Archive for February, 2012

Scarlett Johansson dating advertising executive: Best celebrity-real person romance?

Scarlett Johansson has a new man … again. The sultry actress must be sick of Hollywood hunks, because she seems to be getting serious with advertising executive Nate Naylor.

SODAHEAD SLIDESHOW: See the best celebrity-real person romances.

“They’ve been dating for five months,” a source told People as photos emerged of the couple taking a romantic stroll in New York City. At a diner last weekend, “They were very comfortable and happy together while eating,” an eyewitness tells Life & Style. “They were definitely acting like boyfriend and girlfriend. It was all very natural, Scarlett and Nate couldn’t stop smiling.”

After splitting from hubby Ryan Reynolds, the 27-year-old actress briefly dated much-older actor Sean Penn. But the star couple never looked as cozy together as Scarlett does with Nate. A source told RadarOnline.com: “They’re keeping it very, very low key. He’s not one for the limelight and fame and she likes that about him.”

PHOTOS: See the latest celebrity pictures to hit the Internet.

From Scarlett and Nate to Vince Vaughn and real estate agent Kyla Weber, let us know: Who has the best celebrity-real person romance?

Study says Republicans have the best sex, Democrats the most.

A new studyconducted by the dating site YanikaBrides.com found that self-described single, conservative Republicans are more likely to achieve orgasm during sex than partisans of any other political persuasion.Liberal Democrats were those least likely to experience fulfilling sexual intimacy, although they reportedly have more frequent sex than their conservative counterparts.

The “Single in America Study” polled 3,000 individuals and found that 53 percent of single conservative Republicans are likely to achieve orgasm during sex, compared with 34 percent of liberal Democrats.

However, conservative Republicans had less sex over the past 12 months than any other group polled in the survey. They were also the most likely to have never had sex.

The study was commissioned by match.com in conjunction with Dr. Laura Berman and biological anthropologist Dr. Helen Fisher.

Some other interesting sociological findings from the study:

Liberal Democrats are more likely to seek out a partner with a sense of humor, a sense of independence, someone they consider their equal and someone who shares a comparable lifestyle.

Conversely, conservative Republicans make similarly reserved choices in their mates, opting for someone with a comparable background and political affiliation who is interested in marriage.

Attitudes about sexual activity also seemed to reflect the larger political stereotypes associated with each group. For example, Republicans were the most likely to report enjoying sex in a married relationship (34 percent). Democrats were the most likely to enjoy sex in a committed but unmarried relationship (48 percent) or living together (36 percent). And those free-wheeling libertarians are most likely to enjoy a “casual hook-up” (46 percent).

And while Republicans seem to change their preference for a political candidate each week, it’s Democrats (65 percent) and registered Libertarians (66 percent) who are willing to have a one-night stand, as opposed to 49 percent of Republican respondents.

Volunteer ‘speed dating’ hailed a success.

Groups including Millom Citizens Advice Bureau, Friends of Millom Ironworks Nature Reserve and the World Owl Trust came together at the speed dating-style event at Millom Network Centre.

Volunteers were given seven minutes to find out all they could about their potential partners before a buzzer sounded, signalling a move to the next table.

Paul Stewart, Millom Network Centre manager, said the format proved a big success with organisations and volunteers.

Mr Stewart said: “There was a lot of organisations looking for volunteers and about 12 people came along looking to volunteer. It was something we’ve never done before and it worked really well.

“We’re trying to develop a culture of volunteering, which can lead to work experience and a feeling of worthwhile.

“We hope we do our best here on a regular basis, with Cumbria CVS.

“Having it in this format helped increase the conversation and networking, getting people to talk to each other. It helps break down the boundaries.

“It’s something we might try again.”

Carol Pugh, the education and training co-ordinator at the centre, hosted a table at the January 26 event.

She said: “From an organisation point of view it was a good opportunity to meet with volunteers and arrange further appointments with them.

“We found the format was ideal and that people enjoyed it as well.

“It was also good for the volunteers to see other like-minded people wanting to volunteer.”

Taunton’s SEMA-VAV kick-off breakfast launches White Ribbon Campaign to help stop teen dating violence.

Take Me Out duo reveal their dating ideal.

