Trips into the bushveld, braais, Springbok endorsements everywhere and why Rassie Erasmus is the country’s God: Daily Mail’s journey to South Africa’s rugby mecca
Over the next month, the All Blacks will make their way around South Africa for what is being marketed as ‘Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry’.
They will play tour matches against the Stormers, Sharks, Bulls and the Lions, readying themselves for a blockbuster Test series with the Springboks.
It will pitch New Zealand’s latest superstar Ruben Love against Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and provide a gauge of how Dave Rennie’s Kiwi project is shaping up for the World Cup.
On a trip to South Africa last month, I witnessed how the country has become rugby’s mecca.
Setting off from Heathrow, we were soon airborne and making our way on Virgin Atlantic’s overnight flight to Johannesburg. And what better movie for the journey than Clint Eastwood’s Invictus. The perfect sporting docudrama to go with a glass of red wine from Richard Branson’s vineyard in Cape Town.
Morgan Freeman plays the presidential role of Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon is cast as former Springbok captain, Francois Pienaar. It tells the story of how Mandela used the Springboks to unite their broken country at the 1995 World Cup. As he famously stated: ‘Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.’
Daily Mail Sport’s Nik Simon visited South Africa – the mecca of rugby – and spent time with former Springbok Victor Matfield in Pretoria
Simon took a trip into the bushveld as he soaked up the culture. Here he is pictured beside a Nelson Mandela statue in Sandton
Every shop seemed to feature some sort of South Africa rugby brand endorsement as seen by Bok Bites – the snack of champions – Springboks
After landing at Tambo Airport, I set off on a 350-mile journey towards Limpopo to visit the family farm of new England centre, Benhard Janse van Rensburg. We drove over Crocodile River. They live in bushveld territory. I saw buffalo, giraffes, ostrich and, of course, springboks.
Van Rensburg’s younger brother, HJ, fired up the braai in the evening and, in the background, the TV seemed to show wall-to-wall rugby coverage. There is an omnipresence with the sport, almost a religion to some.
On my next stop, in Pretoria, I happened to visit a church where the pastor asked the congregation if they were looking forward to seeing England back-row Henry Pollock getting ‘smoked’ by his opposite number, Jasper Wiese.
Every school, no matter the size, seemed to have its own set of rugby posts.
And every shop seemed to feature some sort of brand endorsement featuring Siya Kolisi, Handre Pollard and Cheslin Kolbe.
Since winning back-to-back World Cups in 2019 and 2023, the Springboks director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus, has become a national treasure among his public.
‘Rassie is a God in South Africa now,’ former Springbok Victor Matfield told me over a coffee.
Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Heathrow before flying from London Heathrow to Johannesburg
Simon pictured on board the Virgin Atlantic plane before setting off on a 350-mile journey towards Limpopo to visit the family farm of new England centre, Benhard Janse van Rensburg
The All Blacks will make their way around South Africa for what is being marketed as ‘Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry’. Pictured: A famous power station in Soweto
Madela’s house in Soweto. Mandela famously stated: ‘Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does’
‘In the last four or five years, the team have really unified the country and brought people together. Rassie made Siya captain and now our team is the most representative team you’ll ever get. A guy like Siya has got all the South Africans behind the Springboks.’
As a World Cup winner himself, Matfield has witnessed the power of rugby in South Africa first hand.
He was a part of the team that beat England in Paris in the 2007 final – but he believes that is nothing compared to the fever that sweeps through the country now.
‘We got home and visited Mandela,’ he said.
‘The airport was full in Johannesburg and we went on a tour through the country. We went through townships, through Sandton, through Pretoria. We went into Soweto and as we drove in, we saw these Afrikaners, who wouldn’t normally go into Soweto, in backyards braaiing with the locals. It just summed up what Mandela said in 1995 that sport unifies this country. What we achieved then was unforgettable. But this, now, is the most dominant era of Springbok rugby.’
Virgin Atlantic flies direct between London Heathrow and Johannesburg seven times a week with return fares from £624 per person, including complimentary food, drink, inflight entertainment and taxes. For further information visit https://www.virginatlantic.com/ or call 0344 8747 747.
