Saturday Dispatch Academies key in rugby
THE latest rugby developments underscore just how much ground will have to be made up for the Springboks to become a world force once again.
Last weekend the Springboks suffered what has been categorised as one of the most humiliating defeats suffered in the history of a national team that was once proud of its rugby superiority.
But it did not come out of the blue. Last year Japan shocked the Boks at the World Cup opener. Last Saturday, in the outgoing tour, it was Italy’s turn, in Florence, to rub salt into an open wound with a 20-18 win over a tired and unimaginative South African side.
The performance elicited outrage from all corners.
Bok legend Joel Stransky was quick to weigh in, describing the defeat as “catastrophic”, one “never imagined in our worst nightmare [that] it would be this bad”.
He echoed the sentiments of the current Springbok captain Adriaan Strauss, who felt players lacked that burning desire to succeed.
Bok coach Allister Coetzee, who must realise his days at the helm of a sinking ship are numbered, has named a number of uncapped players to face Wales in Cardiff today.
Talent or not, it is hard to see how they will make any difference to a directionless outfit which apparently has no clear vision or strategy to regain traction.
There has been talk of rebuilding the Bok fortress through the development of young players, but there is news that the SA Rugby Union (Saru) is planning to mothball its rugby academies next year due to cash constraints.
Saru administrator Monde Tabata said the Border Rugby Academy would be closing down in January.
The future rugby careers of a number of the Border and Eastern Province Academy intake will be uncertain and this is bound to affect the junior structures in the province too.
But of even deeper concern is how this will affect Super rugby, the “nursery” level of the Bok squads. Academies serve to hone the skills of black players in line with the Transformation Charter.
It may be worthwhile considering the success of academies such as those in Australia where the objective is to raise the sport from world-class to world best.
It is all about inculcating a programme of high performance over at least a 10-year period. Australia’s dominance on the cricket and rugby fields bear testimony to the value of the academies.
By shutting such structures in our sporting sphere the country’s rugby bosses don’t seem to get it. If South Africa wants to avoid further embarrassment and paroxysms of despair then every effort must be made to raise funds and keep our academies open.