
We jumped onto the tube to South Africa House and walked into the foyer. True as nuts, there was a South African flag there for me. The guy who gave it to me said I must please bring it back again when I was done because it was the High Commission's ceremonial flag. He even made me sign a register and double check the serial number on the flag.
Off we went back to the hotel that evening as the game was the next day, At the hotel we realised that a ceremonial flag is moerse big. It is larger than a king sized bedspread. We scratched our heads about a flagpole.but in the corner of the hotel's dinning room was one of these long window latch poles which we promptly commandeered.
Sorted we went to the game at Twickenham the next day and sank a few pints in a pub close to the stadium while waiting for the game to start. In the pub we met up with a few Irish mates who taught us a neat song which we sang with gusto. The Poms eyed us with suspicion.
At the game we launched our flag. There were two of us holding it and in front of us was a poephol with an old apartheid era flag who stood no chance. It was one of my famous television appearances at Rugby games, the other being in France at Lyon and then a rather slurred interview on Irish TV.
That game will forever be etched in my brain as butter fingers Stephan Terblanche dropped the ball in front of us and Jeremy Guscott pounced on it to score the winning try. We slouched back to the pub to drown our sorrows and took the ribbing from the locals who reminded us about the rendition of "Sweet Chariot." Here is the version:
Comments
Post a Comment