Noone of course will be surprised! while halfwits think iur palying style isa huge problem Mallet and Beeno finger a big problem.
Ex Supersport
Nick Mallett was on point on Saturday night after the brutal Stormers-Sharks game when he laid it down thick, saying South African teams had underperformed this year.
After all, while each coach has a laundry list of excuses why the competition hasn’t gone their way, it will never be acceptable to see four of the South African franchises in the bottom half of the competition.
But we’d better get used to it folks because, if things carry on like they do, it will only get worse before it gets better.
Let’s be honest here. Vodacom Super Rugby simply isn’t working for us at the moment. The travel factor and length of the competition has only served up more injuries and, coupled with the massive exodus of players to foreign shores, we’re left with young and inexperienced teams taking on the best in the antipodes.
Heyneke Meyer, when he was coaching the Bulls, used to have a theory that success in Super Rugby can be quantified. Other than a decent game plan that is executed properly you need to have eight to 10 Springboks and at least three game-breakers in your squad.
Couple that with players with 50 Super Rugby caps and more and you’re halfway there.
Then, as with the current competition, win all your home games, one game on tour and at least one away derby and that will give you nine wins – enough to make the playoffs of the competition.
Of course it isn’t as simple as that, but we’re in a uniquely difficult situation in rugby in South Africa at the moment.
We like to compare ourselves to Australia and New Zealand in terms of strength, and yes we have the numbers and the talent, but we have one major disadvantage – The rand.
Only once rugby is a truly global season – and that’s not going to happen anytime soon – will we be able to compete on an even foot again. So until Japan and European leagues put a cap on the amount of foreigners that can be signed, we’re going to continue to see the best talent of our shores go overseas.
A while back I asked the question in a column if we were at the tipping point. Well, clearly now we’re long past that, and it will be virtually impossible to reverse.
We can’t compare ourselves to New Zealand. They have a central contracting system, meaning they can manage their players better, they can give sabbaticals and they can get the best out of them.
And when the overseas offers come, the most they can make is double their salary.
Think about that for a moment.
One Euro buys 1.54 New Zealand dollars (or so my Google search tells me). So any big money offer is one-and-a-half times what your salary is here.
Compare that to the situation of Paul Willemse, who was offered 6-7 times his current salary. When you’re earning around R800 000, and someone offers you R5-million (if the talk is to be believed), how many of us would say no. (PLEASE NOTE OAKS)
Then there is the ever growing threat of the Celtic nations, who are signing young players to play for Scotland and Ireland - CJ Stander, Daniel Poolman, WP Nel and Anton Bresler, to name a few.
Not only do these players get paid in pounds (18:1) and earn some really decent money, but the national unions include a clause that if they complete their careers there, they get a tax break and have all their tax given back to them.
Not only do you get heaps of cash, but when you leave, your tax is refunded.
Who would say no to that.
Of course the South African Rugby Union should use their mandate at the International Rugby Board to try and stop this, but until they do, more and more players will head overseas. (HANG ON ARE YOU EXPECTING THAT HALFWIT HOSKINS TO DO SOMETHING?)
The Boks, in the meantime, are doing a juggling act, with a success-hungry public wanting results, and a Bok coach whose job is constantly on the line. No wonder Heyneke Meyer chooses his best available squad, even if they are from overseas. (PLEASE NOTE OAKS)
Ignoring them or banning overseas players will simply weaken Bok rugby immediately, and it won’t stop players from leaving.
All this of course leads back to under-performing Super Rugby teams, franchises weakened by 300 odd players overseas (PLEASE NOTE OAKS). And it isn’t always the stars, but those fringe players, those players who are able to fill the gap when the injuries come, that hurt the most.
Despite all of this, administrators in South Africa still continue as if it is business as usual and haven’t looked at novel ways of countering the trend.
So while we may all lament the performances of our sides – and yes we have under-performed this year in Super Rugby – the long-term trends are even more worrying.
No other rugby nation in world rugby is being targeted like South Africa is right now.(PLEASE NOTE OAKS. SEEMS ONLY THE VERY ASTUTE BEENO KNOWS THERE IS A CRISES!!)
While a weak rand brings in more cash to SARU and the franchises through the Sanzar deal, it does little to help keep players here.
If football is a key, players will go where the money goes. It’s that simple.
So brace yourself folks, it’s going to be a very bumpy ride ahead.
It’s going to get worse before it gets better.
ALL OF WHICH YOU HAVE HEARD FROM BEENO LONG AGO.
Beeno with his finger firmly on the pulse. Seeing the bigger picture and noting the trends.
