All the rock stars have long gone

WE ARE oversaturated with “how to fix the Boks” commentaries. I can’t read another word about what has to be done in the short and long term to save the mortally wounded antelope.

But let’s move away from the macrocosm and for the sake of just this one column, let’s pick out the micro problem of the export of intellectual capital to Europe and Japan.

This is, or course, related to the catastrophic decision of a weak-willed South African Rugby Union to allow the selection of foreign-based players for the Springboks.

Jake White, the 2007 Rugby World Cup-winning coach, said this at the time that Saru opened the door to foreign selection: “Saru is making a rod for its own back and it will come back and sink the Springboks.” Jake was right. And allied to that is the malaise that is contributing to the sinking standards of our Super Rugby and, especially, Currie Cup teams.

Let me put it this way. John Smit once told me that when he came to Durban from Pretoria fresh out of matric, he joined a galaxy of rock stars at the Shark Tank. He was a star-struck schoolboy who was suddenly rubbing shoulders with TV heroes in Andre Joubert, Henry Honiball, Gary Teichmann, John Allan, Ollie le Roux, Robert du Preez, Dick Muir, Adrian Garvey, Wayne Fyvie, James Small, Cabous van der Westhuizen, Jeremy Thompson, Steve Atherton, and so on.

Smit was like a sponge, and soaked it all up. He was mentored and inspired by senior Sharks who were approaching their 30s.

In South African rugby in 2016, this hugely desirable scenario simply does not exist. That crucial realm of highly experienced veterans has vanished. They are in Europe and Japan.

There is no equivalent of an Andre Joubert mentoring Curwin Bosch. There is no incarnation of a Henry Honiball advising Inny Radebe.

The point of this column is that in South African rugby we no longer have the masters to teach the pupils.

And I am not pointing fingers at the unions. Heck, if you are a businessman reading this column and you get an offer to double your salary ... off you go.

And sadly, our experienced players who are making money in Europe and France are teaching the tricks of the trade to young bucks that will one day face the Springboks. How much expertise are Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis passing on to French talent at Montpellier?

And at the Sharks, who is injecting mojo into the likes of Bosch, Radebe, Lukhanyo Am, Rhyno Smith and so on? There are no Jouberts, Honiballs, Teichmanns et al.

And that is a real tragedy of the open gates situation of South African players who, having matured after three or four years in the Sharks’ system, then take their graduation certificate and head off on their overseas experiences.

Happy days for them. But you can’t blame the Sharks. They cannot hang on to every player and simply cannot compete with the pound and the euro, not to mention the yen.

It comes back to what everybody has been banging on about since the Boks lost to Japan and the alarm bells began ringing. Shed the provincial unions that are nothing more than financial leaches.

Downsize to six ultra-professional franchises, pay the players big bucks to stay in South Africa, immediately slam the door on the selection of overseas-based Boks, and re-establish home-grown intellectual acumen in our game.