Now that I’m predominantly based in South Africa, I’ve gained a unique perspective on the ongoing growth of rugby in the country. And it’s something the ARU should take note of.
Admittedly, rugby in South Africa isn’t competing with other similar codes (except for football), but the emphasis that rugby administrators and schools here place on encouraging children from a young age to really love the game is to be admired.
They use former rugby stars to help promote and teach the game to the kids, and as a result, many South Africans grow up genuinely feeling that rugby is their game. It’s not something that’s going to be taken away from them.
I’ve been to some very remote places in South Africa where rugby is absolutely alive and kicking. It’s great to see.
It will be interesting, too, to see whether the national team can live up to expectation this season.
The Springboks have a new coach, former Northern Bulls mentor Heyneke Meyer. He’ll pick a team that’s he feels is going to win.
He’s not worried about entertainment. There’s just too much pressure on coaches in South Africa to succeed. A few losses and they’re baying for your head.
They’ll also have a number of new faces running around following the retirement of several key members of the side from the past few years.
It’s a new era for the Springboks, and with the sheer number of talented players they have available for selection, they’ll be very competitive again.
It’s remarkable to think that, outside of the players that are turning out in the Super competition, there’s another 300 to 400 South Africans plying their trade in Europe.
That’s some depth, and it’s a luxury that Robbie Deans does not have with the Wallabies, who are scrambling to find quality players just for the starting side, evidenced by the awful performance of the Waratahs on the weekend and in the bland match between the Force and the Rebels.
As mentioned in a previous column, I found it very alarming to see Napolioni Nalaga, who plays for the Force, score his first try by diving over the line from a ruck.
Believe it or not, he was the number one try scorer in the French Super 14 Competition in 2011. Makes you wonder where we are headed.
For the Waratahs, it’s the same thing, week in, week out.
They talk the talk, but they just haven’t got the players or the game plan to upset any opposition. They came to South Africa needing to score tries, and all they did was aimlessly kick the ball away and were very ill-disciplined in the process.
I don’t understand why we have players who don’t pass. Or can’t pass, perhaps is the case.
Some people have said that I wouldn’t make it in the modern era and they may be right. But only because I would’ve never gotten the ball!
After losing against the Stormers, I was surprised to hear one of the Waratah coaches justifying their loss by stating that they hoped to emulate the Crusaders game plan.
The Crusaders are inherently a team full of flair and instinct. The Waratahs are not.
Flair is the thing that is going to create opportunities for the Waratahs. But they simply don’t have the creators in the team to pull it off. They have the finishers, but there’s no point having good finishers if they don’t get the ball.
In my opinion, this would be helped by moving Foley to No 10, who would put pressure on the opposition defence and create more strike power and opportunities for the back line.
In contrast, I watched the Leinster versus Ulster game over the weekend and that was a very entertaining match of rugby. The Leinster side had all the skills and the time to execute them.
It was wonderful to watch.
They back themselves on the field. And they played with real confidence and as a team.
Leinster have concentrated on the basic skills for years – catch, pass, support and run straight. The rest of the game is easy, which Leinster demonstrated.
Interestingly in 2009, this team was coached by home-grown Randwick players Michael Cheika and David Knox.
Where are these coaches now and why are Australian coaches who have proven themselves internationally not welcomed back home?
Frederico
Guest
David Knox knocked a couple of noses out of joint and left Leinster the year before they broke through in 2009. That said their play in the backs was nowhere near as effective as it had been when he was coaching them. Johnny Sexton is on record stating that he credits Knox's drills with giving him a lot of the skills he has today. Joe Schmidt has brought them to a different level to where they were under Cheika and Knox. Cheika is supposedly looking for a job in England after being let go by Stade Francais. As for Knox, I reckon you'll find him in some boozer in the Eastern Suburbs
Ivan
Guest
Rugby is going from strenth to strength in SA - more and more previously disadvantaged kids taking it up now. The Boks will get stronger than before - lets see how they do against england to guage how fresh legs will change their game. Im quite excited to see, a pack with Beast, coenie, Bismarck, Etsabeth, Bekker, Elstadt and alberts will make the Bok scrum close to 940kg with some serious bruisers and more on the bench. England have no idea whats coming.
