World of rugby is not immune to fake news
With this country under attack from the nefarious colonialists known as Bell Pottinger, #FakeNews is very much in the spotlight and rugby was not immune this week when an Afrikaans news agency released a report saying Cheetahs coach Franco Smith was in line to become the new Lions mentor.
The report went on to suggest Brendan Venter, who worked with Smith as one of the Springbok consultants for the French series, would also be heading to Ellis Park.
It only took a day for the reports to be exposed as #FakeNews, with Smith issuing a statement saying he would be staying at the Bloemfontein-based franchise, who are, of course, standing at the brink of an exciting new future in European rugby.
Venter also quashed any suggestions of a role with the Lions and left no doubts that he believed current assistant coach Swys de Bruin should succeed Johan Ackermann.
“I am fascinated by reports suggesting I am joining the Lions. They are a great team, but in Swys they have the perfect replacement for Ackers. I have no desire to be a full-time rugby coach at this stage of my life. My boys are at school and my medical practice is my priority. I do wonder how anybody with any credibility can speculate about Franco or my involvement without asking our opinion. Just stating the facts,” Venter tweeted.
And does any leading rugby figure do social media better than the former Springbok midfield hardman? His Twitter account (@BrendanVenter) strikes the perfect balance between concise, erudite rugby opinion and some great snaps from his rugby travels, while his love for family clearly shines through as well.
Ken Borland
According to Aristotle, nature abhors a vacuum and I guess news does as well, so the overeager hacks at Netwerk24 obviously weren’t happy with the speed at which the wheels are turning at Ellis Park. The Lions are an exceptionally stable union now under Rudolf Straeuli and Kevin de Klerk, and I would be staggered if they did not appoint De Bruin as Ackermann’s successor.
It is the move that would ensure the most continuity and maintain the fantastic culture that is so evident at the Lions, but as Straeuli has pointed out, there is a process to be followed. They have had to first of all wait for the formality of their future participation in Super Rugby to be confirmed, and they also have the more pressing matter of a Currie Cup coaching staff to appoint.
One thing that does have to happen with a dash of speed though is the introduction of the Cheetahs and Southern Kings into the Pro12, the old Celtic League plus Italian teams, a qualifying tournament for the European Champions Cup (former Heineken Cup).
The Pro12 has confirmed its desire to expand and that talks have been held with SA Rugby, while the BBC has run a report saying the Cheetahs and Kings will be invited to play as early as September this year.
The Pro12 has its attractions with the lure of pounds and European rugby currently being economically strong, while travel should be a lot less onerous. The South African rugby public has been crying out for something new and fresh (and with tournament integrity unlike Super Rugby) and the good folk of Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth might just be the lucky trailblazers in this regard.
The nitty-gritty of playing in a European competition still has to be worked out, with the clash with the Currie Cup, the concentration of fixtures through December, when players have to be resting according to the agreement SA Rugby has with the players’ association, and whether the Cheetahs and Kings have the big-name players to attract the European market, all needing to be resolved.
But depending on the success of the experiment with the two guinea pigs axed from Super Rugby, the cracks in the southern hemisphere competition could begin widening.
The brave new world of South African rugby might just be to the north.