It’s better to be a politician than a rugby star in South Africa, a pal tells me. Join the government, stick your hand into the cookie jar and, if you’re caught, it’s likely you’ll be punished by being made an ambassador to a banana republic and given a hefty golden handshake.
Springboks, who are poorly paid at home, can also get on to the gravy train, but they have to do so by playing in France or Japan, the two most popular destinations.
The Moulin Rouge in Paris and the Geisha Girls of Tokyo draw tourists, but it’s the money Springboks get paid overseas that has spurred our exodus.
I’m told that Springbok backline star JP Pietersen, who plays in Japan for the Wild Knights, earns more than five times what he makes a year in South Africa off his provincial and national contracts combined.
Bryan Habana, one of the world’s best wingers, who turns out for Toulon in France, banks millions more than he would get from South Africa’s penny-pinching officials.
Nearly 50 of South Africa’s leading players now lace up their boots on foreign shores and that gives Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer a major headache. He can call on the Springbok stars when South Africa holds training camps for the World Cup crunch later this year, but this is no way to prepare for the battle we last won in 2007.
The New Zealanders, on the other hand, do not pick any of their overseas players for All Blacks teams. Officials there say that selecting them would cheapen the jersey. That decision has discouraged most of their top players from going abroad.
Stars such as Richie McCaw and Dan Carter plus others have decided to take their trips after the World Cup, which will be their last matches for the All Blacks. Because of this, the New Zealand home squad boasts an enviable line-up and one that will starts as favourite for the showpiece.
Australia have relaxed their ban on overseas players and now they will be eligible for selection for the Wallabies, so long as they have played more than 60 Tests for Australia and have also held a professional contract with an Australian Super Rugby franchise for a total of at least seven years.
Adding to South Africa’s woes is the injuries that older players have suffered. Fourie du Preez, Meyer’s main hope for the scrumhalf berth who plays in Japan, has injured his knee and it would be a big loss if he wasn’t fit enough come the World Cup.
Older players are more susceptible to injury and Meyer runs that risk especially since his other mainstay, the 38-year-old Victor Matfield, has had injury problems, too.
It’s a mistake, in my view, to pin your hopes on survivors from the 2007 World Cup-winning squad. That’s all of eight years ago. Matfield, who remains a guru in the lineouts and in setting up a rolling maul, isn’t up to it in general play anymore.
I still hope we can succeed, but a better-balanced team, with a younger set included, is the way to go. It might be too late to change our skop-skiet-and-donder (kick, shoot and beat up) game plan, but young blood could give the Springboks a much-needed transfusion.
etienne marais
Guest
good, we agree on the sunstantive issues then
Lano
Roar Guru
youre experiencing pronoia see you later
Baz
Guest
....only on a rugby blog.....
etienne marais
Guest
Lano, you are either fundamentally misunderstanding the relationship between FX/PPP and earnings, or wilfully misrepresenting it here. PPP (purchasing power parity) does not reflect the relationship between disposable income and discretionary income at all. As part of economic theory and modelling it is a reasonable proxy in adjusting GDP figures for relative currency values over time, as influenced by differentiated inflation rates. But, for various reasons, it is not a reliable predictor of actual purchase power. Besides, even if you do employ it properly (which you did not), it still cannot reflect the difference between disposable income and discretionary income. Only way to do that is to look at an empirical example. The example below (based on actual contract values) is for a South African Curry Cup rugby player (provincial) with one season of Superugby experience. He is France-bound and plans to SA to start a family return after his three-year stint. Safa in France Safa in SA earnings annual in local currency € 176 298 R 700 000 earnings over contract period € 528 894 R 2 100 000 income disposed in $ over period 300 000 300 000 FX local currency/$ 0.7537 10.8527 income disposed in local currency 226 110 3 255 810 PPP factor 0.8291 5.342 income disposed adjusted for PPP € 272 717 R 609 474 discretionary income remaining € 256 177 R 1 490 526 savings value at end of contract R 3 688 746 R 1 490 526 better off in R value R 2 198 220 better off as percentage 147 % For players like Bryan Habana, who earn about three times this in France, and then still have a Springbok contract as well. the figure is around 321%. For Jaque Fourie in Japan, without any SA match fees, the figure is 367% (He earns the equivalent of R12 700 000). The above excludes any commercial work and other image-based contracts. You make the point that SA players are paid “astonishingly low” wages. You will see that this is not the case; (above) after they have disposed of the equivalent of PPP-adjusted $300 000 in both the currencies, the SA scenario has a higher remaining balance. So in relative terms (PPP-adjusted) the player paid in SA is actually paid more than in France. Of course our rugby administrators would love to hold onto all the talent, but it is just impossible; due to the FX situation, and the comparably small size of our rugby economy relative to Europe and the UK.
etienne marais
Guest
Bakkies
Guest
Been shut a few years now. Only Temple Walkabout is left.
Lano
Roar Guru
"Dishonest" - mate your'e hole is getting deeper. Exchange rate comparisons are superficial at best. Earning 2.0M Yen is the equivalent of R197K at an FX rate of 10.103:1. The key to transnational analysis is purchasing power parity. While the SA: JPN FX rate is greater than 10, SA's PPP is 0.216 which means in SA it costs 1.085M less Yen for the equivalent basket of life-products and consumables. Australia's PPP vs SA is 0.299 compared to the FX rate of 0.102, an improvement of 193% for comparative domestic expenditure. So, while R1.0M converts to A$102K, in SA the PPP requires only R341K for equivalent products and consumables. FX and PPP aside, comparatively the salaries paid to SA players are astonishingly low.
etienne marais
Guest
Mick, you are confusing valid criticism of an article with censorship. This is not a freedom of speech issue; it is about relative quality of journalism, and (more importantly) about journalistic ethics. The Roar, for the most part, is reasonably discerning in what it publishes, but sometimes it does slip up and this is one of those cases. Like you, I have every right to record my distaste when the journalism falls below the standard.
