle of Pretoria is not as welcoming as you’d hope, but Centurion to the south is stockbroker belt as far as shops and restaurants go.

England won’t want to go to the outlying areas though. Polokwane is remote and too far north to be a tourist trap, though it is surrounded by game parks. Nelspruit offers great hiking trails and forests but is by no means a metropolis. And Rustenburg, though close to the casinos and golf courses of Sun City, is hardly where you’d want to spend a holiday.

And then there’s Bloemfontein. It’s a big city but no paradise for English tourists. Though Bloemfontein Celtic, the local professional side, offer perhaps the most demonstrative fans in the South African Premier Division, Bloemfontein is generally considered, like Pretoria, a bastion of rugby and Afrikanerdom. Though things are changing since the outbreak of democracy in 1993, English accents are not always greeted with welcoming smiles.

Fabio Capello, though tempted to ban the wives and girlfriends, knows the WAGS will come out for the World Cup. But if the side are drawn to play in Nelspruit, Rustenburg, Bloemfontein or Polokwane, God help them. Let’s get this straight, these are not holiday resorts, they are remote African towns unsuitable for wandering the shops and going out at night. During the World Cup, there will be a livelier atmosphere, but visit those town centres tomorrow and you’d find it pretty inhospitable. It’s hard to imagine 20,000 England fans happily spending a few days in any of them.

Though plush game reserves surround the three northern cities there are no obvious places for WAGs or fans to amuse themselves. Bloemfontein offers more but a London orbital town like Watford would be far more vibrant. Though the FA has looked at Rustenburg’s soccer academy as a possible pre-tournament camp venue, those four cities are not quite what England will be after.

Johannesburg and Pretoria, though also at altitude, which presents its own problems, can offer reasonable facilities for fans and WAGs... as long as they do as they’re told. There are areas around both cities which will suit English travellers and Loftus Versveld, the World Cup ground in Pretoria, is a reasonable venue for fans to prepare for a match.

Ellis Park in central Johannesburg and Soccer City, near Soweto, are less welcoming but should be well marshalled during matches. Again, fans would be advised not to wander too far afield at either venue.

But if it’s a quality World Cup England and their fans are after, the coastal cities should provide it.

Durban’s brand new Moses Mobhida Stadium (pictured) is a monumental effort, complete with a Wembley-style arch and a walkway to the nearby North Beach, which is really what the biggest city in KwaZulu Natal is all about. Though the centre of Durban shows signs of decay, new developments around the once-feared harbour end of town have improved matters. North of Durban, England fans might find plush beach resorts like Umhlanga and Ballito worth exploring. Durban also offers some of the largest shopping malls in the country, with Gateway near Umhlanga the largest in the southern hemisphere. It’s WAG paradise with every designer outlet and for fans, there are rooftop go-karts, 10-pin bowling, cinemas, a theatre and plenty of restaurants.

Port Elizabeth is smaller than Durban and again, the centre shows signs of decay. But south of the city offers similar beachside facilities to Durban, with casinos and safe night-time venues. Not renowned as a football hub, Bayi, as it is now known, boasts the country’s loudest cricket fans and a good match-day atmosphere. Hopefully they’ll turn up for the football too.

And finally, saving the best to last, we travel down the beautiful Garden Route from Port Elizabeth to Cape Town and the new Green Point Stadium. The oldest city in South Africa has it all. The cable car up Table Mountain, the cruise out to Robben Island, the Victoria and Albert Waterfront, the nearby winelands. Paradise. England’s cricket and rugby fans will confirm that Cape Town is the place to be for players, fans and hangers-on. There are dozens of top-of-the-range shopping malls and, unlike the rest of South Africa, the houses are not fenced in. Cape Town has a less paranoid approach to crime.

In summary:

Where England want to be:

• Green Point Stadium, Cape Town (70,000)

Perfect draw for England. No altitude to worry about, winter’s much like England but slightly warmer. Fine new stadium.

• Moses Mobhida Stadium, Durban (68,000)
Winter will ease the tropical problems of heat and humidity, great beaches even in winter...and another brand new stadium.

• Nelson Mandela Stadium, Port Elizabeth (50,000)

Stay south of the city for the best of Bayi, plenty of English settler history inland, beautiful coastline north and south

Where England will struggle with altitude but might be okay:

• Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg (60,000)

Situated close to the centre of the golden city, it still feels a bit intimidating in the streets but a ground with a big history.
• Soccer City, Johannesburg (95,000)

Close to Soweto, great stadium with an African design, but needs further development around the ground

• Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria (45,000)
Home of the rugby gods the Blue Bulls, pleasant area near centre of Pretoria, shouldn’t be a problem

Where England won’t want to be:

• Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit (40,000)

It’s a small town, good for game reserves and hiking but not football fans. Trouble over the new stadium appears to be over.
• Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein (40,000)

It’s not a town you instantly fall in love with but it’s big and bustling and the stadium is an established rugby venue
• Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg (40,000)

Sun City, half-an-hour away, is worth a visit. Rustenburg isn’t, though it has been pushed as a big footballing venue of late

• Peter Mokaba Stadium, Polokwane (40,000)

Once known as Pietersburg, Polokwane is a remote northern town, a long way from the centre of the action

Rout of Africa: England instantly unbeatable in Port Elizabeth

SO this is rapidly becoming the Jekyll and Hyde tour. One minute England are absolute rubbish, bring 'em home, drop the lot. Then they're unbeatable, superb, give them all a knighthood.

