Week in review: Stepping up to the Plato

Move over Jose Mourinho, forget Luiz Felipe Scolari, we have a new master philosopher in the sports' world – Springbok coach Peter de Villiers. "To win rugby games, you have to score tries," revealed the profound South Africa rugby coach last week.

This well-thought out theory even kicks the quote: To win football games, you have to score goals," into touch – to use rugby speak – in that it cleverly ignores the fact that the Springboks won the World Cup final against England last year without scoring a single try.

However, after four losses in five games in the Tri-Nations and after being booed off the field two weeks ago in a loss to Australia, De Villiers needed to say something to defend his heavily criticised tactics. His expansive gameplan, said critics, lacked discipline needed to be utilised at international level. Running at every opportunity was not the way you won a game at this level, they revealed.

Faced with what could have been his final game in charge last Saturday against Australia, the fans waited in hope that De Villiers would change his tactics and resort to the more successful style of forward-dominated play utilised by Jake White.

But, did he? No. Stubborn De Villiers stuck to his tactics and we're still trying to figure who was more shocked – the spectators, the critics, the Wallabies or the Springbok coach – when South Africa took heed of "the score tries" message and smashed Australia 53-8, running in eight tries.

It was the biggest defeat for Australia in their history and shocked centre Timanha Tahu muttered something about hoping someone woke him up from this dream. Not bad, but he'd had have to be William Shakespeare to match De Villiers' post-match comments.

"The same people who threw their robes on the ground when Jesus rode on a donkey were the same people who crowned him and hit him with sticks and stuff like that, and were the same people who said afterwards how we shouldn't have done that," recited the Bok coach after the match in response to the fans and media's reactions.

"So that's exactly what they do. You have to look at history it's repeating itself, and I'm not saying that I'm god."

Thanks for clearing that up for us Peter, before we move on to someone who given half a chance won't hesitate to toll out his own virtues – Kevin Pietersen.

With his team having crushed South Africa in the One Day Series this week, the new England captain will get that opportunity as he fields more questions on just 'who writes his scripts?'.

An unbeaten start to his tenure as captain has placed him on the line to be one of the most successful England captains ever – in terms of money raked in, that is.

England now look firm favourites to win the Stanford Twenty20 game with its $20-million (Dh63.2m) winner takes all cash prize later this year.

In fact, to be honest, England always looked firm favourites. One glance at the West Indian line-up for the match and the England Cricket Board would not have been able to contain their joy. Four of the players have never played on the international stage and several others are not even regulars.

Not since Marcus Trescothick "cheated" England to victory in the 2005 Ashes series using saliva induced by sucking mints to shine the ball, have the country found a sweeter way to glory – and a lot of money.