Saturday, 19th May 2007 at 1:05 pm

Durban goes completely mad

The airport has been chaotic since Thursday, bottle stores are like Woolworths the week before Christmas, and half the city would happily exchange a kidney for a rugby ticket. Super 14 at last has an all South African final, and Durban is quite beside itself; quite simply, there has never been a bigger Saturday in the city, and until David Beckham signs up to ride Britney Spears in the Vodacom July, there never will be.

It means the fields around the Absa Stadium will be packed from early Saturday, the timeless elegance of glistening boerewors and cold beer preparing one hell of a crowd for what could be the biggest day in KwaZulu-Natal rugby history. For if the Sharks pull off a victory — and Feverpitcher suspects they will, boerewors and beer will make way for cane and cream soda, and Durban will descend into drunken bliss.

All of which makes it the centre of South Africa on Saturday, the Absa Stadium a temporary temple to the newfound delights of the local game. For once the New Zealanders and Australians have the weekend off come final time, and that alone is reason to dance in the streets; if the Sharks do cap their top-of-the-log status with a trophy, however, then Durban will be one massive carnival on Saturday night. And probably most of next week as well.