The sporting week on TV

THE MAIN EVENT

IN the mid-70s Frank Sinatra released an LP recorded live from Madison Square Garden, New York, and called it, The Main Event. It gave his already fabulous career a timely boost in the face of radically changing musical tastes. How much of a boost next Sunday's (around 5am) world heavyweight title bout against US challenger Hasim Rahman will give champion Lennox Lewis's career is problematic. Most commentators don't believe the fight will go beyond four rounds - unless he loses, of course - so as a moment in the Briton's boxing career, the fight is likely to be just another statistic under the Wins (and possibly KOs) column.

But for SA where a world heavyweight championship bout is indeed rare, it ranks as a "main event" for us. There are likely to be large number of yawning South Africans on April 22 who have either sat up very late or got up ridiculously early so that North America can have witnessed this title fight for the heavyweight crown on Saturday, April 21.

CRICKET

In order of correct priority, most SA sports TV watchers will want to be comfortably ensconced, can of favourite tipple in hand, in their customary chair in front of the box for the start of the fifth Test against the West Indies in Jamaica at 4pm on Thursday. What an achievement it was last week for Shaun Pollock's team to become only the second country, after Ian Johnson's 1955 Australians, to beat the Windies in a home series. Having taken a 2-0 lead with their 82-run victory in Antigua, the South Africans will now be going all out to emulate those Aussies and make it 3-0.

SOCCER

The Ellis Park tragedy has cast a dark shadow over South African soccer. How do you handle 43 dead, 150 injured? A major task rests with Safa and the PSL to ensure this kind of tragedy is never allowed to happen again. Out of respect for the dead and injured, all local fixtures have been postponed until further notice. Wednesday, April 11, 2001, should forever remain an admonition to SA - "Lest we Forget".

- Match of the Day in the English Premiership is between Man United and Coventry.

RUGBY

The Super 12 is beginning to hot up now. Every last point counts as the countdown to the semifinals begins. Friday at Carisbrook in Dunedin, it's an Kiwi-Aussies affair as Highlanders and Brumbies charge at each other, and then Saturday brings Bulls v Chiefs (Pretoria) and Stormers v Blues (Newlands) to your screen. If you sit up for the boxing on Sunday you might as well go right through and catch the Reds-Sharks game at Ballymore in Brisbane (6.20am).

MOTOR RACING

If Michael Schumacher's nose is out of joint after his winning streak of six successive grand prix wins was halted by McLaren's David Coulthard in Brazil a fortnight ago, it doesn't look any different. It's still a rather cute, skew nose. On Sunday's San Marino Grand Prix is at Ferrari's Imola home track. It is a track that has not always been kind to Schumacher (pictured) but the German remains supremely confident. "Defeat comes sooner or later," he said. "For all our fans at Ferrari's home base of Imola I'd hoped it would come after San Marino. But we at Ferrari are afraid of nothing.''

WEEK'S INSTANT REPLAY

Since this column started some two years ago, there has never been the same "replay hero" in consecutive weeks. No, not even Tiger Woods. But, though he was criticised on TV for a high-pitched shout when he had Ridley Jacobs caught by Kirsten, the week's most memorable moment must once more go to Shaun Pollock. No one could possibly have been more deserving of the man of the match award. Don't be surprised if he walks away with man of the series as well. It was a little unkind, I thought, that his joyous shout should have been labelled "like a shriek from a St Trinians' schoolgirl" - a reference to those unattractive hockeystick-wielding harridans immortalised by the British cartoonist Ronald Searle.

SUNDAY

Boxing: SA light heavyweight title, Meluse Khoza v Patrick Madzinga, SABC2, 5.05pm.

Middleweight title, Bernard Hopkins (IBF champ) v Keith Holmes (WBC), SS Int on DStv, 4am.

Golf: European PGA Tour, Moroccan Open, final round, SS2 on DStv, 3pm.

US PGA Tour, Worldcom Classic, The Heritage of Golf, final round, SS on CSN and SS1 on DStv, 9pm.

US Senior PGA Tour, The Countrywide Tradition, final round, SS Int on DStv, 9pm.

