- The crowds in Pretoria and Cape Town this weekend were hugely encouraging for South African rugby.
- Both the Bulls and the Stormers hosted - and won - their URC quarter-finals.
- The Stormers will now host Ulster in the semi-finals next weekend.
South African franchise rugby, for the first time in a long time, is thriving.
Covid-19 has been the obvious stumbling block to crowds at venues over the last two years, but if team bosses and SA Rugby officials are honest with themselves, those struggles existed long before the pandemic hit in early 2020.
The final, dying stages of Super Rugby saw all South African franchises battling to get fans excited enough about the product to buy tickets and attend live matches, but this past weekend provided an injection of encouragement that suggests the future could be bright.
There were over 23 000 fans at Loftus on Saturday to watch the United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-final between the Bulls and the Sharks and then, later that night, there were over 20 000 at Cape Town Stadium to watch the Stormers beat Edinburgh.
With sporting venues only allowed to fill 50% of their capacity due to Covid restrictions, these fixtures were close to packed.
More impressive than the turnout at both venues, however, was the energy and excitement that came from the crowds.
South African rugby fans still have their voice, and they showed this weekend in Pretoria and Cape Town that they still care about their teams.
It was a fantastic advertisement for the game, and it came at a perfect time.
The gates are open! @THESTORMERS@Sport24news pic.twitter.com/4valKWQP3T
— Lloyd Burnard (@LloydBurnard) June 4, 2022
"It's great to see people coming back to rugby stadiums," said Stormers coach John Dobson.
"We sat here months ago, and we were so worried about how we'd get people back, but now you look at us playing a semi-final here next week, we've got a Test against Wales, the Sevens, the Champions Cup ... it's great to see.
"When we drove here on the bus to see the flags waving and the people hooting and the traffic ... it felt like the old days. It was brilliant, and it's good for everybody involved in the industry.
"It was really a special experience."
The Stormers, who won their quarter-final 28-17, have an even bigger home game this coming Saturday when they host Ireland's Ulster for a place in the final.
"I've got no doubt that whatever the capacity is next week, we'll get to it," Dobson added.
Kickoff on Saturday is at 15:00.