I attented the 2009 Currie Cup final at Loftus Versveld Stadium in Pretoria on Saturday. The Bulls and Cheetahs faced eachother for the 3rd time in the last 4 years in South Africa’s premier domestic rugby competition’s final. Me and my dad arrived at the stadium at about 2:30 PM on Saturday. Pretoria is renowned countrywide for build-up before a big game at Loftus Versveld. Bulls supporters were already driving around with flags mounted on their cars and bakkies on Thursday (2 days before the game). Vendors were already selling flags on the streets of Pretoria on Thursday morning. The capital city truly loves the Bulls. It’s one thing Pretoria can be proud of. The match started at 5:30 PM. Pretoria gets way too hit this time of year so that was probably the reason for the match starting that late in the afternoon (kickoff is usually at 5 PM for rugby games in Pretoria). Well-known South African singer, Steve Hofmeyer (one of the biggest Bulls fan in the country) made an appearance just before the game kicked off.

The Bulls and Cheetahs treated the sell-out crowd of 53,000 people to a brilliant game of rugby. An early try by Bulls wing Francois Hougaard (converted by Morne’ Steyn) put the home team on the scoreboard. The Bulls were ahead by 7 points to 0 in the 4th minute. In the 8th minute Free State flyhalf Jacques-Louis Potgieter missed a penalty right in front of the Bulls post. In the 14th minute Bryan Habana (the Bulls and Springbok left wing) sailed over for a try in the corner (also converted by Morne’ Steyn). This put the Bulls ahead by 14 points to 0. Just 3 minutes later Bryan Habana sailed over again (in the same corner) for his 2nd try of the match. Morne’ Steyn converted this try as well. This put the Bulls ahead by 21 points to 0 in the 18th minute (very impressive if you ask me). In the 25th minute flyhalf Morne’ Steyn kicked over his first penalty of the game. The Bulls were leading by 24 points to 0. The Bulls were clearly dominating the game, but not for long. The Cheetahs came back with force. Frans Viljoen scored a try for the visitors in the 31st minute for the visitors, barely stretching over the Bulls tryline. Just 5 minutes later Corne’ Uys sailed over the Bulls line for the Cheetahs second try. Both tries were converted by Potgieter, putting the Cheetahs only 10 points behind the Bulls. In the last minute of the first half, Morne’ Steyn kicked over a drop goal for the home side. The Bulls were leading the game by 27 points to 14.

After a well deserved smoke break (to calm down the nerves) I returned to my seat on the main stand for the 2nd half of the game. At this stage Bulls fans were hoping that the Bulls could extend their lead or at least defend their score. Free State supporters were hoping for a comeback by the Cheetahs. In the 4th minute the Bulls were awarded a penalty (which Morne’ Steyn kicked over), put them ahead by 30 points to 14. The Cheetahs replied with a try by Nico Breedt 1 minute later. The conversion by Jacques-Louis Potgieter put the Cheetahs only 9 points behind. The Bulls were leading by 30 points to 21. 3 minutes later Jacques-Louis Potgieter put the Cheetahs only 6 points behind when he kicked over a drop goal. Bulls fans were sitting on the edge of their seats. In the 54th minute of the game Morne’ Steyn calmed fears by kicking over another penalty putting the Bulls ahead by 33 points to 24. Shortly after this Habana nearly scored his 3rd try of the game, but was denied by great defending by the Cheetahs. However a penalty was reversed by referee Jonathan Kaplan for retaliation by JP Joubert against Habana. Morne’ Steyn missed the attempt to put the Bulls ahead by 9 points again. However, in the 68th minute the Bulls were awarded another penalty which was kicked over by the Bulls flyhalf putting them ahead by 9 points again. In the 75th minute one of the Cheetah’s players was yellow carded for what is described as “verbals” by referee Jonathan Kaplan. The Bulls held out till the end of the match, winning by 36 points to 24. They completed “the double” by beating the Cheetahs. The Bulls are the first team in South African rugby history to win both the Currie Cup and the Super 14 in the same year. Well done to the Bulls!

