New Zealand World Cup posts record broadcast levels

Last year's rugby World Cup in New Zealand was watched by more young people and women than any
previous tournament with a total increase of 60 percent in hours viewed over the 2007 edition, Rugby World Cup Limited (RWCL) said on Friday.

In a statement RWCL said that as well as being the most broadcast rugby World Cup ever, the final, in which the All Blacks beat France, was the most-watched event in New Zealand television history "attracting a 98 percent audience share".

Total hours of coverage jumped to 14,595.

"Significantly, viewership amongst the five-45 year age group increased by six percent from 2007, while the audience gender spilt narrowed with females accounting for 45 percent, up from 25 percent for Rugby World Cup 1995," it said.

RWCL chairman Bernard Lapasset said approximately 60 percent of World Cup revenues were generated by broadcast income.

"We are in a highly competitive sports and entertainment market and therefore it is particularly pleasing to see the average viewing age decreasing in line with our decision to fully embrace digital and social media platforms to engage with new fans and promote the tournament and Rugby worldwide," he said.

SA Track Champs Hot Up In ’Maritzburg

Day two of the CSA KZN All Africa Challenge in Pietermaritzburg once again saw Nolan Hoffman put in a world class effort at the SA National Track and Para Cycling Championships, whilst the SA National BMX champs also got underway as riders took part in official practice at Alexandra Park.

Hoffman continued where he left off on day one of the track champs with wins in both the Omnium 4000m pursuit and 1km time trial events and a third place in the 15km scratch which, together with his three victories on the opening day, gave him his first title at this year’s competition.

“I’m really happy with the win and it’s great to have started the champs off with gold,” said Hoffman. “The form has been good my side and I’ve been racing dominantly over the past two days which is obviously great for my confidence and definitely gives me one up on my competitors early on.

“Going into competitions sometimes you’ve got to try force your dominance onto others and I’ve managed to do that over the past two days so I’m really happy with how things have gone so far,” he added.

Hoffman claimed his fourth win in as many starts in the six-leg elite men’s Omnium when he raced to victory in the Omnium 4000m pursuit final early on the second day however, with a long weekend ahead of him and a strong effort by his competitors, Hoffman had to settle for third in the Omnium 15km scratch event.

Instead it was Pieter Seyffert (Westvaal BMC) and Oupa Makuleke (Panda) who enjoyed the limelight temporarily as they managed to break away from the rest of the pack with close on four kilometres to go and with the Omnium front runners playing cat and mouse with each other the pair were left to battle it out between them for the spoils, which Seyffert claimed narrowly.

“Two guys managed to get away in the scratch race but the rest of the guys weren’t too worried about it with it being part of the Omnium. For me it was actually ideal because I was then able to sit back a bit because they were just taking points away from the other guys, which suited me perfectly,” said Hoffman.

Hoffman however came back strongly later on in the day to claim victory in the 1km time trial final, giving him five firsts and a third in the six Omnium events, enough to earn him his first title of the champs, a title that was held by 2011 Omnium Champion Boyd Roberts (Intellibus).

Track legend Wayne Pheiffer suffered an unfortunate fall whilst competing in his master’s sprint event and suffered some nasty abrasions to his face, shoulders and chest as well as a suspected fractured collarbone.

The cycling hero however demanded that his son Brent Pheiffer (Intellibus) stay at the track and compete in the elite men’s 1500m final and compete he most certainly did.

From the onset Pheiffer set off at an incredible pace laying down the gauntlet for the rest of the bunch to change their tactics and come after him far earlier than many would have hoped.

No one however was prepared to follow Pheiffer except for crowd favourite Oupa Maluleke who valiantly accepted the challenge and went after Pheiffer alone.

As the pair circulated alone and tired quickly the sprinters in the pack suddenly sprung into action with just over a lap to go however it was too little too late and against all odds Pheiffer claimed his first title of the champs.

In the elite ladies section Maroesjka Matthee claimed gold in the Sprint final with Tannah Robinson having to settle for second and Dalena Nel third.

