Cape Town – You can’t keep a good man down … even if he is a nearly 38-year-old rugby player.

Schalk Brits’s awesome display for the Bulls at hooker, and up against Springbok first-choice strongman Malcolm Marx, arguably provided the major talking point after Saturday’s double dose of South African derbies in Super Rugby.

Certainly the well-travelled figure’s beautifully rounded showing at Ellis Park, where he once served home outfits the Golden Lions and Cats between 2004 and 2005, was a better source of feel-good factor than much of the later action in the supposed headline clash of the day between the Sharks and Stormers in Durban.

Not that the Capetonians will care that it was a tepid, uninspiring contest for the most part: the underdogs were worthy 16-11 winners, playing a disciplined, conservative and physicality-conscious game that knocked the supposedly reinvented Sharks right off their stride.

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Robbie Fleck’s charges now enter a well-earned bye week off having recovered dramatically – at least in scoreboard terms, rather than for any special rugby dynamism – from their opening-round thumping at Loftus to bag respective narrow triumphs over the Lions and now Sharks.

They are yet to create a properly well-executed try this season, and only produced two in total from the trio of matches (Saturday’s lone dot-down was an alert intercept by Damian Willemse) but have at least served up a reminder over the last two rounds that a certain pride in the brand remains embedded in the players’ hearts despite the boardroom strife and financial instability at Newlands.

The result – eked out in typical KwaZulu-Natal humidity at this time of year which, John Smit reminded in the SuperSport studio, is simply not conducive to ball-in-hand fluency – meant a blow to the Sharks’ prior, highly encouraging two-match start to the 2019 campaign.

What’s more, they now face an equally punishing all-domestic fixture again next up: the Bulls at Loftus.

The Stormers, meanwhile, will relish the thought of a bit of feet-up time for some of their gnarly pack figures: Springbok stalwarts like Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit were colossal in Durban for work-rate and “grunt”, with younger players like JD Schickerling and late call-up at No 8 Jaco Coetzee not far behind.

They also have the good likelihood of seeing Bok loose-head prop Steven Kitshoff declared fit for a return to action from injury (and his first Super Rugby involvement of the year) soon after the bye; their next game will be at home to the Jaguares on the Friday night of March 15.

But the story of the day came out of Johannesburg, where Brits was hugely inspirational in the Bulls – now a third SA team to be “two from three” – seeing off the Lions, the country’s premier side for each of the last three years and losing finalists each time, with some startling daylight between them (30-12) in the Highveld derby.

It was two tries all, but that was a very deceptive statistic, given how majestically the Bulls bossed the clash strategically, territorially and in terms of possession.

In age-old Bulls fashion, they built plenty of scoreboard pressure by electing to bang over penalties via the red-hot boot of flyhalf Handre Pollard rather than go for the attacking lineout or quick tap too often.

But the visitors also played plenty of constructive rugby, with danger virtually ever-present from their lively back three of fullback Warrick Gelant and wings Cornal Hendricks and Rosko Specman.

While another established “yster” in Duane Vermeulen was also a routine menace in the collective bullying of a lightweight Lions pack, Brits performed with astonishing zeal in the No 2 jersey, involved in all areas of play.

His hooker “basics” were superb, including contributing to the Bulls determinedly not going backwards at scrum-time – sometimes a weaker area of their make-up – but he busied himself additionally at the breakdown, and stepped and sprinted at times with trademark, almost BaaBaas-like spirit.

He earned an approving nod on Twitter from Bok tearaway loose forward legend Rob Louw, who said (@roblouw6): “To all those people who attacked Rassie (Erasmus) on why he had the ‘old’ Schalk Brits in his Bok squad, I hope your questions have been answered. Smiley an incredible presence today in this tough derby!”

