By John Robbie
I'm not sure if it is the same these days. In the old amateur days there was actually quite a bit of fun on the field. Over the years you would get to know players in other teams and of course afterwards you always had a few beers with them. If you were lucky enough to play representative rugby, you'd also end up playing with guys you played against at club or provincial level and it's hard to hate teammates.
Divan Serfontein and I always had a good chat when we played Province and used to grade each other as the game went on. He was a better runner than I but I fancied myself as a superior kicker. We'd say " good kick" or "nice break you bugger!" all through the game. Rob Louw was another who used to chat but with him it was all about taking the Mickey. Ah, memories.
There was never any banter or fun in derby games. When we played the Bulls it was deadly serious. As Naas kicked us to bits or Jannie Breedt tormented them with his distribution from number eight there were no laughs. It was the same after the game. If you lost there was no humour in the dressing rooms to ease the pain. You kept your head down, got changed and got out. You see, by definition, derby games are serious.
The tradition is put under pressure when one side fall in standard. We've seen that in English soccer with the Manchester derby. That used to be a cracker and it split the city. There is a marvellous book called George Best and 21 others about a famous Youth Cup semifinal in the early 1960s that was watched by over 50 000. It traces the youngsters through their career and is one of the best exposition of the cruelty and glory of professional sport. Then City fell away and got relegated and the big derby for United became the northern derby against the great Liverpool sides of the '70s and '80s. Now it is coming back.
In a way it's been the same with the Bulls and the Lions. Over the last few years the Bulls have been magnificent. Their professionalism on the field has been matched by the Union and quite rightly they have won praise all over the rugby world.
Youngsters everywhere will play out of their skins but the secret to the Bulls is that their senior players deliver week in week out. They are a credit to South Africa and to the game.
However, in recent years the Lions have slipped. Sometimes people forget that they won the very first Super Rugby competition. Remember the Super 10 and that win over Auckland at a sold-out Ellis Park? Those were the days when it was cool to wear red and white. Now only us diehards do. The derby for the Bulls has been the Sharks in recent years and this year many say it will be the Stormers. The big game for the Bulls has been the South African derby, not the Gauteng one, and that is sad.
Last week the Lions played out of their skins. Yes, their was a bit of naivety in their defence but nobody could question their attitude. Last week they started the long climb back to respectability and with a tiny bit of luck could have won. They showed that although they have lost the respect of rugby they still have their self-respect and that is important. The question today is: Can they retain that commitment and marry it to better defensive discipline? They will miss Doppies le Grange and Todd Clever, stalwarts of their disappointing season so far, but it's an opportunity for their replacements.
Are the Lions on their way back? We'll see on Saturday. A measure of when they reach respectability again is when the Gauteng derby becomes the biggest game of the year for the Bulls.
A win by the Lions on Saturday would go a long way to achieving that goal.
- John Robbie hosts the Breakfast Show on Talk Radio 702, weekdays from 6am-9am