SA Rugby Museum

About this tour

After the advent of democracy in 1995, Nelson Mandela took to the pitch at Johannesburg's Ellis Park Stadium wearing a Springbok jersey to present the Rugby World Cup trophy to the triumphant Springboks. It was a hugely symbolic moment of post-apartheid reconciliation, a so-called "Mandela moment", when a divided nation was united by sport, and it cemented the stadium's place in the history books.

The stadium, now called Emirates Airline Park (though still popularly known as Ellis Park), is the home ground of the Lions rugby team. When there are no matches or events, you can tour the stadium with James Dalton Snr, an avid collector of rugby memorabilia.

Dalton Snr runs the stadium museum, which holds hundreds of items of sporting memorabilia relating to the national team and the local teams who played here, as well as signed shirts, caps, boots and balls from all of rugby's major national teams.

The behind-the-scenes tour starts at the museum, then takes in the changing rooms, commentary booths, the dugout and the pitch, with Dalton Snr regaling visitors with tales of great sporting victories along the way.