As Frik du Preez might have said: We take their line-out ball, we smash them in the scrums, we kill them in the rucks, but the score still says Ozzies. Keo had a lot to say about it in his column: “I haven’t met a South African rugby supporter who didn’t tell New Zealanders that […]
2011
Posted inGeneral
Finishing the real culprit for Boks’ demise, not Lawrence
South Africa now knows how Wales felt at the beginning of this Rugby World Cup. The Springboks scarcely deserved to beat the Dragons, and after watching Sunday’s quarter-final, the Wallabies didn’t deserve a place in the semi-finals. They were “under the pump” as they like to say Down Under for the duration of the match […]
Posted inGeneral
Team of Millions
As the official team sponsor of the South African Springboks, Absa coined the phrase Team of Millions. They built a very patriotic campaign around this with an amazing song coming from the series of Shaka Zulu on TV in mid 80s as well TV, print and radio adverts that stirred the patriotic blood from within! […]
Posted inGeneral
IRB vs Sanzar
Forget the Rugby World Cup on the go, there is a much bigger showdown looming on the rugby horizon. Sanzar (South Africa, New Zealand, Australia) is the tripartheid organisation managing the Super Rugby series and the Tri-Nations. Sixteen years ago professionalism struck rugby. And now, as we are well into the professional rugby era, another […]
Posted inGeneral
Bakkies’ early exit from NZ
As you read this, Bakkies Botha is probably back in Pretoria leaving behind him New Zealand and the next three games of the Rugby World Cup, which ends October 23. Cause: “Achilles tendon injury”. Bakkies is a South African patriot and consummate rugby professional, but you have to wonder, or just be a little bit […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Confrontation surrounds the Jerusalem light rail
Jerusalem is the focal point of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its architecture is one of the most profound examples of Israel’s control over Palestinian sovereignty. Since the 1967 conquest of the eastern parts of the Jerusalem as well as the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula, Israel has moved quickly to ensure its control […]
Posted inGeneral, Media, Sport
Rugby and the nation: Tweeting our devastation
“Sympathies to the Wallabies,” tweets the comedian Brendan Jack. “After the tournament, they still have to go back to Australia.” It’s a sardonic comment on a morning which for many across South Africa has been an emotional rollercoaster. I’m very aware of this because I’ve watched my fellow citizens veer crazily from hope to despair […]
Posted inGeneral
Me hitting on ‘Slutwalks’
The Oriental woman strolling casually in front of me was wearing the smallest skirt clinging to her hips that I have ever seen. Without even trying (scouts’ honour, cross my heart) I could actually see the crotch area of her fishnet stockings and the lower part of her cheeks. The horizontal clefts in her bottom […]
Posted inGeneral
Bokke out…who’s next?
By the time you read this, the Springboks would probably have landed in Johannesburg and would be holding a press conference at the OR Tambo Intercontinental Hotel. A press conference where they will face a baying media contingent on what went wrong and what might have been. These are of course the defending Rugby World […]
Posted inNews/Politics
Mahlangu-Nkabinde downs the chalice and burps contentedly
Alas, like many things nowadays, poisoned chalices aren’t what they used to be. Once upon a time it used to be that the recipient of the alluringly bejewelled goblet would take one sip and drop dead. Nowadays, the partakers seem curiously invigorated — “Rattex, the drink that refreshes!” — if one is to deduce anything […]
Posted inGeneral
A passion killer
About a week ago I submitted an opinion piece to this website and have been asking myself what I believe is a very pertinent question which can easily be asked all over the world. When does sport transcend rationality to become hatred and violence. How can we take the positives of support, passion, provincial and […]
Posted inMedia
Daydreaming into disaster
By Roger Diamond Fantasy and imagination will cause our downfall. The ability of humans to live inside their heads is allowing our civilisation to destroy everything around us, the things we can find most joy from and the very things we need to survive. While people watch computer-animated images of smiling creatures hopping across ice […]