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Durbanites hit the Dunes
Durbanite's Namibian Diary……..
Tuesday 3rd July
After a silly o' clock alarm call, a bleary eyed pack-horse made its way to Durban airport along with 26 kit bags in a Fiat Punto down the N2 to the airport armed with a travel mug of strong tea and no sense of humor. On arrival at the airport with everyone else's kit - the pack horse stands outside the door waiting for the imminent arrival of several others of the Durban based players - to whom the pack horse can hand across some of the kit bags to - but whilst waiting gets through half a packet of lung candy…..then the journey begins……….
After traipsing halfway across Jozi, which is what it seems like when walking from domestic arrivals to international departures, just to deliver several passports to those staying in Jozi who had left their passports in Durbs - doh! Then through to the lounge for the beginning of lots of light refreshments courtesy of British Airways, until a call over the PA system to call the pack horse back to check-in as one of the players had decided to chance his arm by trying to get on an international flight with an invalid passport which resulted in a very short stay in Johannesburg before going home on the same plane that he landed in!!
After flying over thousands of miles of very brown and dry earth we finally arrive at Windhoek airport, which is also set in miles of very brown, dry earth. To greet us was Eben and his trusty large coach waiting to take us to the Windhoek Country Club. There was a small problem of 5 of the kit bags were missing, so we lodged the complaint and were assured that the bags were on the next flight and would be delivered to the hotel as soon as they arrived!!
On arrival at the Country Club, some of the boys disappeared; they thought it was Christmas come early as there was a casino there - yippee!!! Several lost a little ammo but there were a couple that lost an arsenal and stayed bitter about it for days…….
The team dinner was at a very fine Chinese Restaurant and the pack horse found itself at a table of players that didn't particularly eat Chinese food - that was music to its ears- as opposed to the team coach, who found himself on a table of gannets as the prawns disappeared rather too quickly for his liking. He became increasingly annoyed at the fact that every time the "lazy Susan" came around - there was nothing left! For a man with a healthy appetite, who had been offered nothing but airline food all day, he was ready to eat a rabid dog, although it seems that "Pete the Prawn" had even eaten this too!
So after retiring to the refreshments counter with a belly full of Chinese cuisine, the die hard gamblers resumed previous positions and the die hard elbow benders also did the same at the counter. Several shots of what tasted like petrol later, the pack horse turned in to the stable for the night.
Breakfast on Wednesday was a veritable greasy feast for most of the players, although the pack horse galloped around the hotel looking still for lost luggage that had not materialized! Much to the disdain of some of the players who were still in the same clothes as they arrived in yesterday!
On to the coach for a leisurely drive from Windhoek to Swakopmond. We calculated that is was just over 300 kms and should take about 4 hours, or so we thought! We took our first stop at about 80 kms and found ourselves in tourist "tat" heaven - even though no one ventured in to what looked like the Namibian equivalent to Marrakech - we still found our cameraman missing his cell phone! Our heroic bus driver took it upon himself to find the culprit, who put himself forward to be searched - doh! and the cell phone in question was found in his sock - under his foot. The bus driver was definitely man of the match!!!
So onward ho! We had left the hotel and 0900 to get to the development clinic in Swakopmond at 1530 although when the driver said that we still had 2 hours to go at 1400 - then we started to worry! We had been on the coach for 5 hours already and the novelty had so worn off that it was just a huge stroke of luck that they sell all types of beverage in all the roadside stops and there was a loo on the coach where all the smokers would lock themselves in to periodically! One by one of course as it was half the size of a phone booth! Not quite sure what the guys who needed a pee did though!
A very successful coaching clinic in Swakopmond even after the children had been waiting two hours. They were so excited to see all these players emerging from the coach. There were all sorts of items of clothing put forward to be signed and the players were hero-worshipped for the couple of hours that they were there. We headed off to the local town hall for a Robbie "Leeu-loop" Wessels concert. Robbie was great although some of the crowd was nailed to the seats - the Legends showed them how to move!! And move they did - at the local "nightclub"! There was a fantastic windsurfing display on the dance floor! John Travolta had clearly left his dancing shoes at home!
The next morning it was straight back on to the coach to Walvis Bay and a boat trip. The pack horse found itself amongst some land lubbers as whilst one of the guys was introducing his breakfast to the sea, another thought that he was looking at something interesting and dry heaved all the way up the jetty! Which in turn made the pack horse and several others dry heave all the way up the jetty too! So the land lubbers retired to the local and waited for the tales to come back from the boats and eagerly anticipated some left over oysters that were taken on the boat. Apart from several seals boarding the boats and several seagulls wishing one player in particular - lots and lots and lots of luck - it was all rather calm!
Then it was off quad bike riding over the dunes, which was the best part of the trip for the pack horse and the "boys" on the trip - which was all 30 of them! Two bikes were rolled - only, and lots of donuts and boy things were done although the pack horse just enjoyed the scenery of hundreds of miles of sand, a couple of mounds of bones and trying to pee on one side of a dune before everyone else got there!
