🏉 Kuierkos Rugby Memories: When a Game Was More Than a Game

There's something about rugby that connects generations, not just through the game itself, but through the memories it creates.

As a child, the excitement of match day felt like Christmas morning. The energy, the noise, the colours... everything was larger than life. Yet my experience was completely different from that of my brothers or my parents.

Recently, my dad and I took a trip down memory lane, reminiscing about those days when going to a rugby match at Loftus wasn't just an outing, it was an event.

Living in the Bushveld, we had to get up very early to be on the road before sunrise. We had to make sure we had enough padkos for the day. There were no Engen garages where you could buy a garage pie and a cooldrink. We had a picnic next to the road at those concrete tables and chairs. If I think about it now, nobody would try that today!

The first stop was always condensed milk coffee and beskuit. And yes, for some, it was polisie koffie, just to get you over the kuier from the night before. In those days, you couldn't buy tickets online. You had to be there early, standing in a queue and waiting for the ticket box to open. It didn't faze anyone; it was part of the kuier.

The cooler boxes were packed to the brim: tomato, cheese, and onion sandwiches, and of course the star — that vet bees biltong and droëwors. But with all that meat came a thirst! It was quite a tricky business because there were the adult cooldrinks (gedokterde Coke) and the kids' Coke, and then something that puzzled me as a young child... those "oranges for adults only."

When the Blue Bulls played it was magic, but when the Springboks played, that was a whole different story. Only the Springboks wore the Springbok jersey. That was the honour of being a Bok. No games on a Sunday; it was a Saturday event during the winter months. Pretoria could be very cold in the mornings, but during the day, winter felt like our summer.

Back then, rugby wasn't just a sport. It was a celebration of community. Families, friends, and neighbours would gather in the stands, voices uniting in cheer or sigh, hearts beating to the same rhythm of the game.

And of course, there was no TV referee back then. The ref had all the say. But man, when the ref turned his back, the guys moer-ed each other, it was just part of the game! The commentators were the ones who really fired up the match.

Today, the game might look different. The stadiums have changed, the players have changed, and even the way we watch has evolved. But the feeling, that electric sense of belonging and pride, remains.

So let's make this rugby month enjoyable with lots of snacks and memories. Because some things, like the love of rugby, never fade.

Dankie, Andreas & Marnella