I’ve been living in Pretoria for more than 18 years. I really love this city, its people, its sites, its nightlife and its vibe. Like Bittereinder says in their song “Soos ‘n hoëveld weerligstorm is hierdie stad in my gebrand, Kerkorrel se Snor City, Pretoria in my hart” (for the really funky English types out there, this translates to “this city is etched into my like a highveld thunderstorm, Kerkorrel’s Snor City, Pretoria in my heart”). I think this sums up how I feel about Pretoria.
Over the years I’ve taken tons of pictures of my city, its people, people who visit the city, bands who play in the city and a whole lot more. Today I’m showcasing a few of the sport snaps that I’ve taken in the capital city, feel free to check them out and read the stories behind them below.
My dad and I were season tickets holders at Loftus Versfeld for more than 5 years. On the 30th of July 2005 we attended the Tri-Nations test match between the Springboks and Australia. The Springboks narrowly won the sold-out match. It’s still one of the fondest rugby memories that I have. I snapped this photo from the main stand.
In 2007 I attended the rugby test match at Loftus Versfeld between the Springboks and England. It was an overcast day and my dad and I were sitting at our usual spot on the main stand. This photo was taken from our seats on that day. The Springboks won that match too.
In 2009 we attended the 2nd Test match played between the British & Irish Lions and the Springboks. The Springboks narrowly won the match when flyhalf Morne Steyn kicked over a penalty in the last minute of the match, clinching the series for the Boks. It was one of the closest rugby test matches that I’ve ever watched and one that I’ll never forget. I snapped these 2 photos on that day.
Before spending 7 days in December in Cape Town in 2009 my dad and I attended the first 5 day test cricket match between South Africa and England at Supersport Park in Centurion. It was extremely hot every day. While we were enjoying the cricket I took this photo of the crowd in the late afternoon on the first day of the test match.
In 2010 I attended the Tri-Nations match between Australia and South Africa at Loftus. The Springboks had been struggling in that year’s tournament. They managed to bounce back with a victory against Australia (after losing all of their matches in the tournament). They convincingly beat the Wallabies by 44 points to 31. I snapped this photo of the teams lined up for the national anthems at the match just before it kicked off.
In 2010 I attended the Super 14 match between the Bulls and the Highlanders. While I was waiting on the B field for someone to join me at the game I snapped this photo of the World’s Largest Soccer Ball (which was encased around the top of the Lukasrand or Telkom tower). The balls weighed 50 tons and was put around the tower to promote the 2010 FIFA World Cup (which was hosted by South Africa).
In 2010 I attended the FIFA World Cup football match between Paraguay and Japan at Loftus Versveld. The match was played in the 2nd round stage of the tournament. My dad and I had seats behind the goal on the Northern side of the stadium. I snapped this photo of the crowd and the photographers whilst attending the match. This brings back some good memories…
On that particular day the stadium had its fare share of foreign visitors. In my opinion the majority of the crowd in the stadium wanted Japan to win the match, so there were some really extreme looking Japanese supporters. I passed this one whilst waiting to pay for my overpriced Budweiser at the bar.
After the match between Bafana Bafana and Mexico ended in a draw in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, friends and I out to Hatfield Square (then one of Pretoria’s busiest night spots) to experience an awesome vibe. I snapped this photo of the crowd in Hatfield Square while enjoying a beer at Drop Zone. There must have been more than 7,000 people in the square. It was great meeting some of the foreign visitors who were in town for the tournament.
Well, there you have it, some sport snaps taken in Pretoria from yesteryear. I hope that you enjoyed this trip down memory lane. Feel free to share this article with your friends on Facebook and Twitter. Remember: Sharing is Caring.
Watch this space for regular updates in the Sport and Photography categories on Running Wolf’s Rant.
