South Africa’s four Vodacom Rugby Super 12 contenders are gearing up for what promises to be an explosive start to the 2003 competition on Friday, 21 February.
Rugby fans in Bloemfontein and Cape Town respectively will get the first taste of things to come when the Cats host the Bulls at Vodacom Park (5.05 pm) and the Stormers host the Sharks at Newlands (7.10 pm).
2003 is a crucial year for South African rugby in the competition given its bearing on Springbok selection in World Cup year. There has been close co-operation between Bok coach Rudolf Straeuli and the four Vodacom Rugby Super 12 coaches to ensure that the right players are exposed to the competition and that the four sides are well balanced.
Effective use has been made of a draft system to achieve this as well.
”This is a big year for rugby around the world,” said SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd managing director, Rian Oberholzer. ”From a South African point of view we have to put in a good showing in the Vodacom Rugby Super 12. We had a disappointing year in 2002 and have put in a lot of effort to make sure that our players are properly conditioned and are ready for the demands of this competition. All of our efforts are geared towards serving the interests of the national team and the competition will act as an important barometer for the selection of the Springbok team,” Oberholzer said.
Springbok coach Rudolf Straeuli added that he would be in close contact with the four Vodacom Rugby Super 12 coaches — Rudy Joubert (Bulls), Tim Lane (Cats), Kevin Putt (Sharks) and Gert Smal (Stormers) throughout the event to gather feedback from them on players form, fitness, injuries and other matters.
”It is important that there is a collective effort to achieve two key goals — to produce one or more semi-finalists in this year’s event and even possibly a finalist and winner, and to use the event to establish a constant measure of the form of those players we believe have what it takes to be successful at the World Cup later this year. I have been encouraged by the co-operation so far and hope that it pays dividends,” Straeuli said.
Competition sponsor Vodacom has aligned its Vodacom Rugby Super 12 marketing and promotions campaign with the concept of putting South Africa first. The campaign will carry the slogan: ”Four Teams. One Nation. One Goal. To win the Vodacom Rugby Super 12”. ”Producing a winner in the Vodacom Rugby Super 12 will do a lot to boost the confidence and morale of SA rugby, be it for players, fans, sponsors or administrators,” said Deputy Group CEO of Vodacom, Andrew Mthembu.
”Through our marketing effort we aim to demonstrate our commitment to the betterment of South African rugby whilst also highlighting the fact that the competition is amongst the toughest in the world,” Mthembu said. – Sapa