Stormers in a 'good space'

The City of Sails Auckland is also very good space - paradise on earth in fact unless you're a visiting SA rugby side about to get a potentially season ending defeat at the hands of the Kiwis.

Likely to be brought down to earth with a thump is our resident space cadet and waste of space Beeno. A great candidate for that one way Mars mission being advertised if their was one .

So watch this space..

As for the blues things are bound to get bluer still. Book ya apppointment with your councellor early. Bwahahahahhaha.   If ou large stain is anything like my friend brycy will we see him for weeks after Saturday?

Kiwi's are one of the worst nations in the world for spending money so I dont see all those South Auckland Blues fans making the trip up North unless they have a damn good public transport system. I predict a great Stormers win infront of a "home" crowd...Come on the Stormers!!!

ps..Blues rugby should have taken this game further south. Ask the Chiefs if they can use Eco light stadium in Pukekohe because anywhere else and its gona be an SA invasion!!!

NZ strikes me as physically beautiful and of course they are rugby mad. I know its a little backward, but that would not bother me. 

NZL is a beautiful place. The scenery is beautiful but no more beautiful than SA. For all SA is, we are blessed with scenery and views. I only have SA to compare NZL to as those are the only 2 places I have lived. Have not spent long enough in Aus to make the call. In my opinion though, SA and NZL are more beautiful than Aus.

NZL is much like a mini version of SA but SA people are a lot more "exciting" if you will. We are always up for the beach and going for a beer. Its a little different here but I can assure you Saff, you will find friends that have similar interests to you and you will love it. Cold, sometimes miserable winters but summer totally makes up for it. Its a nice place. Only flaw is they cant produce straight rugby refs ;-)

I must admit I settled straight away here

My conclusion is the emigrant will always be a bit unsettled. But family, friends, health and a sense of purpose and you will be mostly happy. Oh yes, and also access to rugby.

My biggest regret is that I dont have mom a stones throw away and my boys have missed out on a gran, an aunt, uncle and cousin on my side of the family. Luckly they do have that family bond on their mothers side, so all is not lost, but................

England is my house, SA my home. 

I think about SA a lot. Most of the times we hear all the bad coming out of SA and then you know you have made the right decision but other times I think about the great people of SA, my friends, the social side, the places and I get a little down.

I left in 2010 so I am reletively "fresh" but do you think that will ever change? Do you think one will ever really get over it so to speak?

How about you Saff? Are you a pom now or do people meeting you for the first time know without a doubt that you are South African?

One thing that I suppose is hard to get used to here is the way guys like to drink. Obviously there is a big drink and drug culture in NZL but so is there in SA but the difference between most South African's and Kiwis is the spending money to socialise aspect. Drinking out is expensive in NZL, I dont doubt that, but no one says you have to go overboard.

A box of 15 beers in NZL might cost you $25. Drinking out will cost you about $8 per beer! As you can see, the difference is about 12 beers at home vs out and thats the problem. A lot of kiwis will stay in doors and get pissed then head out or not be able to make it out. In NZL they wont serve you alcohol or let you into a bar if you are too intoxicated so really defeats the purpose of getting pissed at home.

In SA, guys are always keen to go for a beer. Get out in the sun or head to a social spot and have a few beers to watch a game of rugger or just to be social. Its not just a case of drinking to get frot! I went back to Durban last year and we were always at Beach bums, Joe Cools or Durban underwater club (all on different beaches along the coast) or Billy the Bums or somewhere else in umhlanga at night. We had the odd get togethers at friends houses where heaps of us would sink a few then headed out but generally its about getting out and socialising.

Very different here. They have some awesome spots along the viaduct but at any stage of the day, you will see these relatively smaller pubs as they are here still not even close to full of patrons and even when you are out and about, people stick to their own groups! Suppose its just different cultures but that is definately one of the things I miss the most. The friendliness of SA people and the ease at which you meet people.

So I take it the home vs house thing never really changes then and you still have your days where you miss home till it hurts?

One other thing about the spending money and being social. Just look at a rugby game in SA vs NZL. We will get crowds of 35 to 40 thousand attend some games. NZL will not even quarter fill a 17000 seater stadium most games. We get as many people turn up to a premier club game as they do a Super rugby game. Why though?? Its a an event to socialise and make a night of it! Come on Kiwi's!! Put your hands in your pockets. Head to a Sharks match in Durban and get some tips on pre and post match socialising...Just watch the roid bunnies ;-)

Poms know I am a Saffa given the accent I suppose, but I have always found the Poms to be very friendly and their sense of humour is second to none. But I think its ultimatley how you interact with people, I always tend to dive in, I dont interact as someone different, I interact as one of them. Being a Saffa, adds a little spice to that interaction. Poms respect us as they know we are hard working, driven and take no crap.....they also know we play hard.

All my mates are Poms, I have a good few mates from Uni and school days in SA, that now live here but they tend to live some distance away from me. My life revolves around work and the kids sport (rugby and cricket) so I have no complaints, many of my good mates are parents of kids that are in my sons teams. Being 40 odd now, the days of pubs and clubs are long gone - much of my socialising is on the side of the field followed by a gathering at one of our homes for an evening of food and drink. Its one big happy family really.

I have no desire to move back to SA at all, quite the opposite. I do intend following the sun when I retire, so 6 months in SA and 6 months in England might be on the cards - but thats 20 years away

SA a risky place to live. Very poor governance threatens all.