We Interrupt This Blog To Bring You Breaking News ...





...but first you need to know that

1. I am NOT a sports fan
2. I am specifically not a RUGBY sports fan
3. I was born with a severe lack of patriotism. I could care less who South Africa plays against in the Whatever Nations Cup and Whichever Nations Trophy.

However!

There's a kind of madness abroad in South Africa today and against all odds, I'm getting infected with Rugby World Cup Fever. I can tell I'm infected because
1. I know the name of the match (just told you!)
2. I know where it's being played (Paris, France)
3. I know who it's being played against (the Brits) and I know when it's being played (tomorrow evening at 9pm South African time). These are things I am usually oblivious of until long after the event.

Rugby World Cup Fever has gripped South Africa. My daughter had a free 'civvies' day at school today - they dumped the uniform and all the middle schoolers were allowed to wear jeans and any kind of green/gold top they liked, green and gold being the colours of 'Die Bokke' (die Bokke being our boys - the Springboks). People have the green and gold rugby flag in their front windows, hanging on the back of their cars, draped over their shoulders as they walk through the malls. World cup chat is on the radio, television, the internet, in schools, businesses, shops - in fact it's everywhere today. Even the politician are getting in on the act - one of our smaller political parties arrived in parliament wearing rugby jerseys and tabled a motion to immediately congratulate the Springboks on all their successes to date. It was passed unanimously and the house erupted in cheers and good will.



And that's the most interesting thing of all: Rugby fever, unlike any other cause or concern facing this land today, is uniting South Africans. Even non-sporty, non-patriotic, busy-emigrating South Africans like me... I look at people in the streets with their flags and smiles and green-and-gold clothes and I feel a pride and a oneness that I've not experienced in a long long time.

Those are OUR BOYS out there!

Absurd, but there it is!! And when they win, I'll probably be out there screaming along with the rest of them:

Go Bokke!!!!!!