Keo.co.za tour diary – Week 1
15 Nov 2009
A smart solution to ‘Anthemgate’, good French hospitality and why the Frogs are the most fiery rugby supporters on the planet.
Welcome to rugby country. That’s the impression you get when arriving at Toulouse’s Blagnac Airport. The coffee shop walls are decorated with famous players of yesteryear, and one of the many Stade Toulousain outlets greets you as you exit customs. The club insignia is branded on popular food franchise windows while the smaller cafes have gone as far as to put up posters of the incumbents.
The French national side only arrived in Toulouse on Thursday night, but up until a few hours before kickoff, there was no imminent feeling that the Tricolores were coming to town. After lunch on Friday, however, the Stade Toulousain outlets swapped their local posters for pictures of the same players in national colours. True to form, the French mood changed in an instant. The locals were switched on and confident. The numerous Saffas plodding along the narrow cobble-stoned roads were heckled. The locals aren’t short on pride, and they gave the green-and-gold tourists a frosty reception.
This reception was not limited to a street-side jeer. The South African embassy felt the need to employ what looked like a Rastafarian to sing Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika. The performer butchered the South African anthem horribly, prompting a reaction from the Springboks in the aftermath and The Times’ Craig Ray to dub the debacle ‘Anthemgate’. The South African media were hosted by the local tourist board on Thursday, where the SuperSport commentary team obliged with a charming rendition of the anthem. If a career in commentary doesn’t work out, Xola Ntshinga, Matthew Pearce and Bob Skinstad are just one-man short of a great Barbershop Quartet. Saru would do well to name them the official anthem-singers on future overseas tours.
How awesome was La Marseillaise? The Municipal Stadium was packed to a 37 000 capacity, but the atmosphere inside its modest walls lent it a quality akin to Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana. People talk about Les Bleus as an emotionally unpredictable rugby team, but their fans are just as volatile. Listening to that national anthem gives you goosebumps, and is probably the one true rival to Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika for the emotion it evokes. Australia and New Zealand are burdened with bland anthems, while the Poms love to sing about a monarch that needs saving. Feel privileged that we have such a great national hymn.
The one thing you have to understand about Toulouse is that it’s not Paris. It’s not as big, and although there are fewer English-speakers, their willingness to communicate is refreshing. If you’re living in London and planning a weekend get away, you could do far worse than Toulouse. The people are fantastic, and the food is something to savour. A few of us enjoyed a dinner at a restaurant similar to that on the TV series ‘Allo ‘Allo. The quintessential accordion playing in the background was a nice touch, but a fish dish that would’ve made Floyd weep was the highlight of the experience. When it comes to food, the French are perfectionists, the simplest of high street baguettes sure to satisfy those with even the most extravagant of tastes.
It’s a wonder that most of the population are able to stay so slim. Moderation seems to be a religious tenet in Toulouse, with large quantities of coffee and cigarettes compensating for their apparently secondary need to eat. And when do these people work? They’re always wandering around town in the kind of clobber that suggests they have a fashion show to get to. France’s 35-hour working week seems to be doing them a world of good. I can’t wait for the rest of the world to follow suit.
By Jon Cardinelli, in Toulouse
106 Comments
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15 Nov 2009, 11:20 am
#48 Yetirat: Italy as well. Do things in their own way.
15 Nov 2009, 11:22 am
French love to fight amongst themselves over matters libertarian. History being quite an interesting subject about all these human tribes banding together into nations then invading each others territories trying to usurp others land wealth and women. Once we go beyond this tribal urge to dominate and overrun our neighbours territory wives and cattle then we form ourselves into sporting teams and persue our inherant need to be indomitable, so we sing anthems and perform war dances in order to heighten our call to nationalist instinct to rear our emotions into defending or parading our national honor. Basically boils down to tribal instinct and the desire to identify our personality with a greater common cause for dominion over the next tribe or nation. Showing that differentiation amongst us human animals to be our call to diversity and identity. The desire to be different independent and dominant.
15 Nov 2009, 11:25 am
#52 skopskiet:
are u saying you are dissapointed the Boks did not bash em?
