I am fascinated every day on how human beings seemingly go out of their way to derail any efforts to be successful.
It reminds me of a line in a movie, Terminator 2 to be exact, where Arnie tells young John Connor after witnessing two kids playing with guns and fighting; “It is in your nature to destroy yourself”.
Prophetic words specifically if we apply it to rugby and more specifically, South African rugby.
Internationally of course one could easily look at the IRB’s aim to turn rugby into a truly global sport. But then we witness how World Cups are awarded and the how the (so-called) processes are followed and it is quite simple to see why rugby globally is only competitive between 6 to possibly 8 teams of a total of well over 100 member nations.
In South Africa the challenges are even more significant as we have to consistently deal with government interference and how certain individuals want to deport Springbok rugby players who has been in the country for over 6 years.
But purely from a rugby administration perspective I am puzzled as to how, or why, we consistently limit ourselves from becoming a truly powerful rugby nation.
Of course most of it comes down to power struggles within rugby administration but given how South African rugby is structured and the decision making bodies are formed or managed, it is fascinating to note that some unions seemingly make decisions to the detriment of their own unions!
In 2009 the Bulls were hailed as the best provincial or club team in the world, and arguably the best Bulls team in the history of the union. Rightly so I believe.
The Bulls have basically dominated the new millennium on the local front and is still the only team from South Africa to win the Super rugby title – twice actually in 3 years.
The majority of their players are first choice Springboks too, who in itself have basically won everything they could wish to win in the past 3 to 4 years.
Their structures and depth is the envy of other unions and for now, it seems that all this will not change in the near future either.
But it could… And it has in the past…
Yesterday I read how Cheeky Watson is hoping to have something concrete from SA Rugby, or in writing with regards to the Kings and their future as a franchise, before the end of March.
Importantly the article also made mention of how elections for the new position of President of SA Rugby is coming up soon too.
Predictably the comments that followed centred around how the Kings should not expect hand-out’s, how they must fight their way to Super rugby recognition and how they will be an embarrassment to South African rugby.
‘The more things change,’ I thought…
Here we have a union like the Bulls, who is generally regarded as not only being the best in South Africa, but indeed the best provincial franchise in the world! Yet not even 8 to 10 years ago (when rugby was already a professional sport), this very same union was on the brink of total collapse.
For a period of about 3 years as we entered the new millennium the very same, all conquering Bulls could not even make the top 8 of the Currie Cup competition, behind unions like the Pumas, Boland, Griquas and the Falcons.
Their captain (Joost) slammed the coach (Heyneke Meyer) in public and through the media as being the reason the union experienced their worst season(s) in 65 years.
Players had to take pay-cuts of between 45% and 55%.
Senior players either walked out, or were not offered contracts – some of them even entertaining to join unions like the Pumas in a ‘anything but the Bulls’ type of attitude.
There were accusations of marginalising coloured and black players (a nice way of saying there were accusations of racism).
Predictably they never featured in the local Currie Cup, and hit an ultimate low when they lost 11 out of 11 matches in the Super 12 in 2002.
This under the management at the time in some way or form or capacity of Heyneke Meyer, and (now) CEO of the Bulls, Barend van Graan, who of course is still there and now local heroes.
And just look at them now.
Not even 10 years ago minnow unions like the Falcons, Boland, SWD and Pumas were real contenders for Currie Cup semi-finals, and the Bulls on the brink of disaster or total collapse. Ironically the Lions were a massive powerhouse at the time too… Today, unions like the Falcons cannot afford to pay players, Boland fighting one battle after the next, and the Bulls – well they are on the crest of a magnificent wave.
If all of this is possible, why do we continue to marginalise ourselves and each other?
I guess what I am asking is how do we measure which teams and unions are deserve certain allocations they are allowed, and which unions or teams don’t?
Why do we marginalise ourselves and each other when the margin between being on top, and being at the bottom is not that far apart at all?
Do we just allow the cycles to carry on as they have been for many decades? Or do we perhaps need to look at creating a methodology and structure to spread risk and wealth for the benefit of the game?
Will it even benefit the game?
I don’t know, but what I do know is that we are busy destroying ourselves, and we are seemingly content with it.
Maybe old Arnie is right, it is simply in our nature.
True Morne ,in general
But the way I understand it, the Bulls had no real help in getting themselves out of the slumps. The had to put together their own plan ,believe in it and stuck to their guns.
Sure I believe the Kings should be giving every fair change and support that is needed to get them running ( that was what were promised ) otherwise they should’nt have started them to begin with.
However I don’t think they should be giving any freebies in terms of joining the bigger competitions for example S15.
They should earn it via promotion relegation matches etc.
Can you imagine if ( sure, might be a dream but still ) all the SA teams finish in top 8 or 9 and one simply gets left out, after what they saw as a reletivly successful season, because they too are in a building phase.
