Broken hearts all round for SA – except EFF
THE hearts of rugby fans – and government officials – around the country were bleeding yesterday as South Africa got kicked out of hosting the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
In Durban, disappointment was written all over the faces of eThekwini mayor Zandile Gumede, her officials and representatives of the KZN Rugby Union when it was announced in London that France would be the host.
South Africa had been the preferred bidder for the tournament and Gumede had invited guests to view the announcement at the presidential suite in Moses Mabhida Stadium.
The dejected mayor said one should always leave room for disappointment.
“We were looking at all the spinoffs… tourism, infrastructure and job opportunities for our people. As eThekwini, we still have other opportunities for world-class events, but the loss of this bid will remain a disappointment,” she said.
Francois Louis, president of the KZN Rugby Union, said he could not believe South Africa had lost the bid, but congratulated France.
“We thought our delegation did a great job. Our bid was great. Nevertheless, this is one of those things you have to be prepared for.”
What surprised him most was that South Africa had been the preferred bidder, above Ireland and France.
“Before the voting process the technical committee of the Rugby World Cup sat and assessed the three bids and said South Africa was the best of the three.
“Unfortunately, the committee doesn’t have a say in the voting process. Only the voting states decide which country should host the tournament,” he said.
Thirty-nine voting states used a secret ballot to select the host country.
Louis said SA’s strong points were infrastructure and the successful hosting of the Rugby and Soccer World Cups in 1995 and 2010 respectively.
South Africa has hosted the Rugby World Cup only once – in 1995 – a showpiece still viewed as an event that unified the nation with “Madiba magic”.
After the Springboks’ historic 15-12 win against the All Blacks at Ellis Park, the preparations and gunning for support for the national team by Nelson Mandela resulted in the documentation of the feat in a Hollywood film, Invictus.
“Technically, it went wrong in the voting process. What I’m hoping for is that the South African Rugby Union makes a concerted effort for the 2027 tournament,” Louis said.
Floyd Shivambu, deputy president of the EFF, said it was a good thing SA lost the bid.
He said: “These events come with lots of promises that don’t get fulfilled and the benefits of hosting do not trickle down to the people on the ground. Let’s just congratulate France and continue focusing on the development of South Africa.
“Let’s give houses and other basic needs to our people. Had South Africa won the bid, ordinary citizens would not have benefited from projects hatched in preparation for the tournament.”
The South African Rugby Union (Saru) said it was “bitterly disappointed” at losing the bid in a secret ballot. Union president Mark Alexander said he was sure the country would eventually fulfil the dream of hosting the tournament again one day, but “our hearts bleed it will not be in 2023”.
He apologised to the people of South Africa for raising their hopes.
“We did everything in our power to bring the tournament to South Africa and we expected to have that right confirmed today.
“We produced a compelling bid document that earned the unanimous recommendation of the Rugby World Cup Ltd board. That recommendation was questioned last week by rivals, but endorsed a second time by World Rugby last week.
“However, the view of the experts and World Rugby’s leadership was overturned by World Rugby Council members, who may have had other factors to take into account. We cannot hide our desolation but, for the sake of rugby, we wish the 2023 tournament hosts every success,” Alexander said.
He said after a fourth, successive disappointment in the Rugby World Cup bidding process, it was difficult to know where South Africa would go now.
“It will be for the next generation of SA Rugby leaders to decide whether to compete for the 2027 tournament or beyond,” he said. “I am sure our country will fulfil the dream of hosting the tournament once again some day.”
Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby, ruled out suggestions that his organisation might challenge the vote.
“We have said throughout that we would honour both the letter and spirit of the process and we now consider the 2023 bidding process closed.
“However, in the feedback sessions I am sure we will be recommending to the World Rugby Council that the verdict of the evaluation committee becomes binding. World Rugby ran an exhaustive and transparent process for 15 months to identify the best host nation, only for the process to go entirely opaque for the past two weeks,” Roux said.