• Mbombela was hot, but fans were ready in their throngs for the city’s first Test in six years.
• The All Blacks and the Springboks will meet at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
• The Springboks haven’t beaten the All Blacks in South Africa in eight years.

In Mbombela

The thing with places like Mbombela is that you can immediately notice when there’s a big event.

LIVE | Springboks v All Blacks

From a rugby perspective, they don’t come much bigger than the Springboks hosting the All Blacks. It’s the biggest Test on the South African calendar, and people know this.

If there were people who trickled in dribs and drabs on Friday, they were in their numbers on Saturday.

The city and its establishments were ready for the occasion, with beers and breakfast in green and gold being paired together.

Sport24 took time to visit some establishments, and while they weren’t packed to the rafters, they were green and gold in every sense of the word.

The iLanga Mall was buzzing, as were a few other places, but the Jock Pub and Grill really warmed to the Bok hosting task.

There were two beer gardens at the establishment packed with all sorts of green and gold fans.

It also helped that the joint was close to Laerskool Nelspruit, which served as the parking point for the functional park & ride system.

One can now safely say it’s all systems go for the Bok Test, with the hosts only having one job and one job only: To break the eight-year hoodoo and do so with some style.

Kick-off is at 17:05.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred

In times of uncertainty you need journalism you can trust. For 14 free days, you can have access to a world of in-depth analyses, investigative journalism, top opinions and a range of features. Journalism strengthens democracy. Invest in the future today. Thereafter you will be billed R75 per month. You can cancel anytime and if you cancel within 14 days you won’t be billed.