15 Nov 2009, 11:33 am
well you know how it goes with desire and disappointment, depends which aspect of my personality I’m listening to for the moment. I always reckon that nature has its own way of sorting the wheat from the chaff. If somebody is chaffing himself that he’s indomitable and beyond humility usually nature lends a hand and brings such rampant nationalist idealism back into line. To all intents and purposes, France were due the win, their preparation and desire for it perhaps greater than ours.
At end of the day who is the true victor, only he who has overcome himself.
15 Nov 2009, 11:38 am
#54 skopskiet:
oh right.
must say tho, i think there may be more to it than patirotism or nationalism.
there;s alot of trsdition involved, read a piece from smit books on andre venter and white who was choked up at andre’s very difficult predicament, there is alot respect and value and tradition that can’t be all bad either – very touching in fact.
15 Nov 2009, 11:40 am
#52 skopskiet:
If I look at what the media say, it seems like, in the case of Joost, Steve, Gibbs, et. al. it is not only about conquering their women, but our own as well.
15 Nov 2009, 11:43 am
#55 cab: who they really crying over really, I mean ask yourself who are all these tears for, somebody else or oneself, or who exactly?
15 Nov 2009, 11:45 am
#57 skopskiet:
yeah good question, but i do believe tho there is perhaps genuine selfless empathy, but who knows.
15 Nov 2009, 11:46 am
Same people crying over somebody they love are cursing somebody else they hate, so wtf all this patriotic traditional fervor all about, you tell me?
15 Nov 2009, 11:51 am
bottom line when you strip away all this precious tribal identification, you left with yourself none else, no nation to sing anthems over, no friends or even family to take with you to the grave, as you came to this little planet to reap what you have sown, so you leave, alone, ready to reap the next crop of actions down the line. WWE trophy in the cabinet, medals round your neck, pips of valor on your lapel, or not.
15 Nov 2009, 11:52 am
You know what guys, in the end it is about one little statistic only, and that is that, never ever before, in the history of the game Rugby Union, has one Nation held the titles of:
- World Cup Champions
- Tri-Nations Champions
- BIL Conquerors
- Super Rugby Champions
- IRB 7′s Champions, and
- Ranked No 1 in the World!
Never before. South Africa did it in 2009. We should not forget that and that is more than enough for me.
EOYTs are just to boost the images of the Europeans and UK to give them some pride to continue into the next year. A little pat on the shoulder showing them we still, occasionally, think about them and put up a show for them.
Really is like Pavarotti coming out for one last, tired performance to a standing ovation at the end of another long season.
15 Nov 2009, 11:53 am
ppl are just ppl, human, fallible, with individual likes and dislikes.
15 Nov 2009, 11:56 am
Yes Alan Shore, seems this is the ultimate conquest, the thing that drives most rampant men of lustful intent. Conquer the urge to procreate or have it conquer us. As Julius Ceaser, Mark Anthony, King David, most presidents, hero’s, gods, warriors, and kings have found out. The power of womanhood way too powerful for any warrior of virtue to even vaguely contemplate conquering, not a meager chance in hell.
15 Nov 2009, 11:59 am
#61 Alan Shore: Underestimate the rise of the NH at our peril
Bloody hell i never believed the day i would see a Kiwi team get shunted about the park by the Italians….yesterday was another eye opener….
best we lose some Southern arrogance i reckon…
15 Nov 2009, 12:01 pm
but if you come with nothing and leave with nothing, why should what you sow follow you? this bowl is not fair. surely its designed for shitting in and then flushing clean when done.
the drive to *** is probably even more basic and is the drtive to power, whcih affects many men, there only a few winners tho and they not the nicest of folk. the meek will not inherit the earth, tho the randy might.
15 Nov 2009, 12:02 pm
#63 skopskiet:
One should never underestimate the roles played by Joan of Arc and Marie Antoinette in Friday night’s little revolution.
Also the fact that *** was one of the resons why the game was played so late at night. I aleays thought that *** was the reward after the war.
15 Nov 2009, 12:04 pm
Another eye opener….Brussow reckons that was the toughest Test he has played in….ever!
Reckons he cant remember first couple of minutes after the kick off as he took a blow….those Frogs pitched up….watched game again yesterday…Fark me were lucky to come away with a 7 point loss….
Any news on Schalk injury or team for Saracens??
15 Nov 2009, 12:18 pm
according to the Mayan premonition 2012 is when it all gets a nice new flushing clean.
