The Klipspringer Tour
When the 1910 Lions, under the captaincy of Ireland’s Dr Tom Smythe, departed these shores, they had a daunting 24 fixtures in front of them, took a squad of just 26 players and only 14 of them had won international caps at the time.
It is almost certain that no supporter followed the whole tour but fans have the opportunity to see every game of the 2009 adventure to South Africa with the Klipspringer package.
The Lions players will – barring injury - be doing the whole tour of ten matches – and we have put together a schedule that enables fans to follow them every step of the way around South Africa and explore virtually every nook and cranny of that spectacular country on the way.
Ten matches against the likes of the Sharks, Western Province, the Golden Lions plus the three Tests all adds up to 40 days on the road. Mix in some time at Sun City and this is the ultimate rugby tour and one that will have your friends turning green with envy.
All flights, internal travel, match tickets and accommodation are included in the price of the tours as well as adidas merchandise, which includes the 2009 replica shirt and access to the ‘Big Bar’ before and after each of the Test matches.
The Lions are missionaries for the game of rugby union and the run of provincial matches leading up to the first Test in Durban, gives them a chance to mingle with the South African public. One South African, now exiled in London, gives an insight into how the 1974 tourists made him fall in love with the concept.
Michael Bush, a wine distributor, says: “I was at school in Durban when three of the Lions squad – including Gareth Edwards and Andy Ripley – came to give us a coaching clinic. I played at scrum-half at the time for South African schoolboy teams and having a lesson from Edwards is something that I will never forget. The South African public love the Lions – it is the biggest rugby tour of all for them.”
As Gerald Davies, a Lions player in 1968 in South Africa and manager of the 2009 tour, says: “It is an adventure to go on a Lions tour. There is this image of romanticism, of adventure. People follow this image everywhere, to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and those countries need the Lions for they are the biggest brand in world rugby. Yet if you started now, in the professional era with a blank piece of paper, the Lions would not exist. The Lions have a contribution to be seen as something beyond the rugby field. Sport is a cultural event, it goes beyond the playing field. It affects people’s lives, their way of living, their joy, fun and sorrow. It influences how a country feels about itself and I am comfortable with that. You can’t isolate any sport from the society it springs from.” Davies did not tour with Willie-John McBride’s triumphant squad of 1974. However, he will return to South Africa in 2009 in his capacity as the Lions’ Tour Manager. He and Lions Head Coach Ian McGeechan have already been on a fact-finding mission and when you speak to Davies you can sense the excitement in his voice.
Although not on a par with the grueling itinerary of the 1910 squad, those embarking on the Klipspringer tour will need massive reserves of stamina but will have memories to treasure for the rest of their lives.
The trip kicks off in Rustenburg, the third oldest town in the former Transvaal province, where the Lions take on a Highveld XV, before making a first visit of the tour to Johannesburg’s Coca Cola Stadium (formerly Ellis Park) where the Lions will take on their namesakes – the Golden Lions. Then it is on to Bloemfontein where Ian McGeechan’s party will front up against the Cheetahs before heading to Durban for the first time and a date with the Sharks. From then there will only be a couple of games before the internationals start and the Test side will be forming itself in the minds of the coaching staff and even more Lions fans will descend on to the venues for the internationals.
The three Tests in Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg will go in a blur but there is time for a break in Sun City before the third Test where supporters can chill out and enjoy the most luxurious holiday resort in South Africa. If any supporter survives that little lot, and nearly a month and a half away then they can truly call themselves Lions.
To view the full details about the Klipspringer tour, please click here. To view the other packages on offer through England Rugby Travel, click here.
