With the Newlands crowd not shy to boo the opposition, Tank Lanning suggests in his first eNCA.com column, that perhaps this Cape Crusader saga will encourage a look into instilling some simple respect.
I love the way the Crusaders and All Blacks play their rugby. To the extent that an all Kiwi Super Rugby derby will definitely have me up at 05h30 with my coffee and rusks, while an afternoon all SA derby will sometimes struggle to drag me away from my braai and coolerbox!
And if the All Blacks play a better brand of rugby – one that focuses on more on possession and using the ball in hand – that sees them beat a Springbok side stuck on one off runners and a kick and chase game, then I am actually ok with it!
If spending my entertainment rand on rugby, I want to be entertained …
So does that make me a so called “Cape Crusader”?
Given how broad a term it is these days, perhaps it does! Swoon … One thing it does not do, though, is stop me from supporting the Boks or local sides in inter country Super Rugby matches. And it most certainly does not make me want to boo or spit at the team playing against them!
To be very honest, I actually do not give a toss who you support or why, but I think it is only fair to ask that we all do it respectfully.
I know injured Stormers wing, Bryan Habana, who was with the team on Saturday, to be an extremely polite, honest, and mild mannered man. So when he Tweets about being “Booed off your bus, at your home stadium, by your “fellow” countrymen” and suggesting that he “Would happily buy all these “Cape Crusaders” a one way ticket to Christchurch!!” you know a line has been crossed.
The fact that WP Rugby have instigated a full investigation into the incidents of poor crowd behaviour at Newlands during the game against the Crusaders just reiterates the point.
It’s a touchy subject, and one that I have written about since playing club rugby against what were once seriously anti anything white Cape rugby clubs. Really ugly fights between “All Black” supporters and the locals in George every year when the SA Sevens leg was held there also prompted columns and blog posts.
And over the years I have had some seriously illuminating conversations with said “Cape Crusaders”, who all gave different reasons for their support of the Kiwis. Some, quite simply, because they prefer the brand of rugby they play.
But it would be naïve to believe that the original reason does not remain pervasive. And when we do anything out of hate, it has the potential to become malicious. This hate seems to have been passed down to some of the next generation, with the irony being that it is now in protest against the current regime, who some might argue have not delivered on a promise of a better life for all!
I strongly suspect, though, that it is only a small sect who do it for the attention, and by feeding the machine via columns like this, all we are doing is delivering the attention they desire.
It does flow both ways though, and with the Newlands crowd not shy to boo and jeer the opposition, especially when a kicker is going for poles, perhaps a proper relook at encouraging some simple respect (both for the fans and players) is due in Cape Town?
This recent violence and utter disrespect amongst fans really breaks my heart. So much for the old saying of rugby being a hooligans sport played/supported by gentlemen. I stopped going to football games here in the UK because it irks me so much that I can’t have some banter going with the opposition for fear of a knife in my belly! I cannot even sit in the same vicinity! Rugby seems to be following the same route! Let’s hope not.
I think this is the first article I have read where it is mentioned that the Stormers supporters aren’t shy to boo the opposition so well done to you sir.
How does that saying go again..something about before you point fingers you should make sure your doorstep is clean?
Also, Bryan Habana tweeted all of this after the game which leads me to believe he is a sore loser…but that is just my opinion.
At the end of the day if the Stormers had won there would be none of this ruckus so to a point i blame the media and players for fueling this topic.
Bryan Habana was not a sore loser, yes the Crusaders won, and yes they are an awesome team, but do you know the fact? I was at the game when the stormers got out of their bus BEFORE the game, and the Cape Crusaders were swearing and screaming the most distastefull abuse at the players, and to top it all some of them were SPITTING at the players. This at their home ground. It says alot for the self control of the stormer supporters not to have sent a few of them to hospital right there. Bryan sent off a tweet to tell of his frustrations – you tell me, what is worse, spitting at players or sending a twitter message.
I too was at the game sir and i too saw both busses arrive. I did not see any spitting but i did hear booing at both teams from the opposition supporters.
At the end of the day its all about respect – sadly there are some that will never have/give that.
Myself and my family sat amongst a whole block of Stormers supporters and shared the banter and the shouting…but at the end of the day when we were jumping up n down ’cause our team had won, we all shook hand with each other and said well done to both sides.
You have to give respect to earn respect.
The Newlands crowd has been known to be the worst when it comes to BOOing visiting teams. Why is it an issue when it happens to them at Newlands? It happens when Sharks/Bulls play here too.
Funny, nowhere did I read one article where someone says something about those fans who backed the Crusaders against the Kings? In fact, they back any team against the Kings.
Also, the Sharks fans have been in the media for fights in PE and a fan killed in Durban, but the media didn’t make this big of fuss over it, yet there are blogs and blogs and 100s articles over a few hooligan Cape Crusaders.
Bad behaviour is unacceptable. It is sad that a few rotten apples can ruin it for everyone.
I was at Newlands when the Chiefs played, saw some Chiefs supporters, saw some banter, all of us enjoyed some good rugby. Nothing more, except a few beers.
I really am ashamed of my fellow Capetonians. We are supposed to be civilized people, after all.
The booing is not a new phenomenon, though. In the 90’s recordings were played at Newlands in which Tiaan Strauss requested fans to refrain from this behaviour.
Now what would happen if the local team, be it the Stormers or Province, simply just walked off the field until all booing stops? After a match or two, even the most stupid supporter of whichever team should get the message!
Now that would take guts, Heather, and I would LOVE to see it happen!! The absolute silence at the AVIVA premiership games is probably more unerving for the kicker in any case!!
If we are going to mention booing at Newland then I thnk we need to look at the cow bells at the Chiefs home stadium.. nothing is more annoying than those bells and they ring them when the opposition line up kicks.. that must be worse than the booing for a kicker.. I think these cow bells need to be banned – they are worse than the sa vuvu’s that have been banned from rugby games.. It is to a point where I dont want to watch the Chiefs home games as the noise is soo annoying..
Nothing is worse than those bloody vuvuzelas!! Hell, I hate them … But I get your point. They sound kind of quaint on TV … perhaps less so in the flesh …