Border need to turn Fish into Rubicon

Fortunes rise and fall and EP was once a mess

THERE was a time when the Meyer Sauerman Weekend was the highlight of the Eastern Cape rugby calendar.

The Border senior sides, along with the senior team, were on their way down the drain, but they were at least competitive, with a few wins here and there.

While the junior provincial teams have remained competitive, despite Border’s exit from the Sauerman Weekend, the gulf between the senior teams and the administration body is wider than the Fish River, sport’s geographical boundary.

It is amazing to think that only six years ago Border and Eastern Province (EP) were pretty much neck-and-neck in terms of mediocrity, with Border’s last win against their coastal foes in 2008.

Since then, Border have been feeding on scraps. Even the miniscule Vodacom Cup domination was snapped in 2010 and they have not beat EP, even though they came close last year when they lost 9-6 in the Currie Cup lower division.

The fact that the EP Rugby Union has significant investment due to the creation of a long overdue Super Rugby franchise has helped massively.

There has been a sustained investment in their junior rugby structures and while this has not translated into immediate Currie Cup success, if the roots take hold and their U19 and U21 teams play regular A-section rugby, the fruits reaped will be sweet.

Having a strong president like Daniel “Cheeky” Watson has also helped their cause, but they need to meet transformation criteria.

The fact that Border sold their souls to the Killians was a measure of their desperation to catch up with their neighbours.

However, life does not reward short cuts and Border is now paying the price for that bad decision. It is very unfortunate, for the Border Schools rugby scene is thriving and it is now a garden that is gleefully picked by other unions.

However, they should also proportion some part of the blame for what is Border rugby’s malaise as they have not shared the expertise and the players to make it a fully viable Super Rugby region.

One thing the New Zealand Rugby Union has got right in terms of its Super Rugby franchises is that there is a catchment area, whereas in South Africa, the franchises concentrated in the big cities hardly fish outside of their catchment area.

EPRU cannot be blamed for the administrative mess that is the BRU and over time, that often leaks onto the field.

Border has had timeless squabbles that have not permeated onto the field until this season, where the senior sides, along with the senior provincial team, have been cannon fodder for unions that in the past, they fought gallantly against.

It does take some explaining as to how your U19 team loses to the Limpopo Blue Bulls U19 side so convincingly.

This is the same union that has been shipping cricket scores against the stronger northern unions in the Vodacom Cup, but unfortunately, that has been the same for Border’s U21.

Matches against them have been nothing more than highly glorified training sessions that better sides have used to sharpen their moves for better challenges.

Whether Border finds its stride again remains to be seen but it must not be forgotten that EP was once down and out.

They found a way to rise from the ashes and Border should not be disheartened.