The Lions have been left suddenly rather on the back foot, with successive defeats undoing their opening-round fine work in beating the Jaguares for the first time in Buenos Aires …

Next weekend’s fixtures (home teams first, all kick-offs SA time):

Friday: Hurricanes v Highlanders, 08:35; Rebels v Brumbies, 10:45. Saturday: Crusaders v Chiefs, 06:15; Blues v Sunwolves, 08:35; Waratahs v Reds, 10:45; Lions v Jaguares, 15:05; Bulls v Sharks, 17:15. Bye: Stormers.

*Follow our chief writer on Twitter: @RobHouwing

Semenya last week went to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne to challenge the International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) proposed rules forcing “hyper-androginous” athletes to lower their testosterone.

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MPs from across the political spectrum wore black golf T-shirts with messages of support including “we say NO to stigmatisation of women in sport”, and “we oppose subtle hatred”.

“Others arrive and say they want to give her drugs in order that she can’t compete,” chair of parliament’s sport and recreation committee Beauty Dlulane told the chamber in Cape Town.

“We already have a huge drug problem among South African youth,” she added. 

Opposition National Freedom Party lawmaker Nhlanhlakayise Khubisa said “what is happening to Caster is the worst form of racism”.

“(It’s the) practice of patriarchy and chauvinism.

“She is being crucified for being an excelling, resilient, unwavering and unmatched athlete – our creme de la creme.”  

United Democratic Movement MP Nqabayomzi Kwankwa said a scientific excuse was being used to “dumb down” Semenya’s successes. 

The opposition Inkatha Freedom Party called on African athletes to boycott any future IAAF events if the “unfair ruling” was allowed to stand.

Semenya’s best 800m time of 1:54.25 seconds puts her fourth on the list of all-time fastest competitors.

It is almost one second slower than the world record of 1:53.28 set in 1983 by Jarmila Kratochvilova, which is now widely discredited because of Soviet-era doping.

The IAAF regulations were due to have been instituted in November 2018 but have been put on ice pending the outcome of last week’s hearings.

The ruling is expected on March 26.

Cape Town – This is a time of almost unprecedented angst around South Africa’s batting, across the formats … so the trick, it seems, is to introduce another new fast bowler.

Coming as it does for the Proteas’ final series before the World Cup, against Sri Lanka, is it really the right time, too, to be blooding Anrich Nortje, however exciting a prospect he may prove?

It is a question that warrants deep scrutiny, whatever the correct answer.

Fresh off watching the Test team produce one of its lamest two-innings showings on home soil, and sensationally conceding the series 2-0 to rank underdogs Sri Lanka, batting aficionados would hardly have felt appeased when the composition of the squad for the first three ODIs was revealed at the weekend.

Notably overlooking probably the most gifted and technically accomplished of the younger batsmen in the country in Aiden Markram, as well as labouring but proven heavyweight top-order veteran Hashim Amla, the selectors revealed a hand that seems glaringly top-heavy in favour of bowlers and bowling all-rounders.

Respected former domestic-level and broadly well-travelled coach Dave Nosworthy made a sage observation on Twitter as he perused the 14-strong squad, suggesting it looked more like a group for Twenty20 purposes than one for the 50-overs environment, where a longer batting line-up is generally considered advisable for obvious reasons.

It is difficult, frankly, to disagree with Nosworthy: the squad only seems to deepen the perception in some circles that head coach Ottis Gibson, in conjunction with the wise men, goes that bit too gaga at times in ensuring a well-stocked speed arsenal to the detriment of the batting trade.

Think about it a bit more deeply: for ODI purposes you generally require the comfort of reliable batting resources to around the No 8 position – at least – but five bowlers can often be enough in that department if no single soul in the attack has taken overly traumatic “tap”.

So your squad balance should logically lean more toward batting depth: instead this Proteas party includes a threadbare five out-and-out batsmen (including lone wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock) and as many as nine players who bowl, even if that includes a handful of mostly bowling-geared all-rounders.

