Where to see The British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa 2009
Durban
Balmy Durban is South Africa’s principal port and is flanked by golden beaches and the Indian Ocean. The long beachfront is known as the Golden Mile and the city is a melting pot of cultures, evident from the Indian traders and heaving Zulu markets downtown. The newly renovated Absa Park Stadium (formerly King’s Park) hosts Super 14 team the Sharks, as well as the Natal Sharks.
Where to go before the match
Match days in Durban are legendary. You should pitch up to the stadium early – a 10am start is not inconceivable. The grounds of the College Rovers Rugby Club surround the stadium, where you’ll find a number of beer tents and braai (barbecue) areas. After a game, the party in the stadium grounds is awesome. There’s a big stage with any number of rock bands, and beer and boerewors rolls available.
Where to watch if you don’t have a ticket
Watch the game at Joe Cool’s on North Beach, the place to go on rugby days. It serves a cracking breakfast/lunch and is often frequented by the players after the game. It has a big outdoor area overlooking the beach and there are a few other bars in the area too. joecools.co.za
What to do besides the rugby
Shop at the Gateway Theatre of Shopping, reputedly the largest shopping mall in the southern hemisphere, offering more than retail therapy (there’s the largest indoor climbing rock in the world and a surfing park too). Or for pampering head to Fordoun, one of South Africa’s top spa hotels, an hour and a half’s drive away in the Midlands Kwazulu Natal, housed in converted farm buildings. fordoun.com
Where to stay
Big: The Royal hotel
The Royal has been at the same spot in the heart of the city since 1845 and guests have included Mark Twain and Cecil Rhodes. Today’s lavish offering has 250 spacious rooms, six restaurants, squash courts, a gym and pool and views over Durban’s harbour. theroyal.co.za
Boutique: Quarters Hotel
Set in four converted colonial houses with wraparound wrought- iron balconies and sunny verandas, this hotel has a refreshing, bright contemporary décor and the brasserie has a huge menu. Or you can walk to restaurants and bars on Durban’s fashionable Florida Road. quarters.co.za
Don’t leave without seeing…
The uShaka Marine World is a shipwreck-themed aquarium with shark tanks, dolphin, seal and penguin pools and a snorkelling reef – or you can surf or play beach volleyball. The centrepiece is a replica of a 1920s cargo ship, in which the Cargo Hold restaurant looks into the shark tank. ushakamarineworld.co.za
Pretoria
Often referred to as Jacaranda City because of the purple blooms that line the streets in spring, Pretoria is South Africa’s seat of government, an orderly place most notable for its monuments and some neatly laid out parks. Loftus Versfeld in Sunnyside is home to the Blue Bulls, who are hugely popular with Pretoria’s Afrikaans community.
Where to go before the match
In Pretoria, you don’t go to a bar before a game – just get yourself a cool box and braai, find a stretch of pavement in the stadium vicinity five hours before kick-off and get guzzling and grilling. For a 1-2km radius around Loftus that’s all people will be doing and supermarkets in nearby Hatfield will be selling a tidy line in small disposable barbecues. Alternatively pitch up with a few steaks and wors (sausages), make friends and cook your food on their braai, while discussing the Experimental Law Variations and how the Lions were robbed or otherwise in the First Test.
Where to watch if you don’t have a ticket
Head to Hatfield Square, which has a stack of bars and a huge screen in the middle. After the game, there’s usually a concert of Afrikaans treffers (hits), which get the locals dancing. Hatfield is party central on rugby night so you can’t go wrong.
What to do besides the rugby
A two-hour drive west of Pretoria is the entertainment resort of Sun City. Enjoy a stroll through the man-made jungle, water sports, a crocodile farm, the Valley of the Waves with its artificial beach and water slides, or a round of golf on a Gary Player-designed course. suninternational.com
Read on for where to stay in Pretoria and what to do in Johannesburg.
