Stormers v London Irish
Saturday 17 December 2022, 7:30pm local (5:30pm UK)

Cape Town (Kaapstad, iKapa) in the principal city of the Western Cape in South Africa. It is one of the country’s three capitals, and serves as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa.

The Stormers rugby club was formed in 1883 under the name Western Province Rugby Union. In 1997 they rebranded as the Stormers.

In 2022 they were champions of the United Rugby Championship, having beaten Ulster in the semi-final and Bulls (from Pretoria) in the final.

Cape Town Stadium

The team played at the historic Newlands Stadium for 131 years, but recently moved to the Cape Town Stadium, also known as the DHL Stadium.

Situated at Green Point, the Cape Town Stadium was built for the 2010 FIFA Word Cup. It has a capacity of 55,000.

Match Tickets

We’re currently talking to the ticket people at Stormers who have promised to reserve some seats together for us.

Tickets can also be purchased direct from their online ticketing system.

Getting to Cape Town

By air

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic fly direct from London Heathrow to Cape Town. There may also be direct flights from Gatwick. The flight time is around 11h30.

Other routes are available via some European cities, which can bring a saving to the eye-watering costs of the flights.

Where to Stay

There are plenty of hotels in the area around the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. Here you will find several places to eat and it is a short distance to the stadium at Green Point. Some people have already booked to stay at the Commodore Hotel and others at the Radisson Red.

Where to Eat and Drink

There are several places to eat around the V&A Waterfront including:

Things to Do

If you want to visit Robben Island, book well in advance to avoid disappointment.

Drive to Cape Point (watch out for the baboons, they are not friendly) via Muizenberg to Boulders Rock to see the Penguins. On the way there are plenty of places to visit and little harbours, where good food is served. The naval base of Simonstown, Fishhoek, Hout Bay (the best fish & chips in the Cape). Return along the Chapmans Peak Drive just to see the stunning views, heading to Camps Bay and then finish back in Cape Town.

Table Mountain is definitely worth a visit. Take the cable car for stunning views across the city.

If wine is your love visit the beautiful towns of Stellenbosch, Pearl, Robertson and Franschhoek with their many wineries.

Visit Hermanus to see whales.

Go to Bloubergstrand to see the full glory of Table Mountain with Signal Hill and Lions Head nestled next to the mountain. The Blue Peter has a great view from their outdoor dining area.

Remember that in December it is summer in South Africa. The Christmas break starts on 15th December in South Africa and carries on until early January. Schools will be on holiday and it will be busy.

The sea looks inviting, but don’t be tempted unless you are brave or have a wet suit. The water is cold. Very cold.

Cape Town is a beautiful city and is there to be enjoyed.

Visiting Cape Town – a personal view

Cape Town thoughts

Just back from a great week in Cape Town and I was also there at Easter so this is a current list of a few things. I’ve assumed that everyone will have sorted accommodation if you are going so I’ve not listed too many hotels etc. I will cover a few points on this though.

I’ve split this into general, bars, restaurants, things to see and some extended options and also taken into account the matchday location and associated places.  

General

The main tourist areas are very safe and we have not had any experiences to the contrary walking around the main areas in the day time. Ubers are very reliable and safe and cheap beyond belief so I would recommend using one to get around whenever you want but err on the side of caution at night. Ubers and not taxis. Citybus is supposed to be good too but Uber really is so easy and cheap.

Walking to and from the stadium with the crowds shouldn’t be an issue. I saw WP play the Cheetahs and the walk back to the Waterfront afterwards was fine. Stay in a group and don’t go off on your own.

Tips – please provide tips as this is how many people supplement very low wages. Remember 20zar is less than a quid.

Accommodation:

Staying at the Waterfront  has some very nice “drawbacks” – hard to find an excuse to go anywhere else and the most “touristy” of the areas but it’s very safe and has a huge range of accommodation, restaurants, bars etc. I stayed at the Victoria and Alfred at Easter and it was wonderful but they are having a lot of renovations so not sure the experience will be the same – it’s a great location and the people are amazing.

Mount Nelson is a family favourite of my South African cousins – high end but undeniably fabulous

On my last trip I stayed at this AirBnB and it was brilliant –  out of the waterfront area in de Waterkrant but a £2 Uber ride away and also really well located.

