Loading ...Lions Diary Day 29.
Arrived back home on Friday, and plenty to catch up on since I last wrote.
The Sunday after the first test was a bit of a quiet day. It was a bit more overcast than on the Saturday but it was pleasant enough to spend a bit of time down the beach out in Umhlanga Rocks where we were staying. The Boks were staying nearby in the Beverly Hills Hotel, but we only got a view of their tour bus which was probably just as well as the Raven has been gunning for Bakkies Botha the whole trip!
Umhlanga Rocks is an upmarket beach resort about twenty minutes outside of Durban, dominated by huge villas, guesthouses, hotels and apartment blocks all of which are behind huge security gates and as such it has very little character. The town centre is fairly basic with just a few pubs and restaurants which were completely dominated by Lions supporters, though it does have a huge out of town shopping centre believed to be the biggest in the southern hemisphere. I didn’t go there so I don’t know if it’s true or not.
The most popular bar in Umhlanga rocks is the Cottonfields Sports Bar in the town centre which is owned by Ulster’s favourite Warren Brosnihan, though we didn’t see him as he was away on reporting duty. We did, however see plenty of Dave Irwin popping in and out! The bar itself is a bit of a dive but it serves up everything a sports bar should, crap food, cheep beer and plenty of TV screens – just like the Eagle!
Sunday night we revisited my personal favourite restaurant of the trip, Verde, in Chartwell Drive, Umhlanga Rocks. It’s a new restaurant trying to do something a little different in the largely plastic town. The staff and owners were very friendly, with great sea food and a fine selection of wines.
Another 4:30am start on Monday morning to make our way back to Cape Town and to tell the truth after a few uncomfortably warm nights in Durban I was starting to feel a bit shattered! The weather had taken a turn for the worse in the Cape and the rest or our trip was peppered with heavy showers. Over the next few days I probably slept for 48 hours out of 72 only getting up on Tuesday afternoon to head out for the match at Newlands. Disappointing game but good crack with the supporters again. There was a large influx of supporters over the last week and the stadium was completely dominated by the Lions travellers. As with the first test this was a game where we could have, should have, won but the team were just unable to find enough.
Had a bit of a boozy Wednesday afternoon where we polished off 11 bottles of wine in a few hours and had a grand time with the Munster men. We did finally start and see some of the players and officials round Cape Town as the team had decided to leave it to Friday to travel up to Pretoria. No sightings of Ferris or Bowe but we did manage to get a word with McGeehan who told us that Ferris was not going to be fit and would be heading home shortly (guess he must have as he was in Armagh by Friday). Those we did see were pretty upbeat for the second test and appeared relaxed and confident and we were disappointed to be heading home the next day. Passed out about five o’clock on Wednesday afternoon and slept right through to nine the following morning – lush!
Met up with the Harlequins mob on Thursday afternoon and everyone appeared pretty shattered, even the delightful Kate had taken a break from her conquests, but Joe Jnr asking for a shandy was a bit much whatever the circumstances! Even our Munster mates, James and Des, were pretty subdued when we met up at the Mount Nelson for high tea! Well the high tea turned into a few bottles of bubbly, but it was the thought that counted.
We left our new friends about 7:00pm Thursday and started our long journey back to Northern Ireland arriving back at the house at 5:00pm on Friday, our African adventure finally over!
Spent the last couple of days catching up on what’s been happening while we were away, editing photos and of course watching the second test. After the narrow defeat I see there are the usual number of idiots predicting the death of the Lions Tours but quite frankly they haven’t a clue what these momentous tours are all about. While it is fantastic if you can win in the most difficult of circumstances, there are so many other aspects to be enjoyed. Different cultures, new friends, the camaraderie of the tourist abroad and the welcoming arms of the host nation are all factors I’ll remember for the rest of my life. Add to that the fact that 90% of the players will come back better players, having pitted themselves against the best in the world, we should be served up a feast of rugby next season. I can’t wait! If you ever get a chance to go – go, just try and get in some sleep while your away!
More pictures here for Durban and here for Cape Town. There should be plenty more in the next few weeks as our new friends send them in so do check back.
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Tags: British and Irish Lions, Cape Town, Durban, Lions in South Africa, The FRU on Tour in South Africa
Whats the Guinness like down there?
And what price?
The Guinness drinking Ulster public have a rite 2 no.
Not a Guinness drinker myself but didn’t notice any. We were offered a dark stout in one bar but gave it a miss.
Average beer/lager prices were £1.00 – £1.50 for a pint £0.65 – £1.20 for a bottle.
Wine very good at between £3.00 and £10.00 per bottle.