And yes, that years you’re referring to were tough indeed, hope we never get to that again.
Go BULLS !!!
change = chance…sorry
One of the biggest problems with regards to this “attitude” to me is that very few of these plans are realy for enhancement and more about a lot of hidden agendas !!!
Blouste,
What happened to the Bulls in my opinion was Dolf van Huysteen.
I remember sitting on the Oos-Pawiljoen with my season ticket many games between 2000 and 2004.
Back then I was fascinated by the very same thing as stated above, but it obviously applied more to the Bulls and their scenario they experienced at the time – how the union wanted to chase Heyneke away like a stray dog when he arguably went through the toughest time of his life personally.
No-one is talking freebies, and to my knowledge no-one ever has either (apart from the supporters in comments).
I again have to stress that when we look at all this, we need to put rugby first – and that is the thing I believe most supporters have a problem with, or find difficult to do.
From a pure, unbias and non-provincialistc rugby perspective, I believe we are destroying ourselves or rather, the game of rugby in South Africa.
Morne
An interesting article indeed, which (unfortunately) raises more questions than it answers.
The truth is that the majority of administrators are not involved in Rugby for the betterment of the game AS A WHOLE.
The IRB unfortunately don’t seem to have a concrete global development plan, and neither does (IMO) SARU or the provincial union with which I am involved.
Having said that, there are certain individuals who I believe have the sport’s greater interests at heart, but who (in a lot of instances) allow there personal opinions and prejudices to interfere.
For those who question whether the IRB are actually on the right track, visit the website puttingrugbyfirst.com and read the report tabled in 2007, and draw your own conclusions.
Whilst the report slams the IRB for failing (previously) to get Rugby 7’s to the Olympics this has now been achieved.
However, the whole affair is not without it’s problems, especially in the UK.
For instance, Great Brittain sends a team to the Olympic games, so who will the Rugby 7’s team represent, who will select the team and on what basis, and who will coach them?
Also, the great attraction of Rugby Union to many is the notion that people of all sizes, builds and speeds can play the game, but unfortunately not 7’s, so there is a whole group of potential players who will see the sport in some form for the first time, but will “assume” that they are physically not built for it.
So as you can see, while the honourable thing of getting the sport of Rugby exposed to a wider audience by Olympic participation has been achieved, it has been done in a rather “amateurish” way.
Once you have read the report compare it to what goes on at the majority of the SA provincial Unions and draw your own conclusions.
I seem to have rambled somewhat whilst up here on my soapbox, but it a ramble borne out of years of frustration with a provincial Union with no defined workable (IMO) development action plan, and a world governing body that (once again IMO) have failed to move into the era of professional administration and management in the way that BIG BUSINNESS should do.
Unfortunately Morne I think that the deeper meaning of this article will be lost on many people who are not or have never been involved in Rugby other than as a player or fan / spectator.
To many, the most important thing is whether “their” team wins or loses on a Saturday afternoon. The fact that they may have underperformed for a DECADE is irrelevant to them, because the “new three year development plan” or the miracle signing will sort it all out.
Once again all, my apologies for the rambling.
“Predictably they never featured in the local Currie Cup, and hit an ultimate low when they lost 11 out of 11 matches in the Super 12 in 2002.”
…
ag, how i miss those good ol’ days … sigh 😥
😳 sorry morné
couldnt help myself
i looooooooooooooooove everyone except the bulls and their supporters that is, hehehehe
Scrum,
Read the report a year or so back.
I will join you to appeal to people to read it, it might just be the most important document on rugby, professionalism in rugby, and how it is managed, you will read in your life – and give you a clear idea of exactly where this great game of ours is headed.
Top post.
Maybe this article is just a product of some nostalgia following the death of one of rugby’s true heroes and legends.
But I fear for our game, it only seems to be losing things currently, with nothing much being gained.
Anycase, later all.
Morne
Not suggesting that you said they should receive freebies, just a general thought in my opinion, because from what I understand some people think these okes should just be pushed through the ranks…
good post scrumdown
will definately have a look at the document you mentioned
1. ok, i dont understand why you say the process of getting 7’s recognised as an olympic sport was done in an amateurish way … can you please explain?
2. the team that you are refering to in that last 2 paragraphs of yours (underperforming last decade, miracle signing) … is it perhaps my beloved province? well if it is …. then you may just have a valid point there, hehehe
Whereas I agree fully with the sentiments of Pismier and Scrumdown… I have something to add..
Pismier, you were in the loop with the formation of SARSU (South African Rugby Supporters Union) a few years ago when some of us wanted an Organisation who catered for Supporters in SA, to make supporters real stakeholders in rugby, not just consumers of the game…. a few things emerged from that excersise, namely:
1. Supporters are very apathetic and quite happy to only be armchair critics, ask them to do something real and they become few and far between. In fact they are happy to be mere consumers of the game.