SUMMARY OF RESULTS - CSA KZN ALL AFRICA CHALLENGE

SA NATIONAL TRACK CHAMPIONSHIPS

DAY ONE – Elite Men

Omnium – Flying Lap Final
1. Nolan Hoffman 14:06
2. James Louter 14:26
3. Jean Spies 14:51

Omnium – 30km Points Final
1. Nolan Hoffman 68 points
2. Evan Carstens 59 points
3. Jean Spies 41 points

Omnium – Elimination Final
1. Nolan Hoffman
2. Evan Carstens
3. James Louter

DAY TWO – Elite Men

Omnium – 4000m Pursuit Final
1. Nolan Hoffman 04.53
2. Jean Spies 04.58
3. James Louter 05.01

Omnium – 15km Scratch Final
1. Pieter Seyffert
2. Oupa Maluleke
3. Nolan Hoffman

Omnium – 1km Time Trial Final
1. Nolan Hoffman

1500m Final
1. Brent Pheiffer
2. Jeanné Nell
3. Oupa Maluleke

Elite Women Sprint Final
1. Maroesjka Matthee 13.25
2. Tannah Robinson
3. Ilze Bole

"The Hoff" Starts Well at SA Track Champs

South African cycling hero Nolan Hoffman got the all new CSA KZN All Africa Challenge underway at Alexandra Park Track on Thursday morning at the 2012 SA National Track and Para Cycling Championships with a display of relentless domination in the elite men’s category.

Fresh off his recent silver medal at the World Track Champs in Melbourne, Australia Hoffmann, racing for the Tasol GT team racked up the early advantage in battle for the elite men’s Omnium by claiming the win in all three of the opening day’s encounters, the flying lap, 30km points and elimination finals.

“It’s not a win as yet,” said a cautious Hoffmann. “I’ve still got to get through three more events tomorrow but it definitely is very comforting to get off to a really good start and get a couple of races under the belt.

“So far so good. It’s always a good thing to start a race in such a dominant manner and I really feel I’m in control of the ship now and am able to steer it where I need to,” he added.

The Omnium, made up by riders’ results over six different events over two days, is just one of a host of titles Hoffmann secured in 2011 and the Tasol GT competitor is focused on replicating last year’s feat as well as successfully defend his aQuellé Tour Durban title on Sunday.

“It’s a really big weekend for us at the team. We’ve set ourselves incredibly high standards so there’s still a long way to go but I came away with six medals last year so I’m really hoping to be able to do the same again this year at the champs,” said Hoffmann.

“It’s great to see Nolan (Hoffmann) and the rest of the team get off to a great start today but obviously we’re also trying to focus on our bigger picture of winning six titles and the Tour Durban title as well,” said Tasol GT team manager Dean Edwards.

“So it’s all about going out there to win but to try do it as smartly as possible and with as minimal effort as possible,” he added.

Despite having been pushed at times by fellow teammate Jean Spies, James Louter and Evan Carstens, Hoffmann looked in complete control for the majority of Thursday’s affair standing head and shoulders above the rest.

“It’s not as easy out there as some think though,” said Hoffmann. “My competition certainly isn’t handing it to me on a silver platter! I’ve just come off some incredible form after Worlds and my preparation period before that so I’m just feeling really good at the moment,” he added.

In the junior men’s section Kellan Gouveris followed in his senior teammate’s footsteps when he too claimed all the titles available on the opening day of the champs which gives him a comfortable lead with just three events to go in the race for the Omnium title.

Meanwhile in the elite ladies category Maroesjka Matthee and Tannah Robinson safely negotiated their way through the qualifiers and semi-finals stages of the sprint race and so will tackle the event’s final on Friday morning.

Friday also sees the second of the event’s three disciplines get underway as riders competing at this year’s SA National BMX Championships take on the recently built six-metre start hill and the rest of the reworked Alexandra Park’s BMX track during official practise from 14:00 onwards.

There is much hype and excitement surrounding this year’s event as it operates under the new one-day champs system for the first time and will see 2008 Olympic competitor Sifiso ‘Skizo’ Nhlapo (MTN Cycling) in action along with the likes of the flying Kyle Dodd and the rest of the elite men’s field.

TEAM BONITAS CONCLUDES SUCCESSFUL EUROPEAN DEBUT

Team Bonitas, one of South Africa’s leading professional men’s road cycling teams, arrived back home on Wednesday after a successful six-week stint in Europe where the team not only held its own, but also excelled, against some of the world’s best riders in demanding races and cold conditions.

In keeping with the 2012 progression plan as set by Team Bonitas owner Malcolm Lange and team manager, Barry Austin, the team sacrificed its usual early season domestic success in South Africa’s short, fast summer races in order to put in the appropriate preparation for a first ever European racing campaign.

