Sharks coach John Plumtree has warned his players that they have to improve, not only if they want to reach the Super 15 play-offs, but also if they have ambitions of playing for the Springboks in June.

Super rugby takes a three-week hiatus in June when the Boks play three tests against England.

For the Sharks, it is actually a four-week break, because they have a bye the week after the tournament resumes.

It’s a long lay-off for players not involved in international rugby and Plumtree is convinced that some Sharks players who were regulars for the Springboks last year need to improve to impress coach Heyneke Meyer.  Read more... (541 words, 1 image, estimated 2:10 mins reading time)

Table Mountain has officially been confirmed as one of the world’s new seven natural wonders, City of Cape Town Mayor Patricia de Lille said.

It was a “great accolade” and she was already planning the official inaugural event later this year, she said in a statement.

“Table Mountain is a marvel of history, geology and biodiversity — it even has a stellar constellation named after it,” she said.

“The wonder becomes part of school curricula, it becomes a ‘must see’ and a ‘bucket list’ item for travellers and explorers.”  Read more... (168 words, 1 image, estimated 40 secs reading time)

Winning the title in four major European nations might never be repeated and the fact Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has overcome the great Barcelona to achieve the feat makes his success even more remarkable.

Real, who have smashed the La Liga scoring record, clinched their 32nd league crown and their first in four years when Gonzalo Higuain, Mesut Ozil and Cristiano Ronaldo struck in a frenetic 3-0 win at 10-man Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday.

It went some way to easing their pain after a defeat on penalties to Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals last week.  Read more... (970 words, 1 image, estimated 3:53 mins reading time)

SHARKS coach John Plumtree has admitted that his team have their backs to the wall and cannot afford another loss in their next five fixtures before the June test window if they have aspirations of reaching the Super 15 play-offs.

The Sharks lost their last home game 18-12 against the Chiefs and will meet in-form Highlanders in Durban this weekend.

“We’re up against some top sides at home, but we can’t presume we’re just going to win because we’re at home,” Plumtree said.  Read more... (458 words, 1 image, estimated 1:50 mins reading time)

Manchester United great Ryan Giggs says matches such as Monday’s derby with City are the reason why he is is still playing football.

Giggs, in line to make his 908th appearance for United at Eastlands, has experienced planty of derby highs, and the occasional low, in his career.

But the importance of this meeting is something else as a win for City would see them replace United at the top of the Premier League table on goal difference with just two more games of the season remaining.  Read more... (543 words, 1 image, estimated 2:10 mins reading time)

Bayern Munich summoned up all their famous resilience to oust Real Madrid in a nerve-jangling Champions League penalty shootout on Wednesday, denying Jose Mourinho’s expensively-assembled side a tilt at a 10th European crown and setting up a final showdown against Chelsea next month

Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer stopped spot-kicks from Cristiano Ronaldo, who had given Real an early 2-0 lead in the semi-final second leg, and Kaka in the shootout before Bastian Schweinsteiger struck the decisive penalty to send the Germans through to the title match to be played at their own Allianz Arena on May 19.  Read more... (751 words, 1 image, estimated 3:00 mins reading time)

An heroic Chelsea survived the dismissal of captain John Terry to eliminate holders Barcelona 3-2 on aggregate and clinch a place in the Champions League final after an action-packed last-four clash on Tuesday in which Lionel Messi missed a penalty.

The dramatic semi-final second leg at the Nou Camp ended 2-2 and meant Chelsea, chasing a first European title, will play Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the May 19 final with the Germans holding a 2-1 lead ahead of Wednesday’s Bernabeu game.

A victory for Real would pit Coach Jose Mourinho against former club Chelsea, who were in disarray just a few weeks ago.  Read more... (750 words, 1 image, estimated 3:00 mins reading time)

 Mango, WirelessG, and Vodacom will host the inaugural Wi-Fi enabled flight in SA during May 2012

The first Wi-Fi enabled flight in South Africa is set to take off on 8 May 2012, with Mango providing the plane and WirelessG providing the service via satellite in partnership with Vodacom.

Final pricing has not been released yet, but WirelessG/G-Connect previously indicated that people can expect to pay less for in-flight Wi-Fi than what they pay for 3G data.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approved the installation and use of in-flight Wi-Fi enabled equipment on board South African commercial aircraft in October 2011, clearing the way for a commercial in-flight Internet service.  Read more... (201 words, 1 image, estimated 48 secs reading time)

Cristiano Ronaldo grabbed his 54th goal of the season as Real Madrid moved closer to a 32nd La Liga title with a 2-1 win at Barcelona for whom Lionel Messi was reduced to a bit-part role.

It was an important goal but the win for the team is more important, we have four matches left and with the seven-point gap (over Barcelona) we are in a comfortable position,” said Ronaldo.

The Portuguese star later tweeted: “Mission accomplished”.

Ronaldo finished a Mesut Ozil pass from a tight angle on 73 minutes after rounding Victor Valdes in the Barca goal.  Read more... (743 words, 1 image, estimated 2:58 mins reading time)

CHAD Le Clos raced to yet another Olympic qualifying time last night, but the rising star said later he had been too slow at the national championships.

Le Clos had to race hard to ensure victory over Sebastien Rousseau in the 200m butterfly final, leading him by only hundredths of a second over the first three laps. That’s when he slipped into super-human gear and tore away to win by nearly a body length in 1min 56.17sec.

“I just thought: ‘Oh no, he’s not catching me’,” said Le Clos, who today competes in the 200m individual medley, which he describes as his toughest race of the gala.  Read more... (377 words, 1 image, estimated 1:30 mins reading time)