Please note that this event has been cancelled.
Cafe Rider brings inspirational storyteller Michael Charton performing 1937 Springboks: The First World Champions to Dubai on Wednesday 22 January 2020.
Michael stumbled upon the story of the 1937 Springboks in a second-hand bookstore in Cape Town.
A chance encounter which has inspired an improbable adventure. It began as nothing more than a mild curiosity about a successful Springbok tour.
But in time, as Michael tracked down more information, he would develop an unlikely connection with a collection of forgotten characters and a tour which remains at the heart of a unique rivalry within a unique sport.
Indeed rugby is a peculiar pastime. A game of strange contradictions where intense physical confrontation is balanced by a powerful value system.
And nowhere are these contradictions more evident than in the famous rivalry which emerged between the All Blacks and the Springboks in the early 20th century.
For here were two lands, deeply divided by their politics, yet bound by a shared passion for rugby. A passion which has seen rugby in these countries transcend sport and emerge instead as part of the very fabric of our national psyches.
The foundation of a unique and fiery rivalry which has both torn-apart and united both of our nations.
But 1937 was special. By then the All Blacks and the Springboks had asserted their combined dominance over the rugby world, yet their quest to conclude an unofficial world champion remained unresolved following the tied series’ of both 1921 and 1928.
So this third encounter – planned just as the world was spiralling towards war – would be the most anticipated series in the history of the game.\
Then, as if the contest needed more hype, both of those previous tours had been tarnished by unfortunate race incidents. Incidents which had rocked the fundamental value system upon which rugby had been built. Accordingly, this would emerge as a human story.
A carefully woven narrative involving a motley crew of farmers, students, bankers and teachers who were freed briefly from the throttling political narrative in South Africa and allowed to express themselves both as rugby players and as human beings. They did so famously, and in the process they captured the imagination of a generation of New Zealanders.
Yet even in the midst of this most brutal of rugby rivalries, the sportsmanship and value systems of these teams leap out at you through these characters.
A celebration of the chivalry associated with the amateur era and a powerful reminder – through an emotional sense of nostalgia – what is truly important in life and legacy.
Limited tickets are available for this amazing night which will include snacks and non-alcoholic drinks.
Timings:
Wednesday 22 January 2020 from 7.30pm to 9.30pm.
Price:
• AED 109 Early Bird - CANCELLED
• AED 129 General Admission - CANCELLED
