OK, BY NOW we’re all well into Monday, and the weekend seems like a distant dream by this point. However, there are a few reasons to pause and embrace the fact that this past weekend was a weekend that delivered history, heartbreak and plenty of talking points. 

South Africa celebrated a memorable Test series victory over Australia, Orlando Pirates claimed Soweto Derby bragging rights, and Formula One crowned a new champion. 

There was also plenty happening on the rugby fields and across Europe's football leagues.

The 20-year-old Mercedes driver needed only a top-nine finish to clinch the title, but went further by securing third place on the podium. At 20 years and 68 days, he broke Sebastian Vettel's record as the youngest champion in the sport's history.

Max Verstappen won the race, finishing just 0.799 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who produced a strong recovery to take second for Ferrari. Charles Leclerc finished fourth after receiving a five-second penalty for an incident during the opening exchanges, adding to an uncomfortable afternoon for the Scuderia.

Simon Harmer led the final-day demolition with 6/16 as Australia were dismissed for 111. The victory also saw the Proteas reclaim the No.1 position in the ICC Test rankings after recovering from their opening defeat in Durban.

Yanela Mbuthuma opened the scoring before Pule Mmodi equalised for Amakhosi. Tshepang Moremi then struck the decisive goal in the second half, extending Pirates’ league winning run to seven matches.

Mamelodi Sundowns kept the pressure on by beating Durban City 4-1 later on Saturday. Sundowns finished the weekend at the top of the Betway Premiership, one point ahead of Pirates, who have a game in hand.

The Bulls ran in eight tries to beat the Scarlets 54-26 at Loftus Versfeld, while the Stormers overcame Ulster 33-7 in Cape Town. The Sharks produced an impressive away performance to beat Munster 15-3 in Limerick.

The Lions were the only local side to lose, going down 29-20 to Glasgow Warriors in Scotland after briefly taking the lead in the closing stages.

Glasgow remain top of the standings on 23 points, with the Bulls and Stormers next on 21. The Sharks occupy fourth place on 19 points, keeping three South African franchises inside the top four.

The result followed Ireland’s 40-27 win in the previous weekend’s meeting. Despite the disappointment, the coaching staff pointed to progress and the experience gained by younger players as the team builds towards the next World Cup.

Manchester City missed the chance to keep pace with the leaders after suffering a surprise 1-0 home defeat to Brighton. Chelsea also enjoyed a useful result, beating Manchester United 2-0, while Tottenham defeated Crystal Palace by the same scoreline.

Elsewhere, Bournemouth beat Leeds 2-0 and Brentford recorded a 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.

There was also an emotional farewell in Basel, where three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka played the final match of his professional career. The 41-year-old lost to Czech player Jiri Lehecka, bringing the curtain down on a career that included three major singles titles.