Motor Sport: San Marino Formula 1 Grand Prix, SABC3, 2pm.

MONDAY

Athletics: Boston Marathon, SS1 on DStv, 5.50pm.

Rugby: St John's Festival, Paarl Boys v Windhoek (1pm); Hilton v Kingswood (2.15pm) and Selborne v Paul Roos (3.30pm), SS on CSN and SS1 on DStv.

Soccer: English Premiership, Everton v Liverpool, SS on CSN and SS Int on DStv, 6.50pm.

Soccer: English First Division, Blackburn v Huddersfield, SS Int on DStv, 12.50am.

Tennis: Monte Carlo Open, day 1, SS2 on DStv, 9.55am.

TUESDAY

Soccer: Uefa Champions League quarter-final, Valencia v Arsenal, delayed, e-tv, 10.15pm.

Tennis: Monte Carlo Open, day 2, SS2 on DStv, 9.55am.

WEDNESDAY

Soccer: Castle Premiership, Ajax Cape Town v Hellenic, delayed, SABC2, 10pm.

CAF Cup Winners Cup, Kaizer Chiefs v USST (Reunion), SS Int on DStv, 6.45pm.

Uefa Champions League quarter-final, Bayern Munich v Man Utd, e-tv, 8.30pm.

Tennis: Monte Carlo Open, day 3, SS2 on DStv, 9.55am.

THURSDAY

Cricket: Fifth Test, West Indies v South Africa, day 1, SS1 on DStv and CSN, 4.30pm.

First Test, Zimbabwe v Bangladesh, day 1, SS Xtra1 on DStv, 9.55am.

Golf: Spanish Open, first round, SS Xtra2 on DStv, 4pm.

US PGA Tour, Houston Open, first round, SS2 on DStv, 10pm.

Tennis: Monte Carlo Open, day 4, SS2 on DStv, 9.55am.

FRIDAY

Cricket: Fifth Test, West Indies v South Africa, day 2, SS1 on DStv and CSN, 4.30pm.

First Test, Zimbabwe v Bangladesh, day 2, SS Xtra1 on DStv, 9.55am.

Golf: Spanish Open, second round, SS Xtra2 on DStv, 4pm.

US PGA Tour, Houston Open, second round, SS2 on DStv, 10pm.

Rugby: Super 12, Highlanders v Brumbies, SS1 on DStv and CSN, 9.20am.

Tennis: Monte Carlo Open, day 5, SS2 on DStv, 9.55am.

SATURDAY

Athletics: National Junior Championships, SABC2, 2.30pm.

Cricket: Fifth Test, Windies v SA, day 3, SS on M-Net, 5pm; continues on CSN, 6.55pm; and SS1 on DStv, 5pm.

First Test, Zimbabwe v Bangladesh, day 3, SS Xtra1 on DStv, 9.55am.

Golf: Spanish Open, third round, SS Xtra2 on DStv, 3pm.

US PGA Tour, Houston Open, third round, SS2 on DStv, 10pm.

Motor Sport: Australian Superbikes, SS Int on DStv, 8am.

Rugby: Super 12, Bulls v Chiefs, SS on M-Net and SS1 on DStv, 2.45pm.

Super 12, Stormers v Blues, SS on M-Net and SS2 on DStv, 7pm.

Vodacom Cup, Top Eight, Blue Bulls v Free State, SS2 on DStv, 1pm.

Vodacom Cup, Top Eight, Griquas v Lions, SABC3, 3pm.

Vodacom Cup, Top Eight, WP v Boland, delayed, SS2 on DStv, midnight.

European Cup, semi-final, Stade Francais v Munster, delayed, SS Int on DStv, 10.15pm.

European Cup, semi-final, Leiceter v Gloucester, SS Xtra1 on DStv, 6pm.

Soccer: BobSave Superbowl, semi-final, tba, SABC1, 3pm.

English Premiership, Man Utd v Man City, SS Int on DStv, 12.50am.

English Premiership, tba, SS Int on DStv, 4pm; and SS on CSN, 5pm.

Tennis: Monte Carlo Open, semi-finals, SS2 on DStv, 1.55pm.

- All times supplied by TV channels and subject to change