It was a big-picture plan that had the full backing of all of the team’s sponsors who’d become accustomed to South African podium-topping success during the first quarter over the past three years. However, it was somewhat of a risk considering the relatively low success rate of South African teams racing in Europe in the past. But it was a well-thought out plan and it paid immediate dividends.

The 2012 Team Bonitas European campaign comprises two six-week stints, the first in March and April and the second in July and August. Racing began in Portugal at the four-day Volta a Alentejo stage race from 22-25 March and immediately the South African team made an impact.

Darren Lill won the King of the Mountains title in a hard-fought battle over the four days, while Tyler Day showed his ability to hold his own in an international sprint when he claimed third place on Stage 3.

Next up was the two-day Volta as Terras de Santa Maria on 30 and 31 March, also in Portugal. Team Bonitas sprinter Herman Fouche got the team off to the perfect start by winning the opening 141km stage and claiming the race leader’s jersey. During the same stage, Lill claimed the King of the Mountains leader’s jersey.

The team lost Fouche’s leader’s jersey after the following stage, a team time trial (they didn’t have the benefit of time trial bikes like the European teams did) but Lill managed to retain his King of the Mountains competition lead and claimed his second climber’s title in as many races. Jason Bakke managed to feature at the sharp end of the final 60km stage in the finale, claiming third place to help Team Bonitas complete a successful stint in Portugal.

From Portugal to Spain and up a notch in terms of race grading. The Klasika Primavera Amorebieta was a 171km one-day race graded 1.1 by the UCI. Day spent a large part of the race in a breakaway, which was caught, but Lill managed a top-15 spot to be the top finisher for Team Bonitas.

With morale high and all riders mended from illness or injury, the Castilla y Leon three-stage 2.1-graded race presented the team’s biggest challenge. Besides snow in the mountains, the climbs were long and the competition fierce.

The first two stages saw Team Bonitas riders adjusting in one of the biggest races of their lives. However, by the final stage they’d adapted to the pace and depth of the talent around them. Johann Rabie and Lill showed pluck and got themselves into a 10-rider break. On the second major climb Rabie was dropped, but Lill stayed with the leading group until the final kilometres where a puncture ended his hopes of a high stage finish.

Lill was again in the action at the team’s final race, the 1.1-graded 190km Vuelta Ciclista a La Rioj in Spain. He was joined by Fouche and Bakke in a mid-race move that saw a group of 25 move off the front.  Only Lill was able to stay with the front riders though as the bunch split under pressure on the final climbs and ended up in very respectable 13th place.

Experienced team manager, Barry Austin, was instrumental in getting the appropriate support structure in place for the riders, an essential element that’s often overlooked when South Africans compete in Europe.

He says he wasn’t that surprised by the team’s success:  “We carefully chose a programme that would suit our riders and style of racing and slowly brought them into bigger and bigger races. I think what was ‘surprising’ to many, was the way they pulled together and relished the challenge in Europe.

“We focussed on being a team on the bike. After every race and many team-training sessions we went over what we didn't do that was team orientated. Humans tend to self-preserve and in cycling you must learn that the only path to self-preservation is if you preserve your team first,” explained Austin.

In Austin’s opinion, the riders adjusted quickly to the different conditions, which didn’t only mean adapting to the cold weather.

“Yes, the weather was a big adjustment as a good day in April in Europe was like July in South Africa. But I think the biggest adjustment was not the speed of the race, but the holding of a position in a bunch and seeing how hard so many riders fight to be at the front. Then when entering into the races with the ProTour teams, understanding that the initial break will be made under great pressure and split decisions; and the same in the finale.”

The team arrived back in South Africa on Wednesday, 25 April and departs for the second leg of its 2012 European campaign at the end of July. Races Team Bonits willl compete in will be finalised and announced soon.

Van Persie named PFA player of year

Arsenal striker Robin van Persie was named the English Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) player of the year on Sunday after scoring 27 league goals to revive his club's season.

The Dutch international, 28, tops the Premier League scoring charts and Arsenal's third spot with three matches to go after a poor start to the campaign is in large part down to his stunning contribution.

"If other people are saying it, it is special, but it is even more special if your opponents are saying it," the skilful Van Persie told a gala in London.

"If they make up their minds that I'm the best player it is a big honour."

Without their captain, Arsenal could be languishing in mid-table and fans will shudder at the thought of who would score their goals if injury struck or he was tempted away in the search of trophies.

