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SARU faces Cheeky hurdle

Gary Boshoff

Amid the rumour flying around that South Africa was contemplating leaving SANZAR for an alternative provincial rugby competition in the northern hemisphere, I was encouraged to hear the president of SARU confirming that he will be proposing the inclusion of Argentina and a sixth South African franchise to the Tri-Nations and Super 14 competitions respectively. The envisaged extended competitions are set to commence in 2011.

This is great news for both competitions as the annual Tri-Nations competition has lost some of its appeal and the introduction of the passionate, unpredictable Pumas is just what is needed to infuse fresh interest and excitement. A trip to Buenos Aires is always difficult for international sides, the Springboks and All Blacks included. Regular visits to the rugby mad country will generate much needed revenue for the Argentine Rugby Union who still remains essentially amateur. This will allow them to invest in the local game thereby creating new opportunities for talent development and the professionalisation of Argentine rugby.

On the Super 14 front, the introduction of an Eastern Cape franchise is long overdue, especially after they were originally awarded the fifth franchise under the Brian van Rooyen administration and then controversially dumped by the Oregan Hoskins administration. This resulted in a legal stand-off between the franchise and SARU and some ugly infighting in the Eastern Province Rugby Union which is destined to form the core of the new franchise. 

While SARU will be pushing ahead to get SANZAR to accede to its request, all is still not well in the Eastern Cape. New EPRU president Cheeky Watson and his board has apparently decided to partner with Border Rugby Union, leaving South Western Districts (SWDRU) out of the equation – this off course is being challenged by SWDRU and will certainly require careful mediation by SARU to settle the matter well before 2011.

What bugs me about SARU’s approach to the Eastern Cape franchise is the motivation advanced by the organisation for awarding a Super 14 franchise to the Eastern Cape. According to newspaper reports SARU announced through its president that the realisation of the franchise is important for SARU in order to help the organisation meet its transformation targets (sic). If this is the main motivation behind the allocation of the franchise then there is something amiss or seriously wrong with SARU’s transformation strategy. 

Traditionally strong rugby region

In fact, despite all the conferences, workshops and talkshops on transformation, one often wonders if SARU has a realistic, implementable, national plan to transform the game. Last time I heard, the organisation’s transformation strategy was being developed and driven by a consultant, who by all accounts emphasises grassroots development – the success of which should definitely not depend on the introduction of a Super 14 franchise in the Eastern Cape.

The introduction of a franchise to the Eastern Cape should first and foremost be because it is the only one of South Africa’s traditionally strong rugby regions which does not have a Super 14 franchise.

Secondly, the region deserves a franchise in that annually it produces numerous provincial players and top school boy players that leave the region to play their rugby in other provinces where there are better opportunities. 

Thirdly, the region deserves the franchise because I believe it was illegitimately denied the opportunity after the decision to award the franchise was overturned by the new administration in 2006. 

Lastly, there are presently a number of Eastern Cape players playing for Super 14 sides, for example, Dewald Potgieter, the Ndungane twins, Chris Jonck and many others who under the right circumstances can easily be lured back to the Eastern Cape.

I certainly hope that the new administration in Port Elizabeth gets their house in order, both as a viable business venture and as a well-governed sports organisation the people of the Eastern Cape can be proud of. The responsibility for this lies with the leadership under the stewardship of the anti-apartheid veteran Cheeky Watson. 

It is always easier to sit on the sidelines and criticise – up to now Watson has been good at that. However, the real test comes when you’re in the hot seat – only time will tell if Cheeky was the right man to pull EP Rugby out of the mess it finds itself in.

Gary Boshoff is a former Saru player and well-known rugby administrator.

Disclaimer: Sport24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on Sport24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Sport24.
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