The South African 7s Rugby Team are more commonly known as the BlitzBokke. The team’s nickname is derived from “blitz”, an Afrikaans word meaning lightning, and of course Bokke – the nickname of our rugby team....
For those of us South Africans who live in the UK, November is a wonderfully special month of live rugby as we follow our Springboks around...
One of my earliest childhood memories is being woken by my dad at 4.30am on a Saturday morning to watch the Springboks take on the All Blacks in New Zealand. For 25 years I dreamt of watching the Springboks live in New Zealand and in 2011 that dream became a reality as
Growing up within walking distance of St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth, I spent my youth watching every match that came to town (as well as all practices). Before our re-admission, it was the mighty Eastern Province, led by Kepler Wessels, that had my complete devotion and I can...
I was at a networking drinks event a few years ago where former Springbok captain Jean de Villiers was the guest speaker. Speaking afterwards, I asked him what his favourite ground was and he replied without hesitation – Thomond Park (home of Munster rugby). I messaged a few...
The Proteas’ trials and tribulations at World Cups are well documented. In 27 years spanning seven World Cups before this one, barring our first in 1992 where the weather gods didn’t fancy the new kids on the international scene, we’ve somehow contrived to lose the plot. I...
This...
Three weekends ago, the usual crew plus a few fresh faces headed up to Newcastle to watch the Champions Cup final. Formerly known as the Heineken Cup, it’s Europe’s premier rugby competition and defending champions Leinster were up against twice winners Saracens. It was 1 vs. 2, Ireland vs...
The Springboks first toured Europe over 100 years ago in 1906. In fact, it was during this tour that the nickname ‘Springboks’ was first used (the press were asked to refer to the team as ‘De Springbokken’ but the Daily Mail went with Springboks and it...
First played in 1927, the Ryder Cup pits the 12 best players in Europe versus the 12 best players in America. It’s played every two years, alternatively on European and American soil, and is a unique team event in an individual sport. In 2018 it was back on European soil at...