Two of the bowlers are spinners – fair enough – but there are effectively seven seamers, including four genuine shock bowlers in Dale Steyn, Kagiso Rabada, fit-again Lungi Ngidi and now new cap Nortje.

The 25-year-old from the Eastern Cape has also been fast-tracked despite the fact that he is really getting the nod on the strength of his form at T20 level considerably earlier in the season (before he got injured) in the Mzansi Super League.

It is going to take some herculean achievements, if he even gets on the park from the packed cupboard of quickies, over the next fortnight or so for Nortje to catapult himself into the World Cup mix, so a personal view is that next season would have been a better bet for his blooding.

And what to make of the “no Amla” situation?

While the official line is that the Proteas brains trusts knows what they have in Amla – well, obviously, after 174 ODIs and 7 910 runs – and still consider him part of the senior core of Proteas, it is nevertheless curious that at precisely a time when he appears in need of the tonic of meaningful runs, he is instead being side-lined for the lion’s share of this series.

Are Gibson and company coming increasingly to the belief, at a critical juncture in CWC preparation, that the great man’s eyes, and perhaps even legs, would be a liability at the major jamboree?

But if the soon to be 36-year-old Amla is, indeed, still genuinely part of the battleplan, it is strange that he goes dormant at this point, when opportunities ought to present themselves at the Wanderers, SuperSport Park and Kingsmead for solid vigils on rather overdue, much-needed phenomena in South Africa: belters for stroke-players.

For the moment, however they shape their XI, the Proteas have given the currently cock-a-hoop Sri Lankans the understandable belief that if they can get two or three quick wickets, more pronounced trouble for the hosts at the crease may not be far away at all.

It is difficult to escape a perception that South Africa are going to try, once again, to primarily bomb the Sri Lankans into submission – if they can, and maybe that “if” should be placed in capital letters now? – through pace.

If so … excuse me while I yawn.

You’ve got to be cleverer and much more multi-pronged than that to win a World Cup.

*Follow our chief writer on Twitter: @RobHouwing

Cape Town – The Sharks secured back-to-back wins to kick off their new Super Rugby campaign after comfortably dispatching the Blues 26-7 at Kings Park.

The opening try was scored after just seven minutes, and came courtesy of a lost line-out from the Blues and some impressive play from the Sharks backs.

Lukhanyo Am put through the initial grubber, before Makazole Mapimpi kicked the ball on and collected it, throwing a deft little pass to fullback Aphelele Fassi who barreled over the line despite the attention of several Blues defenders for his first Super Rugby try.

The conversion was wide, but the Sharks stayed on the front foot and were soon rewarded with their second score of the afternoon.

After opting for a line-out rather than kicking at goal following a penalty in the Blues 22, the Sharks set up a short-range maul, and it was hooker Akker van der Merwe who made his way through the scrum courtesy of a powerful drive before falling over.

This time Du Preez added the extras to give the Sharks a promising 12-0 lead, and only some desperate defence from the Blues forwards prevented the Sharks from going over for their third try as they managed to hold the ball up six inches over the line.

As the first half wore on, the stifling Durban heat was also becoming more of a factor and play was interrupted for a water break to give the players a bit of relief.

It wasn’t long before the Blues found themselves under more pressure, however, and it eventually told three minutes before the break. Playing with the advantage following an infringement at the maul, the ball was shifted left and Du Preez all but strolled through a gap in the tired defence before adding the extras to put the Sharks 19-0 up heading into half-time.

The home side probably should have had their fourth try eight minutes after the break after a great run by Am down the right, but new arrival Curwin Bosch, who had come on for injured winger Sibusiso Nkosi shortly before half-time, couldn’t execute the final pass.

The Blues thought they had their first score in the 57th minute when flyhalf Otere Black dotted down after the ball was shifted through the hands from right to left, but TMO Marius Jonker intervened, ruling out the try after spotting an obstruction from the back of the scrum that started the move.