*** or lust is the most primal instinct of all, the one urge that conditions the survival of the specie, war or dominion over others, greed, desire for more, anger, pride.. all these are the attributes of me or mine, ego in other words. So this little pantomime plays out. Each individual reaping and sowing his desires one after the next. To get through this labyrinth of human mystery perhaps the design behind it all.
We tend to attach our thinking, our desires to the effects of our conditioning, and we have very little control over the cause, so we dance, like puppets on a string, each to his own little anthem of ambition, not realizing that the dance is in reality relatively short, and the pipers tune may soon play the strain of its final fading melody.
15 Nov 2009, 12:28 pm
but why can’t you have your cake and eat it too so to speak?
try to be as virtuous as possible but still procreate like a randy rabbit?
15 Nov 2009, 12:34 pm
oh well, who knows, back to the rugby.
wtf is going to happen v italy and ireland?
the wee maestro is going to have to hatch a masterplan cos bokke psyche gotta be shot.
15 Nov 2009, 12:41 pm
#67 grant10: The problem is why Ausises were trying to ram the ELVs or vrsion 2.1-a revision s on al of us the nothern hemisphere concentrated on their game and told us to get lost. SA’s scrumming is pathetic, but we are not alone. All of the SH teams have scrum problems and now hopefully that we are back to playing rugby like it should be played (not like a league match) someone will have to go back to coaching how to scrum. Gary Gold is k..k as a tight phase coach, has always been and always be. Get Os back into the picture and next year no one will push around anymore irrespective of who is in the front row.
Back to basics. Let league be league and union be union.
15 Nov 2009, 12:44 pm
on iol this morning-smith’s book:how he disagreed with pdv on team selection for third lions test,invitation to socialise after each test(a beer or two in the change-rooms)was decline by brits and irish (apparently a senior irishman wasn’t interested) and some more on the schalk and bakkies incidents.very interesting indeed!
15 Nov 2009, 12:45 pm
#70 cab: yeah adn we gonna get pushed around at scrum time … again. Please no more Barnes he is the worst ref I have ever seen, let him go back to practicing law. No idea of what obstruction is in the rucks, nor that payers have to be on their feet and not their knees to play the ball.
15 Nov 2009, 12:49 pm
#73 Objective 101:
hehe…i think barnesey will come right ultimately, but he did make some very strange calls esp wrt to the playing balls of the knee thing and not releasing, suppose we had slow-mo and all, but they were all over bokke in any case. also tends to be a bit of a hometown ref which helped us in teh past but not on friday.
15 Nov 2009, 12:49 pm
PDV better use Wiaan Du Preez, Beast is liability. Italy smashed NZ scrum from what we heard on here. Castro gonna be licking his lips again.
Play W. Du Preez, Bismarck, CJ
Botha, Matfield, Bekker
Brussow, Deysel, Johnson
Hougard, Pienaar
De Jongh, Jacobs
Habana, Fourie at wing
Viljoen
Bench
Smit
Strauss
H.Vd Merwe
Bekker
Potgieter
M.Steyn
WO
15 Nov 2009, 12:50 pm
#71 Objective 101: Amen to that!
15 Nov 2009, 12:52 pm
#75 skopskiet:
nice team actually, perhaps with morne at 15 but perhaps give matfield a rest.
15 Nov 2009, 12:53 pm
#75 skopskiet: How are we going to get away with 3 locks?
15 Nov 2009, 12:53 pm
#75 skopskiet: Smashed wasnt the word….it was Boks vs Leicester all over again….that 3 from Italy …and there 1 , bloody hell skop we better be careful….Mallet has those Italians forwards playing with fire and brimstone…That Parissi fellow…The no 8…..ooohh bliksem…CLASS!
15 Nov 2009, 12:55 pm
That Saracens game is the problem….some players may need to play 2 games in 4 days.
15 Nov 2009, 12:56 pm
#76 grant10: What amazes me is that if you look at schoolboy rugby and the varsity cup they play with good srums and good running adn attacking rugby. Where does the paradigm shift come from when they supposed to step up Currie Cup adn S14 rugby.
In all honesty we also we missed Spies, we missed Jean dV and Steyn. These are exceptional players adn any side without them is that much weaker. ON top of that Kanko had the worst match I have ever seen him play which makes start to ask whether he is a one day wonder boy as of late his form has not been good at all.
