All Blacks are in their happy place
Jerome Kaino was the only All Black to actually know it was more than just a myth.
They had all heard that, for many of Cape Town’s coloured population, there was only one international rugby side they support. It’s the All Blacks first, with the Springboks second if at all.
The Cape Coloureds are a specific ethnic group, who were classified as a single group under apartheid. They have diverse ancestral links including white colonisers, the indigenous Khoisan and Xhosa people, and descendants of those imported as slaves.
They love the fact that the All Blacks play great rugby, but there is the political aspect related to losing their rights under apartheid - they would support anyone but the Springboks, who reflected the white powerbrokers.
And the team that most gave the world-beating Boks a hard time were the All Blacks.
That love has never died, and was graphically illustrated when the team flew in from Sao Paulo, ahead of Sunday morning’s test against South Africa at Newlands. The All Blacks haven’t played in Cape Town since 2008 and, no matter how many trips they might have made in Super Rugby colours, nothing compared to this.
‘‘To come here and to have locals singing your national anthem outside the bus was pretty cool,’’ All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster said.
The All Blacks were mobbed, but happily so. Having left Argentina in a pretty weary state, the rigours of the long trip to South Africa suddenly didn’t feel so great once the welcoming committee was sighted.
‘‘Firstly, we’re really appreciative of it. They really get in behind us and it’s a special sort of feeling,’’ said Foster.
‘‘They growled at us for not coming back for the last nine or 10 years and all I’d like to say is it’s not our fault. For some reason South Africa don’t want to play us here.’’
It’s not just the quality of the welcome that attracts the All Blacks to Cape Town. The team is staying at a hotel beneath Table Mountain where, if the players are so inclined, the grounds are big enough for a 90-minute guided walk, during which birds, squirrels and tortoises are frequently seen.
They might be a tired team, but they’re also a pretty appreciative one.
Vice-captain Sam Cane’s been to Cape Town five times in the last two years, but never with the All Blacks. And whether it’s with the Chiefs, or the national side, he just adores the place, calling it ‘‘my home away from home.’’
‘‘Look around. You’ve got the waterfront, it’s just a beautiful location really,’’ Cane said.
‘‘We often head across to [the seaside suburb of ] Camps Bay for a dinner or two. There’s just plenty to do outside of the hotel and outside of rugby and any down time we do have we can make the most of and get the balance right.’’
And it sure beats dealing with the fatigue that remains such a big factor when playing at altitude, in places such as Johannesburg and Pretoria.
‘‘To be down at sea level’s nice and, to be honest, the support we get here’s crazy. Outside the hotel, at the airport,’’ said Cane.
New Zealand beat South Africa
19-0, the last time they met in Cape Town. It was the ninth of Kaino’s
81 test appearances and Conrad Smith, Daniel Carter and Keven Mealamu were the tryscorers, with Carter kicking two conversions.
A 5-0 halftime lead would come as a shock this time around, notwithstanding this is a pretty tired outfit. But if anything’s going to lift them, it could be the local support.
Lock Sam Whitelock doesn’t strike you as someone who welcomes the best wishes of strangers, but even he’s been struck but the support from the people of Cape Town.
‘‘The amount of people that have stopped you in the street, just saying it’s awesome for us to be here and [that] they’re looking forward to the game just as much as we are [has been amazing],’’ Whitelock said.