Arum Lilies on top after Zuma magic
Big Pik
12/07/2010 07:36:47 AM – (Equatorial Guinea)
Ex president Nelson Mandela (oops, sorry –Rholihlahla… don’t wanna upset Dr Nokuzola Mndende..) isn’t the only one who can inspire national sport teams to greatness.
The South African president, Mr. Jacob Zuma, (sorry, wasn’t too sure if he’s been awarded with a doctorate?? Well, pretty sure he’s not a medical doctor… not after the whole “I took a shower” episode.. maybe a plumber then?), weaved his magic wand in Equatorial Guinea on Saturday, inspiring the Arum Lilies to a 10-5 victory in the process.
Although the victory helped secure second spot in their qualifying group, it was a case of ‘too little too late’ for the Arum Lilies, as they can no longer qualify for the African Cup, which will be held in Kenya during September.
Zuma, who was on an Official State Visit to Equatorial Guinea to commemorate their Independence, managed to clear his busy schedule to support the Arum Lilies in Malabo.
“We were so proud when he walked into the changing room. His mere presence inspired us to give our best out there today!” the Arum Lily captain, Luke Watson said afterwards.
Watson, playing in his first competitive match since rupturing his "human rights” (again) earlier this year, said he was just “so chuffed to finally complete a match without any sporadic vomiting”.
Right wing(er), Jannie Malherbe (the only so called “quota player” in the team) managed to break the deadlock with a try at the end of the first half, after a fine piece of individual brilliance by Watson.
It was the Arum Lilies’ first try in 3 matches, after previous scoreless efforts against Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Libya.
“I am very happy with the performance” an elated coach Zola NoNo said afterwards.
“It was an extremely physical battle, and a more inexperienced outfit might’ve struggled to deal with the distractions we had to put up with before the match” NoNo said.
The coach was referring to an incident which occurred only moments before the match was scheduled to start, when referee Marius van Zyl had to withdraw due to an injury he picked up during his warm-up. The injury to the referee nearly led to the cancellation of the match, as earlier in the year a decision was made at the African Rugby and Soccer Expo (A.R.S.E), all future matches "to be officiated by dumb Dutchmen only."
Luckily for NoNo and his team, Francois Pienaar – “the dumbest Dutchman of them all” was in the crowd, and he was able to take the whistle, and the match commenced after a delay of only 22 minutes.….. (phew!)
The Arum Lilies now have a 3 week break before they’ll play in a friendly match against Namibia in Cape Town. This fixture replaces the originally scheduled international against Romania in Bucharest, which was cancelled after visas could not be secured for players, management staff and SABC personnel.
South Africa - Try: Jannie Malherbe. Conversion: Luke Watson. Penalty: Luke Watson.
Equatorial Guinea -Try: Precious Mbatha.
Man of the match: Luke Watson
Attendance: 541
