Teams representing Argentina and Namibia were confirmed as competitors in the 2010 Vodacom Cup competition at a meeting of the South African Rugby Union (SARU) Interim Executive Council (Exco) in George on Thursday.
The Argentinian team is likely to be based in Stellenbosch and play in the Southern Section of the competition. Namibia will play in the Northern Section.
“We have a responsibility as a member of the rugby family to assist our fellow nations where we can,” said Dr Jan Marais, chairman of the Interim Exco. “By including Argentina and Namibia we hope to assist them in their preparation in the year before the Rugby World Cup.
“It could also prove an important stepping stone for Argentina in their strategy to successfully fulfill the criteria required by SANZAR to confirm their inclusion in the Tri-Nations from 2012.
“We also believe that it will be good for the Cup by adding interest to the competition and exposing our players and supporters to different rugby cultures.”
The meeting also mandated SARU president Oregan Hoskins to continue discussions with European rugby authorities around proposals to include the Southern Kings in a northern hemisphere rugby competition.
Are Argentina likely to field all their European based professionals? Doubt it, so how does that help them prepare for the RWC?
Oops, am I supposed to say Jan or something? 🙂
Good for them..
JimT @1
Jim, it’s very doubtful that they’ll field any of their professionals, but as with the SA provincial sides, the VC is about exposing the more junior players to a higherr level of competition.
If this move helps to give valuable experience to Argentina and Namibia’s non-professional players, then I applaude it.
I would however urge SARU to consider putting resourses into helping once strong countries like Zimbabwe get back to a competitive state, as well as developing other countries on the African continent like Kenya and Tunisia so that they can compete in regional competitions like the Vodacom cup and maybe even the CC eventually.
For too long now the IRB member countries have milked the sport without doing any meaningful development aimed at raising the profile of Rugby Union world wide.
A world cup where only (at most) six countries have a realistic chance of winning is only really meaningful to the countries that have a chance of winning it.
I know many will argue that for countries like Namibia just to compete in a World Cup is meaningful to them and that they must aim to get to a state of competitiveness in say 20 years, but the reality is that the IRB have been spouting that argument since the early seventies when Wales scored a 100 points against Japan (without the 5 point try!).
Truth is Wales could still realistically score 60 – 70 points against Japan, so in 35 years not a great deal has changed.
Development, development, development should really be the IRB mantra, but isn’t.
Oh vlok, let me get off my soapbox.
Think this is great news. Good for both countries.
@ 4
I fully agree. IRB and Saru need to do more to develop the game in African Countries.
#4 and 6
I can only say amen to that and I agree about the inclusion of other African countries in the VC.
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