Opinion: 1News sports presenter Andrew Saville is in South Africa as the All Blacks and Springboks do battle. He gives some thoughts after Dave Rennie named his side for Sunday's huge match in Soweto.
Bring on the Avalon Wolf Pack!
The home rugby club for starting front row forwards George Bower and Asafo Aumua is Avalon in Lower Hutt and what a game to combine in. For Bower and Aumua this is a rare chance to make a mark in a massive game, even staking an early World Cup claim.
Both players have been in and out of the All Blacks for several years but have now matured. Bower told me “I initially thought at 34 I was becoming too old! But Jason Ryan (the All Blacks’ scrum coach) told me your strength peaks at 38”.
Bower also believing his experience from years of NPC and Super Rugby, is paying off, helping solve problems on the field.
The ultimate test for a front row forward is the Springboks in South Africa and for a couple of Wolves, a victory would have extra bite.
Up the South African Wahs
Speaking of strong Wellington links, Tyrel Lomax is from one of Wainuiomata’s finest league families. He combines with Bower and Aumua on Sunday morning, the veteran now of 50 plus tests.
Lomax grew up in Wellington and Australia playing league, until his late teens, before making the Australian under-20 union side. Tyrel’s father John and uncle David were Wainuiomata greats, with John going on to play for the Canberra Raiders in the title winning team in the '90s, as well as the Kiwis. A hard-bitten prop, it clearly runs in the genes.
Tyrel Lomax is a huge Raiders fan but will keep an eye on the Warriors-Manly game on Saturday morning, Joburg time. He will be keeping tabs on young Warriors forward Jacob Laban, another with links to the Wainuiomata league dynasty.
She’s Got Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes
Well, New Zealand Rugby and the South Africa Rugby Union might do after this weekend (even before the cash grab in Baltimore). The test at the FNB Stadium is near a sellout, 90,000 plus. This would make the top five crowds list in rugby history (Sydney 2000 at the new Olympic Stadium still holds the record at well over 100,000).
With ticket prices from around NZ$100 up to $400 plus, the gate takings from this match will be in the millions. The stadium, known as Soccer City, was built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It’s a steep irony though, for the surrounding population in Soweto, this match is well beyond their means.
Clutch moments
There’s bound to be several on Sunday morning, but I’m talking more about car clutches. I’ve come to realise the brown haze you see sitting above the Joburg skyline isn’t smog but smoke from burning clutches.
A lot of cars here are still manual (nothing wrong with that) and their drivers, especially Uber pilots, see fit at every stop, legal or illegal, to ride the clutch like they’re on the start line of the Monza F1 Grand Prix.
Jody Scheckter eat your heart out (Ggoogle him!). Smell and smoke galore, a gearbox mechanics dream.
The other vehicle of note, motorbike riders who work for a local supermarket chain. They promise to deliver your groceries within 60 minutes of you ordering them. Clearly the riders only get paid if they deliver on time. Kamikaze is the best description.
Surely in the years to come South Africa will have a Moto GP champion, or at least an army of expert panel beaters.
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