Battle for Webb Ellis Cup ensues, Uefa Champions League returns

[Because Mondays are for sports, not work.]( [Web Version]( Monday, 16 September 2019 "Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That's what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice." Bethany Hamilton, American surfer 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 This weekend the Springboks get their World Cup campaign other way The Rugby World Cup is now so close we can almost touch and taste it. And there are some mouth-watering fixtures to look forward to. Hosts Japan will tackle Russia in the opening game of the spectacle on Friday. Meanwhile, the Springboks will kick off the spectacle against nemesis New Zealand in a fixture few would bet against for the final. France will clash against Argentina in what should be a competitive fixture. In another tight fixture, Australia will clash with Fiji. Dark horses for the title, Wales will take on Georgia in what should be a straightforward game for them. The Proteas had an opportunity to cleanse our collective minds of their lethargic showing at the recent ICC Cricket World Cup. However, their first match since that forgettable showing, a T20 match with India, was washed out without a ball being bowled. The second of the three T20 fixtures will take place on Wednesday After a week’s hiatus due to the international break, the Absa Premiership returned minus Mamelodi Sundowns who were on an African quest in the Caf Champions League. Masandawana emerged 5-0 victors over Seychelles outfit Côte d'Or FC. Back home, fellow title contenders Kaizer Chiefs suffered a 1-0 defeat to Polokwane City, a team who have started the season exceptionally. The victory brought an end to Chief’s unbeaten run in the early stages of the season. Chiefs's bitter rivals Orlando Pirates snapped a six-game winless streak to give Rhulani Mokwena his first victory since he took over the reins from Mulitin Sredojevic. The Buccaneers defeated Chippa United 2-1 at Orlando Stadium. The game of the weekend was undoubtedly the clash between Cape Town City and Supersport United. The pair played out to thrilling three-all draw at Mbombela Stadium The third round of the inaugural Safa National Women’s League saw Mamelodi Sundowns Ladies move back to the top of log standings after thumping Durban Ladies FC 3-0 in their third league tie which took place in Seshego, Limpopo on Sunday. Sundowns and Tshwane University of Technology are now equal on nine points after three matches, however, the Chloorkop side possesses a better goal difference than their Tshwane counterparts. TUT were on top of the table for just 24 hours; following their 3-2 win against the University of Johannesburg on Saturday. In the other matches, Coal City Wizard FC secured their second league win after coming from behind to beat Richmond United Ladies FC 3-2 after fulltime. Meanwhile, First Touch Academy secured their first league win with a 4-0 drubbing of Golden Ladies FC. The University of Western Cape drew one-all with Thunderbirds Ladies FC, whilst Bloemfontein Celtics Ladies trounced Tsunami Queens FC 3-0. In English Premier League action, Norwich City played out of their skin to secure all three points against champions Manchester City at Carrow Road. The home side, urged on by a[27,000-strong crowd](, held their nerve to clinch a famous 3-2 victory in another advertisement for the claim that EPL as the best league in the world. It’s advantage Liverpool early on as they maintained their 100% record after five games, coming back from a goal down to swat aside Newcastle United 3-1. City’s neigbours, Manchester United secured three points with 1-0 victory against Leicester City thanks to a Marcus Rashford penalty in what was a forgettable game of football. Tammy Abraham continued to repay the faith showed in him by Frank Lampard, scoring an outstanding hattrick to help Chelsea to 5-2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers. In the process he became youngest ever hattrick scorer in EPL history. Chelsea’s neighbours from London, Tottenham Hotspur were emphatic 4-0 winners against Crystal Palace. The other London team, Arsenal, were held to a 2-2 draw by basement boys Watford after surrending a 2-0 half-time lead. In Spanish football action, 16-year-old Barcelona wonderkid, Ansu Fati was the star of the show in Lionel Messi’s absence, scoring and assisting as Barca ran out 5-2 victors against Valencia. In the process the Bissau-Guinean became the youngest player to score as a starter in La Liga history. Barcelona’s bitter rivals, Real Madrid put an impressive first-half performance to see off a spirited Levante 3-2. Fellow league hopefuls, Atletico Madrid were shocked 2-0 by Real Sociedad. South African 800m World Champion, [Caster Semenya will officially receive her 2011 World Championship gold medal](. Semenya was elevated to the gold medal position two years ago when