NEW SEASON, NEW HOPES

HAVE things ever been different with an approaching Super Rugby season? Next week, our favourite version of whizzbang rugby fires up again, 23 years after it was first formed in the thrilling aftermath of the 1995 Rugby World Cup. It has undergone several rejigs since and remains something we’re quite proud of – warts and all. Rugby needs all the help it can get in these trying times, not least an economy in freefall, so it was encouraging to see the success of Super Hero Sunday last weekend. The Cape Town bash offered lessons galore for rugby, chiefly the need to be a viable proposition for spoiled-for-choice consumers. Will these lessons be heeded by our four franchises, who must do more than just rack up wins in the coming months? They must be vibrant and compelling, must-see providers of action and tension. The other dynamic underpinning the 2019 edition is that it rolls out mere months before the World Cup. If ever there was a chance for players to thrust their hand up, this is it. We may know more or less the Springbok starting XV for the September opener against the All Blacks, but injuries, form and the vagaries of selection may open the door for unheralded players. Perhaps young tyros like Hacjivah Dayimani, Manie Libbok or Juarno Augustus might walk through it. Opportunity thus beckons for youngsters looking to stake a claim, not that’s it’s ever easy against the big, resourceful geezers from New Zealand. Last weekend’s pre-season hit-outs were fun and taking too much out of them probably isn’t smart. That said, an underdone Stormers side looked in decent nick against a Bulls team that showed good heart after losing their way early on. But it’s impossible not to wonder at what point the boardroom blues at Newlands will seep into the team. Coach Robbie Fleck was a decent defender in his day, but he’ll need all his wiles to protect his team from the suits. The Bulls will offer their usual grunt and power, especially with Duane Vermeulen leading the charge, but the jury is still out on the new coach, Pote Human. We’ll know soon enough whether he has the key to unlock their latent potential. The Sharks have been in a “rebuilding” phase for several years, but now it’s time for them to front up after being the nearly men for so long. They look solid fore and aft, blending experience with the precocity of youth. For all their promise, though, they probably lack a magician to make things happen for them, someone to fire them up. Finally, the Lions, SA’S standout team for the past three seasons. Somehow, they have always fallen short at the final hurdle, but they are good value for pure entertainment and harum-scarum rugby. They’ve been raided of several star players in recent months, but in Aphiwe Dyantyi they have SA’S most explosive talent, while Elton Jantjies will offer his usual blend of volatility and unorthodoxy to keep things interesting. Expect the usual New Zealand suspects to make the early running, but expect, too, to see renewed vigour from the SA teams. This is because they aren’t weighed down by expectation. Few expect them to court success, which is precisely why we ought to have more than a little to cheer.