LISTEN: Boks-All Blacks mania and that costly Simbine blunder

To use an aeronautical analogy, we are on final approach to the Rugby World Cup in France. The countdown slips into single digits next week for the opening match between hosts France and New Zealand.

Our Springboks, who face arch-foes the All Blacks in a warm-up match at Twickenham this Friday, will get their quest to retain the coveted William Webb Ellis Cup underway on 10 September against Scotland.

Team South Africa haven’t exactly set the world on fire at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary and the Proteas men’s cricket team get an early start to their international season with a Spring limited overs tour to our shores from next week.

In this week’s instalment of the weekly sports podcast Talking Point, host Trevor Cramer is joined by Head of Citizen Sport Jacques van der Westhuyzen and senior Citizen sports writer, Wesley Botton.

Jacques skilfully negotiates his way through some testing questions regarding the Boks’ World Cup build-up, Siya Kolisi’s miracle return, Canan Moodie’s shift to the midfield and Manie Libbok’s goal-kicking blanks, among other issues.

Wesley tries to make sense of medal hopeful Akani Simbine’s fatal false start in Budapest, the Team SA Olympic barometer and more, as well as a quick look ahead to the coming SA-Australia white ball cricket showdown.

Plus…find out who our sporting FLOPS of the week are and who deserves to have a GOLD STAR pinned to their shirt.