Potent Pastimes

Social history has until now proven to be the most suitable point of departure to pursue the wider connections between sport, leisure and society or explore the interconnections between sport and leisure on the one hand and Afrikaner political and cultural projects on the other. Afrikaner groups at various stages in the twentieth century sought to spend their time when they were not at work by attending dog races during the thirties in Johannesburg, holidaying at the beach at Hartenbos in the southwestern Cape in the fifties or supporting or playing rugby and later cricket. The unifying theme that runs throughout this book is the different ways in which sport and leisure practices during certain historical eras were connected with wider concerns in Afrikaner society and how they contributed substantially to shaping the Afrikaner world of sport and leisure. This analysis of sport and society has a wider relevance. While standard nationalistic interpretations of Afrikaner political history have withered away since the advent of the African National Congress in 1994, in rugby the story of the fame and glory of the Springboks and their grounding in Afrikaner historical memory has carried on largely uninterrupted.