BJ Botha, Frans Steyn, Jean de Villiers, Butch James, Joe van Niekerk, Shaun Sowerby, Marius Joubert, Luke Watson, Daan Human, Faan Rautenbach, Brent Russel, Neil de Kock, Michael Claasens, CJ van der Linde, Robbie Diack, Ross Skeate, Gcobani Bobo, Schalk Brits, Ernst Joubert, Marco Wentzel, Jacques Cronje and countless other lesser known players.
Week in and week out we have to hear the constant muttering and moaning of SA Rugby fans, “Oh if only this and this player came back, oh what are we going to do now that this player is playing overseas? Why can’t Peter de Villiers just select the overseas guys? All our talent is playing overseas because of quotas. “
Bullshit…say I!!!
Around 352 professional rugby players ply their trade on a weekly basis Super 14 and Vodacom Cup action for South Africa, this excludes the various injured players watching from the sidelines, the players not in the match 22, the age-group players and even the Varsity Cup players.
Think about this, only considering players in the match 22’s, it is approximately (read well, APPROXIMATELY):
62 Props,
32 Hookers,
48 Locks,
56 Looseforwards,
24 Scrumhalves,
22 Flyhalves,
40 Centres
68 Outside Backs.
Are we seriously saying, that nowhere in the whole country, are we able to identify and develop a youngster, to grow into a position of influence on the field? Within an array of 62 front-rowers, we do not have the ability to develop even one into an international star? Are we actually trying? Or are we only trying to take the easy way out?
To even consider using overseas based players is an insult to every registered rugby player in South Africa, from school level up. There is absolutely no position in which we do not have a better local player than an overseas based one, (Inside Centre might be the exception, but not for long).
SARU needs to have a look at their structures, and whether they are doing enough to develop existing talent. The Scrum Factory is step in the right direction, but why not go even further?
Establish a National High Performance Rugby Academy. Invite at least 60 of the most promising talents from around SA to join the Academy under the tutorship of a number of professional coaches and conditioning experts appointed by SARU. Get them to hone raw talent into actual rugby players, get them into the mindset of the life of a professional rugby player.
Now, introduce a drafting system, whereby each franchise has the opportunity to approach these players and offer them junior contracts with the union. Obviously a transfer fee will be paid to the Academy, which will be one way of funding it. The junior contracts are to be equal in size, in other words, a financially powerful union, will pay the same as a smaller one, and each union can only approach a set number of players.
In this way you can ensure that talent is divided equally amongst the franchises, and that all franchises are benefitting and have an opportunity, to develop their sides. As this will be a South African initiative, a number of strong franchises is in the interest of SA Rugby as a whole.
Once a year, make available a transfer window, where unions get the opportunity to approach a number these junior players from each other’s unions, for senior contracts. However, here is the catch, a union cannot merely buy a player to get him off the market and add to its depth. A buy should coincide with actual game time in the senior set-up, as per contractual arrangement, and not just hanging around with the juniors waiting for injuries to make the step up.
It might be a pie in the sky dream, but I believe a move like this, will ensure that rugby in SA stays fresh, and that talent isn’t slipping through the cracks unnecessarily.
So by all means, a player can play where he wants, for whom he wants, for as long as he wants, because South Africa will be developing their replacements, and returning would not be as easy as once thought.
I agree to a point but there are some players that are born to do great things and have an ability to do things that you cant coach.. People like Morne Steyn look like well coached players that have worked extremely hard on there game but then you get the Jean De Vill,Frans Steyn and Bryan Habana’s of the World that can do things that mere mortals cant..
Saint is’nt this axactly what’s being done at the Bulls.
Now we only need to sent more talented players to their development programme to make sure the best are there… 😆
On a serious note. This should be standard practice at every union.
The national coaches need to get a finished product and can’t be bothered with finishing from a training aspect of players.
I have said this 150 times before,we have all the players.but the unions need to be run by proper businessman and have rugby people involved from a coaching point of view and dealing with the players and have proper qualified business people deal with the other issues..
Almost like the Bulls hey Winston… 😉
Saint, it is not as simple as that.
These overseas based players, if in SA, could have alleviated the DEPTH PROBLEMS at the Cheetahs and the Lions and strenghtened key positions, causing ALL 5 Franchises to be strong enough for top of the Log.
These overseas based players, if in SA, could help make up the Southern Kings and make them properly competative.
These overseas based players can fill the common void in All the SA Franchises and the Bokke in certain positions….. like tighthead prop (BJ Botha), inside centre (Jean de Villiers, Frans Steyn, Brad Barrit and a few more), flyhalf (Butch James, Derick Hougaard), outside centre (Marius Joubert), wings (Brent Russel, Phillip Burger).
The Sharks could have done with Butch at 10, Frans Steyn at 12 (or Barrit) and say Marius Joubert at 13, PLUS BJ Botha at tighthead prop. Can you imagine that they would not have lost the first 5 Super 14 games in 2010….
