Tag: rugby

Sweet smell of success

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After a good deal of fun, some out of date Jack Black Beer and no small amount of success (R1,500 worth of prizeware for us) at Cafe Roux’s JDI Charity Pub Quiz evening last night, many of the male attendees crowded around the bar and the small, yet perfectly formed flatscreen TV therein to watch the worst Bok pack ever being taken to the cleaners by Leicester Tigers.
The results of the quiz evening and the score at Welford Road may have come as a surprise to many, but I don’t count myself amongst that number.

I accurately predicted our overall second place as soon as I saw the Garth the tall quiz genius walk in (ducking slightly) and take his place with another team. Damn nice guy, but absolutely devastating to be quizzing against.
Either he has a photographic memory or he reads stuff 24/7. Or more likely, both.
There’s a marked difference between defeatism and realism, and thinking that you’re going to win a quiz when he is around is like thinking you might just sneak in ahead of Nelson Mandela in a list of Greatest South Africans. Seriously, only Julius Malema would think that he could defeat the might of Garth and Madiba. (Although he may have been let down by the surprisingly testing Woodwork round last night).

It seemed that I was the only one even mildly happy about the rugby result that followed. That was because, having predicted that Leicester would win by 5 points in my SuperBru league, I was virtually assured of taking maximum points when Leicester actually did win by 5 points.

Player: Flo
Pool(s): Pool 176

Game 3: Leicester Tigers v South Africa: Leicester Tigers by 5

And like hitting a four off the first ball of the over, that takes the pressure off predicting the big crunch game between Portugal and Namibia this afternoon. Which was a toughie.

Tonight – rest and recuperation as we head into yet another cold, grey Cape Town winter. Which I know we’re not, but the weather doesn’t appear to know that. It’s dark grey and it’s blowing a gale out there. Believe me, the rain is but minutes away.
And you know how good my powers of prediction are right now.

Bring forth a warm TV and that 2002 Nelson Estate Cab Sauv/Merlot blend.
As you do.

Advance warning

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Because I foresee internet connectivity issues over the weekend and a busy day today (errands, rugby, shopping, drinks later), it’s a case of writing this post in advance (Saturday morning) while I still can. I’ll then set it to publish tomorrow lunchtime and no-one will be any the wiser. God bless WordPress.

As I’ve said before, there’s always the danger of a major or catastrophic event occurring in the meantime, in which case small talk may look a little benile, but I’ll take my chances. And, to make it even more realistic, I’ll even chuck in some quotes about yesterday’s sporting events, even though it’s like having the reverse of Biff’s Sports Almanac in Back to the Future III:

How about that Australia v South Africa match. What a game? It was SO close: especially at kick off time – the teams were completely evenly matched (at that point). And some of the kicking and passing  throughout the game also impressed me, although not all of it, of course.
And Manchester United v Arsenal.  Well, who could have predicted that scoreline? Two big clubs, of course, but I think that gives us all an idea of the eventual outcome this season. Possibly.

Right – well I’m off to finish cooking Sunday lunch now.

There. All but the most stoic of readers will have been fooled. And I’ll see you again on Monday. Enjoy your day.

Quota Moon Photo

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Just a quick word from me as I am heading off down to Newlands shortly for the Tri-Nations game between South Africa and Australia. It’s a stunning day in Cape Town and it should be an exciting game between two evenly matched teams. But unless I head off shortly, I’m not going to see it.

So herewith a quota photo of the moon taken this morning for your enjoyment. It was going down as the sun was coming up, which made for some nice shots. I took a few which I’ll pop up on Flickr shortly, [EDIT: Here they are] but this one is one of my favourites.

 

Watch out for tweets from the rugby later on.

Hie’ kommie Bokke! Hie’ kommie Bokke!

At Newlands last night

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40,000 turned up last night at a bitterly cold Newlands to watch the Emerging Boks side taken on what was, in truth, a second string British and Irish Lions team. It was cold, stormy, windy, wet, very wet and very cold, but at least there was red wine and brandy on tap.


The Lions’ new defensive formation left gaps out wide

Of course, that was just for those of us in the posh seats. The guys down in the stands didn’t have such luxuries. Although one of them had a vuvuzela. Naughty! And then, with the Lions 10-0 ahead, Earl Rose set up the ball for a kick at goal (or whatever they call it in egg-chasing) and the heavens properly opened.


So much of rain at Newlands

Rose was unperturbed (although I’m sure I heard him murmur “Bugger!!” under his breath), got Luzuko Vulindlu to lie face down in the mud and hold the ball and went about missing the kick anyway.

Half time and I headed off to expunge the brace of first half Peronis. Now, I know that there is a certain urinal etiquette and that one looks ahead or down, never left or right, but it is kind of difficult to obey the unwritten rules of public weeing when you find a six foot Danger Mouse on your right and a slightly shorter Mr Incredible on your left. Seriously. And then I passed a Ninja Turtle on the way out of the loos. Either the British contingent were there in full fancy dress or those beers had been tampered with.

To cut a cold story short, the game finished 13-13 and we headed home, cold, but satisfied. My car said it was 6°C, but I’m sure it was lying. Either that or the minus sign (never tested) doesn’t work.

Bed never seemed so inviting.

Less about rugby…

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…more about insults.

Oh dear. Eric Janssen’s Southern View Rugby Blog at The Telegraph has really set the cat amongst the pigeons by “mocking an entire nation because of attendances at rugby”. But I actually found it pretty funny, if a little contrived at times.

Look back to the 2005 tour to New Zealand … grown men were crying in the pub because they did not have tickets to see one game – any game, not even a Test – featuring the men in red.
I’m told South Africans are blaming high ticket prices for the low attendances, but get over it. There are many ways to save a few rands to buy a ticket … don’t throw a whole damn kudu on your bbq next time; drink fewer disgusting brandy and cokes; give the escort agency a miss next week; save legal costs by not shooting someone soon.
Tickets were far from cheap in 2005, but that did not stop people – real rugby fans – from filling the stadiums.

Firstly, he’s right on the attendances. They have been shockingly poor. Embarrassingly so. Either that or the SA rugby fans have been cunningly disguised as plastic seats. And this is weird, because generally, the fair-weather South African rugby fans turn up in big numbers for big rugby games. And surely the much-anticipated British and Irish Lions’ tour is about as big as it gets?
But then, as Janssen states:

…provincial sides stripped of all their current Springboks are making the warm-up games virtually meaningless. It’s a disgrace.

Janssen’s view on SA are stereotypical and exaggerated – attempting to elicit a response, which they have. And he knows which buttons to press because he lived here in SA for a good few years. But I can’t believe that the locals are so up in arms about the whole issue. Take a joke. Because it’s funny.
And if you want to be all serious, then if rugby and pride in your country are so very important to South Africans, why are so many of the stadiums empty on this tour?

There were far fewer complaints when he described the (Gauteng) Lions as “a pathetic bunch of Skoda-driving, sandal-wearing, tree-hugging, lentil-eating, polyester-wearing, greased-hair weasels” and “a feeble collection of player-wannabees” last week.

Mind you, I think he understated that a bit.