Dating show Take Me Out is back on our screens for a second series, and we’ve already seen two gorgeous Welsh girls on there bagging themselves dates. Emily Woodrow spoke to them about their failed quest to find ‘the one’

SERIAL dater Mimi Rees from Llandudno left her light on for Navy boy Adam from Middlesborough because she liked his accent – and the fact he wears a uniform for a living.

But after failing to find that spark on their date to Fernandos, Take Me Out’s island of love, she’s now back on the lookout for a bloke, preferably one she won’t get bored of easily.

The 20-year-old says: “I go on a lot of dates with guys – I’ve been on roughly 50 in total – but I’m quite independent and I like doing my own thing so it doesn’t usually progress to anything serious.

“I tend to date them for a few months and then get bored.

“I’ve never been in a proper relationship for that reason. I’ve pretty much always been single.

“Falling down the stairs in front of potential boyfriends doesn’t help mind. I did that once, but luckily it was only my pride that was hurt.”

Mimi applied for ITV1’s show Take Me Out as she thought it would be something different and a good opportunity to meet new people.

But despite enjoying her date and getting on well with Adam, she admits she wishes she’d turned her light off for him – the show’s way of showing a contestant’s lack of interest – and stayed on screen a little bit longer.

“I just assumed he’d turn it off, I never thought he’d choose me,” confesses the support worker.

“When I got down to the final two I was really regretting leaving it on.

“I wish I’d waited a bit longer so I could’ve spent more time with the girls and maybe found someone I actually fancied.”

And when it comes to her dream guy, Mimi isn’t asking for much.

She says: “He’d be dark, handsome and Welsh, and preferably a rugby player or something buff like that – a proper man’s man.

“His conversation would have to make me laugh, he’d be good looking, get on with my family, kind, intelligent, have a decent job, spontaneous, exciting, and have the ability to keep me on my toes.

“He’d need both looks and personality to last the distance and keep me entertained.

“And my dream date would be a romantic trip to Paris, but only once I’d got to know him a bit better.

“For the first date I’d be happy with a nice meal, ideally somewhere chilled out that serves chicken. Nando’s would be perfect!”

IKE all of the women on the show, Lizz Penny applied to Take Me Out to find herself a boyfriend.

But although things didn’t quite work out between her and her chosen date Jack from Huddersfield, she claims she has no regrets.

Because although love didn’t flourish for her on the Isle of Fernandos, back in Wales she’s now found who she believes could be “the one”.

Pippa Middleton – Pippa Middleton And Duke Of Northumberland

Officially Dating.

Pippa Middleton had the press suspecting as much last year when, following her split with ALEX LOUDEN, she went straight up to Alnwick in the northern UK county of Northumberland to spend a weekend with old Edinburgh University chum GEORGE PERCY. Now it seems that it’s official; the sister of new Duchess of Cambridgeshire Kate is dating the heir to the Duke Of Northumberland’s land and money – thought to be some £315 million.

Apparently the pair got together seriously on New Year’s Eve at a party organised by the Middletons. “Pippa sat herself next to George at supper and made sure she was hanging off his arm all night. And then she made her move,” said a source to UK newspaper The Sun. “It was like a shark circling its bait. Some people think she has always set out to do this.” The opinionated source continued “Pippa has always been close to him. There is no doubt this was a huge issue for her ex-boyfriend Alex. After they parted the first thing she did was spend a weekend on George’s estate in Northumberland. But now they are out in the open.”

If she moves up to Alnwick to be with Pecy, Middleton’ll find herself in some very fine surroundings indeed. The area of land Percy is set to inherit one day covers some 100,000 acres and 100 tenanted farms while the castle itself too is somewhat of a salubrious location, with parts of the ‘Harry Potter’ films being shot there.

USU Women Capture Fourth-Straight Win With 69-55 Win At Hawai`i Saturday

For only the second time since joining the Western Athletic Conference, the Utah State women’s basketball team captured both ends of the lengthy road trip at San Jose State and at Hawai`i as the Aggies defeated the Rainbow Wahine 69-55 at the Stan Sheriff Center on Saturday night. This is the first time since the 2008-09 season that USU won both of those road games.

USU vs. UH Box Score

With the win, the Aggies are now 15-6 overall and 6-1 in the WAC which is their best start ever. For the first time in school history, Utah State is now 5-0 on the road in conference games. The Aggies have now won six-straight games on the road overall. Hawai`i falls to 8-14 overall and 3-4 in league play.

