Shameful Border ruins chances for future stars
As South African rugby’s biggest storm – its most ignominious moment since professionalism – puckers up its clouds, it’s very difficult to see any silver linings.
Border rugby, as a union, professional entity and administrative pillar, has crashed to lows previously unseen after news broke that the Bulldogs will not compete for most probably two years.
The union has been on dialysis for a while, following a series of unfortunate events that included getting sued by their own players, a player strike, liquidation and being placed under administration by mother body, the South African Rugby Union.
The plug has been pulled – machines switched off. Only the gathering of mourners and the reading of the eulogy remain.
In all the column space I’ve occupied talking about the oft-sorry state of Border rugby since earlier this year, I never imagined there would be a day where a union would completely fall off the radar.
But here we are, on the eve of the 2019 World Cup in Japan, where nations will gather to show their pride to their world. We will be keeping a shameful secret: a union that’s produced World Cup-winners getting flushed down the septic tank. So what happens now?
For an entire squad of players, professional contracts have been shredded and their dreams of higher honours could quickly follow suit. The dream of producing another Lukhanyo Am or Makazole Mapimpi, a Kaya Malotana or Brent Russell, an Akona or Odwa Ndungane, a Tobela Mdaka, has died.
Border used to be the place of new life, not of death. Players at the end of one particular cycle of their careers could come to the union, work on their game, adopt a freespirited game-plan and elevate themselves to bigger heights.
Think of former Sharks scrumhalf Rory Kockott. At his wit’s end, he took his talents southeast, back home to East London and tried to maintain his sharpness by turning out for Old Selbornians. The move inspired his eventual signing for Castres Olympique in 2011 and ultimately playing for the French national team.
Border is where my old mate Solly Tyibilika came for one final hoorah in professional rugby, where he made quite an impression and made friends with many.
In Umlazi, Durban, there is a public hospital that’s unfortunately named Mshiyeni Hospital, which is notorious for being not a place of healing, but of death. People go into the emergency room at Msiyeni mildly ill and they come out cold and in coffins.
Border has started to resemble such a hospital. If you make it out alive, consider yourself lucky.
Watching a player like Masixole Coyi Banda, you cannot help but feel glad he made it out with his talents and heartbeat for the game intact. Banda is one of the last few strands of hope of the resurgent Bulldogs team that had Boks Am and Mapimpi, Oliver Zono, Johannes Jonker, Wandile Pupuma and many others whose talents belied the administrative shambles that was the harbinger to this moment.
The Bulldogs team coached by Elliot Fana – ably assisted by David Dobela, Chumani Booi and Tiger Mangweni – will take decades to reproduce.
Banda, with his usual dexterity of touch, kick and finish, was the underrated rising star. At fullback – and sometimes flyhalf – he was always in the shadows of the bulldozing forwards and flying wingers.
Since moving to the Southern Kings and back home to Port Elizabeth, Banda has soared to become the most talked about South African rugby player in this year’s PRO 14.
As a talent, he’s a rarity. He can kick, pass, run, jinx and score. At the time of writing he was third on the point-scorers’ charts for the 2018-19 PRO 14 season on 70, behind the Ospreys’ Sam Davies (80) and Connacht Rugby’s Jack Carty (75).
And he has kicked the second-most penalties so far, 21, one behind Tian Schoeman from the Cheetahs for the season.
Every time the Border administrators watch Banda, they ought to be reminded of what they are killing – a future star. And there are many who will be left behind because of this two-year absence.