WHO SAID RACING WAS SHORT ON CELEBRITIES?

Roland Schoeman and Jeannie D
(Photo : Deon Gurling)

J&B MET 2010

Readers of these columns will recall our piece of yesterday, where we spoke of Springbok coaches Jake White and Andre Maakgraaff, and the “wildebeest catcher”, Tiaan Strauss, among the many we’d spent time with at the J&B Met. Add to the list international rugby’s Player of the Year in 2008, Bryan Habana; the man that torpedoed the All Blacks’ 1995 World Cup hopes with his titanic drop goal in extra time, Joel Stransky, and double Olympic Gold medallist swimmer, Roland Schoeman, and you begin to understand the allure of a good event. In South Africa at least, the Met remains a “must do” on the cv’s of even the most celebrated.

THE KLAWERVLEI PICNIC : THE WHO'S WHO, AND MORE

Klawervlei Stud
(Photos : Klawervlei Stud)

J&B MET 2010

The Klawervlei picnic on Friday was a hell-of-an-affair, if there is such a thing these days beyond those of Tiger Woods and John Terry. It was simply out of this world, with scarcely a big deal in the game missing from the repertoire of guests. At our table alone, we were squeezed between one of the country’s foremost business leaders, Christo Wiese, and Mala Mala’s Mike Rattray, while across the table the conversation extended to Springbok rugby coaches, Andre Markgraaff and Jake White. For those who’ve lost their jobs during the current recession, there’s consolation in the commonality that exists between these two great rugby men, both highly successful in their sporting and business domains, yet both shown the door by the South African Rugby Union, one within months of returning with the World Cup!

That there’s life after death is very evident in both of them, and that in itself must be an encouragement to those who’ve found themselves in the cold in recent times.

Inevitably, a man like Tiaan Strauss was going to be drawn to our company, given that he was the jilted alternative to Francois Pienaar’s captaincy of the World Cup-winning Springboks of 1995. That said, the one thing we do remember about this boy from the Kalahari, is that he used to tackle wildebeest for fun during his adolescence, and he still looks in the sort of shape that could take down lions.

Horse Trader: The Definitive Read

Robert Sangster (Viewimages)If you’re at all interested to see how this rivalry (including the late Robert Sangster) developed, one of the greatest reads we know is Patrick Robinson with Nick Robinson’s fine book, “Horsetrader”. You don’t have to be “horsey” to enjoy it, but guaranteed, if you get started, you won’t put it down.

Most people have gone for Jake Whites “In Black and White” for Christmas, but this is a better piece of literature, and it’ll do for the New Year.

Our Boys Did It, After All

There is no prouder nation on this earth this morning, as the Springboks came away with the William Webb Ellis Trophy following their close-call victory over England in Saturday night’s World Cup final. These things mean a great deal to any country, yet in South Africa, with all of its complexities and the issues that divided our past, it means all of that and a whole lot more.

While we’re very much a work in progress, to see our President, Thabo Mbeki hoisted high on the shoulders of the predominantly white players that stood beneath him, was a signal of considerable proportions, and in spite of the contradictions and confusions, we remain a country on course.

Sport has done more for the unity of South Africa than all the politicians and businessmen put together, and racing is no exception to that rule.

From the perspective of its advancement of the previously-disadvantaged community, racing is at the forefront in discharging its responsibilities to the nation, and without any prompting, Summerhill has been championing this cause long before we became a fledgling democracy in 1994.

Our hope is that in the years to come, our rugby champions will reflect the demographics of this country more evenly, because unleashing all the available talent will make us a stronger, more cohesive rugby-playing unit than we’ve even been, and that will save us having to recruit too many “Islanders” from the All Blacks.

Meanwhile, and because history tells us no nation has held the championship for more than four years, please come and visit us during that time, so that you can see the champions in action, for fear we give it up to some other country when New Zealand host the event in 2011. Until then, greetings from the champions!

It would be remiss of us to end this note without a word about the opposition. In true British style, England stuck to their dogged guns manfully, and tested us to the whistle. There were more than a few of us that remembered we had English blood coursing through so many of our veins, not to mention those of our horses. They were big in defeat too, in good old English fashion.

History will remember this world cup as a second Isandlwana, and we fear it will be four long years before you English get a shot at a repeat of Rorke’s Drift!

Images courtesy of sarugby.net