Sport in an INCEtant - 30 October 2018. There was non-stop action in the sporting World over the last week. With all the different events going on, there was sure to be something on offer for even the slightest of sport fanatics with action including the conclusion of the Currie Cup, the HSBC Shanghai Championship as well as plenty of football and tennis to feast on throughout the week. In the week to come, there will be even more on offer as the ATP will play out the final Masters 1000 series in Paris which got underway on Monday.

Rugby

With just one week to go until the Springboks begin their tour of the Northern Hemisphere, the oldest competition in the World, the Currie Cup, was played out on Saturday with local stars looking to mount one final charge towards being named in the Boks touring squad which begins with a match against England on Saturday. The Currie Cup final was contested between undoubtedly the two strongest domestic sides this season with the age-old rivalry between Western Province and the Natal Sharks. Many expected Province to be too strong for the Durban outfit, however, rather disappointingly - the final was decided on which team made fewer errors on the day. It was a sloppy encounter in which neither side were able to impress, however, coach Rob du Preez was able to claim his maiden Currie Cup title along with his three sons who all featured in the starting 15 of the Sharks. It was a well-deserved victory for the Sharks who have finished the season off on the perfect note. The focus will now shit to the November Internationals which will see Springbok fans hoping for continued improvement in the exciting Springbok side.

Golf

In the final World Golf Championship event of the year, the top golfers in the World did battle in the sun-soaked city of Shanghai, which produced a nail-biting finish on Sunday morning. Justin Rose, Xander Schauffele and big-hitting Tony Finau all traded blows throughout the day on Sunday, with the lead switching between the latter two almost on a hole-by-hole basis. The tournament reached its climax when Schauffele and Finau were left to slug it out in a playoff on the daunting 18th hole at Sheshan International which ultimately saw the 25 year-old American, Schauffele claim his biggest victory to date by recording a birdie. The European Tour will now begin the final stages of the Race to Dubai with the Turkish Airlines Open getting underway on Thursday and a strong field is expected in Antalya.

Football

Unfortunately, the weekend of footballing action was marred by the tragic news that the Leicester City owner and Chairmain, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, was on-board a helicopter that crashed shortly after leaving the Leceister field on Saturday evening. The footballing World has been rocked by the devastating news, tributes have poured in for both Leicester and the family during this tragic time. In terms of footballing action, the weekend produced wins for Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United while Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw away at Crystal Palace, bringing to an end an incredible eleven match winning streak in all competitions. In the Spanish League, el Classico was played out on Sunday where a struggling Real Madrid side would have been looking to turn their season around by claiming a victory over their Catalan rivals. It was not to be, however, as Madrid slumped to a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of their fiercist rivals!

Tennis

South African tennis fans were treated to a delightful display on Sunday afternoon when the giant, Kevin Anderson, was able to dismiss Japan's, Kei Nishikori, and claim the ATP 500 Vienna title, the biggest of his career. The win guaranteed Anderson a spot in the ATP World Tour Finals to be held in London in Novemebr which is a fitting end to a remarkable season by the South African great who is comfortably within the World's top 10 male players. Meanwhile in Switzerland, Roger Federer was able to further extend his winning record in his home event in Basel, going on to beat surprise package, Marius Copil, in the final and in doing so, notched up his 9th title at this event. The Paris Masters 1000 series gets underway this week with Djokovic seemingly being the man to watch after a spectacular run of form in the second half of the year!

What to watch this week

With bucket loads of action on offer in the week to come, you'll be forgiven for letting some of the major attractions pass you by. One encounter that can't be missed will be the clash between the Springboks and England that gets underway at Twickenham on Saturday afternoon, with the Boks looking to extend on their series win against the English just a few months ago!

That's all from me, enjoy your action-packed week ahead!

Follow @Steven Theunissen

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