I frequently drive past this billboard, it always brings a smile.
By way of explanation, three of our domestic rivals are the Natal Sharks, Free State Cheetahs and Northern Transvaal Bulls 🙂
My Southern Kings played their final 2013 super rugby match yesterday and yes, you’ve guessed it, lost. But winning was not the purpose of our foray into super rugby this year.
Who would have thought it?
After a glorious victory against the Aussie Force two weeks ago (and a bye last week) our Super Kings hosted the first of the heavyweights last night. The Sharks were last year’s losing finalists, they are a side packed with current Springboks (we have not one) and we kept them tryless!
Our magnificent Nelson Mandela Bay stadium was a sell out, that’s 42,000 people packed in to savour a super rugby derby. Sure it’s been full once or twice before but that was during the FIFA world cup, no passion, no partisanship just an extravaganza (albeit a jolly good one) and of course our two rugby tests against England and the All Blacks, this was different, completely different!
If our first victory in the competition hasn’t made the opposition sit up and reconsider our ‘whipping boy’ tag then last night must have, our Kings were simply magnificent.
One report tells us “only 1 tackle missed out of 107” They defended like lions (not the Transvaal kind but the four legged ones with manes!) and on attack? Opportunities though few and far between were taken, so much so that with only 2 minutes to go we were in a bonus point winning position but fate dealt a cruel blow, we were robbed of that bonus point in the last minute of the game.
Members may remember my post after the Christchurch earthquake where we paid respects to those injured and those who lost their lives. In it I mentioned that The Crusaders rugby stadium was damaged and that they were having to relocate their home games. Continue reading “Sharks v Crusaders, 27 March at Twickenham”
Boadicea's Chariot 