Fans throng Joubert Park

JOUBERT Park was packed and noisy on Sunday morning, with the green and gold faithful united in song for the Springboks – but sadly joined in despair a couple of hours later when our team crashed out of the World Cup.

Fans arrive early in the morning to watch the Rugby World Cup match on the big screen televisionFans arrive early in the morning to watch the Rugby World Cup match on the big screen televisionOne of Joburg’s oldest public parks, Joubert Park in the inner city suburb of Hillbrow is also one of the most used green spaces. It witnessed yet another historic moment in its 124 years this weekend, when fans arrived early in the morning to watch the Rugby World Cup match on the big screen television.

The quarter-final was played at Regional Wellington Stadium in New Zealand, and the time difference meant locals had to be up and glued to the screen early in the morning – by kick off at 7am the spirit was decidedly festive.

But some 90 minutes later all that could be heard at Joubert Park was a collective groan of so close yet so far. With just under 10 minutes of play remaining on the clock for the Springboks to clinch a victory against archrivals Australia, celebrations were building up among the Bok faithful.

The suspense was great as they waited for the referee to blow the final whistle to send the Boks through to the semis. Fans had gathered in various places across the country, such as pubs and parks, to witness the moment.

Referee
In Joubert Park they were united in song, praying hard for the breakthrough of the boys in green and gold. They waited with baited breath, with their fingers crossed for the final whistle, in a game where the referee, in one way or the other, influenced the outcome.

But it was just not meant to be. The hearts of those faithful were torn apart when the technically composed Wallabies squad kept on probing and finally broke the Boks’ defence to snatch victory with the slightest of margins, but enough to send the Boks packing.

Wearing the green and goldWearing the green and goldThe match ended 9-11 in favour of the Wallabies. With it, thousands of Springbok fans across the country shed a tear.

It was no different around the Township TV giant screen in the heart of Joubert Park, just behind the busy Noord Street Taxi Rank.

Sean Dalton, a diehard rugby fan who came to Joburg seeking employment, has been following the World Cup closely and has watched many of the matches at Joubert Park, a relaxing spot for him after a long day searching for a job.

Victory
“The boys have themselves to blame,” he said pragmatically. “If they had kept their discipline for the remaining few minutes they could have won the game comfortably. It was a very close call. If I were to rate it I would say it was fifty-fifty,” explained Dalton, who comes from Cape Town.

Another Springbok faithful, Tholakele Joseph, holds a different view. “I think the referring was just bad. We were playing against the Wallabies and the ref. South Africa should have won the game had their kept their focus in the closing minutes of the game,” he said.

The loss, however, would not discourage the Lesotho-born Joseph from rallying behind the team. “They did their utmost best, so we should congratulate them,” he said, relaxing on a chair and watching post-match interviews.

Siphiwe Tshabalala, a resident of the inner city who spends most of his free time in the park, attributed the defeat to careless mistakes and negligence in the second half. “I think the boys were over-confident after taking the lead. They thought they had won already; that’s what killed them,” he explained.

But with all said and done, a small group of the faithful were still hopeful that the squad would win the next world cup. They sang songs praising the team and the coach, Peter de Villiers.

The Big Screen Parks, where the matches are broadcast live, are the initiative of Johannesburg City Parks and its partner, Township TV. Joubert Park is one of eight Township TV parks fitted with big screen TVs.

The others are in Ivory Park, Diepsloot, Eldorado, Lenasia, Diepkloof, Orange Farm and Thokoza.