Locked Down Spectator

South African Rugby Fans Can Never Be Pleased You can never fully please a South African rugby fan, can you? While a lot of us were satisfied with a remarkable draw against the greatest team on earth, trust some among us to find fault with the tie against the mighty All Blacks. The Boks were not favourites to win last Saturday, but were at least expected to make a fist of proceedings, which they duly did. In fact, they should have won were it not for a lack of composure. However, fans who cynically accuse us of “celebrating” a draw are being highly disingenuous! Not long ago, the All Blacks were pasting their archenemy by an average of 50 points a match, but now clashes against the Boks are being decided by two or less points! Furthermore, the draw put South Africa in pole position to win the truncated 2019 Rugby Championship. Imagine if they had lost! The Springboks Are Blessed With Depth Who in their right mind – ahead of the 2018 international rugby season

It speaks volumes of the Soweto Derby’s everlasting clout that people still care about it. Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates have done absolutely nothing in recent times on the South African football landscape, with neither team winning official silverware since May 2015. That was when the Amakhosi won the Nedbank Cup, and since then, the Soweto powerhouses have watched on as Mamelodi Sundowns, SuperSport United and Cape Town City consistently challenge for and win some kind of trophy. It was peak trolling when no-name brands TS Galaxy won the Nedbank Cup back in May, ironically pipping the so-called Cup Kings of South Africa to victory. How the mighty had fallen! At least with the Carling Black Label Cup, either of Amakhosi or Amabhakaniya can guarantee themselves some kind of trophy on a seasonal basis, though you know by now that I do not mean this flatteringly… Would this mediocrity be tolerated by Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus or Bayern Munich fans?

In 1970, there was no Rugby World Cup, John Vorster was South Africa's prime minister, the Boeing 747 took off on its maiden flight and the Beatles broke up. Of significance in 1970 on the South African rugby landscape was Griquas - known as Griqualand West back then – winning their third (and as of yet, last) Currie Cup title.  A legendary victory that continues to resonate in the annals of the gentleman’s game, Griqualand West defeated the then-Northern Transvaal 11-9 on a brutally hard and sparsely grassed De Beers Stadium, signalling the Currie Cup’s last Cinderella story. In 2019, it appears that Griquas’ ship, promising to come in and dock in the harbour but pushed out back to sea by bigger vessels over 49 years, might just come in! Brent Janse van Rensburg and his staff have built a formidable outfit in Kimberley, and were duly rewarded with a dominant SuperSport Rugby Challenge win last month after stumbling at the final hurdle in 20