Next to the new FIFA World Cup stadium in Durban is the ABSA stadium, home of The Sharks, a team with a great heritage, if slightly inconsistent performance. Sharks games are great to watch – the crowd is boisterous and passionate, and the antics of the mascot Sharky are normally good for a laugh or two. The open area outside the ground is colonised by pick-up trucks with their tailgates lowered, the perfect platform for a barbeque (known as a braai in South Africa), supplemented with a few cans of cold beer – the classic Sharks post-match party. If you happen to be invited along or wandering through it all after a game, keep an eye out as the Sharks players very often wander out to join in the festivities.
