By Brendon Nel of Supersport
With the emotion and drama of the 2013 season now a thing of the past, we have around six weeks until the 2014 southern-hemisphere season blasts us back into reality as the Vodacom Super Rugby awaits.
And while we may be missing the oval ball a bit after the Christmas feast, the summer holidays and festive cheer, the upcoming season promises to be nothing less than another dramatic instalment in the rugby calendar which will inspire some and disappoint others.
So, to whet your appetite, in the meantime, it is worth pondering how the following questions will be answered in SA rugby this year:
1. Will the Boks beat the All Blacks? (OF COURSE THEY WILL!)
Who knows what would have happened had Bismarck du Plessis not got his red card in Auckland, or the Boks not had to chase four tries at Ellis Park (Beeno KNOWS - jut ask!). The bottom line is that New Zealand are still No 1 in the world and rightly so (Make that wrongly so given how many games they were outplayed!). But while they celebrate a magnificent 2013, they will know there is a lot of green and gold in their rear-view mirror(Actually the are looking straight ahead where the boks are disappearing out of sight - hahahahahahahaha). Heyneke Meyer’s side has shown magnificent improvement and momentum during the year and are developing well as a side.(PLEASE NOTE OU MAAAIKIE AND SNAPSTER!!!!!!)
Yes, they’re short of the All Black standard at the moment (IN WHAT RESPECT), but Meyer will not rest until they get that No 1 spot (Its our natural position so why would he?). Of course, the argument is that 2015 is when you peak and not 2014, but the way the Boks have been on an upward curve, wouldn’t it be wonderful for world rugby if they achieve their goal a year early? (You see oaks how the jopurnalists are catching up with Beeno's assessment? Its called thought leadership! Hakwa an appropriate picture indicating appropriate respect!)
2. What will become of the Southern Kings?
After all the backroom deals went south, and the promotion-relegation series saw the Lions get back into Super Rugby, there was at least some hope that the Kings would start to develop in the Currie Cup.
But self-interest and petty politics ruled the day at Saru so that at the start of 2014, we don’t know just where the Kings sit.
Saru have made it clear they want a spot in Super Rugby for the Kings when the competition is revamped after the 2015 season, and it is vital that they need to develop as a team. No Currie Cup spot means no sponsorship deals, no player influx and too much up in the air.
If the history of the region has shown us anything, it is that there is a hunger for rugby in the Eastern Cape, and that the Kings have been treated badly since day one.
Perhaps 2014 will be the year that rugby comes first, and provincial self-interest takes a back seat?
The queens were so pap they could not ACHIEVE WHATTHE PUMAS AND GRIQUAS HAVE - THEY USED THE RACE CARD TO GET INTO Super 15 and flopped).
Next time queens try getting there on merit.
3. How will the Lions fare on their return to Super Rugby?
There were a number of satisfied people in Johannesburg and surrounds when the Lions claimed their spot back in Super Rugby by ousting the Kings. But whatever the correctness of the decision in the first place, the Lions now have to prove themselves again in southern-hemisphere rugby.
Johan Ackermann has an enormous task in trying to get a young group of players ready for the toughest competition in the world. And while some may believe they only need to be competitive, surely the bar should be set higher than that?
South Africans can’t complain about the likes of the Rebels and Force not being competitive if the Lions perform as they have in the past and prop up the bottom of the table again.
A lot of eyes will be on Ellis Park this season, and the Lions need to take that step up.
One sense De Klek is doing a good job in trying to save the Lions after van rooyens disastrous quota reign. Ackerman too has done well. Nevertheless the Lions will do well to get into the top 10.
4. Will Jake finally give the Sharks the elusive title?
Cell C Sharks fans won’t want to be reminded how their team, despite always boasting a magnificent squad on paper, have failed to win the Super Rugby competition since its inception. The mid-season dip, and the habit of losing games they should be winning, seem to be part of every season in Durban, despite the Sharks having the largest, best-paid and strongest squad roster in the country.
Now John Smit’s elevation to CEO and Jake White’s arrival as director of coaching has seen a new lease of life that started with a Currie Cup victory late last year.
With White showing his coaching credentials by guiding the Brumbies to the finals in only his second year in charge, will he be able to rework that magic in Durban? We all know the Sharks have the players, and they have the depth to do some serious damage in Super Rugby, but can they overcome their own shortcomings to finally win it?
Or will White make one of his famous moves in the middle of the season if an international job offer comes along? (Cheap shot Brendon!!! Jake and the Sharks are going places)
5. Can the Cheetahs back up their 2013 showing?
The Toyota Cheetahs enjoyed a record-breaking 2013 and played some of the best rugby in the Super Rugby competition, grabbing their first appearance in the Super Rugby playoffs and coming close to a victory in Canberra, where they lost by two points to the Brumbies.