2. The arrogance of some of the supposed Directors of this new beautiful organisation was enlightening… they were sooooooo busy building little empires and acted very similarly to the Provincial Unions / SARU / IRB, where the internal rank-mongering and “joppiesoekery” and internal politics and power struggles are rife… this doomed this bright idea from the word go.
3. Certain people are do-ers and other people are just talkers.
I withdrew from the whole shebang as director after a few incidents and after it was clear that the freegin chairman, vice chair and cohorts were going to derail this thing anyway…. with me AB withdrew as well… and what happened, when the do-ers left and the talkers were left over, the thing immediately fell flat on it’s face… instantaneously!
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howzit?
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and my favourate
….
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Ok , so die Bulle se “bye” is na week 3.
Dan behoort al ons beseerde spelers terug te wees.
Hoop die res van die span kan dinge bymekaar hou tot week 4 en die punte bymekaar maak.
Tawwe games in daai eerste 3 weke met die Brumbies seker top of the crop.
As die span punte kan kry uit die eerste 3 games en ons spelers het 2 weke sonder games kan dinge met ‘n volsterkte span verder net beter gaan. ( bar futher injuries )
Die vraag is wie gaan in Dewald se plek speel?
P3? Wie gaan bench toe ?
Wanner is Wacko Jacko terug om te speel ?
Ashley
Hier is ‘n paar vir jou ook…
The club president, coach, a prop and a wing are taking a charter flight to the National Finals when the engines cut out.
The pilot enters the passenger compartment and says, “We’re going down. There’s only four parachutes! Since I’m the pilot I’m taking one,” and then jumps from the plane.
The coach says, “Without me the team won’t have a chance, so I’m taking one,” and he jumps out.
The winger says, “I’m the fastest and smartest man on the pitch and without me the team can’t win a game, so I’m taking one,” and he jumps out of the plane.
The club president looks at the prop and says, “You take the last parachute. The team needs you more than it needs me”. The prop responds, “We both can take a parachute. The smartest man on the pitch just jumped out of the plane with my kit bag on his back.”
Rugby player: “Doctor, doctor, every morning when I get up and look in the mirror – I feel like throwing up. What’s wrong with me?” Doctor: “I don’t know, but your eyesight is perfect.”
The family of Stormers Rugby supporters head out shopping one Saturday before Christmas.
While in a sport shop, the son picks up a Bulls rugby jersey and says to his sister, “I’ve decided I’m going to be a Bulls supporter and I’d like this jersey for Christmas!”
The sister is outraged at this, promptly whacks him round the head and says, “Go talk to your mother.”
Off goes the little lad, with Bulls jersey in hand and finds his mother. “Mum,” “Yes, son ?” “I’ve decided I’m going to be a Bulls supporter and I’d like this jersey for Christmas.”
The mother is outraged at this, promptly whacks him round the head and says, “Go talk to your father.”
Off he goes with the Bulls jersey in hand and finds his father. “Dad?” “Yes, son?” “I’ve decided I’m going to be a Bulls supporter and I would like this jersey for Christmas.”
The father is outraged at this, promptly whacks his son round the head and says, “No son of mine is ever going to be seen in THAT!”
About half an hour later, they are all back in the car heading home. The father turns to the son and says, “Son, I hope you’ve learned an important lesson today?” The son turns to his father and says, “Yes, Father, I have.” Father says, “Good son, and what is it?”
The son replies “I’ve only been a Bulls supporter for an hour and already I hate you Stormers bastards!!!” 😆
Every day I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I’m not there, I go to work…… Robert Orben
The trouble with political jokes is that very often they get elected……..Will Rogers
Hier is een van toepassing op die thread…
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However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results……Winston Churchill
And last but not least…
Hier is een vir Pedrie… 😆
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Cocaine is God’s way of saying you’re making too much money………….Robin Williams
I took my parents back to the airport today. They leave tomorrow.
Margaret Smith
blouste @ 26
lmao
Ashley @ 11
Perhaps amateurish isn’t the right word. The feeling “on the street” in the UK is that it wasn’t fully thought through.
For example, Wales the current 7’s World Champions CANNOT compete because they only compete in the Olympic games as part of the Great Britain team. Similarly England and Scotland.
Ireland, should they want to compete could not because the Irish Rugby Union is made up of teams from two (2) different countries, The Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland who form part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. (I’m not sure who Northern Ireland compete under in the Olympics)
So as you can see, of the eight (8) Foundation members if the IRB (The Foundation Unions are the first eight members of the IRB – Australia, England, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa and Wales) 50% of them are not elligible to play in the Olympics.
So let’s just say that there is a bit of work to be done re the Olymic 7’s.
Do you think it was well thought through?
Secondly, I was actually thinking about MY beloved Lions, but if the hat fits, by all means wear it (LOL).
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I date this girl for two years and then the nagging starts: I wanna know your name…
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