Russian athlete Mariya Savinova, who sped past her on the final straight, was later disqualified for doping violations. The athlete, who recently swicthed to football, is in the process of appealing testosterone regulations imposed on her by the IAAF. Water Cooler Talking Points Need a quick sports talking point to impress your co-workers? We've got you covered. [Australia retained the Ashes urn]( even after England crushed them by 135 runs in the fifth and final Ashes test at The Oval on Sunday. The emphatic English victory meant the series ended in a 2-2 stalemate, the first time this has happened since 1972. In Moto GP Honda's Marc Marquez took another significant stride towards his sixth MotoGP title by seizing victory in a last-lap duel at the San Marino Grand Prix on Sunday. The Spanish rider had twice finished second in the last two races. With this victory he is now 93 points clear at the top of the standings with six races remaining after denying French Petronas Yamaha rookie Fabio Quartararo a first top-flight victory at Misano's Marco Simoncelli circuit. Yamaha's Maverick Vinales finished third after starting on pole position. In Moto 2, South Africa's Brad Binder missed out on the podium this time around as he finished sixth in the San Marino Grand Prix. He sits fifth on the overall standings. The man that sits atop the driver's standings, Alex Marquez, finished third, with his closest rival in the race for the championship, Augusto Fernandez, securing victory in San Marino. [Sergio Garcia became the 100th KLM Open winner]( as he edged Danish 18-year-old Nicolai Hojgaard by one shot to finish 18 under in Amsterdam to claim his 16th European Tour title. Garcia went into the final day as joint-leader with Callum Shinkwin and seemed on course for a routine victory as he led by two shots at the fifth. [Joaquin Niemann secured his place in a select club after claiming a six-stroke victory at the Greenbrier Classic]( on Sunday. Niemann, 20, fired a round of 6-under 64 on the final day in West Virginia on his way to a resounding win at the opening event of the 2019-20 PGA Tour season. In the process The Chilean became just the third player born outside the United States to win on the PGA Tour before age 21, joining major champions Seve Ballesteros and Rory McIlroy. American Kevin Chappell also scooped up a piece of history, equalling Mark Calcavecchia’s record of nine consecutive victories at a PGA Tour. Tyson Fury stayed on course for a hotly anticipated rematch with Deontay Wilder after surviving a dramatic upset bid from Otto Wallin on Saturday night in Las Vegas. The Gypsy King going on record a unanimous decision victory by scores of 116-112, 117-111 and 118-110. The victory means Fury remains undefeated. [Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma) sealed his first Grand Tour victory with overall victory at the Vuelta a Espana]( ahead of Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), with Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) third. The 21st and final stage was won by Fabio Jakobsen (Deceuninck-Quickstep). The victory Roglic's first Grand Tour win, as well as the first for Slovenia in their history. Roglic ended the race 2:16 ahead of Valverde, with Pogacar in third at 2:38. And finally, Europe's Premier football comeptition, the UEFA Champions League returns this week with some mouth-watering fixtures to kick-off. Chief among those will be PSG vs Real Madrid, while Liverpool will travel to Italy take on Napoli. Borussia Dortmund will be looking to upset Spanish Champions Barcelona, while Juventus and Athletico Madrid will go toe-to-toe. South Africa's very own Percy Tau will also be in on the action with his team, Club Brugge, tackling Galatasaray. In Play By EPA-EFE/Sebastiao Moreira Brazilian Luiz Francisco performs in the final stage of the Park Skateboarding World Championship, at the Candido Portinari Park, in Sao Paulo, Brazil, 15 September 2019. Coming Up This Week Rugby World Cup Australia vs Fiji (Saturday 21 September, 6:45 SAST) France vs Argentina (Saturday 21 September, 9:15 SAST) New Zealand vs South Africa (Saturday 21 September, 11:45 SAST) England vs Tonga (Sunday 22 September, 12:15 SAST) Golf BMW PGA Championship (Thursday 19 September, 11:00 SAST) MotoGP Aragon Grand Pix (Sunday 22 September, 14:00 SAST) Cricket India vs South Africa (Wednesday 18 September, 15:20 SAST) Boxing IBO Cruiserweight Championship - Kevin Lerena vs Sefer Seferi (Saturday 21 September, 19:00 SAST) Want more from us? Follow us on Twitter [@ArakibaArts]( and [@TheJonahDylan]( In Numbers 1984 The year China won their first Olympic gold medal in history. They went on to record a mammoth haul of 100 total medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. [Adspace]( A choice of the finest coffee is roasted at Origin. [Visit our website]( for more information. 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