Tri Nations is looming large ...

As a nation, South Africans are pretty much sports crazy and the Tri Nations* is loom­ing large once again. Drinking beer, eat­ing biltong and watch­ing rugby go hand in hand so we thought it appro­pri­ate to give a few options of great rugby watch­ing ven­ues.  If you haven’t been lucky enough to get a test match ticket then watch­ing the action sur­roun­ded by friends in a pub is the next best thing!

Johannesburg has a great num­ber of ven­ues on offer.  The Keg and Filly on Rivonia Road in Sunninghill (+27 (0)11 807‑5590) is a pop­u­lar water­ing hole for many, so it might be advis­able to book a table ahead of schedule. If you live in Bryanston, what about try­ing The Baron Bryanston (+27 (0)11 706‑0632), loc­ated on the corner of Main Road and Post House Road?  The Baron has a tra­di­tional bar but the new look Manhattan Grill prom­ises a deli­cious din­ner after the game ...

For those in the Fourways area, Molly Malone’s Pub in the Pineslopes Lifestyle Centre always prom­ises to enter­tain and fun will con­tinue long after the final whistle has blown … in fact the fun will prob­ably only start after the final whistle has blown!

Also in the Southern Suburbs, Oblivion Wine Bar & Restaurant in Harfield Village (corner of Chichester Road and 3^rd Avenue) is a great venue with big screen pro­ject­ors. Serving pos­sibly the best pizza in Cape Town and offer­ing a “bucket” spe­cial on beers (buy 6 get 1 free), this venue is very pop­u­lar with rugby fans, so book early (+27 (0)21 671‑8522). Win or lose, party­ing on the dance­floor (or for the brave ... on the tables) after­wards is great fun!

Not a ‘tra­di­tional’ rugby venue, but a great spot non­ethe­less, Rick’s Café off Kloof Street (+27 (0)21 424 1100) in Gardens has a plasma TV upstairs with comfy couches tucked under the eaves! Booking a seat­ing area is a good idea and with waiters pop­ping upstairs on a reg­u­lar basis you can ensure you drink will not run dry.  Head to the res­taur­ant and bar down­stairs after the game — you will not be disappointed!

Good spots in eTek­weni are Joe Cool’s, Billy the Bums and Cotton Fields.  Located at North Beach, you could com­bine a morn­ing on the beach with an after­noon at the recently ren­ov­ated Joe Cool’s (+27 (0)31 332‑9697). 

Well known for their great food and party atmo­sphere, Joe Cool’s has been enter­tain­ing Durbanites for years — After being voted the no 1 place to watch Rugby (out of the sta­dium) by 5fm listen­ers after the rugby world cup, Joe Cools will have a mar­quee spe­cial­ized for all live rugby matches and spe­cial sport­ing  events that are to come with a new sound sys­tem and big screen T.V. Worth check­ing it out!

Billy the Bums, also a firm Durban favour­ite, is loc­ated in Widermere Road (+27 (0)31 303‑1988) — You will need to try one of the fam­ous Billy’s cock­tails as you cheer on the Springboks.  There are tables and chairs posi­tioned out­side should you need to get a breath of fresh air! For those who live in Umhlanga, Cotton Fields on Lagoon Drive (+27 (0)31 561‑2744) is the place to be! A sports and enter­tain­ment bis­tro, Cotton Fields is well rehearsed in serving up great enter­tain­ment.  Three big screens and 10 TVs mean you won’t miss out and the large menu will cater for all tastes.

All that is left to do now is con­cen­trate on cheer­ing the Boks on to vic­tory!

If you know of other great places to watch the Tri Nations Rugby at, or feel we've left out some great places, please share your sug­ges­tion in the com­ments below!

* The Tri Nations is an inter­na­tional rugby union com­pet­i­tion played annu­ally between the three heavy weights of Southern Hemisphere rugby, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Useful Links:
South Africa Events
Things to Do in South Africa
South Africa Accommodation
Cape Town Accommodation
South African Rugby (Official Home of the Springboks)