There are certain towns and cities that are perfect locations for fans of particular sports to visit. Whether it’s the promise of seeing famous grounds, stadiums and arenas where iconic moments have occurred, visiting the birthplaces of famous sporting faces, or perhaps just the fact you know you’ll find that your preferred sport is being played and enjoyed at the highest level.
Whatever it may be if you’re a fan of rugby union, then Cape Town should be high on your bucket list, as not only does it have its fair share of the above, there’s many more sights and sounds connected to the sport that you’re sure to love.
Here are a few examples why:
The Newlands Stadium
The Newlands Stadium isn’t just Cape Town’s oldest stadium, it’s South Africa’s oldest. It first opened in 1888 and has been the venue for many international games, most famously during the 1995 Rugby World Cup and was the home of Stormers and Western Province. You’ll need to head there soon though as there are rumours it could one day be sold and redeveloped.
The Cape Town Stadium
In a similar vein to the above, if you want to flash forward to the modern era of rugby union than the Cape Town Stadium is where you should head. This stunning 55,000-seater arena is impressive enough as a feat of engineering, but it’s the connection to rugby that really makes it special. It has also hosted the South Africa Sevens tournament since 2015 and if you stay on top of the latest Springboks news you might be lucky to get tickets and catch a game.
The Famous Ruck & Maul Restaurant
Situated just outside the city, the famous Ruck & Maul restaurant is essentially a rugby museum and place to eat and drink all in one. You can find a number of fascinating collections of memorabilia and artefacts from South African rugby, plus plenty of great food, beer and many screens to watch matches with like-minded fans. You can even book an ‘Ultimate Rugby Experience’ package that will get you to the restaurant and which will allow you to see first-hand the collections of celebrated former player Choet Visser and South African rugby enthusiast Theo Gustyn.
The Rich Rugby Union Heritage
Cape Town used to have a museum dedicated to the achievements of the Springboks, but this sadly had to close due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite this though there’s still a rich rugby union heritage around the city and Cape Town is also home for top Springbok players such as Willie le Roux, Morné Steyn, Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit to name just a few. Plus, United Rugby Championship professional side Stormers are based in Cape Town, so with this there’s every chance of bumping into some of the game’s biggest stars.
