“Lions, Lions”
Sport is a great reason to travel. And many rugby supporters all over the world will travel for The British Lions Tour. It is a unique sporting event, like many others, occurring every four years. It started in 1888. The tour takes the team to the Southern Hemisphere, being hosted by Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, respectively.
For the last British lions tour in South Africa, we flew from the summer heat in Dubai, typically 40 degrees or more, to cold, winter temperatures, just 7 or 8 degrees, in Johannesburg. It was July 2009. We left Jozi and went on an unforgettable road trip across The Free State. But our whole reason for travelling had been The Lions Tour.
I don’t remember how long we spent driving across the Free State. I do remember the vast, open spaces, the majestic Maluti mountains in Golden Gate National Park and Old Brown Sherry left on the bedside table in various B&Bs, to warm us on chilly nights.
For the match in Ellis Park, we were based at a lodge in Muldersdrift, near the Cradle of Humankind, on the outskirts of Jozi. The lodge was full of fans, all excited for the final test at Eden Park.
In the years that followed there was talk of a a group of us getting tickets to the games and following the Lions on tour. The group grew. Friends invited friends. We spoke of this big trip (years ahead) and all just assumed that it would all go ahead.
The British Lions tour began in Johannesburg this month. During the tour, the best of England, Ireland, Scotland and Welsh rugby will take on the Emirates Lions, the Sharks in Jozi, and The Stormers in The Mother City. The clash with the Bulls in Pretoria has been cancelled. The first of three tests against the Springboks, the Rugby World Champions from 2019, begins in Cape Town’s stadium this weekend. We should have been there.
We watched a Lions match against South Africa’s A team ‘virtually’, with friends in the Western Cape, courtesy of their cell phone placed facing their TV. We chatted and listened to some South African sports commentary, after such a long time.
The tour will not go full circle, finishing with the last two tests in Johannesburg as originally planned. All three test matches will happen in CPT, keeping the players in a so called bubble. Coronavirus has had a big impact on this Lions tour. Because of restrictions, there will be no crowds in attendance. Many of the players have tested positive and have had to go into isolation. As for us, our plans to follow the tour across South Africa, is on hold, for another 12 years.
At the same time as the Lions tour, South Africa was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. There were reports of violence and looting, following the jailing of the former president, Jacob Zuma. But these protests sparked wider outrage, a result of years of frustration for those who are desperately struggling through life. The pandemic has highlighted these struggles the world over, with so many people losing their livelihood, and facing huge difficulties in their lives.
Off the pitch, many South Africans are fighting a different battle. I hope that they win, because the country has such enormous potential. People deserve better. Like every country in the world, so many people are pushed to breaking point, and there are massive issues to address, as everywhere becomes more polarised.
Have you travelled to a British Lions tour?
© Maggie M / Mother City Time