15 Nov 2009, 12:58 pm
Sykes, Nel, Alberts and Vermeulen – all should have been shoe-ins for this NH tour – esp the midweek games.
15 Nov 2009, 13:00 pm
Was touting Bekker or Matfield to start, one or the other on bench. Would leave Roussouw and Kanko and Beast out.
I watched the England Argie game so didn’t see the Ities smash the Kiwis up front.
But if Kanko comes up against Parisse and Beast against Castro, then it’ll be a long hard day at the office again.
Bekker I thought had a good stint when he came on for Bakkies blood bin. I would have left him on, he was bringing more to the game than Bakkies did. Frenchies had both Victor and Bakkies number last week.
15 Nov 2009, 13:04 pm
#75 skopskiet: You can’t be seriosu to play pienaar at no10 on his current form. I agree that on current form I would like to see Johnson rather than Kanko and I think that Burger is out for a while (finally). But you never know snor he may throw a curved bal adn play raubenheimer ahead of anyone else.
15 Nov 2009, 13:09 pm
M.Steyn is a liability at pivot if we want any kind of momentum or attack from our backs, only time we got any go forward through the back line last week is when Morne was off and Jacobs was playing pivot, almost got some momentum going. rest of the time FdP and Morne killed every opportunity of momentum with their incessant back in the pocket boot the thing to no mans land or over the dead ball line.
Pienaar has to get the cobwebs out his head, sometime, should have been long ago, but no time like the present. M.Steyn is a match winner by one means only from a place kick, but as a commanding game maker in the mid field, we are as stagnant as a bunch of oxen at a dried up water hole.
I’d change both FdP and Steyn at SH and FH, half our non existent back line presence stems exactly from there, nowhere else.
Little Pretorius would get that backline motoring far better than FDP anyday of the week.
15 Nov 2009, 13:10 pm
#5 TheTackler: #12 TheTackler: etc, etc
Hahaaaa! Tackler, good to see you are still going strong, keep it up big guy. Surely no blog has been blessed with so many priceless gems from the pen of one man. If Keo is not paying you then he is indeed fortunate.
15 Nov 2009, 13:11 pm
OK am out now
so long
15 Nov 2009, 13:24 pm
Ag pleaaase!!!!
Scrum getting manhandled, breakdowns and line outs tenuous on the night, terrible wind, a French team at their best and suddenly Morne is a liability and FdP not good enough.
Go figure.
Game is on 205 at 14:00.
15 Nov 2009, 13:29 pm
Afternoon guys, bloody glad to have my computer back after it was struck by lightning. My general thoughts on the game:
FDP and MS both had shockers and I would give them both 3s. The tactical kicking especially poor. Frontrow woes once more, PDV please get Os involved. So many m issed tackles by so many. Our continued lack of presence at the breakdown is cause for concern i.e. the problem is not the ball carrier but the support that follows. I thought AJ was defensively solid at 12 and did good work when MS was binned. Kanko is not up to this level.
PDV must NOW be bold and make the changes for 2011, cos this team won’t make it that far. Show Father Time the respect he deserves.
The changes will automatically also result in the gameplan being tweaked a bit.
So far after the first 2 games it is clear that up north the scrum is still utilised as an attacking platfrom and the contest on the ground is intense but it must be said not always legal (imho).
In the end the score flattered us a wee bit.
15 Nov 2009, 13:50 pm
#81 Objective 101: ja….those are top class players we are missing…perhaps a fundamental mindset change is required by our adminisarators….i knopw a complex issue the overseas saffas….but a cap of say 5 players or something?
Okes get emotive about the issue….bottom line is it would be great to choose from the entire talent pool….apparently 74 saffas plying there trade overseas….i can think of a few i wouldnt mind having closter to the squad.
15 Nov 2009, 13:53 pm
#8 Hurricane:
#13 klippies101:
You guys do realise that not only rugby-playing nations have national anthems?
Ours has 5 languages in it, can’t believe not many south africans this. Shocking.
Too many different languages and compositions to be fluent, unfortunately.
#14 Die_Valk:
The have had some of the most talented composers in history, so it is an unfair advantage.
15 Nov 2009, 13:57 pm
#90 grant10:
I refuse to get worked up about something that has little to no chance of ever changing.
