REVIEW: THE WEEK THAT WAS

All Blacks in Town, a Flypast to Remember and a Missed Media Opportunity

It’s funny being an All Blacks supporter. You tend to remember the losses far more vividly than the wins.

The last time the All Blacks won a Test in Cape Town was back in 2017 at the old Newlands, when they squeezed past the Springboks 25–24 in one of those great contests that could have gone either way.

Since the move to the magnificent DHL Stadium on the Cape Town waterfront, things have not been quite as kind to New Zealand.

And after Saturday’s 33–26 defeat to the Springboks, the All Blacks are still looking for that elusive Test win at the stadium built for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

But this week was about far more than 80 minutes of rugby.

Having the All Blacks in Cape Town should have been a wonderful opportunity to tell stories about one of world sport’s most famous teams.

Instead, I came away from the week thinking we may have missed an opportunity.

A NEW RESPECT FOR THE RUGBY WRITERS

I have newfound respect for my rugby-writing friends such as Mike Greenaway, Gavin Rich and the many journalists who cover these teams week after week.

Access is not easy.

My own experience was rather underwhelming, not because anybody was deliberately obstructive, but because the whole media operation seemed to be geared towards very short interactions, press conferences and sound bites.

I had written to the All Blacks media team requesting a face-to-face interview with one of the backroom staff.

I wasn’t looking for Dave Rennie, Ardie Savea or one of the superstars.

I wanted the person who could tell us how you move an international rugby team around South Africa. How do you feed them? How do you move all that equipment? What are the logistics behind hotels, buses, training venues, recovery, security and getting dozens of people from one city to another?

That, to me, is a fascinating human-interest story.

After Thursday’s press conference I was offered a player for ten minutes.

That wasn’t what I was after. The Business of Entertainment on CapeTalk gives me 30 minutes to have a proper conversation. The backroom story would have fitted the programme beautifully.

So we moved swiftly along.

There was also the interesting movement around training venues, from Athlone Stadium to City and Suburban and then Friday’s captain’s run at Westerford, just around the corner from the Vineyard Hotel.

There were stories everywhere.

RUGBY CAN TELL ITS STORY BETTER

The team announcement press conference also got me thinking.

Dave Rennie walked into the room, sat down and the media person essentially opened the floor for questions.

Why not set the tone?

“Good afternoon, everyone. Here is the team we have selected. These are the changes we have made and this is some of the thinking behind them.”

Five minutes. Context. Personality. Then take the questions.

When players are brought into the room, give them the opportunity to talk before the interrogation starts. Tell us what Cape Town has been like. Tell us something about the week. Tell us what playing the Springboks means.

These are hugely talented athletes. Help us get to know them.

And perhaps there is an even bigger opportunity.

On the Friday before a Test, why couldn’t the two coaches sit together for 30 minutes at the stadium?

Imagine Rassie Erasmus and Dave Rennie in the same room at 9am, talking about the match, the rivalry and their different philosophies before taking questions.

No running from hotel to hotel hoping for a five-minute sound bite.

Be different.

Be innovative.

Produce proper podcasts around team announcements. Let coaches, analysts, nutritionists, logistics managers, doctors and other members of the touring party tell their stories.

And drive supporters towards your own digital platforms rather than relying almost entirely on social media companies whose platforms you don’t own.

Formula One understands this brilliantly.

We know far more than the names of the drivers. Fans know the engineers, strategists and team principals. Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer Peter “Bono” Bonnington became a familiar name to millions of F1 followers because access and storytelling helped bring fans inside the sport.

Rugby has equally fascinating people behind the curtain.

Show them to us.

This isn’t criticism for criticism’s sake. It is about recognising the enormous opportunity sitting in front of rugby.

THANK YOU, JAMIE WALL

A very special thank you must go to my dear friend and outstanding New Zealand rugby journalist Jamie Wall.

Jamie has been magnificent with his time and particularly generous towards my CapeTalk programme, The Business of Entertainment.

His thoughts have been focused, insightful and wonderfully articulate.