Junior guard Devyn Christensen scored a season-high 25 points, including the first 15 points of the game. Senior guard Brooke Jackson scored 16 points and added three three pointers. Senior forwards Ashlee Brown and Maddy Plunkett both scored 11 points in the win.

The tough Aggie defense was able to keep Hawai`i’s leading scorer Kamilah Jackson to only two points. She did add 14 rebounds for the Rainbow Wahine. Breanna Arbuckle led all UH scorers with 19 points.

Behind eight-straight points from Christensen, USU jumped out to an early 8-1 lead. The junior would go on to score the first 15 points for USU with nine points coming from beyond the arc. A free throw by Jackson was the first point not scored by Christensen as the Aggies took a 16-10 lead with under 13 minutes left in the half.

After Christensen’s 17th point of the half, USU jumped out to a 23-13 lead with 9:22 left in the half. Four-straight points cut from the Rainbow Wahine cut the lead to 26-19 before a Plunkett lay up stretched the lead to 28-19.

Throughout the first half, the Rainbow Wahine were hampered by poor free throw shooting, ending the half 3-for-10 from the charity stripe.

After going most of the first half without scoring, Brown scored the final six points of the half for the Aggies as Utah State entered the locker room with a 38-25 advantage.

In the first half, Utah State was led by 17 points from Christensen, including nine points from three. Jackson added eight first half points for USU. Brown added six points and four rebounds. Freshman guard Elise Nelson added four rebounds and three assists in the first half.

Hawai`i was led by seven points from Arbuckle who also added two rebounds. The Rainbow Wahine leading scorer Jackson was held to two points in the first half but did bring down six rebounds. Kalei Adolpho led both teams with eight rebounds in the first half.

Plunkett scored the first four points of the half, putting USU up 42-27 and leading to a Hawai`i timeout with 17:56 left in the game. The Aggies continued to maintain a double-digit lead much of the second half. After an Arbuckle lay up, the Rainbow Wahine were able to cut the lead to 60-49 with just over six minutes left. The Aggies used a 7-0 run to help shut the door on the Rainbow Wahine and take a 67-49 lead.

The Rainbow Wahine recovered from their free throw shooting problems in the second half going 11-for-11 in the final 20 minutes of action.

Both Hawai`i natives, Pualei Furtado and Kamie Imai saw playing time for the Aggies as this is their last time on the islands with Hawai`i leaving the WAC next season. Both were able to get on the scoreboard.

Utah State ended the game, shooting 24-of-59 (40.7 percent) from the floor. The Aggies were 9-of-18 from three-point range (50.0 percent), while shooting 12-of-17 (70.6 percent) from the charity stripe. Hawai`i was 19-of-58 (32.8 percent) from the field, going 3-of-15 three (20.0 percent). The Rainbow Wahine were 14-of-21 (66.7 percent) from the free throw line.

After a successful three-game road trip, Utah State returns home for a short two-game home stand. The Aggies take on Louisiana Tech on Thursday. Feb. 9 at 4 p.m. USU will then face New Mexico State on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 4 p.m. Both games are doubleheaders with the Utah State men’s teams. The game against the Aggies can be seen live on KMYU. It will be televised live on KMYU-TV (Comcast Ch. 22, Dish Network Ch. 12, Over-the-Air 2.2) throughout the state of Utah with Mychal Clanton (play-by-play) and Brooks Hansen (analyst) calling the action.

Live stats will be available for most Utah State women’s basketball games through the women’s basketball page , by clicking on GameTracker in the current events box. All home games can be viewed by clicking on “Watch Live.”

Women’s Cancer Resource Center marks 25 years of service.

By March 2008, after two years of dieting and exercise, Shyanne Reese had shed a whopping 101 pounds from her 5-foot-10 frame and was feeling better than ever.

Nine months later, those feelings had changed to fear, embarrassment and isolation.

She had breast cancer.

And the timing couldn’t have been worse. She had recently lost her job in long-term care insurance sales and was having trouble paying for the continuing coverage health insurance. She said she didn’t really know where to turn for help.

“In my initial diagnoses, I was embarrassed because I felt I had done something (with having the extra weight) and also I’d never been laid off for anything. I felt like, ‘Oh my god, what am I going to do?’ ” said Reese, now 58, of Berkeley.

What came next literally changed her life. Reese, who is African-American, was referred by a young, black hospital social worker to the Women’s Cancer Resource Center in Oakland, an organization that has helped more than 80,000 people since it was founded 25 years ago. The organization aims to help low-income women of color.

