The good and the bad of my sporting year
The Good THE HAND OF JAKE
It’s been an interesting year on the South African rugby front, but one of the best occurrences of 2020 has been the kind of rugby the Bulls have produced since rugby resumed – or, should I say, the kind of rugby they’ve dished up under Jake White.
While the way in which they claimed the Super Rugby Unlocked title wasn’t ideal, nobody could say they weren’t deserved winners.
Their brand of rugby has been both pleasing to watch and effective, and some of the tries they’ve scored have been nothing short of superb.
THE IMPACT OF SEVENS PLAYERS
A major highlight has been the opportunities the Sevens players have got this year.
Sure, given what we’ve seen them do on the circuit, their abilities could never have been in doubt, but seeing them perform the way they’ve been doing on the XVs stage has been impressive, seriously impressive, especially for the Bulls.
The likes of Stedman Gans and Kurt-Lee Arendse have shone for the Pretoria side, while Angelo Davids has also been steadily doing his thing for Western Province.
Their pace, feet and overall X-factor have been great additions to the Fifteens scene.
NEW THINGS
If there’s one thing this year has prompted us to do, it’s explore new and innovative things.
The first official UCI Cycling
Esports World Championships, hosted on Zwift and announced last September, would certainly have encouraged many to learn the details of indoor cycling during lockdown.
The history-making event took place in the second week of December, with South African Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio winning the world title in the women’s division, filled with champions from multiple disciplines, from the comfort of her own home.
How’s that for a positive amid all the chaos?
The Bad
HOW RUGBY HAS BEEN IMPACTED BY COVID-19 ... OF COURSE
Sport has been impacted by the pandemic in many ways.
The integrity of the domestic rugby competition has been questioned due to matches being cancelled and it’s been quite an experience for fans as spectators haven’t been allowed at stadiums locally.
But the financial implications have been even bigger, with SA Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux having said that the continued absence of fans at matches would be the death of several professional franchises.
Then there’s also the high school players whose chances of bagging a post-matric contract have been dented due to the lack of exposure there’s been for them this year.
WESTERN PROVINCE RUGBY’S OFFFIELD ISSUES
There aren’t too many certainties in life, especially this year, but one of the few has been this union making the headlines for all the wrong reasons, more often than not. ‘
Confidential matters have gone public and battles have been fought through the media by certain parties involved with dealings with WP, and all of that – whether it was factually correct or not – would no doubt have filtered into the psyche and added to the uncertainty of players.
No matter how much they’re focused on their on-field performances, it’s just an environment that can’t be conducive to any athlete.