People like Jamie remind you what good sports journalism can do. It doesn’t merely tell you what happened. It gives you context and helps you understand why it happened.

Thank you, Jamie.

Listen to all the shows here from Cape Talk 

My producer Barry Mare, me and Jamie Wall 

THEN CAME THE FLYPAST

And goodness me, what a moment that was.

Two Airlink jets sweeping low over DHL Stadium shortly before kick-off.

The internet promptly lost its mind.

Some international reports described the aircraft as having almost hit the stadium, while aviation commentators questioned whether the aircraft were simply too low and whether sufficient margins existed if something had gone wrong.

From inside the stadium, however, we knew the flypast was coming.

The pre-flight message had been shown on the two enormous stadium screens. The crowd was waiting for it.

Then came the roar.

And what a spectacle.

Airlink subsequently explained that the flypast had required careful planning and rehearsal, was conducted with the guidance and approval of the South African Civil Aviation Authority and Air Traffic Navigation Services, and that each aircraft carried three senior captains in commander, co-pilot and safety/technical roles.

PIC by my dear Friend Warren Kirkland Instagram – Warren_kirkland_sports 

www.warrenkirkland.co.za

Airlink also said its recorded flight data showed the aircraft operated within the approved and rehearsed altitude and speed parameters.

There are legitimate aviation safety questions and those should always be taken seriously.

But some of the hysteria around the flypast seemed rather overcooked.

For those of us sitting inside DHL Stadium, it was an extraordinary piece of theatre before one of world rugby’s great occasions.

And isn’t sport also supposed to create memories?

FAMILY, RUGBY AND A GLORIOUS CAPE TOWN DAY

For me, Saturday was ultimately about family.

We parked at the Commodore Hotel, where my friend Andrew is the GM, had a wonderful lunch and then walked across to DHL Stadium together.

Bliss.

The weather was chilly, but thankfully the morning drizzle stayed away.

Then you walk into that magnificent stadium, surrounded by thousands of Springbok and All Blacks supporters, and you remember why this rivalry remains so special.

On the field, the Springboks deserved their 33–26 victory.

They came out with enormous intent, scoring through Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende and Siya Kolisi, while Cheslin Kolbe produced a superb goal-kicking performance.

The All Blacks refused to disappear.

They actually outscored South Africa four tries to three, with Cam Roigard, Damian McKenzie, Leroy Carter and Ardie Savea crossing the line, and they gave themselves a chance right until the end.

But South Africa’s defence, physicality and ability to manage the important moments proved decisive.

After the All Blacks had won the opening Test 33–16 at Ellis Park, Cape Town belonged to the Springboks, 33–26.

And so the series is beautifully alive.

THE STANDOUT EVENT OF THE WEEK

Away from the Test itself, my standout event was undoubtedly the Peregrine function with some genuine rugby royalty.

Bryan Habana, Richie McCaw, Dan Carter and company, superbly hosted by Jim Hamilton.

It showed exactly what can happen when sporting personalities are given the space and environment to talk properly.

They were relaxed. They were articulate. They told stories. The media were treated as part of the occasion rather than spare parts.

That is how you grow personalities around a sport.

That is how you build stories.

And that is how you make people feel closer to the people they normally only see wearing a jersey.

Warren Kirkland and myself 

ON TO SOCCER CITY

So that was my week with the All Blacks in Cape Town.

Some frustration.

Some lessons.

A magnificent event.

A memorable flypast.

A glorious afternoon with family.

And another chapter in the extraordinary history between the Springboks and All Blacks.

My biggest takeaway?

Rugby has incredible stories to tell beyond the 23 players selected on a Saturday.

Open the doors just a little wider.

Show us the coaches, the logistics people, the analysts, the physios, the chefs, the managers and the personalities behind these extraordinary teams.

Give journalists and broadcasters the opportunity to tell those stories properly.

The fans will consume them.

Now it is on to Saturday, 5 September at Soccer City in Johannesburg.

The series is alive and well.

And I cannot wait to see what happens next.