“Had it not been for the African-American social worker (at the hospital) I don’t know if I would have related to someone culturally,” Reese said. “Culturally, it’s taboo to discuss (cancer).”

Her own mother, she said, had told her it wasn’t appropriate for women to examine their breasts so Reese had an additional stigma about breast cancer.

“I went outside of my family to gain education. I was feeling responsible and this (was) embarrassing, but because this young woman was black, I related to her and as a result, I could say ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do in terms of my health insurance or financially.’ ”

WCRC Executive Director Peggy McGuire agreed with Reese, saying there is “a tremendous taboo about talking about cancer in the African-American community and the Latino community. Because the women are the matriarchs, there is a reluctance to admit they are ill.”

On Monday, the WCRC is holding a gala at Yoshi’s in Oakland to celebrate 25 years of service, which includes helping nearly 5,000 people annually. Programs are free and include psychotherapy, financial support up to $600 and programs for Spanish-speaking women, African-American women, newly diagnosed women and those dealing with a loved one with cancer.

McGuire said the organization has grown immensely since late WCRC founder Jackie Winnow set up an answering machine in her living room more than 25 years ago to field calls from women dealing with cancer.

“(She) worked at the Human Rights Commission in San Francisco advocating for people with AIDS. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she was appalled at the lack of services that were available to women,” said McGuire. “Back then, there were no help lines, no support groups, no educational programs. So she took the lessons she learned from HIV activists and applied them to the WCRC.”

Over time, the organization has grown to have an annual budget of $1.1 million with about 70 percent coming from individual donors and the remaining money coming from foundation grants. The WCRC also holds the annual Swim A Mile for Women With Cancer, which last year raised $382,000. But Monday’s event is the center’s largest in a decade.

“We decided to be bold. There was some concern that with the economy — that this wasn’t the time to take on such a (big) event — but we’ve brought in about $33,000 with 200 attendees so far, and the tickets are selling really fast,” McGuire said.

All of Monday’s proceeds will go to programs and services. That’s important because McGuire said there has been at least a 25 percent increase in the need for services since the economy tanked.

“Not only have we had an increase, but we are seeing women who are sicker and many, many problems that result from poverty, lack of food, lack of shelter and lack of money for transportation,” she said.

They also have seen a boost in the number of women they are helping because of the Community Health Advocate program, where women do outreach for low-income and minority women in the community.

Reese, who had surgeries on both breasts and has been cancer-free for more than two years now, is one of those health advocates.

And more good news: She’s kept most of the 101 pounds off, works out at the gym several days a week and is back to feeling better than ever.

England’s women making strides on the road to 2014 World Cup.

U.S. women call Egypt captors “kind”.

Their kidnappers gave them tea and dried fruit, and talked about religion and tribal rights. The California women were allowed to bring their Egyptian tour guide with them. One even put out his cigarette in the car when a hostage said the smoke was bothering her.

The women abducted for several hours Friday by armed Bedouin tribesmen in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula hesitated to call the men “captors,” saying that the kidnappers were kind, polite and hospitable.

“All of this is an unforgettable memory,” Norma Supe, a 63-year-old nurse from Union City, Calif., told The Associated Press. “Maybe God had a purpose for this. It was probably to encourage more faith in me.”

Supe and Patti Ganal, of Los Gatos, Calif., were snatched Friday from a minivan on a tour of Sinai, a restive region that has seen security crumble since Egypt’s popular uprising last year. There have been attacks on police stations and bombings of gas pipelines running through Sinai.

U.S. women kidnapped in Egypt freed

The abduction happened after Ganal, Supe, Ganal’s husband and two other Americans had finished a tour of the sixth-century St. Catherine’s Monastery, located at the foot of Mount Sinai where the Old Testament says Moses received the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments.

Their Egyptian tour guide, Hisham Zaki, was allowed to go with the women. Ganal, 66, who works as a leader on tours to Egypt, Jordan and Israel, offered herself as a hostage after the tribesmen demanded that two Americans get off the bus. Her husband was too physically challenged to go, she said.

“I was not afraid at all because I know God has sent us here,” Ganal told the AP in Cairo, where the group was continuing with its tour.

Supe also volunteered when she noticed the two other tourists crouched under the van’s windows in fear.

