As the Lions tour to South Africa comes to an end, Donal Lenihan recounts a pre-match experience with a difference.

SOWETO, probably the most famous township in the world and a remnant of a time that brought so much focus and attention to South Africa. It was here in 1976 that the student marches sparked the changes which ultimately led to the release of Nelson Mandela and the establishment of majority rule.
Today Soweto remains a sprawling expanse with housing ranging from very modern European style to the worst corrugated constructions you could imagine. The poverty in most of the area is extreme. It is home to four million people, more than the population of Ireland and half the population of Johannesburg.
Having had a comprehensive tour of the area last Thursday, I returned on Saturday morning for a function hosted at Soweto rugby club. In all 2000 Lions supporters all travelling with Gulliver’s Sports attended a game against the locals and were royally entertained. It was a massive event for the community and the look on the kids’ faces when rugby gear, Lions hats and tee shirts were distributed was heart warming.
The real excitement though started when 55 tour busses travelling bumper to bumper drove in convoy through the heart of the area supported by police outriders with sirens blazing all heading for Ellis Park. The whole community lined the sides of the road and clapped enthusiastically to acknowledge these crazy visitors all clad in red. It was a great prelude to the third test.
Sport is one of the things that helps to keep this community alive. All the kids play soccer in the streets and dream of one day playing for Bafana Bafana, the national soccer team. Rugby is also growing in popularity with an increasing number of youngsters participating.
It seems rather strange in an area much of which is still without electricity and running water that a 65,000 capacity soccer stadium for the local team borders the township and only a mile up the road the incredibly impressive new stadium - the FNB Orlando which will host next year’s soccer world cup final - is nearing completion at a cost of millions and millions of rand. While it is a massive structure with a striking resemblance to a space ship and has a capacity of 110,000, somehow you just cannot escape the feeling that with such poverty within touching distance that money could be a lot better spent. Then again one suspects that education rather than money is what is most required in the area.