Alberton and the Rugby World Cup
When the Springboks won the Rugby World Cup (RWC), in 1995 and 2007, a player from Alberton was there as a member of the winning team.
ALBERTON – In 1995, Japie Mulder from Meyersdal was the star of the final with his try-saving tackles against Jonah Lomu.
In 2007 André Pretorius, a past pupil from Hoërskool Dinamika, was there as the second flyhalf behind Butch James. André was involved in five RWC encounters that year and against Tsonga he contributed to the scoreboard with his accurate kicking.
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The recent 20-year reunion of South Africa’s RWC teams brought back memories of James Small’s 1995 visit to Bimbo’s in Alberton and the ques of fans who brought traffic in the CBD to a standstill waiting for his signature.
Judging by previous winning results, it will be a good omen if a player with Alberton connections is included in the 2015 Springbok RWC team!
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In the running for a place in the team, is Alberton-born Lood de Jager and 2010 Alberton Rugby Club player of the year, Jaco Kriel. On September 24 when Namibia will take to the field in their RWC opener against the All Blacks, at the Olympic Stadium, Alberton-born Renaldo Bothma will be there in his blue Namibian shirt.