The Bedouins, known for their traditional way of life and hospitality, were dressed in long white robes and checkered head scarves, had Kalashnikov rifles visible, but did not hold their hostages at gunpoint, the women said.

Zaki, who had translated the kidnappers’ demands from Arabic to English, asked to accompany the women as their translator. The kidnappers let him.

The Bedouins drove for a few hours through the mountains, and suggested to the women that they were doubling as new tour guides. “They reassured us, they are just continuing our tour in the mountains,” Ganal said. “I said, ‘Yes, what a beautiful scene.”‘

Ganal, a devout Christian, said she began talking to the men about God and faith while Zaki translated.

The kidnappers said several times they would not harm the women. Zaki said they were seeking leverage to pressure the government to release two relatives, including one of the kidnappers’ sons.

Both women said they were not robbed, denying earlier reports that they were.

At one point, Ganal asked Zaki to tell one of the captors to put out his cigarette since the smoke was bothering her in the car.

“I told her, ‘Are you joking? You are kidnapped,”‘ Zaki said.

She insisted; after Zaki relayed her request, the Bedouin kidnapper threw his cigarette out of the car window.

The kidnappers stopped, made a fire for the women to stay warm and made the women coffee. But Ganal does not drink coffee.

“So they made me tea,” she said. The women were also served pita bread, dates and other dried fruit.

A security official told the AP the Bedouin captors are from the el-Qararsha tribe in South Sinai Peninsula, home to some of Egypt’s most lawless tribes and some of the country’s top tourist sites, like the popular Red Sea diving town of Sharm el-Sheikh. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release the information.

Bedouins have long complained of discrimination and random arrests by the government and the area was restive even under former president Hosni Mubarak. But security has deteriorated and tensions have spiked, echoing a nationwide trend since Mubarak’s ouster last February.

Earlier this week, armed Islamic militants also seized 25 Chinese factory workers after forcing them off a bus elsewhere in the peninsula, but they were released the next day. The kidnappers were demanding the release of members of their group arrested years before on charges of terrorism.

Egypt has faced a surge in crime since the uprising that ousted President Hosni Mubarak from power last February. The volatility has hit Egypt’s vital tourism industry, which had $8.8 billion in revenue last year compared to $12.5 billion in 2010.

The Bedouins released Zaki and the women after negotiations with tribal leaders in the peninsula, security officials told the AP.

Security officials promised the group from the el-Qararsha tribe that they will take another look at case of the two detained men that prompted the kidnapping. A police official from the Sinai Peninsula said that the two men in custody were known drug dealers who were detained on Jan. 28 in Tor city, the capital of South Sinai governorate. Three police officers were wounded and a Bedouin was killed in their apprehension.

Ganal and Supe were invited by the South Sinai Governor, Gen. Khaled Fouda, for dinner in a hotel in St. Catherine and for a night at a hotel in in Sharm el-Sheikh. The official paid for flights from Sharm el-Sheikh for the tour group.

The five Americans visited the pyramids this weekend and were planning a visit to the coastal city of Alexandria. The group planned to return to the U.S. on Tuesday.

“Even though this happened to us, people are nice to us,” said Supe. “I feel that people here are considering us as family.”

Women are better at parking cars than men.

Britain’s largest car park operator, NCP, put together a month-long experiment to determine whether men or women are more skilled at parking cars, and they found that women take home the prize.

Women might take longer to park the car, but they’re better at finding a space, aligning their vehicles to fit in the space, and once they’re parked their cars are positioned centrally within the space, according to the Daily Mail.

The study looked at 2,500 drivers, who were observed through surveillance cameras and rated on various aspects of parking and given a mark out of 20. The final scores were close, but women came out ahead with an average score of 13.4 and men with a score of 12.3.

Men did especially well when it came to speed. It took an average of 16 seconds to park for men, while the average for women was 21 seconds. Researchers also noticed that men were quick to impress. If a female was sitting shotgun, a male usually chose to park in a tighter, smaller space that allowed him to show off his parking skills.

Women were more patient and drove much slower than men when looking for a space and researchers think this allows them to more quickly locate spaces in a full garage.

