I have written many times here about the fact that I bet with my head and not my heart and because of that I don’t support any particular team.  This past weekend was no different and when a down and out Springbok side was faced with a massive task of taking on New Zealand I was looking to oppose them. 

The bookies had no doubt who would win the game and the Boks were installed as 22 point underdogs and while they had their supporters at those levels I know of more punters who bet on New Zealand to win by 23 or more.  I also liked the All Blacks strongly and but for a power failure (which meant I watched the game on my Walka) I probably would have got more involved. 

As it happened I just had a small bet on New Zealand to lead by 13 points or more at half-time and when they raced into a 12-0 lead earlier on it certainly seemed like business as usual.  In fact I started thinking back to last year’s 57-0 loss in Albany but then the Boks hit back and managed to lead at half-time. That meant my bet was a loser and I decided not to get further involved while I waited for Eskom to get their house in order. 

Like most of the people watching I expected the Boks would crumble at some point and New Zealand could still ride out comfortable winners but as the game continued and the heroic Boks defense stood up time and again, I started feeling those old feelings of patriotism coming back.

I had no financial interest but I was glued to the tiny screen baying for the Boks to hold out.  The pressure that the All Blacks applied was immense and most teams would have faded under the onslaught, South Africa were absolutely inspired though putting in hit after big hit but as the final minutes of the game wound down you just had that feeling that the All Blacks were going to snatch it. 

In the end though Bok guts won the day and despite showing a loss on the match I found myself in an excellent mood with a feeling of national pride probably not experienced since 1995 before my sports betting days began.

Twitter: @BrentGraham

 
This article was written for the CitiGaming supplement of the Citizen Newspaper and was published on the 20th of September 2018.

Brent Graham is a blogger on www.goodforthegame.co.za and sends a  free weekly e-mail list just CLICK HERE to register