S Africa is crying out for its own league
IF I remember my A level geography correctly, Africa is moving towards Europe at about the same rate as your fingernails grow which, among other things, suggests that the wholesale, no holds barred, in for a penny in for a pound merging of British, European and South African rugby was a tad premature.
But the question remains, what is the perfect fit for South African rugby, where do they belong? It seems almost obscene to raise the subject after backto-back World Cup triumphs from the nation I always consider the bread basket of world rugby. South Africa consistently produces more high quality dependable, have boots will travel, professional rugby players than any other rugby nation.
The search for a suitable niche, however, remains elusive. Much as rugby badly needs to spread the gospel – and historically it has been very poor developing the 15s game worldwide – it also needs to cherish its superpowers. The modern-day success of a multi racial South African side remains one of rugby’s finest achievements and the sport’s best calling card around the sporting and political world.
The reality, however, is that they don’t fit snugly into any continental geographic region with the Blue Bulls’ recent refusal to honour the European Champions Cup quarter-finals with a first-choice side offering up the latest example. That was a massive slap in the face for EPCR officials who prostrated themselves in an embarrassing way, to try and accommodate South African teams and frankly it’s a canary down the mines moment we should all heed.
I was never wild about South African teams being admitted to the URC and for them to compete in the European Champions Cup and saw no logic or fairness in the reboot. Europe should look after its own continent first although as EPCR is run solely by and for its “stakeholders” – the Six Nations Unions and the three domestic Leagues – it actually only exists to serve those who have already hijacked the governance of the sport. It’s yet another private members only company that had colonised a vast swathe of the game.
At this stage however there is no evidence of the vast financial reward they anticipated. It’s scattergun speculation at best. As for the players, the travelling is immense and, although you can put a brave face on it for a season or two, eventually it will drain the life out of all concerned. And, of course, it’s not just South African teams that are inconvenienced, every team in the league has to undertake trips down south, journeys that are initially interesting diversions and adventures that soon become tedious and groundhog day experiences.
The South African teams, often not at full strength as they rotate, haven’t brought the glamour and glitz that the money men hoped for and the thought that the final stages of the European Champions Cup in 2028 being scrapped and be shoehorned into a horrible and instantly forgettable pop-up World Club championships is laughable. Rugby needs to give itself a good talking too.
The blazers and suits have been trying to square the circle with South Africa ever since professionalism became a reality. Aligning with Australia, New Zealand and then Argentina was clearly a massive physical strain – although it hasn’t stopped the first three of those nations winning every World Cup bar one between them – and attendances started to decline sharply.
There isn’t enough strength in depth to really test them if South Africa became part of the Americas scene although their presence there would surely supercharge rugby in South and North America.
Time and distance wise Europe is further away than the likes of Argentina and Uruguay – and comparable with USA and Canada – but of course the great attraction commercially is that Europe is more or less on the same time zone meaning TV coverage can be maximised. Hence the relentless pressure to gatecrash the European party in recent years which ultimately resulted in the old Guinness PRO14 being ripped up and totally redesigned at the end of the Covid-hit 2021 season to incorporate South African teams.
Whisper it quietly but there has always been an alternative to all this except it involves an implied criticism of South African rugby and many of its players although in truth it’s nothing of the sort.
The reason so many South Africans choose to play abroad is of course a purely self-serving one – money, lots of it – with the exchange rate of the Rand accentuating that earning power massively. But here is where the problem really lies. Top South African rugby players can actually still make a very good living in South Africa with their earnings considerable relative to others in the country. They are far from paupers… but it’s not the life changing pot of gold that can be mined elsewhere, in particular France.
That is human nature but just think what an extraordinary, off the Richter scale, jaw droppingly epic domestic league South Africa could stage if their entire foreign legion made that competition their priority and returned to support a full bore South African Super League for a decent part of the year. And for those who insist on topping up their bank accounts further there would be all sorts of short term contracts on offer around the world. The gig economy is alive and well in professional rugby.
I for one would subscribe to whatever outlet covers my “South African Super League” which would be held in some of the world’s finest purpose-built rugby stadia and I suspect you would also get a significant number of rugby tourists booking in for two weeks of South African sunshine mid-winter in Europe to take in three weekends of acton.
Two or three overseas players would perhaps be permitted per squad for those who perhaps value the experience of playing in such a competition slightly above the pure bottom line of earning as much as possible as quickly as possible. They would also help widen the global TV audience. The old Currie Cup was brilliant in its heyday – packed stadia, sensational rugby – but this would be better still.
It just seems plain odd that rugby’s superpower, the nation with the largest number of great players and a fair sprinkling of the best rugby arenas on the planet doesn’t have a domestic competition that is the envy of the world.
Like another relatively poor country with challenges that can claim superpower status in another sport – I’m talking India and cricket – perhaps South Africa should flex its mighty muscle and give us a domestic rugby competition to shock and awe the world.