Going to watch rugby the Middle Earth way: Version 2.0

Ok so it took a bit longer than planned to get started with this one but hey rather late than never:

As it’s been a while since I ventured to Welkom to go and watch a game at the Noord-Wes stadium (or HT Pelatona stadium as it’s known now) I phoned the Griffons Rugby Union to enquire about ticket prices and availability. I was told that entrance is free and you can sit where you find a seat. As to the do’s and don’ts of what can be taken into the stadium the very friendly lady replied: “you can do what you want, not really but do what you want”. Not one to disappoint people, that’s exactly what I did.

Arriving at the stadium dressed in our best and latest Sharks jerseys with our Sharks flag in tow, and McDonalds in hand (yes people, Welkom has a McDonalds) we were just in time to see the Sharks players and coaches take to the field for the warm-ups and once again got seated behind the Sharks bench.

Now going to watch the Purple People Eaters (or Griffons as they’re better known) play the Sharks XV in Welkom it is hard to believe that it is in fact the same century as when we watched the Sharks play the Cheetahs in Bloem. This is the way I used to watch rugby as a youngster. No fancy stadium with massive pavilions, dancing girls, pyrotechnics (or fire works for those that does not know the big word), big screens showing adverts and highlights if you missed something, or any other of the modern foefies we’re so use to these days. This is about going to watch a game of rugby with rugby at the centre as the sole and only entertainment and that’s probably the reason why less than 100 people pitched to watch the game!

Seeing as entry was free and there’s no restrictions with bringing your own food and drinks, it was really a big disappointment that so few people took the time to go and watch the game. I can only speculate as to the reason could be but a lack of real advertisement and the rugby clubs opting to rather play their local derby at their own club grounds is probably for me the main reasons behind this.

Looking at the final score of 52-24 one can be forgiven for thinking this was an easy one sided match but that could not be further from the truth. With only a 2 point lead at half time (19-17 to the Sharks) it was clear that this was a close, hard game. Things only changed in the second half after the Sharks restart when Morne Joubert ran the perfect line and caught/collected the kick-off millimetres in front of the waiting hands of a Griffons player. When the Griffons realised what had happened, it was too late and Morne scored probably the fastest try ever in the second half of a game. This stunned the Griffons and, to add insult to injury, the Sharks XV added another two tries in the first 6 minutes of the second half. From then on, it was a matter of controlling the game and although the Griffons tried hard they simply could not do anything to change the outcome of the match. Not even a late try by Sharks loan player Eksteen could change that, as the Sharks outclassed the Griffons by scoring 33 points to 7 in the second 40.

The crowd attendance (or rather lack of crowd attendance) of this game (and I have to believe a lot of other similar games) was really sad. I must say I do think these players deserve better than just like the Super Rugby players these players play to win and they don’t hold anything back. When taking contact it’s very similar to Super Rugby, as sitting on the side you could clearly hear the thud of bodies colliding. The guys from Welkom did not show any respect for reputation or old age and if you don’t believe me just ask Odwa! He could only last 20 odd minutes before the youngsters from Welkom took their toll on him and he was side-lined with an ankle injury.

So far as entertainment goes, this was sorted with a “professional” stadium announcer who knew some of the spectators attending the game better than the names of the Sharks players. Keegan Daniels (yes I know it’s Daniel but seemingly the announcer did not) was one of very few players that was announced by their first names, most were just initials and surname although I must add that some surnames were brutally murdered by him!

But by far the best part of the match day experience was one of our fellow local supporters. I’m sure this guy is a regular at Griffons games and loudly supported his team. The 6 minute purple patch of the Sharks was however just too much for him and he shouted in disgust: “ag nee man julle lyk nou soos die Cheetahs” (ag no you’re now playing like the Cheetahs. It’s worth mentioning that this game was played the very next day after the Cheetahs managed to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory by conceding 3 tries in the last 5min of a game). Later in the second half after some bad play when it looked as if the Griffons players did not know what the other one was trying to do, he once again let rip with a real gem: “communication, communication, communication for the nation or I’ll bring my Alsatian!”

After the game the Sharks players did their post-match cooling down and team talk on the field. Once that was done the players signed autographs and posed for pictures with all the spectators that stayed. One thing I must say is I will never ever again take a picture with a small backline player, as in the photo of me and French star Clement Poitrenaud we looked like a not so perfect 10 and trust me he’s not the 0 in the photo (that for obvious reasons will never be shared on any form of social media)!

One problem I do have, is with the honesty of the coach, Ricardo Loubscher. When I asked him after the game what he said to the players during the half time break, his answer was basically that he said nothing strange or extraordinary……… now come on coach, to get a performance out of players like that of the Sharks XV in the first six minutes of the second half something serious had to be said during that break. Something like “if we lose I’ll leave you at the stadium to walk back to the guest house” or “if we lose you’re all staying in Mordor” or “did you see that big guy with the Sharks jersey and flag sitting behind the reserve bench? I’ll give your cell numbers and home addresses to him so he can phone you and visit you when he’s in Durbs!’ No just kidding guys, Ricardo is a real nice guy who made time to chat to me and other supports after the game (but seriously Ricardo if you’re reading this, I need a copy of that half time speech to use next time the hockey team I coach under performs!!!).

Last but not least, I must just comment on the officiating. Guys if you’re complaining about the officials at Super rugby level you’ll seriously lose it when watching these guys!!! Words can’t describe how much they missed!!! To be totally honest this is probably the worst I’ve seen in a while and that includes rugby games officiated by teachers!!! But credit to the players. They seemed to just take it in their stride without the constant whining we so often see in Super Rugby games!

Overall it was a very lekker outing and we will certainly go again!

Travel expenses – R 200
McDonalds (four Big Mac meals, one Supersized for a supersized fan) – R 270
Match day tickets – R 0
Scoring 70% for my article after just asking my lovely wife to proofread it – Priceless