by Dan van Straaten March 17, 2022 0 Comments

Keep playing rugby and keep on braaing with wood!

You probably know my two biggest passions by now. I love rugby. And I love braaing with real wood.

Starting Let’s Braai has brought some cool perks. I get to meet South African rugby players I usually just watch on TV. A few of them even play for the Springboks. But the one thing they all have in common is a love for a proper braai. It gives them a taste of home right here in the UK.

I met a lot of great guys over the years

I hung out with the giant Springbok centre Andre Esterhuizen. He plays for Harlequins. Marco van Staden is another Springbok beast who joined Leicester Tigers. I also met Jaco Taute and Hanro Liebenberg from Leicester. Pieter Scholtz plays tighthead prop for Wasps. We got a great photo of him with my five year old daughter Analine. JP du Preez plays for Sale Sharks. He’s over two meters tall. And I caught up with GJ van Velze who recently captained Worcester Warriors.

We also bumped into John Mitchell earlier this year. He was the attack coach for Wasps and now helps the Japanese national team. He used to be the head coach of the All Blacks and the defence coach for England. So he knows his stuff. John really enjoys braaing with our hardwood.

Lets-Braai-Wood-BBQ-Firewood-Hardwood-UK-rugby

We run Let’s Braai from Coventry

That puts us just a few miles from the actual town of Rugby. William Webb Ellis picked up a football there and ran with it back in 1823. That simple move started the entire sport. Now the World Cup trophy has his name on it.

The World Cup is always the perfect excuse to light a fire

The first tournament happened in 1987 when the All Blacks beat France. England lost to Australia in the 1991 final. Then South Africa took the trophy in 1995 against the All Blacks. We beat England to win it again in 2007. And the Springboks brought it home again in 2019. The 2023 tournament is in France. My wife Eglantine is French. So I’m really hoping for a South Africa versus France final.

You need the right fire to watch the matches. We have all the wood you need in stock right now. You can pick up Kameeldoring, Sekelbos, Rooikrans, and Mopane. Grab a box before the next game starts. Keep playing rugby and keep on braaing.