Now that the euphoria has settled following a famous win on Saturday night by the Stormers, another winner has emerged: Cape Town. The Mother City showed off as a mature, grown up city as host to the final and showed us all we’re ready to navigate out of the nightmare of COVID-19, writes Gasant Abarder in a new #SliceofGasant.
Abarder, who recently launched his book, Hack with a Grenade, is among the country’s most influential media voices. Catch his weekly column here, exclusive to Cape {town} Etc.
Swing! Swing! Swing! I never knew what this meant in rugby but on Saturday it was confirmed that this plea from the stands to the home team had been inherited by the Cape Town Stadium from its predecessor Newlands.
Apparently, according to Google, a swing is a kind of quick-release pass from the hip. It makes sense. Bar that, it was the only thing we inherited from Newlands, thank goodness. The Cape Town Stadium once again reminded us why it is a majestic, world-class venue for global sports events as it hosted the grand final of the United Rugby Championship on Saturday night.
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There was no poep-storm of a traffic mess in the wake of more than 30 000 people leaving one place or a jam through the turnstiles upon leaving Newlands. More significantly, no having to look at the dubiously named Danie Craven Stand – he who notoriously said black people can’t play rugby. The Stormers put paid to that ridiculous misnomer on Saturday.
It was an orderly exit and the throngs of spectators left as effortlessly as they arrived. Some in their cars, others using the MyCiTi bus service. There were food vendors in abundance to cater for every whim and fancy. I do want to educate the new rugby supporter though that they can still enjoy the match without jumping up from their seat every time the Stormers have the ball.
It was a coming of age in a few ways. For Cape Town, we had an incident-free event involving 31 000 in a post-COVID-19 reality. It was arguably the biggest event in South Africa with such a large crowd since the pandemic hit and we nailed it, folks.
It was a coming of age too for the Stormers – a team that has promised so much over the last three decades and somehow couldn’t deliver at the final hurdle. Now, with a team of mostly unknowns, they won a major piece of silverware in a tournament that has redefined the balance of global rugby power.
It was a coming of age for a father and son. My son Ziyaad turns 17 next month. Soon, he’s going to be off to varsity and spending all his time with his mates. He may be too busy to do things like going to the ruggers with his dad. That’s okay. I cherished the experience and the fact that we could together witness the Stormers do the business, which made it all the more special.
As for the Stormers… truth be told, I had all but given up on the team once dubbed the ‘Men in Black’. When they were called that was really the last time I was a fully committed fan. I can’t be so emotionally invested if I support Manchester United and Orlando Pirates as well! I wasn’t going but the kind folks at Coca-Cola Peninsula Beverages made it hard to resist the pair of tickets to the big final.
The Stormers: a source of heartache for me over the years. Always the bridesmaids but never quite lifting the silverware when it mattered. The rugby in the first half gave me little reason to believe this final was going to be any different. But somehow the lads dug deep and were able to eke out the victory as deserved champions following a fantastic campaign in the inaugural URC competition.
But bigger than the victory of Saturday was the win over COVID-19. Saturday’s triumphant final told us everything we need to know about our readiness to get back to normal following the pandemic. It showed us that while the virus claimed many lives and livelihoods, it would never be able to claim our collective spirit.
There is no clearer indication that we are ready to get back to normal. Yes, it will take a while for us to get back into the swing of things as we’ve grown accustomed to mask-wearing, sanitising everything and being suspicious of coughers and sneezers. But Mr President, it’s time to call a family meeting. Let’s get our country back on track.
Rugby showed us the way in 1995 when the Springboks did the unthinkable against a seemingly invincible foe. Rugby again showed us the way in 2022 against a different kind of invincible foe.
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Picture: Gasant Abarder