Nearly 40 percent of women chose to to reverse into a space—the method recommended by driving instructors—compared with 28 percent of men.
Men were much happier with their parking job once they got into a space and were less likely to reposition the car for a more perfect alignment. Only 29 percent of men re-aligned the car, compared to 56 percent of women.
Women were more likely to park in the center of the space, with 53 percent of women parking centrally, compared to 25 percent of men.
Neil Beeson, a senior driving instructor on ITV’s Last Chance Driving School, devised the study for NCP. “I was quite surprised by the results, because in my experience men have always been the best learners and usually performed better in lessons,” Beeson told the Daily Mail. “However, it’s possible that women have retained the information better. The results also appear to dispel the myth that men have better spatial awareness than women.”

SA women, Belgium draw

Four goals in the last five minutes of an electric international encounter saw an on-song South Africa women’s hockey team and an inspired Belgium draw 3-3 in the final match of the two-Test Series at the Randburg Hockey Stadium on Sunday.

The South Africans were 2-0 up at half-time.

This draw means that Belgium win the series 1-0.

SA kept world record goalscorer Pietie Coetzee in cotton wool for the fifth consecutive match and strikers Dirkie Chamberlain and Lauren Penny scored in the first half before Stephanie de Groof and Jill Boon made it 2-2 five minutes from the end. SA then went 3-2 up through Tarryn Bright before Anouk Raes’s equaliser for the 3-3 final result.

Belgium won the first Test 3-1 on Saturday and needed a draw at minimum while SA had to win to level the two-Test Series, this after the girls in green and gold had comfortably won the Tri-Nations Series five days earlier with Belgium runners up and Ireland third.

Sunday’s clash was a high-level exhibition of women’s hockey at its best and saw SA netted first-half goals through 100-up Test match strikers Chamberlain and Penny in the 12th and 28th minutes respectively.

Just 30 seconds into the match Chamberlain got the first opportunity but didn’t connect. Three minutes later Belgium built down the left and captain Charlotte de Vos got in a shot and the first penalty corner, which was disallowed by London Olympics-bound SA umpire Michelle Joubert for the initial shot being too high after SA captain Marsha Marescia had parried it beautifully on the goalline.

In the 10th minute Joubert dished out a “custard slice” sin-bin yellow card, to Alix Gerniers for dissent and SA had an extra player for five minutes in this high-octane game that both sides were desperate to win ahead of their respective Olympic Qualifier tournaments, SA leaving for Delhi on February 15.

Impressive SA right half Nicolene Terblanche won their first penalty corner (PC) in the 12th minute and a superbly worked set-piece saw Chamberlain deflect in to the net from Kate Woods’s pinpoint shot-pass (1-0).

Midway, Belgium came agonisingly close on two occasions with the superb Sofie Gierts and Barbara Nelen prominent, the initial top-class move brilliantly intercepted by Shelley Russell. With 17 minutes left to the break SA centre back and Player of the Series Woods nailed yet another pinpoint pass from deep, and a lovely move through Marescia, Jade Mayne and Chamberlain saw the 100-up Northern Blues player nearly add her second.

On-fire right half Terblanche, the farm girl from Groblersdal, won another PC and SA then won a third, which Woods drilled towards the far post for Penny to get the touch with seven minutes to half-time (2-0).

Seconds after the break the skilful De Vos almost pulled one back, while Terblanche fired a great pass across the face of the goal that SA didn’t quite latch on to. Marescia then set Terblanche free with a perfectly weighted pass and the right half’s cross came within centimetres of the waiting SA sticks.

SA’s fourth PC saw another precise move and Bright was inches off giving the girls in green and a three-goal cushion. Just 13 left and another neat SA move with Bernie Coston, Kathleen Taylor, Bright and Penny involved almost brought a third goal but did at least win SA’s fifth PC, keeper Aisling D’Hooghe making a brace of sharp saves.

Belgian created a stir when they subbed their keeper and brought on an extra field player, one of the 11 on the pitch now playing “kicking back” and SA nearly made it three when a Sulette Damons effort from close was scraped away from the goalline. Belgium’s extra-player advantage nearly paid off when De Vos earned a great reaction save from SA keeper Mariette Rix but their second PC brought a De Groof goal with five minutes left and seconds later Boon equalised (2-2).

Belgium brought their keeper back on, a wise move as they led the two-Test series 1-0 and only needed a draw. However, with just over two minutes left Joubert played a brilliant advantage after top work by Marescia and Bright put SA back in front (3-2).

But seconds after the re-start Anouk Raes drew Belgium level (3-3) to clinch the two-Test series.