Walking into the lobby of my hotel in Durban on Saturday morning, the crimson blaze of Lions support was electrifying; so too was the rest of the city, awash with fevered anticipation for the Test match. Driving to the ground (in surreal and mildly terrifying fashion, Rob Louw at the wheel of a convertible smart car, with Roxy wedged in the back and encouraging her dad to go even faster), the universe was clearly focused on a single South African rugby stadium; I?m not sure I?ve ever been quite so excited about a sporting event.

It was the build-up as much as anything that created the hype and hysteria. In the ten days leading up to the game, I?d been at a golf day with the Springboks, a dinner with Syd Millar (who joined the near-universal condemnation of the Springboks not playing in the provincial games, a serious issue for future Lions tours), and a pre-Lions dinner in Hong Kong with Dan Carter, Mark Andrews and Gareth Thomas (Andrews and Thomas picked the Lions to win game one but lose both Highveld matches; Carter went for a Springbok whitewash) — even six time zones away in an intoxicating corner of south-east Asia, the Lions tour was headline news.

And so, by the time we?d filmed Bok TV on Friday night (where Pieter de Villiers enhanced his new-found role as team comedian; he still sounds vaguely Welsh, but the improvement in public speaking has been remarkable), Saturday afternoon loomed irresistibly, the defining Test that the Lions simply had to win to stand a chance. A Springbok team without warm-up games and with uncertainty over key positions, a Lions team unbeaten on tour, and a mass invasion of Durban by Lions supporters in figure-hugging jerseys — if ever there was an opportunity for a winning start for the Lions, this was it.

Given five more minutes, they might just have snuck it, but some desperate defence, and a fortuitous case of swine flu that forced Deon Carstens off and John Smit back on to save the scrum (Carstens didn?t know he was sick until a medic came onto the field to escort him off), means we?re one-up. But for all the rugby importance to the game, and the questions for next week — Adrian Jacobs and the brilliant Heinrich Brussouw the key debates at present — it was the sense of occasion that triumphed on Saturday, and in particular, the spirit of the Lions fans.

Creativity isn?t a strong point in South African rugby crowds: the occasional chant of ?ole, ole? or ?Bokke!? is about as far it goes, and a helmet with beer cans attached is at the outer limits of wardrobe extravagance. Contrast that with the Lions hordes: full length Lions kaftans, Star Wars storm trooper outfits, cowboy suits complete with horses, Beefeater uniforms, and thousands upon thousands of red Lions jerseys, drenching the Absa Stadium in scarlet. Never before has a visiting team played in front of so close to a home crowd before.

The surge of red was in full cry in the closing minutes, some daft substitutions giving the Lions what had seemed like an unlikely shot at salvation, and while a Springbok victory was cherished with relief at the whistle, the sheer emotion of the collective Lions support was magnificent. And just as laudable was the attitude: the fans in front of me turned immediately, shook my hand, and offered congratulations. I?m not sure South African fans are always quite so gracious.

Saturday night ended in a blur of celebration, and on the back of the Durban loss, it?s difficult to see the Lions coming back. But they?ll be followed by a legion of rugby?s finest fans, knowledgeable and passionate about their rugby, yet not about to have their South African pilgrimage spoilt if results don?t go their way. The Springboks may have won Saturday?s Test, but it was the Lions fans who won the day, and made it quite such a splendid Saturday. If you?re off to Loftus or Ellis Park, you?re in for some fabulous company.

  • It?s late on Sunday afternoon as I write this, having dashed back to Jo?burg from Durban; throw in two Hong Kong flights this week already, and a big Saturday night, and getting on another ?plane wasn?t ideal. Taking a tender constitution to a gathering of 20 000 vuvuzelas is equally ill-considered, but then the chance to see Italy play Brazil doesn?t come around very often. My first taste of Confederations Cup football; the atmosphere in Bloemfontein on Saturday was apparently breathtaking, and the full house signs have been up at Loftus for months now. Quite a sporting weekend; I?ll report in later on the week, once the vuvuzelas have stopped ringing in my head.

  • Contact Dan at dan@metropolis.co.za