It truly has been a brilliant year for South African rugby in general. A South African team won the Super 14 trophy. SA won the series against the British & Irish Lions. South Africa also won the 2009 Tri Nations tournament. The Springbok squad for the upcoming tour was announced after the Currie Cup final match on Saturday. I will be covering this in an upcoming post.

Related Posts

• January 21, 2010 -- Super 14 Fixtures for 2010 (1)
• November 17, 2009 -- France teach Springboks a lesson (0)
• November 16, 2009 -- Proteas have mixed results against England (0)
• November 13, 2009 -- Springboks to take on France tonight (0)
• October 19, 2009 -- Bulls and Cheetahs to play in Currie Cup 2009 Final (0)
• October 14, 2009 -- Currie Cup 2009 – Update (0)
• October 9, 2009 -- Currie Cup 2009 – Update (0)
• September 30, 2009 -- World Cup 2010: Stadiums – Part 5 (0)
• September 25, 2009 -- South Africa bounce back in ICC Champions Trophy (0)
• September 23, 2009 -- Sri Lanka crush Proteas in ICC Champions Trophy (0)

This is the last in my series of posts about the stadiums that are to be used in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. I hope you all have found this quite interesting. Today we will be covering 2 more stadiums, 1 in Nelspruit (in Mpumalanga province) and 1 in Pretoria (the capital of South Africa).

Here are few more facts about South Africa:

• The country gained independence from Great Britain on the 31st of May 1961.
• More than 70% of South Africans live in urban / metropolitan areas.
• A South Africa, Dr Chris Barnard was responsible for the first successful heart transplant in history.
• The swimming pool vacuum cleaner (generally referred to as the Kreepy Krauly) was invented by Ferdinand Chauvier, a hydraulics engineer who came to South Africa from the Belgian Congo in 1951.
• Pratley’s famous glue is the only South African invention that has been to the moon. In 1969 the putty was used to hold bits of the Apollo XI mission’s Eagle landing craft together.

Mbombela Stadium: This stadium is one of the newly-built stadiums for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The Mbombela stadium takes it’s name from the local municipality which incorporates the city of Nelspruit in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. Mbombela means “many people together in a small space.” The Mbombela stadium has a seating capacity of 46,000. The signature feature of the stadium are the 18 roof supports that resemble giraffes. The multi-purpose stadium is expected to host key soccer and rugby matches in the future and will also be equipped for conferences. The Mbombela stadium will host 4 first round matches in the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It’s located 7 km from the Nelspruit city center and 12 km from the Kruger-Mpumalanga Airport. The stadium is also within driving distance from a few game parks and other tourist attractions. Before the construction of the Mombela Stadium Nelspruit had no top football venue to host international matches. Nelspruit is a buzzling city with more than 220,000 inhabitants. Nelspruit is situated 330 km East of Johannesburg. Nelspruit was founded in 1905. The city is a major stopover point for tourists travelling to the Kruger National Park and to Mozambique.

Related Links:
Nelspruit, Mpumalanga – Wikipedia
Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit – SA Venues

Loftus Versfeld Stadium: This stadium needs no introduction in South Africa. It’s situated in the heart of South Africa’s capital city, Pretoria / Tshwane. The stadium was first known as the Eastern Sports Ground. In 1932, Robert Owen Loftus Versfeld, a sports administrator, suffered a heart attack on the Eastern stand and died. In tribute to him, the stadium was renamed. Loftus Versfeld stadium has been used for major sporting events in South Africa since the early 1900s. It’s one of the oldest sport stadiums in South Africa and has been upgraded more than once over the years. The stadium has a seating capacity of 50,000. Loftus Versfeld stadium was slightly upgraded before the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. A roof was added over the Eastern pavilion. Loftus Versveld stadium was a key venue in the 1995 Rugby World Cup and the 1996 African Cup of Nations. The stadium is currently the home of the Blue Bulls rugby team (2007 and 2009 Super 14 champions), Supersport United FC and Mamelodi Sundowns FC (teams in the PSL in South Africa). Pretoria / Tshwane is situated 50 km from Johannesburg and has a population of more than 2.3 million.

Related Links:
Pretoria – Wikipedia
Loftus Versfeld – The Stadium Guide

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• November 2, 2009 -- Bulls are 2009 Currie Cup Champions (0)