The Cheetahs could have done with quite a few of the overseas locks, one of the overseas scrumhalves, with Derick Hougaard at flyhalf, one of the plethera of No 12’s, Phillip Burger at wing (after Mapoe’s injury) and maybe one extra loossie. Would’nt they have been far more competative then?
What about the Lions, who almost need a complete new TEAM, and the Southern Kings who indeed need a whole squad…
Props: Daan Human, CJ van der Linde
Hooker: Danie Coetzee, Schalk Britz
Locks: Ross Skeate and Van Schouenburg
Loosies: Joe van Niekerk, Ernst Joubert & Jacques Cronje, Shaun Sowerby
Scrumhalves: Niel de Kock & Michael Claassens
Flyhalves: Derick Hougaard & Brad Barit
Inside Centres: Frans Steyn, Jean de Villiers, Brad Barrit
Outside centres: Marius Joubert & Gcobani Bobo
Wings: Phillip Burger, Brent Russel
Fullbacks: Frans Steyn
ALL of these players have Super 14 experience!!
These are but the well known ones… what about those who left for overseas before they became known…. there will be an England centre soon, there is an Italian lock (Geldenhuys), there was a French prop (De Villiers) and there is a number of lesser known ex-saffas playing in France, Italy, UK… these guys could have made all the Vodacom Cup sides and the smaller Currie Cup Franchises stronger….
So, Academies to find and develop future talent is fine and well, but we’re literally sitting with hundreds of players from SA playing overseas, already developed, with huge experience…. and that is a travesty….
We got Rudi Straueli for talent recruitment so we are very professional 🙂 I mean look at our amazing acquisition Andy Goode.
GBS
Albeit a valid point that you are making, remember, these guys will come back to roughly the same or better salary packages than they are currently receiving. No-one wants a salary cut.
This means unions could be investing millions in bringing players back, most of which only have a couple or so seasons left in them, while that money could possibly have helped create a new Habana or De Villiers.
Yes, it is a travesty that we lose players to overseas clubs and the like, but I think that has more to do with the fact that, SA is currently lacking these structures, in other words young players go to where they first get some money. If they are intercepted early on, this might not happen.
The Lions have themselves to blame for their ill-fortunes, the Spears / Kings well, they will find out soon enough. But a central academy could alleviate even those teams’ problems, and not only as a quick fix.
@ 6 😆 😆 😆
Instead of writing off overseas players like Saint puts it why dont we look at why overseas players are leaving and look at structures as to how we can retain this talent.. I dont want to hear the cliched excuses of money or quotas,there must be more to it than that.. Why would stop this problem is that those clubs must make there team composition like the IPL,only allow 3 or 4 players per team so they can also develop there own talent as well..
If it all about money, surely we can put together the capital to keep our first choice 22 in SA.
I know it’s a lot more complicated than this but that’s a place to start.
Players will leave for better oppertunities and I for one feel more needed to be done to keep a player like F.Steyn in SA.
But I believe that the stance from SARU not to select overseas players is a good one.
7@ Saint – I’m saying do both…. and more!
I’m saying in essence that we must find solutions to counter the Euro and the Pound…
Academies are definately a good thing and a centrally situated National Academy does have some merit…. but remember this is Africa…. people are slow boet, I mean one of our BIG Franchse structures is so far behind the times that they only appointed a temporary defensive coach 2 weeks ago…. in their minds Academies must sound like rocket science…
That unfortunately is the mindset we sit with, even within SARU itself.
Personally I think with SARU’s history of totally stuffing things up, we would be served better in the short run with Academies at each and every Franchise…. where things are run on a much more professional basis….
Ideally speaking however, a National Academy and centrally controled joint development structures makes perfect sense…
Newly developed players will still feel the lure of the Euro and the Pound though…
To alleviate the Overseas threat one has to think outside the Box….
For instance, Private Companies were faced by the same type of thing in granting bursaries to students years ago…. students would abuse the system to study and would move on to competitors after qualifying….. so out of necessity they created “Work Back Periods coupled to Buy-outs from Bursary indebtedness”
This could be similar to instituting a heavy TRANSFER FEE SYSTEM for players.
Another additional option would be to PRIVATISE Southern Hemisphere Rugby Franchises, which will make them much stronger and more competative Business Entities…… with much more control over their players…
One solution alone is not enough though and logically one would have to assume some hybrid form of all these actions….. a TOTAL BATTLE PLAN!
Lets not feel too sorry for those businesses Gbs,alot of companies give bursaries in order to get a tax write off and also to get good ratings on a BEE score card.. I have seen hundreds of people piss up bursaries up against the wall and the companies continue giving them.. I am still convinced its not only money or quotas why people go,has anybody ever bothered to do research with the players that have left?
@ 11 gbs
I agree.
Privatising the unions for me is the first step towards this !!!
I will go and check in my “spaarbussie” so long how much I have for Bulls shares… 🙂
Running an entity as a business is what is needed. Everyone will be more performance driven at the end.
