I support the bokke in the World Cup of course, but otherwise rugby has never really been my thing. Then again, after the misery heaped on me by that other game on Friday, perhaps it’s time to start looking for a new sport to follow.
There can be no denying that sport unites South Africans. The positive vibes that ran around the country during the recent FIFA World Cup is a testament to that, and Mandela walking out with his Springbok rugby jersey in the ’95 final was one of those few truly iconic moments of South African unity and pride – an event which had its roots in sport, but then spread far beyond.
And so it’s rugby that has brought us to Pretoria and its famous stadium, Loftus. In the shaded parking areas around the ground, the local Bulls fans arrive early and the braais and skottels come out en masse to feed some of the largest and hungriest bellies in South Africa.
Though the Bulls supporters were clearly in the majority outside the ground (it seemed more like 50-50 inside the stadium itself), there were plenty of Lions fans braaing alongside them and in some cases, where friendships crossed the ever blurring line between Pretoria and Johannesburg, they braaied happily together. Both teams are from this part of the world and there seems to be little animosity and plenty of brandy-fueled cheer.
We watched the game from the comfort of the Barloworld hospitality box, sipping our complimentary brandy and ginger ales and making appropriate noises at the appropriate moments. Both teams played pretty sloppily at times, but in the end the Bulls came away 30-23 winners, with Jan handing over the Braai4Heritage trophy – a custom potjie pot – to the winning team.
All in all it wasn’t a bad introduction to my first game of live rugby.
