Clinton van der Berg

Writer & storyteller with a passion for sport, media & meaningful moments. Bulls Comms man. Reader, runner, podcast enthusiast. Coffeeholic

[Global Statistics @Globalstats11]

Most Popular Sports in the World (1900-2026)

[Rory Petzer @RoryPetzer]

CHAMPIONS! YOH! WHAT THE HELL HAS HAPPENED TO JOBURG?

The robots are working!

[Official Blue Bulls @BlueBullsRugby]

Rugby is a family.

Today we stand together in mourning. On behalf of everyone at the Vodacom Bulls, we extend our deepest condolences to the 10Bet Lions @LionsRugbyCo family during this incredibly difficult time.

Our thoughts are with you. 💙

[Farai Mazhindu @FaraiMazhindu]

Rwanda is building a track completely from scratch, and Formula 1 is so sure they will deliver that they have already put pen to paper on a 10-year contract.

Meanwhile, South Africa, with an existing track that has fallen out of shape, isn't trusted to get anything done because the South African risk premium is simply too big.

Global capital now views South Africa as a dangerous, untrusted hazard while treating Rwanda as the absolute gold standard for institutional trust.

Formula One Group does not sign a decade-long agreement on raw hope.

They signed with Rwanda because Kigali has built an unshakeable reputation for flawless executive execution.

When the Rwanda Development Board guarantees a timeline, the regulatory red tape is liquidated overnight by a disciplined, single-window executive.

Global capital knows that a promise made in Kigali is a mathematical certainty.

Rwanda turned a blank plot of dirt in Bugesera into a low-risk, elite-aligned asset. Conversely, modern South Africa has become a dangerous, volatile bet that international investors simply refuse to underwrite.

Having the physical layout of Kyalami means absolutely nothing when your entire state apparatus is viewed as a structural liability. You cannot invite a multi-billion dollar global enterprise to a country crippled by terminal municipal decay, and deep institutional rot.

F1 teams cannot run their multi-million dollar telemetry systems on the gamble that local public utilities won't collapse mid-race.

South Africa's existing track falling out of shape is just a symptom of a much larger, systemic pathology.

The state is so deeply fractured by bureaucratic infighting, political posturing, and chaotic policy vectors that it cannot provide a credible, bulletproof sovereign financial guarantee to underwrite hosting fees.

The institutional decay is so severe that South Africa can no longer be trusted to manage, maintain, or secure projects of this level of complexity.
In the brutal arena of global statecraft, historical prestige is completely worthless if you are priced out of the market as an operational danger.

Rwanda won this contract because it aggressively engineered international trust, while South Africa mismanaged its massive head start into total structural irrelevance.

F1 didn't bypass South Africa because of politics, it bypassed South Africa because of math.

[Clinton van der Berg @ClintonV]

Mini classic brewing at Eden Park. Oz have their bite back.

[Clinton van der Berg @ClintonV]

If he takes the field for the Wallabies today, former All Black Aidan Ross will become the first men’s player of the pro era to play Test rugby both for and against New Zealand. The last to do it was 1981 All Black Jamie Salmon, who played for England against New Zealand in 1985.

[Clinton van der Berg @ClintonV]

Want to Live Longer? You Better Start Moving - All Day Long. | Outside Magazine https://t.co/TJQ0z1DyJW

[Clinton van der Berg @ClintonV]

Huge VURC game tomorrow, and Vodacom Bulls looking in good shape for the home match against the 10bet Lions. Hanro Liebenberg leads them for the first time since he did the job as a Currie Cup player before decamping to the UK seven years ago.

[Clinton van der Berg @ClintonV]

👏👏👏

[David O'Sullivan @davidosullie]

It’s here! @CheslinKolbe’s book goes on sale on 13 October. It was such a pleasure working with Cheslin, even when his jaw was wired shut for the last couple of sessions. Thanks to Layla for interpreting.

[Clinton van der Berg @ClintonV]

𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘥𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯 - with 24 players from each team for the launch of the Investec Champions Cup in Lyon. Embrose Papier representing the Vodacom Bulls. Out of the Ordinary.

[Clinton van der Berg @ClintonV]

@joshilewis @SARugbymag Down 42-17 at one point, second-most pts ever conceded to Oz. Forget the margin. Boks were humbled. Horribly.

[SA Rugby magazine @SARugbymag]

The Springboks’ cloak of invincibility was torn to shreds in Perth on Sunday as the Wallabies put a world of hurt on the world’s No 1 team, writes @ClintonV https://t.co/gHrffru23L

[Clinton van der Berg @ClintonV]

@playbokkle Lekker, thanks. Will do.

[Clinton van der Berg @ClintonV]

The Boks since 2019 RWC final almost impossible to beat & practically immovable when they lose.
72 matches
53 wins (73.6% win rate)
1 draw
18 losses (12 by ≤6)
In 66 out of 72 Tests, the Boks either won, drew, or were within a single converted try. Staggering dominance.

[SA Rugby magazine @SARugbymag]

When Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry kicked off at Ellis Park in August, few dared hope it could mend a relationship that had spent half a decade drifting apart, writes @ClintonV https://t.co/3sjcdzTtP4

[SA Rugby magazine @SARugbymag]

The Springboks’ 43-28 triumph over the All Blacks in Baltimore is more than another major victory, it reaffirms a glorious golden era, writes @ClintonV https://t.co/AyhSkZInKZ

[Clinton van der Berg @ClintonV]

Drama, controversy, and unmatched intensity. This SA-NZ series honoured every bit of this rivalry's great history. World-class staging, epic clashes, and new heroes stepping up, with Malcolm Marx cementing his status as the undisputed Man of the Series. 🏉🇿🇦🇳🇿

[Clinton van der Berg @ClintonV]

Comms shambles has taken the heat right out of the game, with Boks in the ascendancy.

[Rúaidhrí O'Connor @RuaidhriOC]

Another Test in the USA with broadcast and ref comms issues. Amazing this is happening again after the Soldier Field shambles

[Adam Kramer @KegsnEggs]

If you'e never read The Falling Man, you should do so. I post this on September 11th every year, and I find time to read it on this day every year. Still, in my eyes, the greatest piece of journalism I have ever read. https://t.co/gZgwzRoSgX