What: Rugby: British & Irish Lions Tour
Where: South Africa
When: May 30-July 4
Why: South Africa was a happy hunting ground for the Lions on their last visit and after the misery of the 2005 Test whitewash in New Zealand under Clive Woodward, this tour offers the chance of redemption.
Brian O’Driscoll will also be hoping to last longer than the first few minutes of the opening Test. We now know the make up of Ian McGeechan’s 37-man squad and as expected there will be 14 of Declan Kidney’s Grand Slam-winning Irish squad making it onto the plane heading south of the Equator.
Throw in 13 Welshmen, eight English and a couple of Scots to be led by Munster warrior Paul O'Connell and you have the cream of British and Irish talent ready to take on the Springboks.
It looks set to be an epic that will peak with a three-Test series against the world champions in Durban, Pretoria and Johannesburg.
And don’t forget it will be winter when you get down there – it could get a little chilly in the evenings.
Itinerary:
Saturday, May 30 Royal XV v British and Irish Lions, Royal Bafokeng Sports Palace, Rustenburg
(13:00 GMT, 15:00 local)
Wednesday, June 3 Golden Lions v British and Irish Lions, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
17:00 GMT, 19:00 local
Saturday, June 6 Free State v British and Irish Lions, Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
13:00 GMT, 15:00 local
Wednesday, June 10 Natal Sharks v British and Irish Lions, Kings Park Stadium, Durban
17:00 GMT, 19:00 local
Saturday, June 13 Western Province v British and Irish Lions, Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
13:00 GMT, 15:00 local
Wednesday, June 17 Coastal XV v British and Irish Lions, Crusader's Ground, Port Elizabeth
13:00 GMT, 15:00 local
Saturday, June 20 FIRST TEST: South Africa v British and Irish Lions, Kings Park Stadium, Durban
13:00 GMT, 15:00 local
Tuesday, June 23 Emerging Springboks v British and Irish Lions, Newlands Stadium, Cape Town
17:00 GMT, 19:00 local
Saturday, June 27 SECOND TEST: South Africa v British and Irish Lions, Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria
13:00 GMT, 15:00 local
Saturday, June 4 THIRD TEST: South Africa v British and Irish Lions, Ellis Park, Johannesburg
13:00 GMT, 15:00 local
Package: The Lions have appointed four Official Licensed Operators (OLOs) for supporters’ travel packages to South Africa, all of which are based in England and whose contact details are available at http://www.lionstour.com/. All offer various options for touring, covering one, two or all three Tests, to trips encompassing the full tour with stays from four nights to 39-night epics
From Ireland, Munster Sports Travel (http://www.munstersportstravel.com/), in association with England Rugby Travel (one of the four OLOs) offers a 19-night, 20-day, three-Test tour that also includes the midweek game against the Emerging Springboks, flying from Dublin or Cork for €5,500 per person sharing and including flights, transfers, hotels, match tickets and a visit to the Kruger National Park as well as an official Lions jersey.
Recession buster: Club Travel Sports (http://www.clubtravel.ie/) is offering a flights (via Istanbul) and match tickets only packages for two- and three-Test stays without accommodation from €1799.00 plus €249.00 taxes. Insurance and transfers between cities are also excluded.
Check out http://www.lonelyplanet.com/ for reviews of South African hostels and budget accommodation while the country’s inter-city trains known as the Shosholoza Meyl (http://www.spoornet.co.za/) are cheap and considered safe and comfortable, at least during daytime journeys.
HOWEVER: While accommodation, travel and day-to-day costs (budget US$25-$50 a day according to LonelyPlanet.com) may be cheaper when going it alone, and tourist areas are highly policed and generally safe, making your own way around South Africa may be a problem given the well-publicised crime problems in the country. Big city metro train systems such as in Jo’burg, Pretoria have had problems with violent crime while business visitors often employ bodyguards for their trips. Please read the travel advice for South Africa issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Ireland (http://www.foreignaffairs.gov.ie/) or the UK's Foreign & Commonwealth Office (http://www.fco.gov.uk/) before considering independent travel within the country.
My mum and dad went to South Africa and brought me back: A wire sculpture. These innovative craft pieces, also made with scrap metal are made all over the country on sold on the streets of virtually every city.
When in Johannesburg: visit the Apartheid Museum, on the corner of Gold Reef and Northern Parkway Roads, a powerful reminder of the injustices that tore South Africa apart until very recently.
Home from home: Any pub showing the Tests.
Local brew: Forget the beer, taste a red wine from Stellenbosch, considered the finest wine area in South Africa. Try a cabernet sauvignon, merlot or pinotage from producers such as Kanonkop, Meerlust, Rustenberg, Thelema and Warwick.
Event website: http://www.lionsrugby.com/
Essential DVD research: Living With The Lions – the official diary of the 1997 tour.