Things to do:

The Red Bus tour is fabulous and a cheap and easy way to see much of the area

Take to blue route and get off at Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens – stroll round and take the Boomslang (Tree snake) walkway – no snakes in the trees (probably), then get back on and change again at Constantia Nek and pick up the connecting purple route. Stop at Constantia Estate, take in the house and the wine tasting which is great value. The wine tour of the cellars ad process is ok but not a must do. Purple bus back to Constantia Nek then rejoin the blue route. Hop off at Hout Bay for food at Mariners Wharf – great seafood. Reboard the bus to Camps Bay and finish the day here for sundowners at any of the lovely bars and restaurants along the beach front. We had dinner at Mantra Cafe

Breakfast at Tiger’s Milk and lunch at The 41.

Then just Uber it back to your hotel. The City (red) route is also good and the Castle is worth a look.

District 6 Museum is a sobering reminder of the past and a trip to Robben Island is also recommended. There is a walking tour which runs 3 times a week I think otherwise it’s a ferry and bus tour – walking tour was fascinating but it takes from 0830 to 1430 so uses up a chunk of time.

Ferry to Robben Island gives great views back to Cape Town too

Breakfast in Bloubergstrand – take an Uber and get an outside table on the beach at the fabulous On The Rocks the views are breath-taking and walk the beach afterwards. A note on high winds though as later in the day they can pick up and it’s worth checking before you set off.

A boat trip out with Ocean Wonder was utterly wonderful. Paul, who runs his boat and business, is very knowledgeable and we had a great time – whales, dolphin, seals, sun fish etc. 100% recommended if you can. Covid wasn’t kind to the industry in SA and many boats have sadly folded but Paul managed to keep going and I am so glad he did.

Table Mountain is an absolute must – keep an eye on the weather though as it can close quickly. Worth following on twitter as they give the latest on opening an closing and weather ad visibility reports. If you have time and are able then its worth the walk. We used Table Mountain Hiking Trails and followed the Kasteelspoort route – not for the very faint hearted and requires some scrambling and ladders but a wonderful half day with the cable car down – thankfully! Riaan Vorster who runs the trips can guide you through the list and see which is best for you – nice guy.

Otherwise the cable car up and down is fine – nice bar at the top too and you can walk around the summit with a variety of trails.

Further trips

Aquila Game Reserve is well run and a fun day out

We did the combo safari with horse ride. It’s about 2 hours from Cape Town and whilst it isn’t an “authentic” safari like the Pilanesberg nor the Kruger, it’s reachable from Cape Town and well done with great facilities – lots of food too! If you don’t have time to tag on another location but want to see the majority of the Big 5 it’s a good day trip option. Again the people were all great, helpful and welcoming.

Stellenbosch and Franschoek – we haven’t personally been here recently but supposed to be wonderful and the wine tram looks good craic – you can use the red bus company to book. There are also some fabulous restaurants out here too but I don’t have personal experience so no recommendations

Bars and Restaurants

Cause Effect bar on the Waterfront – rated #53 in the world. Very close to the Ferrymans Irish Tavern – so a 2 for 1 basically. They also have a bar in Camps Bay which good for a cold beer

Raddison RED roof top bar – just off the waterfront, good fun, quite small. High winds mean you have to hold your pint!

The Piano Bar – small rooftop area and great tapas with live music nearly every night – jazz style. We went twice, we loved it! Good food, nice people. It’s in de Waterkrant so if you’re not nearby just Uber it! Next to the Cape Quarter mall which has a few shops to poke around, a Spar and great bottle shop (in SA supermarkets sell wine but beers and spirits need a bottle shop). Good selection of wines and a cold walk in beer store – lekker! 

The Black Sheep – fabulous food and a really lovely place, get a booking if you can.

La Parada – is a great lunch spot, try for a table outside and watch the world go by. Good food and good beers and wine – AND a good spot for pre match lunch as the walk to the stadium isn’t too far. They also have a branch at Constantia Nek.

Den Anker – Perfect sport for a lunch, might need to book if you want outside decking – great views of Table Mountain and walkable to the stadium. I’d book for dinner. Seafood a delight but caters for vegetarians as do all the above.

Bascule Bar has over 400 whiskies and a good choice of wines – cigars and brandy post game.

Supporters’ Clubs

We’re still trying to contact local groups.