Nick Mallett and two current Springbok heroes, Schalk Burger and De Wet Barry had a select number of fans spellbound with their insider stories and insights into the game at an exclusive Castle Lager Locker Room Function at the Newlands Rugby Stadium.
Twenty Springbok fans, who had won a competition on the Castle website, were invited along with three friends each, to the event held on Tuesday, the 6th of September.
Former Springbok coach and one of South African rugby's most respected and critical thinkers, Nick Mallett, praised current coach, Jake White, for his team's excellent performance so far this season. "Jake has taken a team that was lucky to be ranked 6th in the world to one that is ranked a very strong second," Mallett said in Cape Town on Tuesday.
Burger, who is known for putting his body on the line with every match, was asked how long he was going to last physically. "I'd rather be remembered as a good rugby player for six years than an average one for 12 years," Burger said.
What made the night's event unique was that after the two Bok heroes and coach regaled them with their experiences and their views on the way forward for SA rugby, the three took the Castle fans to the actual locker room where they prepare for their international matches against the world's greatest teams.
The evening's MC, broadcast personality Darren Scott, asked Barry (who is known for his ferocious tackling) who had tackled him the hardest ever - to which he replied, All Blacks star flanker, Jerry Collins. When asked who was the most difficult player to tackle, he answered: Os du Randt. "Did he even notice?" Scott quipped.
In showing their commitment to Springbok rugby, Castle Lager has two similar locker room functions coming up in Pretoria and Durban before the end of the year. The event follows a similar format to the Cape Town event and one held at Ellis Park last month.
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