Goldenaxe
Roar Rookie
Crikey, the Walkabout Pub in Covent Garden will have taken a hit in revenue!!
Mick Gold Coast QLD
Roar Guru
I'll read and decide what I think of Andrew Jardine's opinion all day long, etienne marais, rather than have an anonymous editor decide for me of his own volition or as a consequence of an easily offended feeble minded reader having a cry in secrecy by private email complaining to The Roar. We face a seriously stupid determination to censor free speech in Australia right now and I do not like that. I haven't yet seen a politician or an otherwise unemployable useless public servant who is better equipped than me to decide what I may or may not say or hear. Since you opened the batting fifty odd commenters have read Andrew's piece, a few have left comments in support or otherwise but most have extrapolated on it to add thoughts of their own. Let the man speak and allow the mob to decide.
Mick Gold Coast QLD
Roar Guru
A good summary PeterK.
Bakkies
Guest
If I was Meyer I don't think I would play Pollard at 10 against Samoa and Scotland in the pool games. Those two teams have backrowers that could knock seven shades out of him. He really struggled against Argentina and Ireland last year when the Boks weren't on top physically so that left the half back pairing exposed. Scotland have and can beat the Boks and that will be key to the quarter final draw as the top two play one of the top teams out of the Australia/England/Wales and Fiji pool. Samoa will be highly physical and probably their best balanced squad. They haven't yet troubled the Boks on the scoreboard but they are capable of dishing out injuries which will affect the squad cover.
etienne marais
Guest
I think it would be impossible (due to injuries and gradual conditioning) to field a full-on "A-team". But it provides a fantastic (although mandatory) opportunity to be a bit experimental and test some combinations. And at least we know that the rugby public will be fully behind Meyer in this experimental endeavour, so zero pressure on him then ;-)
etienne marais
Guest
"The September/October weather should suit SA." It should Bakkies, but it will depend on the half-back pairing. Who do you have in mind for then ?
etienne marais
Guest
Even with just 7 I still make it a full front row, hence my inclusion of Marcel Coetzee for anywhere in the back row, or a swop with Alberts at 4. But I know, this plan will need some tweaks.
etienne marais
Guest
Ah, sorry...we'll need a captain. It will be between Louw and Whiteley. FL will probably be playing more games than WW, so he has the head start, but I need to think about that one for a while.
Bakkies
Guest
It should be 8 man bench so both squads have full replacement frontrowers.
etienne marais
Guest
;-) Yes Bakkies, you are right, of course. I am not saying that there are not (if one is that way inclined) many factors that can justifiably be used to manufacture the pessimism; just that pessimism as a default position inclines one to see only hurdles and no track (if you'll excuse the athletics analogy). By some accounts here, HM is so lost and misdirected, that our boys might as well not even get on the plane come September 11th. But being the eternal optimist, in good faith, and since we are only 10 days away from the first encounter, here is my Springbok team for the World XV game: Since Heyneke has announced his squad of 49, I will respect his judgment, and only choose from that selection. Starting team: 15 Willie le Roux 14 Bryan Habana 13 Jesse Kriel 12 Damian de Allende 11 Lwazi Mvovo 10 Handre Pollard 9 Rudy Paige 8 Warren Whiteley 7 Willem Alberts 6 Francois Louw 5 Victor Matfield 4 Eben Etzebeth 3 Frans Malherbe 2 Bismark du Plessis 1 Beast Mtawarira Replacements: JP Pietersen Ruan Pienaar Shalk Burger Franco Mostert Marcel van der Merwe Adrian Strauss Steven Kitshoff Notes: a. Excludes players who are unlikely to clear injuries before the game b. Vermeulen gets an extended rest, regardless of injury status c. It is an important game, but not crucial; it can be used to test and cultivate combinations d. Paige gets a shot to see whether he can make it at this level, particularly in combo with Pollard e. Pienaar is on the bench; he is an excellent replacement and can double as fly-half replacement as well f. De Klerk will get an opportunity (off the bench) in one of the three games against Argentina g. Yes, Jesse Kriel at 13. I would have preferred him on the bench as replacement anywhere in the backline, but this day is his day to show his mettle as a secondary playmaker h. Since it is a full-on international fixture, I think only 7 replacements are allowed. If not, and we may have 8, Marcel Coetzee comes in, to have Alberts cover at lock (if necessary). i. Since this is really still experimental mode, all of the replacements will get good game time, not just 5 minutes j. I would have liked to include Nyakane as a legitimate LH/TH replacement, but that will happen in the next 4 weeks k. Final score: SA 22 - World XV 12
Harry Jones
Expert
Bakkies; I think SA will field a B team in the RC
Bakkies
Guest
The September/October weather should suit SA. 'I remember the scribes and the commentariat (as they were) being similarly pessimistic prior to RWC2007. It seems just to be human nature.' Well the Boks did lose 6 in a row prior to that and not field their best team during the Tri Nations.