Rugby - a Sport Uniting a Nation!

When I was walking through the Waterfront for the first time, I made an interesting discovery. At the center of this touristic area with many shops and restaurants, there was pillar with a countdown: "5 days left until the Rugby World Cup 2015 starts!" As I knew hardly anything about rugby when I arrived here,  I had to ask my host mum about this rude sport. The first lesson she taught me was the following definition:

"Soccer is a gentleman's game played by hooligans. On the other hand, rugby is a hooligan's game played by gentlemen"

Furthermore, she told me much about the history and the impact of this gripping sport. Exactly 20 years ago, the Rugby World Cup had taken place here in South Africa. Four years after the abolition of apartheid, Nelson Mandela inspired the whole nation when he pulled over a shirt of the "Springboks", the national rugby team of South Africa. For the first time, a national feeling was created, black and white united by the Springboks. My host mum told me that everyone went crazy as the Springboks won the final against the "All Blacks" from New Zealand 15-12 in extra-time.
After I heard this story, it was clear to me that I'm going to watch a game of the Springboks in one of the several bars in the city center. The more local people, the better.
Finally, after I'd bought a Springbok-shirt, I went to a pub watching the game. The disappointment was huge after they lost against Japan, some locals we meet there disappeared right after it was finished. So we were looking forward to the next match against Samoa. The performance improved a lot and I celebrated the victory of "our" Springboks with some South Africans:

It was a great experience to explore how a sport can unite a so many different cultures. So let's keep our fingers crossed for the Springboks!
Ps: For everyone how wants to know more about the history of South Africa and the Springboks, I warmly recommend the film "Invictus"!