Rugby of southafrica

Rugby is a great passion and tantamount to a religion amongst the “whites” of South Africa, especially with Afrikaners. South Africa is amazingly good and competitive at rugby - if the national squad, the Springboks, lose a game then supporters are plunged into depression for at least a week. In fact, they consider it their birthright to win every game except against the New Zealand All Blacks, for whom they have great respect!

The 1995 Rugby World Cup was hosted in South Africa and won by the Springboks. The greatest triumph and nationwide blessing came when Nelson Mandela donned the number six jersey of ‘Bok captain Francois Pienaar to present the cup. This was a major milestone for the history of South African rugby which had long been an exclusively "white" sport.

Inter-regional and international games are of a very high standard and definitely worth watching. The major regional competition is the Currie Cup, with provincial teams playing on weekends (March – October).
The Super 14 is an exciting annual competition between regional teams from South Africa, New Zealand and Australia with matches played in all 3 countries. Catch the action in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban from late February till the end of May. Port Elizabeth, George, East London and Bloemfontein also host the occasional game.
The Tri-Nations is an annual international competition involving Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Games are played in all 3 countries from June to August – be sure to book well in advance if you’re planning to attend.