Did I say unbeatable? After today's emphatic seven-wicket victory over South Africa in Port Elizabeth that's exactly what Andrew Strauss's men have become, given that they're 2-1 up in the One-Day series with one to play at Durban on Friday. Not bad against a side unbeaten in ODI series since 2002.

Today's victory, set up by a best-ever James Anderson (10-3-5-23, right), superb discipline plus incredible fielding and finished off by Cape Town-born Jonathan Trott's unbeaten 52, was in total contrast to Friday night's record thrashing at the hands of Graeme Smith's men at Newlands.

We blamed that little lot on Strauss's failure to win the toss. He lost it again today and admitted afterwards: "That was a good toss to lose" as a "very disappointed" Smith chose to bat and, despite being 55-3 and 78-4, slumped to 119 all out off just under 37 overs.

Strauss grinned: "We had a good chat about what went wrong in Cape Town and were very accurate today. James Anderson was outstanding, creating pressure and bowling wicket-taking deliveries as well."Anderson said: "We had a chat after the last game because we didn't bowl as well as we could have done. We wanted to come here and bowl a lot better, and luckily we got a wicket (Smith) that helped us with our plans."

They all failed, the great South Africans who had made our lives a misery in Cape Town. Graeme Smith went first, leg before to Stuart Broad for two, Hashim Amla was Anderson's first victim for 11 and the great AB De Villiers was snaffled up by a jubilant Tim Bresnan. He look unhappy with the LBW decision, but it looked pretty good on Sky. But then I would say that. I'm off to cover the four Tests next week and this is just the result England needed.

Somehow, despite the huge gulf between these two sides, were are going to get to the four five-day clashes without losing either the Twenty20 or the ODI showdowns. Amazing.

Yet today England actually looked the tighter, more impressive outfit, just as they had in Centurion a week before. Anderson, shrugging off his injured knee, bowled like a dream, Strauss captained with verve and purpose, bringing Jimmy back quicker than expected to complete his first five-wicket haul in ODIs, Luke Wright, though he didn't bowl that well, finished the Proteas with an astonishing one-handed catch to get rid of Alviro Petersen, South Africa's only batsman on the day with 51 off 79 balls.

Trott led the way in reply, scoring his 52 off 77 balls and though he lost skipper Strauss for 28 after a 74-run opening partnership, Eoin Morgan joined him with 28 off 38 to complete victory. Oh, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood failed but by then, who cared?

Durban on Friday becomes a real contest, with South Africa desperate to bounce back, struggling to retain that unbeaten home record. But somehow, it won't matter. England are unbeatable!

One win in seven, but South Africa are favourites in Port Elizabeth

SOUTH AFRICA'S rugby team return home this week with an unwanted record of just one win in five games. After today's 15-10 defeat against Ireland, the World Cup-winners fly home having beaten just Italy on their trip to Europe, with defeats against France, Leicester and Saracens to add to today's 15-10 defeat in Dublin. Shocking!
Their cricket team of course is in even worse shape. In their last seven One-Day International showdowns against England they've won just once. Not great for the No1 ranked Test nation. Nearly as bad as their football team, still switching coaches and begging stars to play six months before football's World Cup kicks-off in Johannesburg on 11 June next year.

But let's be honest, that's a cheap dig at Graeme Smith's Proteas. They are in a different league to the Rainbow Nation's football and rugby sides right now.

Friday's clash at Newlands saw a comprehensive victory for the Proteas, with centurion AB De Villiers imperious in a 118-run triumph which levels the series at 1-1 with two to play. Home skipper Graeme Smith says he now intends to make life very diffficult for Andrew Strauss, who insists his side are "still a work in progress".

The teams flew up the Garden Route at the crack of dawn this morning for tomorrow's clash at Port Elizabeth with Paul Collingwood, fresh from scores of 105 not out and 86, insisting: "We're straight back into a game tomorrow, but in many ways that's a good thing. I feel in very good form at the moment - I'm seeing the ball well. I'm enjoying the wickets out here, I gained a lot of confidence from playing in the Champions Trophy on faster and bouncier wickets.

"My confidence is high, and it's amazing what you can do when confidence is that high."

You can say that again. A couple of weeks into the tour it looked like a bad back might force him out of action. Now he says: "It's settling down. I think I've just got to control it as much as possible. Touch wood, everything feels fine at the moment - and I hope we can get another win."

England's other wounded troops, James Anderson (knee), Graeme Swann (side) and Stuart Broad (shoulder), should all be okay to resume battle tomorrow but having let the South Africans get a near-record 354-6 on Friday, the return of Swann and Broad didn't have quite the impact England were hoping for in Cape Town... where losing the toss was a huge drawback.

While Strauss practices his coin-tossing, South Africa are sweating on the dodgy hamstring of the world's No1 pace bowler Dale Steyn, though they have the consolation of knowing Wayne Parnell and Morne Morkel returned to take eight wickets between them in Cape Town. Charl Langeveldt is ready to step up and Smith says: "If Dale doesn't play we will miss him dearly. But the positive side is it gives someone else the opportunity to rise to the occasion."

On a weekend when Tiger Woods crashed his car, Wayne Rooney scored a hat-trick and West Ham enjoyed a high five, tomorrow sees further huge sporting showdowns including this one in Port Elizabeth and, in London, the make-or-break game for Arsenal against Premier League leaders Chelsea. As a cricketing Gooner, I predict a sad Sabbath. South Africa and Chelsea will seize the day. As for Real Madrid v Barcelona, on immediately after the Arsenal v Chelsea clash... it's got to be Barca.