SA sides must stand up and be counted

Most of our local Super Rugby fans are divided when it comes to topical issues like St Valentine’s Day or load shedding. A good gift yesterday may have paved your way to watching the action from today without too much interference, but when it comes to load shedding, it could lead to real anger management if your team’s game is suddenly in the dark.

With the action kicking off this morning, one can only hope there’s more of the “super” aspect coming from the South African sides, rather than spectators relying on the Kiwi teams to produce the fireworks, which has been the case for way too long.

Don’t expect the Aussies to provide the thrills because that ain’t gonna happen.

But when one looks at the SA teams, there’s no reason they can’t rectify the declining crowd attendances with more teams than the Lions providing the local excitement.

Look at the Bulls, they have some real muscle and pace in the form of flyhalf Handre Pollard, centre Jesse Kriel, fullback Warrick Gelant and their new muscle-man, No 8 Duane Vermeulen. And let’s not forget the giant figure of captain Lood de Jager.

Turning the attention to their traditional foes, whom they face at Loftus Versfeld tomorrow, the Stormers have Sevens sensations Seabelo Senatla and centre Ruhan Nel, together with stepping flyhalf Damian Willemse and Bok captain Siya Kolisi, who provide plenty of reasons to buy a ticket.

There will also be somewhat of a mini-revenge element, with the Stormers having won their warmup clash 33-28 at the Cape Town Stadium two weeks back.

The other two SA franchises – the Sharks and the Lions – have more challenging prospects, making trips to Singapore and Buenos Aires respectively to start their campaigns.

But the Lions will be heading to Argentina with game-breakers of their own in the form of captain Warren Whiteley, No 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, wing Aphiwe Dyantyi, and innovative No 10 Elton Jantjies, as they try to break a threeyear losing spell at the home of the Jaguares where even the referee gets intimidated by the hostile home crowd.

As far as the Sharks are concerned, they have a score to settle with the Super Rugby competition, according to their captain Louis Schreuder, and with firepower like Bok wings S’bu Nkosi and Makazole Mapimpi in their ranks, there’s no reason they can’t put their money where their mouths are.