The balance between the business side and “rugby” side in terms of coaching and being the MD for instance will have to be managed well as Morne explained some months ago already.
There will be a defenate “two sides” to the management.
But this for me is the way forward…
Winston ,you are rright.
There are not only 1 problem, but this is defenatly one of them and I believe will already take us a hell of a lot to where we want to be. The issues need to be sorted one by one.
But creating a more “profeesional” enviroment will also lead to dealing with the other issues in a more efficient manner I believe…
At the moment there are to many people that are just taking a ride on the gravy train.
This first step will start to sort that out…
Lets take the Lions for example…
A lot has been said recently about their recruitments and general plans and tactics, also looking at their performances…
In a business world, this recent form or productivity would have received serious inspection and would only have been tolerated if it was part of a really well explained plan, because in the meantime it is costing the union millions, if you only look at attendence figures.
I don’t know what they have in place and what not, but this should be open to the public, or their shareholders whom can in return buy into the idea or plan or get rid of the problem.
I for one see nothing positive happening there…
I agree you need rugby people to do the rugby part of things such as Coaching,Director of rugby etc but the rest of it needs to be run like any other top business in the country such as having proper lawyers,accountants,marketing people,consultants,succession plans etc.. How many unions actually have this?
Some are closer to it I pressume, but I’m no expert on this.
Morne should be able to give us a better indication.
I do know however that no one are there yet in terms of being a privatly owned institution.
Well, at least that how I’ve got it…
Are you sure about that Blouste because are far as I know the Sharks are a registered Pty Ltd.
Home affairs institutions are run better than the Lions Blouste..
Winston.
I’m not a 100%, I know Pty Ltd. are registered but who owns them?
And have they got any power do influence decision making. I don’t know.
We’ll have to wait for Morne’s imput. I believe he will be able to answer those…
The way I understand it ,it is the same people whom for example employ Muir, when it fails he gets shown the door, but they whom in fact employed him and are as much to blame…
To whom are they accountable ?Surely they were part of the problem then.
I’m using this as an example only…
@ 20 😆
If 21 makes sense to you after reading it now.. 😆
It would be great to have an article on how the institutions are run and who is in power and makes decisions etc..
Sure it would.
I have heard various rumours about infighting, unhapiness of staff etc. etc. from some unions. Yet a person like the Union president seem to be untouchable…
Therefor some would support him blindly in fear for their own positions.
Obviously leading to decision making wich might not be in the best interest of the union…
Who keep a watch on that ?
As far as Company Structures are concerned, each Union comprises the Union itself and then they have a Commercial Arm, often owned by the Union and sometimes jointly owned by outside stakeholders like Sail.
In the case of the Bulls, you have the Blue Bulls Rugby Union and the Commercial Arm, the Blue Bulls Company (Pty) Ltd. Sail is heavily involved in the Blue Bulls Company as shareholder… Sail also owns Vodacom.
A Private Company [(Pty) Ltd] can have 1 – 50 Shareholders as opposed to a Public Company [Ltd] who can have much more than 50 Shareholders.
All Southern Hemisphere rugby clubs /business /unions face the same problem.
Carl Hayman does not really prefer to play his rugby in France, it is just that NZRU cannot afford him. Did we want him ? Absolutely ! But I defend his right to ply his trade where ever he chooses without being made to feel he has abandoned his roots. There is a bit of talk in NZ Bout making an exception for him but exceptions have a nasty habit of growing to where the rule becomes the exception & then what will drive the impetus for up & coming players to remain in the SH at all ?
Youngsters will only ever see their “national representatives” on television & not feel that primal link they have now with players who they have seen “live” at a club or S14 level &, if they are very lucky, perhaps whose hand they have shaken after a game. Without this “connection” will those youngsters even feel the urge to play as teenagers or young adults at all ?
Donning “The Jersey” needs to be worth staying, or maybe returning, home for.
So public company will be what must be aimed for then…
28@ Blouste – Why??
If I or anyone was rich enough, as happens often overseas with the soccer clubs, and choose to solely own the Bulls, why would there be a need to be a Public Company (Ltd)… it can still be a (Pty) Ltd, no problem.
If you however foresee that the Unions should belong to it’s fans / supporters / investors who buy shares, then a Public Company is the option. The problem with opening shares to the Public is that it could leave the door open to a slow hostile take-over if not handled properly, with certain BIG MAJORITY SHAREHOLDERS who are ensconced in their positions.
The world of Big Busines has holes, traps, a life and dynamics of it’s own… it is a beast of a different colour and often is beyond mere understanding to most people……
gbs
I understand, the same scenario with the reserve bank now…
In general I feel a public setup would be slightly better option imo.
One guy could change the whole dynamic of a club “union” where as a more broadened aproach I believe would be better.
Well talking about this might be a good start in any case…
We need people who are not in it only for the money but also to protect wnd honour what each union stand for and to keep their great history/cultures in place…
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