About 25 degrees usually and heat waves of 30+ degrees each summer for a few weeks. Much more sunny days than in the UK during the summer while, of course, winter is milder there than in my country.

The only months weather usually is unpleasant here are November (chilly and no snow yet, so everything is grey/brown and raining a lot) and February (just damn cold, the most possible time to get -30 or so).

Actually not so bad. You’d enjoy proper winter when it’s just about 0 to -10oC with plentyof snow. Skiing, skating etc. -20oC and less is harsh but that does not happen very often.

I have only ever seen snow in SA in Joburg 3 times in my life. The snow I have seen a lot of was of course when I done a lot of skiing in France. Also Scotland many times and one of the years I lived in Holland it snowed once. Though the canals there froze a few times and everyone skates on them when that happens. Kinda enjoyed that.

Your winters sound really harsh. Like our summer very hot. Both climates can be harsh actually.

LOL. No matter where you live in the world we always complain about the weather. LOL.

Our winter months in Durban is brilliant. Temps around 25 and full sun, we hardly have any rain that time of year. Also the nights are not too cold around 14.

In my teens, we used to play in some terrible conditions – rain pouring, mud everywhere and sometimes you not see who’s friend and who’s enemy.

Currently we have a lot of snow. Which is very good thing (except for traffic, of course, jams every morning/evening), as it reminds me the childhood days when it was snowing properly in winter and it wasn’t fall changing into spring skipping winter. In New Year’s time in those days it was a meter or so of snow.

Ja, Schools fields should actually be inspected more. It can really be dangerous to play in that kinda weather especially up in the highveld where you get a huge amount of rain that comes down in a storm. Even if refs and quick to watch out for the dangers.

Just pleased most of our rugby is played in the winter months when it is dry. Then Cape Town gets most of its rain in the winter months.

It’s not so much of a problem if you’re playing on a decent pitch (like Newlands or King’s Park) which is level.

Much more of a problem if you’re playing on dodgy school fields that are just about as uneven as the Scottish highlands, then you start finding pools deep enough to swim in.

Fortunately the referees always used to be very mindful of such dangers, they’d usually blow up the ruck pretty quickly if they thought there was any risk.

Remember that game against France in the semi of the 1995 world cup? I thought they could have drowned in that for sure. Was like a swimming pool the field…hahaha.

Well that is terrible weather to play in. I often wonder what is the worst. Playing in the terrible heat of Durban with humidity in Feb (our hottest month) or the wind, rain and snow up there? Both conditions are terrible to play any sport in let alone rugby.

We get the most unbelieveable thunderstorms up in Joburg. Can be really frigthening. Must the worst thunderstorms I have seen in my life probably.

How is your weather there now Nils? Must be right into your winter for sure now. We are having a great day for a change. Full sun and very hot and humid. Have had so much rain days this December. More than I can remember this time of year.

Almost bloody drowned once at the bottom of a ruck.

I remember 2 absolutely horrendous gales/rain lashings during the Heineken cup game recently. Ulster vs Scarlets in 2006 and Scarlets vs Munster in 2008, I guess. The first one had especially nasty weather in the end. Rain of biblical proportions and gale which made kicked ball fly way behind the kicker.

Strangely, referee enjoyed it, because he added a few minutes of play.

For example, football players use an orange (or red) ball in that case, rugby players should do the same.

Great for Bok rugby to have all the competetion for the team….Bismarck will be pushed hard by Smit and G Botha…..BJ, CJ AND WP NEL fighting for the 3 spot, Beast, Heinke and Wiaan for the 1 spot, not forgetting Wickus Blaauw there as well….

Seems a problem area may become a strength…