The gift of incredible sport this December

Can you believe we are into the final month of 2023?! But fear not, we will help you see out the year in a blaze of glory as the hits just keep on coming on SuperSport, your World of Champions.

For confirmed TV times and channels, please check out the TV guide closer to the times, but for now here are the 'best ofs' for December 2023 on a screen near you.

All times mentioned are CAT (GMT +2)

---- RUGBY - URC, 7s, Champions Cup -----

Cape Town is the centre of the rugby world's attention in December as the Cape Town Stadium gets to host a HSBC SVNS leg, some Investec Champions Cup action as well as two sweltering local derbies against the Sharks and the Bulls in the Vodacom URC.

Another one to keep an eye out for is the cracker clash when Loftus' locals host English juggernaut Saracens.

HSBC SVNS, Cape Town: 9-10 December
Bulls v Saracens, Champions Cup: 9 December, 19:30
Stormers v La Rochelle, Champions Cup: 16 December, 15:00
Stormers v Bulls, URC: 23 December, 19:00
Stormers v Sharks, URC: 30 December, 19:00

Check our TV Guide closer to the games for confirmed broadcast schedules.

> > > FULL RUGBY FIXTURE LIST ....

----- NETBALL: England v SA ----- 

One last hurrah for an amazing year of netball as the SA women head to England for a three-test series.

Test 1: Tuesday, 5 December, 8:30pm. SS Variety 2
Test 2: Saturday, 9 December, 6:45pm. SS Variety 1
Test 3: Sunday, 10 December, 3:45pm. SS Variety 4

----- GOLF: SA, US, Mauritius ----- 

Some interesting golf this month as team events take centre stage.

In SA, the year winds down with an event that all the pros look forward to - the Alfred Dunhill Championship at the famed Leopard Creek.

DATES: 7-10 December

For the seniors, the World Champions Cup is a first of its kind annual three-team, three-day stroke play tournament that will become the fourth global team competition on the worldwide golf calendar.

Being held at the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida, this event will bring major champions, Hall of Famers and legends of the game together each representing Team International, Team Europe and Team USA, respectively.

Each match will be contested over nine holes, with teams earning points for every hole won. After three days, the team with the highest point total will win the World Champions Cup.

Ernie Els (intl), Darren Clarke (Europe) and Jim Furyk (US) will be the inaugural captains.

DATES: 7-10 December

The same weekend, some of the top players from the PGA and LPGA Tours tee it up as 16 two-person teams for the Grant Thornton Invitational.

The formats will be Scramble (Friday), Alternate Shot (Saturday) and Modified Four-Ball (Sunday).

Featured players include the likes of Ludvig Åberg, Brooke Henderson, Lilia Vu, Lydia Ko, Jason Day, Céline Boutier, Nelly Korda, Tony Finau, Lexi Thompson, Rickie Fowler, Billy Horschel, Justin Rose and many more...

DATES: 8-10 December

The year then ends off with the Mauritius Open from 14-17 December (co-sanctioned by the DP and Sunshine Tours), and the PNC Championship where top golfers and family members, eg Tiger and Charlie Woods, tee it up to find out who has the best golfing genes! This takes place from 15-17 December.

Check our TV Guide closer to the tournaments for confirmed broadcast schedules.

----- FOOTBALL: a veritable feast! ----- 

It's football fiesta on SuperSport this December with some outstanding fixtures across the Premier League, DStv Premiership, LaLiga, Serie A, Carling Knockout and the Uefa Champions League.

CARLING KNOCKOUT 
Sat, 16 Dec, time tbc – Stellenbosch v TS Galaxy. SS PSL

DSTV PREMIERSHIP
Sat, 9 Dec, 15:30 – Polokwane vs Kaizer Chiefs, SS PSL
Sat, 23 Dec, 17:45 – SuperSport Utd vs Orlando Pirates, SS PSL
Sun, 24 Dec, 15:30 – Cape Town City vs Sundowns, SS PSL
Sun, 31 Dec, 15:30 – Cape Town Spurs vs Cape Town City, SS PSL

PREMIER LEAGUE
Sat, 2 Dec, 22:00 – Newcastle vs Man United, SS PL
Sun, 3 Dec, 18:30 – Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspurs, SS PL
Wed, 6 Dec, 22:15 – Manchester Utd vs Chelsea, SS PL
Sun, 10 Dec, 16:00 – Everton vs Chelsea, SS PL
Sun, 10 Dec, 18:30 – Spurs vs Newcastle, SS PL
Sun, 17 Dec, 18:30 – Liverpool vs Man Utd, SS PL
Sat, 23 Dec, 19:30 – Liverpool vs Arsenal, SS PL
Sat, 27 Dec, 22:15 – Everton vs Manchester City, SS PL

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Tue, 12 Dec, 19:45 – PSV vs Arsenal, SS PL
Tue, 12 Dec, 22:00 – Manchester United vs Bayern Munich, SS PL
Wed, 13 Dec, 22:00 – Dortmund vs PSG, SS Football
Wed, 13 Dec, 22:00 – Newcastle vs AC Milan, SS PL

----- CRICKET: big-tour time ----- 

Both the SA men's and women's teams welcome visitors this December, as touring cricket is back on the agenda. Full schedules for the month are as follows:

SA women v Bangladesh

1st T20i: 03 December from 14:00 @ Willowmoore Park on SS Cricket 
2nd T20i: 06 December from 18:00  @ Kimberley Oval on SS Cricket
3rd T20i: 08 December from 18:00  @ Kimberley Oval on SS Cricket

1st ODI: 16 December from 14:00 @ Buffalo Park Cricket Stadium on SS Cricket 
2nd ODI: 20 December from 14:00 @ Potchefstroom on SS Cricket 
3rd ODI: 23 December from 13:00 @ Willowmoore Park on SS Cricket

SA men v India

1st T20i: 10 December from 16:00 @ Hollywoodbets Kingsmead on SS Cricket 
2nd T20i: 12 December from 17:00 @ St George’s Park, Gqeberha on SS Cricket 
3rd T20i: 14 December from 17:00 @ DP World Wanderers Stadium on SS Cricket 

1st ODI: 17 December from 10:00 @ DP World Wanderers Stadium on SS Cricket 
2nd ODI: 19 December from 13:00 @ St George’s Park, Gqeberha on SS Cricket 
3rd ODI: 21 December from 13:00 @ Boland Park, Paarl on SS Cricket 

1st Test: 26 - 30 December from 10:00 @ SuperSport Park on SS Cricket 
**2nd Test: 03 - 07 January from 10:00 @ Newlands Cricket Ground on SS Cricket (**in Jan)

----- DARTS - World Championships -----

Is there a more festive sport to watch than the darts?!! Crowd involvement to the extreme, and passionate commentary taking it to the next level. Catch all the action from the 'Ally Pally' - the Alexandra Palace - in London as Michael Smith defends his title against the likes of Michael van Gerwen, Luke Humphries, Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price.

DATES: 15 December to 3 January (with a break from 24-26 Dec). Day sessions: 2:30pm. Night sessions: 9pm

----- MMA -----

One more monster fight this year as Colby Covington takes on Leon Edwards at UFC 296.

DATES: Sunday, 17 December from 5am

So those are the highlights, so sit back and watch all these sporting gifts unwrap on your various screens! Have a wonderful festive season, from all of us at SuperSport.