South African lock who served drugs ban eyes England qualification
New Zealand’s grip on the Rugby Championship, which starts today, is utterly predictable,
Gerbrandt Grobler, the Gloucester lock who was effectively forced out of Munster last season following the furore over a doping ban when he was playing for Western Province in South Africa, has revealed he would be interested in qualifying for England.
Grobler has returned to Ireland for the first time since his departure from Munster to make his debut for Gloucester in the friendly against Ulster in Belfast today. The 26-yearold insists he does not hold any grievances, but revealed for the first time that the media storm that erupted in January over whether Munster should have signed him given his two-year ban for taking a banned substance in 2015, effectively ended his hopes of representing Joe Schmidt’s side.
Grobler said: “There was a threeyear contract on the table, and there was a bit of debate whether I was going to stay and then when the news hit, it was kind of like ‘he is going to leave, he should leave’.
“Nobody likes their past being thrown in their face the whole time and you can only take it for so long.”
The offer to join Gloucester provided the opportunity for another fresh start.
Asked if he would be interested if England declared an interest in him if he qualified, Grobler added: “Obviously, you wouldn’t turn it down. You’ve got to have belief in yourself. You’ve got to have ambitions and goals, but I’ll keep them to myself. There is always hope.”
The debate in Munster had centred on whether it was right for the Irish Rugby Footbal Union to offer a contract to a player who had tested positive for the prohibited anabolic steroid Drostanalone after a Currie Cup game while under contract for Western Province in 2015, and was banned for two years – backdated to October 2014.
He began his way back into the game with a brief spell at Racing 92, before signing for Munster at the start of last season.
“You don’t want to be the guy with that target on your back,” he added. “Two years away from rugby – the first year was tough. You have a lot of things that you take for granted. But I did learn from it – it made me a better person.”
His signing for Munster last year did not attract much attention as it occurred during the Lions tour of New Zealand, but when an ankle injury in a pre-season match delayed his competitive debut until January, he was shocked to find himself at the centre of a media storm.
“I really enjoyed my time there, but it is a small place and a lot of people talk,” said Grobler. “When I started playing, it all exploded. Basically, if I can sum it up, it was a slow news week for some journalists. It didn’t affect me much because I just shrugged it off.
“My last three months there were really enjoyable. It is one of those places that I have nothing negative to say about and I am really excited to go back.”
The drop-off that was anticipated after 2015 has not arrived
The Rugby Championship, or “New Zealand’s procession towards another trophy”, starts this morning.
The artist formerly known as the Tri-nations set a high standard for the rest of rugby union to follow during the late 1990s and early 2000s, with extraordinary games and a collection of megastars far superior to the Six Nations.
Between 1998 and 2004, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa each won the title twice.
Perhaps it actually peaked in 2000, when just shy of 110,000 spectators crammed into Stadium Australia in Sydney to watch the All Blacks snatch a 39-35 victory thanks to the late Jonah Lomu.
Some in that part of the world still bill it as the greatest game ever played.
Australia had been World Cup winners in 1999, built around icons in George Gregan, Stephen Larkham and John Eales. New Zealand had Christian Cullen, Lomu, Justin Marshall and Andrew Mehrtens. South Africa cleared all before them with an unbeaten tournament in 1998, part of a 17-game win streak.
The three teams were giants, their match-ups all essential viewing. And yet since 2005, a year after Graham Henry took over as All Blacks head coach, New Zealand have won 10 of the 12 tournaments.
Even in the two years when New Zealand failed, the tournament was played out in a truncated format ahead of the World Cups in 2011 and 2015, with Australia named champions both times.
Watching the
All Blacks go about their business remains a delight. The anticipated drop-off after
2015 when Dan Carter, Richie Mccaw, Conrad Smith and Ma’a Nonu all moved on has never arrived.
But the build-up to this year’s tournament has felt more subdued than I can remember. There are interesting sub-plots: Mario Ledesma’s first games in charge of Argentina. Rassie Erasmus continuing to put his stamp on a Springbok squad who were convincing winners against England in the summer, and are now strengthened by the return of Malcolm Marx. David Pocock and Michael Hooper will combine again in the Wallabies back row. Except there is no real buzz. Everyone knows where the title is ending up.
Australia and South Africa can threaten to an extent, but Erasmus has had only three Tests in charge. It has been 16 years since Australia last held the Bledisloe Cup, the trophy contested between the Wallabies and All Blacks.
And although there is much to admire about Argentina, they are only marginally closer to winning a Rugby Championship than when they joined the competition in 2012.
The quality of the Six Nations might not always match the Rugby Championship, but on current results it ranks as a better competition given that the teams involved are actually capable of battling for the title, Italy aside.
So, by all means admire the games today and beyond, but do not kid yourself. You know who will be lifting the trophy at the end. And if somehow it is not the All Blacks, then thank goodness for a bit of variety.