The London side have won just the 2005 FA Cup since he joined from Feyenoord in 2004.

Van Persie is the third Dutchman to win the award after Dennis Bergkamp (1997-98) and Ruud van Nistelrooy (2001-02). He was the first Arsenal player to claim it since Thierry Henry in 2004.

WALKER YOUNG PLAYER

Far more clinical this season than ever before after becoming the main centre forward, he acknowledged having doubts about the position after previously displaying his flair as a second striker.

"To be fair, when I first went there I wasn't really as confident and I wasn't really sure I could do it," added Van Persie, also favourite to win the English Football Writers' player of the year award later this week.

"It took a bit of time but after a couple of months I slowly realised I could do a good job there."

He took the players' gong ahead of fellow nominees Wayne Rooney of Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur's Scott Parker and Manchester City trio Joe Hart, David Silva and Sergio Aguero.

Tottenham winger Gareth Bale won last season's award.

Spurs full back Kyle Walker was named young player of the year after shining at right back for his club and forcing himself into contention for England's Euro 2012 squad.

The PFA's Premier League team of the year was as follows:

Joe Hart (Manchester City); Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur), Vincent Kompany (City), Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle United), Leighton Baines (Everton); David Silva (City), Yaya Toure (City), Scott Parker (Tottenham), Gareth Bale (Tottenham); Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United).

Force India tighten security after Bahrain scare

Force India tightened up their security procedures on Thursday after petrol bombs were thrown near a car taking staff back to their hotel from the Bahrain Grand Prix circuit.

The team said two staff, one a data engineer and the other a radio contractor, had decided to return home to Britain after the incident but there was no question of pulling out of a race that local rights activists want cancelled.

Although only one petrol bomb was mentioned by a team spokesman, sources indicated there may have been several more that landed on the highway to Manama on Wednesday evening during clashes in a nearby village between anti-government protestors and police.

The protestors have threatened "days of rage" to coincide with the race, the fourth round of the 20-race season, while organisers have ignored calls to cancel a grand prix scrapped last year due to violent demonstrations during the Arab Spring.

Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley said he had met local race organisers, police advisor John Yates and Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone's right-hand man Pasquale Lattuneddu.

"We just want to make sure the right precautions are being taken," said Fernley, who was accompanied by team sporting director Andy Stevenson.

"We know there are going to be protests, we know there are going to be elements to it, but to make sure everything is minimised from a team point of view."

Fernley said the Silverstone-based team, part-owned by Indian aviation and beer tycoon Vijay Mallya, understood the two staff's reasons for wanting to pull out and respected their decision.

He said some British parliamentarians had requested they pull out of the race but government advice was still that it was safe to travel to Bahrain and contractual agreements with the governing body and promoter had to be respected.

"We obviously expect a few more protests in the next few days, so now what we want is for them (team members) to travel as close as possible together," he explained.

"We, as a team, have engaged security here just to give our guys extra comfort and reassurance that we care about them, which as a team is our first priority. So we are co-ordinating our security with the circuit security.

"We don't want our guys getting into a position or a placewhere they shouldn't be, so we re-route accordingly."

Measures included putting trackers in cars in case they lost their way and not wearing team uniform between the track and hotel in Manama, where the streets have been largely quiet by day before evening protests.

Some teams have also taken to removing parking passes from windscreens, putting them instead on plastic sheets that can be hidden away from the track, so that the cars cannot be identified as race traffic.

"We have security people liaising with the authorities and if anything flares up we get to know about it quickly and we can take appropriate action," said Fernley.

"When we go back at night I will go back to their hotel with the last crew member to make sure they have all got back safely before I go back to mine.

"Our concern is absolutely making sure they are all okay. It's sensible things, nothing outrageous, untoward or sinister, just being sensible."

They Start Them Young

Thirteen-year-old Chinese Guan Tian-Lang shot a five-over-par 77 at the China Open on Thursday when he became the youngest golfer to play in a European Tour event.

Guan, who bogeyed his first hole and quickly slipped to five over par before making a birdie at the seventh, was 107 days younger than his compatriot Lo Shik-Kai at the 2003 Hong Kong Open.

England's Matthew Baldwin set the pace with a first-round 65 to finish a shot ahead of a group of six players including Sweden's Fredrik Andersson Hed.

England's Paul Casey finished on four under par, level with former European number one Colin Montgomerie.