Venerable Newlands shows its age

Visiting Cape Town for a rugby Test is an experience which brings its own rare challenges. The Mother City has its unique specialities, but coming to the Western Cape for a Springbok Test creates its own contrasts about the state of poverty and welfare which is well-known to all South Africans.

With my employers booking me into a fairly upmarket place of accommodation in the Cape Town city area it’s often a risk just taking a walk too far from the safe surroundings of the hotel area.

And arriving in the Mother City on Wednesday with a terrible cold courtesy of the freezing Bloemfontein weather didn’t help much either.

In Bree Street where the hotel is situated in the Cape Town City Bowl it’s just two street blocks up from the infamous Long Street and when you dare to walk down there, you get hassled and pestered by street beggars for a few coins or a cigarette or a small “freebie” for a hamburger of the beggars’ choice.

You are almost too scared to put your feet out of the hotel area in case you get cornered by these individuals.

And this is where the contrasts step in. It’s just a stone’s throw away from the more upmarket Waterfront, where only a simple takeaway in the region of a hamburger and chips can put you a few steps back.

And then we are not even talking about the couple of “lemonades” famous former monster Bok lock Kobus Wiese likes to refer to every now and then.

The talk this week about moving Bok Tests from Newlands to the more upmarket Cape Town Stadium is therefore not that far because when you are visiting the Waterfront the new stadium is only a stone’s throw away.

But in contrast, Newlands, which is situated just underneath the picturesque Table Mountain, is situated right on the other side of the city, which doesn’t make driving back from the stadium after a Bok Test all the way to the Waterfront area a delightful adventure.

Of course we all know about the emotion of Newlands. This is where Bok wing Chris Pope scored that famous try to ensure Western Province beat the 1976 All Blacks 12-11 at the venerable stadium.

But sometimes common sense should prevail and we all know Newlands doesn’t meet the safety and exit measures to still hold a Test match and that’s me watching proceedings from the 10th story on the media stand.