CHARLOTTE KEURIS AND KEVIN VAN DER LIST
With the IRB Rugby World Cup just over a month away, excitement is building up amongst fans to see whether the Springboks can emulate their 2007 world cup performances. Although the die hard rugby supporter will be accustomed to certain rugby terms and the looming world cup stars, venues and rules, the average Joe will not be that clued up.
Say what?
If you did not know that the Rugby World Cup is taking place this year then you should wake up and smell the boerewors. The Tri-Nations is currently under way and these matches are the last international matches for the Springboks before the World Cup. You can also use these matches to test out our Perdeby guide to enjoying the Rugby World Cup. Here are a few things you should know:
Where will the World Cup be?
This year’s Rugby World Cup will be held in New Zealand and will start in September.
The Springboks are in Pool D along with Wales, Fiji, Samoa and Namibia. The Springboks’ first test will be against Wales on 11 September in Wellington.
The Wellington Regional Stadium has a capacity of 40 000 and will also play host to South Africa’s game against Fiji on 17 September.
The Springboks’ remaining two group games, against Namibia on 22 September and Samoa on 30 September, will be played in Auckland at the North Harbour Stadium.
Eden Park Stadium in Auckland, which can seat 60 000 spectators, will play host to two quarter-finals, the semi-finals as well as the final.
The basics:
All 48 World Cup games will be played in 12 different stadiums with 20 teams competing for the coveted William Webb Ellis Trophy.
Each rugby team is made up of 15 players: eight forwards and seven backs.
A rugby match consists of a 40 minute half, half-time and another 40 minute half.
A try is worth five points and the conversion of a try results in another two points.
A penalty kick is worth three points.
The what side?
A player will be called offside if that player is in front of another player playing the ball or in front of the person who last played the ball.
A ruck is formed when a player and tackler go down on the ground – hands may not be used in the ruck situation.
A maul occurs when the ball is being held in the air and players surround the player with the ball attempting to gain momentum to push forward.
What to wear:
If you don’t already have a Springbok jersey this is the first thing you should go get. Luckily Springbok jerseys are
easily found in most sport stores and are reasonably priced. Otherwise, cheap jerseys are available on almost every street corner.
Take the World Cup by its horns and get yourself a Springbok cap or even a hard hat with springbok horns. Just be prepared: your horns might get in someone’s way, but as long as they are smaller than you this shouldn’t be a problem.
What not to wear:
Any rugby jersey that is not South African as this will result in physical harm.
Crocs. Just don’t do it.
Small white rugby shorts. Let them go, even the players don’t wear them anymore.
Where to watch:
Like most of us you probably can’t afford to fly all the way to New Zealand, so here’s what you do: watch the rugby anywhere but at your house.
Phone a friend. Watching rugby at a friend’s house means you get the comfort of home without the mess afterwards.
If you run out of friends you could always go watch the rugby at sport bars. Places such as Eastwoods and Trademarx have several flat screen televisions and an endless supply of beer and ribs.
What to eat:
Have a braai. Make sure you have enough meat as chances are you’ll eat half of the meat straight off the braai and then wonder where it all went when lunch time comes around.
Everyone wants to be a Simba chippie, so make sure you have enough chips and snacks to get you through the match.
Biltong, it’s one of the main food groups.
What to drink:
An ice cold beer is always a winner, whether it’s a Hansa, Castle or Heineken.
“Klippies and Coke” is another fan favourite. The Klippies part can be substituted with whichever brandy you can afford or find in your friend’s house.
The last resort is whatever you find at the bottom of the cooler bag.
From the coach:
Perdeby saw it fitting to leave you with a few of De Villiers’ infamous statements:
“In our group we are expecting tough games from Tonga and Fiji.”
“There’s little difference between winning and losing, except you feel better after winning.”
“We went wild, wild, wild. Some of the guys went even wilder than that.”
“If you want to run with the big dogs, you have to lift your leg.”