I will, however, always support our national team. Being ‘proudly suth african’ by supporting and watching the football is like listening to country-music though.
You playing SuperBru?
15 Nov 2009, 14:02 pm
#92 Die_Valk: No….always seem to bet with the heart as opposed to the head….did nail a R690.00 pool bet at the pub on the Bok ..France game….would of gladly lost the money for a Bok win though….i see you top of thr pops there in superbtu??
15 Nov 2009, 14:09 pm
Hierdie is ‘n ware man, mense soos die is die het die afrikaner se ware beeld gemaak. Legende.
Extract from ‘Captain in the Cauldron’ by John Smit.
Andre Venter was a guy who set an intimidating example. In the week before I wore the Bok No2 jersey for the first time – the 37-33 win against Argentina in November 2000 – I shared a hotel room with him in Buenos Aires.
Courtesy Simnikiwe Xabanisa, Sunday Times
I was terrified. I was still wet behind the ears and he was a highly respected senior Springbok. I was awestruck.
Andre made me train in the gym with him and nearly killed me. He was unbelievably strong.
At night when we’d go back to our room, he would have a can of Coke next to his bed with a Bible. I’d get into bed and the TV would be on, but at exactly 9pm he would tell me to switch it off and put the main light out. He would then read out aloud to me from the Bible. After the reading he would say a prayer, open his Coke, drink half of it, and fall asleep by 9:30pm. Every night was exactly the same.
I was a 22-year-old soutie living the dream in Durban and while I wouldn’t say I was off the rails, it was quite a culture shock to interact with this colossus of a man, this Bok legend with such strong moral fibre. That’s just how he lived his life.
I had experienced a taste of his discipline earlier that season at a team-building evening where the drinks were flowing. Andre wasn’t a big drinker, but he would have the odd beer, and here I was with party boys Robbie Kempson and Robbie Fleck charging me up. We were going flat out when Venter pulled me aside.
“Soutie, wat drink jy (what are you drinking)?” he asked.
“Vodka, lime and lemonade,” I replied.
“As jy rugby wil speel, drink jy net bier (if you want to play rugby, you must only drink beer), no hard tack. OK?!”
I nodded respectfully and immediately switched to beer.
In Jake White’s time as Springbok coach, Andre was the guest at our jersey presentation on two occasions, in 2004 and 2007.
The first occasion was hugely emotional. Andre had been struck down with a rare, debilitating muscle disease and arrived at our Bloemfontein hotel in a wheelchair.
It was the most humbling experience of our careers because we all saw Andre as the lion, the ultimate Bok warrior, and none more so than Jake. For Jake, Andre epitomised everything good about a Bok: big, strong, skilful, honest, and hard-working, with the fearless, no-nonsense attitude of a true soldier.
That jersey presentation was the most emotional one I’ve ever attended. Jake, as usual, introduced the guest, but could barely get a word out, and the tears were flowing.
He was struggling to contain his emotions, as were the players, because Andre was a hero who had trained harder than any Springbok before him and conquered everyone in front of him. I could see it was tough for Jake, but Andre just smiled at him every now and again and said: “Moenie (don’t) worry nie, Jake.” It was incredibly moving.
I’m not surprised Jake got so choked up because he’s one of the most passionate about Springbok rugby I’ve ever met. He holds a high regard for the old-school values that have made the Boks such a force: tradition, honesty, loyalty, patriotism and hard work.
Andre Venter epitomised all these qualities.
15 Nov 2009, 14:10 pm
#93 grant10:
Yeah, but it’s not a huge group. Just more than 30. I am 250th on the global leaderboard though.
15 Nov 2009, 14:11 pm
#94 Die_Valk:
Error at the beginning.
15 Nov 2009, 14:11 pm
#94 Die_Valk: A Venter is a Legend…..one of the hardest men to play the game…..great Bok.
15 Nov 2009, 14:12 pm
#95 Die_Valk: Well you up against some knowledgeable guys in that group….so well done.
15 Nov 2009, 14:15 pm
cricket time….go Proteas!
15 Nov 2009, 14:18 pm
#98 grant10:
I’d rather have the 700 bucks.
Buy myself a new motherboard or something.
700 gig drive, but only 3 gig ram and a joke of a graphics card. Only 1024 meg memory. Can barely play Crysis.
Anyway I’m off for a bit of a rest. Cheers
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