The visitors did have their try five minutes later, though, another backline move doing the trick as substitute Tanielu Tele’a found the gap and crossed the line to bring the deficit down to just 12 points with 17 minutes remaining.

The Sharks needed cool and calm heads but that wasn’t what lock Ruan Botha provided when he was sin-binned in the 68th minute for a cynical foul.

The momentum had shifted the Blues’ way now, but they weren’t able to make their one-man advantage count, and the Sharks managed to hold them at bay until Botha returned to the field.

And with the clock winding down and the result all but secured, the Sharks bagged their fourth try of the afternoon courtesy of an intercept from Bosch, who was able to run all the way home before Du Preez added the extras to make it two Super Rugby wins from two for the Sharks to kick off their season.

Scorers:

Sharks 26 (19)

Tries: Aphelele Fassi, Akker van der Merwe, Rob du Preez, Curwin Bosch

Conversions: Rob du Preez (3)

Blues 7 (0)

Try: Tanielu Tele’a

Conversion: Otere Black

Teams:

Sharks

15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Sbu Nkosi, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Robert du Preez, 9 Louis Schreuder (captain), 8 Daniel du Preez, 7 Tyler Paul, 6 Jacques Vermeulen, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Hyron Andrews, 3 Coenie Oosthuizen, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Tendai Mtawarira

Substitutes: 16 Kerron van Vuuren, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Gideon Koegelenberg, 20 Phepsi Buthelezi, 21 Cameron Wright, 22 Jeremy Ward, 23 Curwin Bosch

Blues

15 Michael Collins, 14 Melani Nanai, 13 TJ Faiane, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Otere Black, 9 Jonathan Ruru, 8 Akira Ioane, 7 Dalton Papalii, 6 Tom Robinson, 5 Josh Goodhue, 4 Patrick Tuipulotu (captain), 3 Ofa Tu’ungafasi, 2 James Parsons, 1 Karl Tu’inukuafe

Substitutes: 16 Matt Moulds, 17 Alex Hodgman, 18 Sione Mafileo, 19 Gerard Cowley-Tuioti, 20 Matt Matich, 21 Augustine Pulu, 22 Harry Plummer, 23 Tanielu Tele’a

Cape Town – The African National Congress (ANC) has joined the chorus of support for South African athlete Caster Semenya.

The Olympic champion is appearing before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland to challenge rules proposed by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) that would force her to lower her testosterone levels.

Track and field’s governing body says it is introducing the rules to create a “level playing field” for other female athletes.

The ANC released a press statement on the matter on Wednesday night, calling the IAAF’s ruling “dehumanising”.

The statement read: “The African National Congress joins President (Cyril) Ramaphosa and millions of South Africans in expressing support for Caster Semenya, as she challenges the dehumanising ruling of the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.

“We are encouraged by the resounding support the government and people of South Africa have expressed for our national champion, Caster Semenya. As the minister of sports, Thokozile Xhasa, travels to Switzerland to support Caster and personally convey the support of government and the nation, we commend her bold step to demonstrate to the world that South Africa will never forsake one of its own when subjected to bigotry and dehumanising treatment.

“Ours is a democracy built on a human rights foundation, where the right to have one’s human dignity respected and protected, is entrenched in our supreme law. We declare for all the nations of the world to know that our struggles for a just world, underpinned by respect and protection of human rights will never be compromised.

“The legacy bestowed on us by the giants of our liberation struggle such as Nelson Mandela, require of us to lead from the frontlines in demonstrating to the world that its support in declaring apartheid a crime against humanity was never in vain.”

The ANC added that it was appalled by the IAAF’s actions.

“We will never stand on the sidelines when the human rights legacy of our young democracy is under threat. We call on the international sporting world to raise their voices and condemn the despicable actions of the IAAF, which seek to force Caster Semenya to deny her nature and take drugs to alter what nature bestowed on her.”

Semenya won the 800 metre gold medals at both the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, and also won her third world title in London two years ago.