Bakkies
Guest
It's the HEC not the HEK. I am not sure where you get the ''K'' from
clipper
Guest
ORB - the Northern Suburbs is less dominated by league after the demise the Bears, but the trouble is Soccer, Rugby and AFL are fighting over the wealthier 'middle class' areas and have left league with all the working class areas where it dominates, so Rugby needs to expand from their private school mindset before league has a chance to claw back some of their losses.
steve.h
Guest
I'm pretty sure there s three or four former Springboks in the Ulster team
Bakkies
Guest
Why do SANZAR have to worry about the NRL and AFL? SANZAR is a partnership between SA, NZ and Australia. It's an Australian problem not a SANZAR one, a point that you constantly forget. They are a threat to the ARU not SANZAR, why should SA and NZ administrators worry about those two Australian competitors. It has nothing to do with them. League is not even on the radar in South Africa, SANZAR's biggest Rugby market.
tc
Guest
S. T. Rine I have always thought that if young black kids in South Africa got heavily involved in rugby the rugby world would be in trouble . I read the other day that (from memory) 1000 black schools were going to introduce rugby as a another sporting option .
S T Rineestee.rine@gmail.com
Guest
Campo You're spot on! Been thinking for years that SA will become #1 in World Rugby, as visiting educators tell that recent years have black athletes learning rugby at previously all-white SA prep schools. They were excluded under Apartheid, & but now learn the game as pre-teens. You & I know THAT'S where the game is taught SA will overtake Australia, but watch out NZ! S. T. Rine
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
PeterK that's true. A state like Adelaide is similar to WA in having a tradition of rugby, many expats including Kiwis and Saffas, an awareness of rugby through the Wallabies, being a large state that can fit into the 'state vs state' concept of Super rugby in a way that NRL and AFL teams which represent mainly areas within a city can't. KiwiDave Western Sydney and Gold Coast are the two certain markets as well, followed by a third team in Sydney which traditionally and historically divides in three, North, East, West, with 1.5 million per team population, and Newcastle. So there are 5 dead certain markets: these are all large population rugby heartlands, or in the case of Adelaide so massive it doesn't matter that they aren't rugby heartlands.. Beyond that are smaller markets which might still work but would be based on smaller populations, such as Central Coast, Ilawara, Sunshine Coast, Northern Queensland.
PeterK
Guest
dont agree, Barnes will stifle the backline, cant pass, kicks the ball away doest attack the line. Barnes at 15. Horne at 12 and AAC at 13.
PeterK
Guest
a NRL side Western Reds failed in Perth, but Force hasn't failed (yet)
Ben S
Roar Guru
Just look at the teamsheets.
jeznez
Roar Guru
Albo - what has he got to lose? The Tahs can't make the finals - better to take a few punts in the remaining games now rather than trial and error next season.
Moaman
Guest
Chuckboat-----" Australia, as a rugby nation, definitely punches well above it’s weight, in comparison to the playing resources that are available to other nations such as South Africa and New Zealand, but must be careful or else ..... " The myth that Australia punches above its weight must be explored,for a start,if it is to improve.Australia(39,000) has MORE players at senior Mens' level than NZ(27,000) and FAR more than Samoa(8000) whom it lost to last season eg. As long as myths like the above are allowed to perpetuate,mediocrity will continue to flourish and substandard results will be deemed acceptable.
Johnno
Guest
Hanibal i am in with that petition faster than you can say Lector. I want change at the Tahs and i want it now. I want 2013 to be the year of the Tahs not the year of the wooden spoon.
Emric
Guest
Agreed KD
hannibal
Guest
Join our grassroots campaign to Rebuild the Waratahs. After too many disappointing seasons we, a bunch of plain old Tahs fans, have set up a petition to the Board of the Tahs to start a rebuilding process. Click & sign the petition below. Each sign up sends an email to the Office of the CEO of Waratahs Rugby stating what we believe needs to change. And please share the link with your mates. We're trying some affirmative action for once to ensure future season are better than the last few. Petition: http://www.change.org/petitions/rebuild-the-waratahs-from-the-ground-up-coach-players-culture-and-all
KiwiDave
Roar Guru
AFL will never get a foot into New Zealand or South Africa. Its an insular sport that will only ever be popular in Australia, similar to NFL in the States.
KiwiDave
Roar Guru
How many were expats Kiwi's, Aussies and Saffers.
KiwiDave
Roar Guru
Where would you put a 6th Australian side? Gold Coast or Adelaide are the only two options I see and after the NRL failed in Adelaide, I dont think a Super Rugby side will fare any better.