WATCH: Meet your rugby heroes: Freddy Hirsch hosts Springbok legends in Alberton
There was great interaction between rugby legends and the community.
Freddy Hirsch created an opportunity for the community of Alberton to meet Springbok legends John Smit and Dick Muir at the Pick n Pay Newmarket on September 16.
Forming part of a series of Freddy Hirsch activations across the country during the Springboks’ campaign in France, Smit had a conversation with fellow Bok legend Muir.
They also had a chance to speak with rugby players from Alberton High School (Njabulo Ntombela, Themba Shangase, Luyanda Mangisa, Zinhle Sibeko and Emmanuel Ngindu) and the community in general.
There were also rugby merchandise giveaways for fans in attendance including the Bok’s jersey, which was won by Randhart’s Petro Lutting.
Smit and Muir took lots of photographs with the excited fans.
Muir took Smit down memory lane
Muir: “You played a massive part in the 2007 World Cup win. It was a time when the country needed it. How did you feel to know the country was behind you at that time?”
Smit: “The motivation was great. We had a four-year journey with Jake White and preparations were done well. When we won it, there was more emotion of relief because no one cared about second place. What we didn’t realise in that four-year journey was the actual impact of winning the World Cup.
We only realised the importance of it when we arrived at OR Tambo to thousands and thousands of people. It was the most humbling experience.”
Muir: “Let’s talk about the ‘bomb squad’. You played with many characters, and in every team, there are characters. If you were to choose a ‘braai squad’, what would it look like?”
Smit: “It depends on what you want to achieve from the braai. If you want to have a good time, John de Villiers is right up there and he’s always making jokes and pranks. Deon was my braai mentor. I will probably say Schalk Burger and Butch James, they will make a great braai.”
About Pick n Pay Newmarket
Muir introduced Bruno Barradas, the owner of Pick n Pay Family Newmarket. “This is the most successful and the largest store in the country. Please tell us your relationship with Oom Freddy,” he said.
Meet your rugby heroes: Freddy Hirsch hosts Springbok legends in Alberton pic.twitter.com/J2ruaaatEr
— Alberton Record (@RecordAlberton) September 26, 2023
Barradas said: “Firstly, I would like to thank you and John for being here. I think myself and the community are extremely privileged to have you here. To think in the next couple of hours John will be flying to France, he will be in Paris and commentating globally the world and yet you and I are here to share a moment with him. A big thank you, we are honoured to be in your presence.
“The relationship with this brand Freddy Hirsch goes to a gentleman called Freddy Hirsch. It started with the recently late Raymond Ackerman, so Raymond and Freddy were the best of friends. Freddy brought a lot of technology into Pick n Pay over many years; he has contributed significantly to the brand.
“This is a partnership that has been formed over many years and we are just here to stand on the shoulders of these amazing giants that came out ahead of us. That’s all about the great legacy.
“We are about legacy; legacy is the spice that we use in the butchery. So, all those fine boerewors products that you buy and shop every day, we’ve just upgraded our entire range. The range is nothing short of exceptional, the Freddy Hirsch team has been working day and night here, thank you as you have taken this butchery to another level,” he said.
Freddy Hirsch group head of marketing Clive Moore said he is very proud that the butchery looks like a legacy zone. He also mentioned that they chose Springboks because they are synonymous with the braai.
Springbok legends
Smit, a former Springbok captain, played a record 111 tests for the national side. He also turned out for the Sharks, as well as French club Clermont and English team Saracens during a memorable 15-year elite career. He retired in 2013.
Muir, who played five matches for the Boks and two games for the Blitzboks during his top-flight career, competed for the Sharks, Western Province and the Stormers between 1988 and 1998.
Since retiring as a player, he has become a successful coach at domestic and international levels.
Oom Freddy’s legacy
This exciting event is another way Freddy Hirsch and Oom Freddy’s Legacy is showing its commitment to the Springboks and South African rugby fans.
As the exclusive braai partner the Springboks, Oom Freddy’s Legacy boerewors and braai spice is perfect for fans who want to celebrate South African culture while watching the Springboks in action against the best teams in the world.
In other words, fans who want to braai for the Boks!
