Once upon a time, this was blue-blood country
We are being converted and my blood now has a soft pink tone to it.
Once upon a time, this was blue-blood country. And by that I mean Blue Bulls turf! Yes, I can hear a few tiny voices crying out, what about the Lions, the Weee Peee and off course the Sharks boys – and all I can say is, the majority rules.
Now I’m not going to engage in debate about the past because slowly but surely, we are being converted and my blood now has a soft pink tone to it. If you followed our local Steval Pumas team during the Vodacom Cup season, you would agree that we have some excellent talent playing right here on home ground. So let’s get to the point. We are not asking for quick conversions from your old team to a brand-new one, but we need to get behind our boys.
With the Mbombela Stadium as their home ground, the Pumas chaps have made tremendous sacrifices to move to Nelspruit to make it their new home. From the end of last year they all had to find new homes, get used to a new environment and city and make our beautiful Lowveld their new headquarters. Whether we have put in enough effort to make them feel welcome, is a question only you can answer. Sponsors like Stephan Venter and the Ford team, Gerhard van der Merwe and his law firm, the Mopani team under Rob Gibbs’ leadership, Crossing SUPERSPAR, Lowvelder, Aqua Tiqua, Supply Company, ProTours, Future Life, Tsogo Sun, Emnotweni, K-Fit and Training Edge, have all backed the boys.
What we need now is for our Lowvelders to support game days. I just want to cringe when I watch the broadcast from Mbombela Stadium and all you see is a few spectators trying to make a big noise. Add to that the cynical remarks of the commentator and I make a grab for my pills! Come on Lowveld, make an outing of the event! Nowadays you can bring your braai pack and hang out in the Puma Park where you will be entertained and can get a cold one before and after the game. Coach Jimmy Stonehouse recently said to me.
“You can support two teams – your Bulls but then add Pumas to the equation!” The standard of rugby played by the Pumas this season has been outstanding. Local heroes like Rosko Specman, Carl Bezuidenhout, Corné Steenkamp and Vincent Koch could easily move up to Super 15 level should injury woes to one of our South African franchises create an opportunity. The professionalism of Pumas’ support staff and players can match that of any team in the world. Game days have become exciting and with the quality of rugby being played, you cannot afford to miss out. The team will play in the semi-finals against EP Kings on Friday at 16:30. Be there!