So then it was on to Court - after a veritable plateful of meat at a local hostelry in Swakop! Of course, there were several hefty fines! "Tour virgins" were crucified, and tour stalwarts were made to drink heavily! No-one got off lightly - apart from the judge of course!
Friday, back off to Windhoek, some in luxury and the rest of us on the coach! For those in the kombis - it was off to play golf and another hard day at the office whilst for the rest of us in the cheap seats on the coach - another 5 hour journey panned out in front of us - although this time there was less boredom as we were searching for game behind the large fences that we were driving alongside.
On arrival back to the Country Club on the Friday and dinner is booked for all 32 of us at Joe's Beer Warehouse - which is a phenomenal place! As the slabs of meat came out to greet us - some still alive - there were just big happy smiling faces all round! And because it was matchday the next day - it was off to bed early.
Saturday dawned and it was matchday. Even though the match doesn't kick off until 1530 the packhorse is still frantically searching for 3 still lost kit bags that contain boots and gum guards - even necessitating a trip to the airport once more - but to no avail! We end up driving around a ghost town to find a Sportsman's Warehouse that may sell size 14 rugby boots! Luckily there are also some big okes in Namibia too!
We get back to the stadium by the time the clinic is about to start and the boys are loving it - the boys attending the clinic that is. All went off very successfully as the boys were so grateful to have so much expertise in one place. The enthusiasm from the children was amazing and makes it all so worthwhile. They soaked it all in just like sponges, and I'm sure it will be something they tell their grandchildren in years to come.
Then kick off - and the guys come out on to the pitch to rapturous applause and appreciation from the crowd, and following a few ingenious spurts from "Pete the Prawn" and several others it started off as one way traffic, although that did change in the second half but that may have been down to the fact that the match commentator on the PA system did nothing but scream and shout at the Namibian players! It was an amazing display cohesive play from guys that very rarely play together. The final score is immaterial because rugby was the winner at the end of the day!
We were then hosted by the Namibian Rugby Union for dinner and a question and answer session with a panel of players, which brought a close on the official proceedings of the tour, and that's when everyone kicked back and let their hair down - some having more than others. One of the local players took us to someplace where they waltzed to the likes of Bon Jovi and U2, which was a real eye-opener for some of us "townies"!
Sunday - the day to go home and be reunited with loved ones and children and the search for the lost baggage continued throughout both airports - but to no avail!
After touching down at Jozi - then half the team dispersed and we were left to our own devices - the pack horse still with several pieces of luggage but without the 26 kit bags - and a few even less as the conveyor belt seems to have eaten them as to this day they are still not found!
It was a memorable five days and the hospitality shown to us by the Namibians was second to none. Thanks Namibia!
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Some feedback
Thanks to you, John and the team for giving me such a great opportunity to relive the rugby tour experience as well as the opportunity to promote the development of rugby. I thoroughly enjoyed the rugby clinics. It was also wonderful to meet old and new rugby friends and to be reminded that nothing has changed when one goes on a rugby tour - spirit, camaraderie, winning attitude and pranks stay the same. The only thing that has changed is the body weight of most players.
Another superb outing undertaken by a bunch of old has been rugby players trying to releive their " earlier " days .........
It is a combination of the Pre Professional era - where the players prepare themselves for a game by eating large steaks (and those Namibian folk can prepare red meat) and consume a few beers (in the case of the E.P players - Brandy and coke), and then of course you get the professional era - well that fits into it somewhere ......
“Keeping it clean!”, is impossible. Especially with a roommate that lost his kit. Frikkie has the ability to bring garments to life. As soon as I released the socks Frikkie wore for 3 days they took off and are still running! Namibia is a beautiful place. Felt like a holiday (next meeting in the passage outside the hotel room – dress code: jocks only!!).
Ahat an occasion, to be on well organised tour with so many characters and seeing a beautiful part of the world. Plenty fun was had by all. One for the memory books. Some laughs on tour: On an evening when the boys had had a few refreshments we decided to venture out to a pool room. Piet The Prawn ( named so by the legendary Mr Mac for consuming all of the prawns on the table at our Chinese dinner and leaving Coach with none) was given the fatal Red Mamba (cane and spar berry) as apposed to the more familiar Green mamba ( cane and cream soda) yeSSSSSSSS! Some of our guys were on one table in a very serious bout of pool. I quietly said to Piet the Prawn to Steal two balls from the table. Unaware that Greg Millar had had the same idea as he also stole two balls. Piet then placed two balls quiet cunningly on a second table and the other two which by now he had taken off Greg on a 3rd pool table in the hall. You can imagine this whole movie unfold. The other two tables were occupied by students from Stellenbosh. Once every body on the three tables had realized that things were not how they should be it was two late. The Prawn had struck. He successfully messed up 3 games in one hit. The students got rather annoyed at what had happened. But once Barry, Piet and Eric who collectively weigh in at well over 300kg’s stood up the students seemed to become rather subdued and wisely let all be. Piet is now banned from not only the poolroom, but from sitting at the same table as Coach Mac. Dion Viljoen |