Rugby World Cup on the horizon, US Open thrills and spills

[Because Mondays are for sports, not work.]( [Web Version]( Monday, 2 September 2019 "When the seagulls follow the trawler, it is because they think sardines will be thrown into the sea." French footballer, Eric Cantona Maverick Sports' [Yanga Sibembe]( and [Jonah Dylan]( unpack the weekend's big sports stories. Whether you prefer cricket over basketball or the other way round, Mav Sports has you covered. [Because Mondays are for sports, not work.]( [Adspace]( View our full coffee [offering here](, or contact us for info or to order coffee: info@originroasting.co.za The Rugby World Cup is now just 18 days away! It was fanfare and an all-round excitement as [Rassie Erasmus announced his Rugby World Cup squad]( last week Momday. There were no surprises as Erasmus went for a fusion of experience and youth in his selection. However, there was some controversy leading up to the announcement. First Springbok and Lions winger, Aphiwe Dyantyi tested positive for a banned substance. Then Bok lock, Eben Etzebeth was accused of racial abuse during an incident in Langebaan a day before the sqaud announcement. Something he vehemently denied. We hope that for their trip in Japan, the only thing we'll be writing about is them romping to victory. Staying with oval-shaped ball, but moving to the Currie Cup, the Golden Lions booked their spot in the final for the first time in four years. They made the most of home advantage after beating the Griquas 34-19 in a tough semi-final at Ellis Park on Saturday. In the second semi-final in Bloemfontein, meanwhile, a powerful second-half charge by the Toyota Free State Cheetahs earned them a valuable Currie Cup home final in a gripping encounter against the Cell C Sharks. It was an entertaining clash, in which a total of 11 tries were scored – four by the Cell C Sharks and seven by the hosts, for a final score of 51-30. Still staying locally, but moving to football, the first legs of the semi-finals of the MTN 8 played out this weekend. Polokwane City and Highlands Park played out to drab 0-0 draw. Meanwhile, Tshwane rivals Mamelodi Sundowns and Supersport United drew 1-1. But it is an advance to Mamelodi Sundowns as they have an away goal. Abroad, [Manchester City and Liverpool are still out on their own.](They picked up 4-0 and 3-0 victories respectively. Meanwhile, their so-called rivals, the rest of the top six, all dropped points. Chelsea relinquished a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Sheffield United at home. Their London neighbours, Tottenham Hotspur, also gave away a 2-0 lead to draw with Arsenal in the London Derby. Man United also. you guessed it, drew 1-1 with Southampton. It's been a slow start for the big two in Spain as well. Both Barcelona and Real Madrid once again dropped points when they each drew 2-2 against Osasuna and Villareal respectively. Athletico Madrid, meanwhile, sit top of the league after winning three out of three. Domestic football will now take a break for the much dreaded international break, with friendlies that usually deliver sub-par performances. But we'll survive won't we? In athletics, Canadian Andre De Grasse ran down South African Akani Simbine to win the 100 metres in his fastest time of the year at Berlin's ISTAF meeting on Sunday. De Grasse, the Olympic 100m bronze medallist, came on strong in the final 30 metres to take a confidence-boosting victory in 9.97 seconds. Commonwealth Games champion Simbine was second in 9.99. Water Cooler Talking Points Need a quick sports talking point to impress your co-workers? We've got you covered. The US Open is an full swing, and of course it wouldn't be a major without upsets and some controversy. The biggest controversy so far has come from Roger Federer. The normally cool as a cucumber Swede reacted angrily on Friday when it was suggested he had pressured the US Open to schedule his third-round match against Dan Evans at noon for his convenience. However, after putting that controversy aside, he [defeated David Goffin to book his spot in the quarters](. Meanwhile, defending champion Novak Djokovic is out of the tournament due to injury. He was two sets down against Stan Wawrinka when he called it quits. With two (Federer and Nadal) of the big three now left in the quarter-final stage, who will be victorious? In the women's draw Serena Williams overcame an injury scare to maintain her pursuit of a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title at the US Open on Sunday while Roland Garros champion Ashleigh Barty and Karolina Pliskova crashed out in the last 16. Williams, a six-time US Open winner, romped to a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Croatian 22nd seed Petra Martic to set up a quarter-final with China's Wang Qiang, the conqueror of world number two Barty. Johanna Konta, who is the first British woman to reach the quarter-finals in New York since Jo Durie in 1983, has now made the last eight at all four Grand Slams. She will face Elina Svitolina in the last eight after the Ukrainian fifth seed beat Madison Keys 7-5 6-4. World number one, Naomi Osaka who beat 15-year-old protege Coco Gauff to book her spot in the last 16, will play against Belinda Bencic for her spot in the quarters. Sebastian Soderberg came out tops in dramatic five-man play-off to win [his first European Tour title at the Omega European Masters](. The Swede held off Rory McIlory, Lorenzo Gagli, Andres Romero and Kalle Samooja In [Formula 1, Charles Leclerc held off the Mercedes duo of world champion Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas to claim his first ever F1 victory](at the Belgian Grand Pix. The Ferrari driver dedicated that victory to F2 driver, Anthoine Hubert, who died on Saturday during an F2 race. Hamilton still leads the standings with 268 points, 65 points clear of teammate Bottas In cycling, [Slovenian youngster Tadej Pogacar grafted to glory in Stage 9 of La Vuelta]( after race Miguel Angel Lopez crashed on a key gravel section at the business end of the short but sharp 94.4km stage. Lopez's crash also meant he reliquished the overall leader's red jersey to Colombia’s Nairo Quintana. In Play By EPA-EFE/Juan Ignacio Roncoroni River Plate fans cheer their team before the encounter between Boca Juniors and River Plate for the Argentine Super League held at the Monumental Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1 September 2019. Coming Up This Week Springbok Final Warm Game Japan vs South Africa (Friday 6 September, 12:30 SAST) Currie Cup Final Free State Cheetahs vs Highveld Lions (Saturday 7 September, 17:00 SAST) The Ashes England vs Australia (Wednesday 4 - 8 September, 12:00 SAST) Want more from us? Follow us on Twitter [@ArakibaArts]( and [@TheJonahDylan]( In Numbers 336 The average number of dimples on a golf ball. [Adspace]( A choice of the finest coffee is roasted at Origin. [Visit our website]( for more information. 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