Tank Lanning

Where’s the game?

The term “Super Saturday” is probably bandied about a little too often in these days …

Initially a really entertaining live multisport magazine programme on SuperSport hosted by Neil Andrews every Saturday morning, the show met it’s demise, rather ironically, because of the avalanche of live rugby happening every Saturday morning due to the introduction of Super Rugby. Ironic given that any Saturday since then that has carried more then 2 or 3 games, has been dubbed a “Super Saturday”

Which, as every “Rugby widow” will tell you, is basically every Saturday during Super Rugby – now a monstrosity that lasts close on six months. Yep, even a rugby nut like me reckons there is just too much rugby being prescribed these days …

But for better or for worse, my chosen career path sees me needing to watch close on every game that is screened on SuperSport. Now do not get me wrong, I love a solid post braai cooler box emptying session while taking in a Bok Test on a comfy couch as much as the next guy, but do that for every game, and you will be checking into the Pearly Gates in a super sized coffin faster than you can say “Fat Bastard” …

To the rescue comes none other than Virgin Active!

Yep, into V-Club goes my little guy – who digs those classes they put in the “Max” clubs, and onto a bike or stair machine go I, to watch a game – and Tweet nogal, using the 100MB of free wi-fi all members are given every day. I get to earn my afternoon beers while watching the later games by pushing a bead in the gym, my little guy has a blast, and perhaps most importantly, my better half gets 2 hours to herself meaning I actually notch up much needed “Pink ticket” points while watching rugby!

Which is all good and well … If your local gym manager has chosen to spend a few minutes taking in the live sporting schedule of the weekend … I can’t tell you how many times I have got to the gym fired up to watch a game, only to have to spend the first ten minutes asking people in red tops to please change the channel from the ’94 Bedford Knitting Convention highlights to live rugby.

Now I can imagine some of you are probably thinking “Who does this selfish bugger think he is, wanting the channel to be changed just for him?” … Fair chirp, but there are always at least 8 channels available on either big screens in front of the machines, or on the actual machine’s screen, and every time I have asked for a channel to be changed, people have migrated to machines next to me, to take in the live game …

So for the sake of those club managers keen to cater to a sport watching audience, the majority of non iPod-listening gym bunnies I would suggest, below is the live sport happening this weekend:

Friday, September 7

Athletics: Diamond League, Memorial Van Damme — 20:00
Cricket: Pakistan v Australia 2nd T20I — 18:00
Cycling: La Vuelta A Espana, Stage 19 — 15:50
Golf: European Tour, KLM Open Day 2 — 14:30, PGA Tour, BMW Championship Day 2 — 21:00, Sunshine Tour: Vodacom Origins of Golf Day 3
Motorsport: F1: Italian Grand Prix Practice Session — 10:00 & 14:00
Rugby: SWD Eagles v Leopards — 19:00, Border v EP— 19:10
Soccer: Brazil v South Africa — 20:45
Paralympics: Various
Tennis: US Open

Saturday, September 8

Boxing: Vitali Klitschko v Manuel Charr — 22:45
Cricket: England v South Africa 1st T20I — 15:30, India v New Zealand 1st T20I — 16:30
Cycling: La Vuelta A Espana, Stage 20 — 15:00
Golf: European Tour, KLM Open — 14:30, PGA Tour, BMW Championship — 21:00
Motorsport: F1: Italian Grand Prix Qualifying — 14:00
Mountain Biking: World Championships — 11:00
Rugby:
New Zealand v Argentina — 09:35
Australia v South Africa — 12:35
Griquas v Sharks — 15:00
Blue Bulls v Lions — 17:05
Cheetahs v Western Province — 19:10
Falcons v Pumas — 15:00
Griffons v Boland— 15:00
Paralympics: Various
Tennis: US Open

Sunday, September 9

Athletics: IAAF World Challenge League — 16:50
Boxing: Andre Ward v Chad Dawson — 03:30, Macbute Sinyabi v Oscar Chauke — 14:00
Cycling: La Vuelta A Espana, Stage 21 – 16:00
Golf: European Tour, KLM Open Day 4 — 14:30, PGA Tour, BMW Championship Day 4 — 21:00
Motorsport: Superbike World Championship — 12:00, F1: Italian Grand Prix— 14:00
Paralympics: Closing Ceremony — 21:30
Tennis: US Open

Tank is a former Western Province tighthead prop who now heads up Tankman Media, and sprouts forth on all things rugby on the Front Row Grunt …