With Hawies Fourie taking over the reins in Kimberley with Griquas, the franchise will have a more centralised structure, but they were dealt a blow by Griquas’ demotion from the Currie Cup A-section last year, which will make it difficult to see their depth bolstered as it has been done in the past.
Hopefully the Cheetahs' defensive system will continue to grow as it did last year and under the impressive leadership of Adriaan Strauss it can only go from strength to strength.
Lets see the Cheetahs squad first.
6. Who will be the new SA Rugby boss?
2014 is an election year in more ways than one. Oregan Hoskins will be challenged for his position as president of Saru and although very few of the challengers have made themselves known as such, the talk in rugby circles is that both vice-presidents Mark Alexander and James Stoffberg, as well as Lions president Kevin de Klerk, are likely to stand.
Many things can happen between now and the election, though, and expect a lot of wheeling and dealing to take place behind the scenes.
Hoskins has seen off these types of fights before, and has given Saru a calm, collected face as opposed to some of his predecessors, but it still will be interesting times in SA Rugby as parties vie for their spots on the executive.
7. Can the Blitzbokke break the Kiwi dominance?
New Springbok Sevens coach Neil Powell has started off exceptionally well in the job, winning the Nelson Mandela Sevens in December, but can he break the All Black dominance in the HSBC World Series?
Powell has made it clear that the team needs consistency and so far they are off to a good start, making the semis in the Gold Coast and final in Dubai before their PE victory.
But we all know tough times lie ahead, and injuries, as well as some mediocre refereeing in the series is always a problem. Add to that the depth of the squad being tested as the season goes on and if they have to look outside the contracted group, the unavailability of provincial stars, and Powell has his work cut out for him.
Give Powqell some decent players and the Blitzbokke can rule sevens.Even with what he is getting the abs are currently our bunnies!
8. Where to now after the Bulls exodus?
The inability of the Bulls' management to stop the exodus of players during Super Rugby last season and their suicidal move to allow several more players to leave before their contracts were up (after offering them half their contractual value to re-sign) played havoc with their Currie Cup campaign and saw them miss out on the semifinals of the competition with a young squad whose imexperience was brutally exposed. The team will have a few Boks back, as well as Arno Botha, Pierre Spies and Deon Stegmann, but if they get a few injuries, depth is a problem.
A lot of the season – in which they have a fabulous draw – depends on them staying injury free, and having stars such as Spies, Francois Hougaard and new recruit Piet van Zyl step up to the plate.(Stars like spiesies and stegsies!)
Either way if things go wrong it could be a very long season indeed for the Bulls.
Bulle youngsters are rising fast and they could surprise.
9. What will become of the overseas Boks?
Probably one of the most divisive arguments in rugby at the moment is whether Saru should continue to select Springboks who are based overseas. It makes life difficult for Heyneke Meyer, who would always want to pick his strongest available side.
But on the other side of the argument, the weakness of the Rand makes it tough to keep players in South Africa to start with, while if Boks are picked no matter where they play, then what incentive is there for younger players to stay in South Africa?
Saru CEO Jurie Roux indicated it was a once-off decision and it will be reviewed, but it is difficult to see how Saru are going to win this battle, especially when their own unions cannot even decide on the size of a Currie Cup competition.
Roux is relooking at Saru’s commercial model and this may hold the key to what direction the national union takes.
But it is difficult to see any decision being enforceable if the Boks want to win the World Cup in 2015, which would be made all the more difficult if they cannot pick their strongest available side because of geographical limitations.
The coach has to pick his best side - end of story!
10. What new refereeing and law problems will we see in 2014?
I feel for the refs, I really do. The majority of them do their best under immense pressure – not only from the public, but from their own bosses – and provide us with great entertainment. But unfortunately mistakes do happen, and some of them are clangers, as we saw in 2013.
The move away from relying on technology is a strange one, as the TMO is precisely there to make an unemotional decision based on facts. Yet ref bosses want refs to “own the decision” and look at big screens in the midst of baying crowds and make a decision. This, as well as some important trends in play (just when will they sort out the breakdown? How come we are seeing an increase in yellow cards?), tends to cause more controversy than it sorts out.
It seems when refs sort one problem out, teams figure out a way to exploit another. These problems will inevitably come, but let’s hope they don’t have as major an impact on games as they did in 2013.
Yes and lets hope they biase towards kiw sides ends. Meaning SA refs and Oz refs must stop favouring kiwis. Kiwi refs of course should never be allowed to ref any game of importance until a full coinfession and due repentanc is arrived at.
There they are, 10 questions that 2014 will undoubtedly answer. We may have missed a few, but those questions will directly determine the outcome of the season. If you have a few more, drop them down below, and motivate them.
How about central contracting for one and the elimiantion of quota selectons of whatever sort.
