Imagine what Disney would have done here
Dear rugby fans
You guys turned out in your droves in Cape Town last weekend for the pre-season double header. I’ll put good money on the Stormers not getting a crowd that big during the regular Super Rugby season and I was wondering how much it had to do with the new jersey deal, with the teams decked out in Marvel superheroes’ outfits.
The collaboration between Vodacom, SA Rugby, SuperSport and Marvel has certainly captured the imagination and I was wondering how the match-ups would have worked had the deal been signed instead with Disney.
There have been a few letters, WhatsApps and SMSes in The Citizen in recent weeks about the perceived bias of the newspaper towards the Lions.
However, being a Johannesburg-based publication, it makes sense that the newspaper provides more column centimetres than they do for the other sides.
While many of our readers have supported this viewpoint, there have been those who have objected.
To throw the cat among the pigeons, I decided I would come up with my Disney-SA franchises match-ups.
Guy Hawthorne
The Lions: They would quite obviously be Mufasa, or The Lion King.
This is not only because of the reference to the feline but because I am a Lions fan and, well, they are the country’s most successful franchise of recent years.
The Sharks: They would be Flower from the Bambi movie. Not only does the colour scheme work – Flower was a black and white skunk – their recent form in Super Rugby stinks.
The Stormers: Goofy would be ideal for them. Having lived in Cape Town for a while and with many friends who still live there, I am all too familiar with the “hippy” culture that seems to be part of life in the shadow of the mountain.
The Bulls: There’s only one character for this team – Mickey Mouse.
I know I am going to get some stick from the Bulls fans out there, but my missus is one of them and I just love reminding her what a useless bunch she supports, so allow me this indulgence.
Of course, there are two other South African franchises that used to be part of the Super Rugby set-up before the powers-thatbe decided to rejig things. Just so they don’t feel left out, these would be my Disney picks for them:
The Kings – they would have to be Flounder from Finding Nemo. One of the definitions of “flounder” is “to struggle with stumbling or plunging movements”. Nuff said.
The Cheetahs – Baloo from The Jungle Book would be a perfect fit. Just like the bear, the Cheetahs side boasts a lot of bulk but at the end of the day they are just big softies.