Springbok coach Jake White is free to pursue other job offers because the president’s council of the South African Rugby Union (Saru) cannot plan more than 18 months in advance. Familiarity breeds contempt, it would seem, for Saru is now of the opinion that White is lucky to have a job in the first place. And how dare he seek improved terms?
The Tri-Nations begins next week and Springbok rugby is in crisis. With the possible exception of 1998, that sentence might have come from any one of the 10 seasons the southern hemisphere showcase has been with us. Yet its familiarity makes it harder, not easier, to bear.
At Newlands on Saturday we may be treated to a preview of the 2007 World Cup final; host nation France are among the favourites, while the resurgence of Springbok rugby under coach Jake White has not been ignored by the bookmakers. It would, however, be extremely unwise to use events in Cape Town as a form line for the most important trophy in the game.
The Bulls have reached the semifinals of the Super 14 for the second successive season. They have been demonstrably the best team in South Africa in all competitions for about three years, and yet beyond their immediate blue-clad family of support, no one loves them. Why?
By the time they run on to the field this weekend, the Bulls and Sharks will know either that it is too late or the exact size of the mountain they have to climb. It all depends on the Crusaders doing them a favour by thrashing the Brumbies. And so the Super 14 enters its final weekend of log play with the sounds of regret on the wind in Pretoria and Durban.
It took two and a half months, but finally there was a week of Super 14 rugby where all five South African teams were competitive. Springbok coach Jake White must be thankful for small mercies, for a number of his favourites are finally hitting their straps a month ahead of the international season. Imagine if they’d peaked in February and faded in June?
With three rounds remaining in the Super 14, the log has separated itself comfortably into three sections. The loser of this weekend’s South African derby at Loftus between the Bulls and Sharks will join the also-rans. The winner is dependent on the Hurricanes and Brumbies losing at least one of their remaining matches.
The race card will be used in attempts to cling to the lucrative Eastern Cape franchise, argues Andy Capostagno. So the madness is over and the Southern Spears will not participate in next year’s Super 14. Instead, the South African Rugby Union (Saru) will spend time, money and resources on putting ”measures in place to help the franchise and the region reach acceptable levels of readiness”.
As we head towards the sharp end of the inaugural Super 14, it is hard to ignore the fact that the usual suspects are lining up for a tilt at the semifinals. Adding an extra franchise to Australia and South Africa has done nothing to alter the bald fact that no one can beat the Crusaders, home or away.
Butana Khompela, the chairperson of the African National Congress study group on sports and recreation, said this week: ”No political argument can be made as to why the south-east Cape should not be awarded an opportunity to participate in the Super 14 competition.”