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JJ Harmse
The International Olympic Council have made a call to include Seven a side rugby as part of the Olympic code and future Games, and for this the IRB deserve much credit. They left no stone unturned in their quest to to impress the IOC bosses and I have to take my hat off to them. They had a vision and worked towards it with vigour.
Former players were used in advertisements and by hosting both the men’s and women’s World Cups together in Dubai earlier this year, they also showed the inclusiveness of the code.
Rugby in South Africa is a given and we don’t always understand how hard other countries have to work to establish the code. We also do not have to compete with other sporting codes.
The fact remains that inclusion into the Olympics will release funds from their national Olympic committees to many of the countries where rugby suffers badly and this could be the turning point.
I recently spoke to USA Sevens coach, Al Caravelli, and he was adamant that his country will become a giant in the game with the expected Olympic monetary backing. And in addition to the influx of money, Caravelli was quite excited about the quality of athlete he would be able to attract.
Caravelli reckoned he could get access to Olympic sprinters and that he could possibly field the fastest Sevens team in the world. It would still be up to him to teach them the skills and understanding of the game required, but it was a challenge he was willing to accept.
The same will apply to other countries and the possibility of having a bigger pool of athletes in rugby can only be good for the game.
Rugby in South Africa already attracts some of the best athletes we have, but to the likes of the USA, Russia, China and even the Caribbean teams, the decision will make a massive impact.
Game into disrepute
Unfortunately the hard work done by the IRB has been tainted recently.
In the UK there have been incidents involving fake blood and dodgy substitutions, there have been incidents of eye-gouging and the IRB had to discipline one of their most prominent members - South Africa - for bringing the game into disrepute.
After witnessing Matt Giteau’s attack on Fourie du Preez on the weekend, I would also like to say – justice for Bakkies!
Du Preez is now a victim of his own brilliance and has become a target for opponents, while Botha has become a pet project for citing commissioners and judicial officers.
There have also been a couple of incidents where the proposed camaraderie and good faith of the game has been compromised.
You only need to look at THIS video of a game between Mossel Bay and Heidelberg to understand how quickly an act of bad sportsmanship can lead to thuggery and crime. Well done to SWD and SARU for stepping in so quickly and banning the guilty club for 15 years.
For too long incidents were not dealt with in the appropriate manner and rugby turned the other cheek.Racism is at the root of this, although we cannot call it that because in this instance, it was not acted out by white people.
The fight between parents at two prominent West Rand schools in Gauteng was an all-white affair, and make no mistake, this is not the first time this has happened. It would be interesting to see what punishment would leads to in this instance.
As I understand, a touch judge was assaulted and last time I checked, that is punishable with a life-time ban from rugby. The fact that a former Springbok was involved gave this incident more exposure than normal. The actions of the authorities will be watched closely.
We all want our kids to play this game in the future, but at what cost, and with what values? Certainly not those that were on show at the Monument v Noordheuwel clash. And certainly not the way Heidelberg Rugby Club seems to believe is the rugby way.
Thanks to the IOC for making rugby part of the great Olympic family. We can NOW go and borrow their ethos of good sportsmanship, friendship and participation. Some people in rugby clearly need to be reminded of the values of fair play and good faith. Sad as it seems, we needed the Olympics more than they needed rugby.
Read JJ every Sunday in Rapport.
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.
The International Olympic Council have made a call to include Seven a side rugby as part of the Olympic code and future Games, and for this the IRB deserve much credit. They left no stone unturned in their quest to to impress the IOC bosses and I have to take my hat off to them. They had a vision and worked towards it with vigour.
Former players were used in advertisements and by hosting both the men’s and women’s World Cups together in Dubai earlier this year, they also showed the inclusiveness of the code.
Rugby in South Africa is a given and we don’t always understand how hard other countries have to work to establish the code. We also do not have to compete with other sporting codes.
The fact remains that inclusion into the Olympics will release funds from their national Olympic committees to many of the countries where rugby suffers badly and this could be the turning point.
I recently spoke to USA Sevens coach, Al Caravelli, and he was adamant that his country will become a giant in the game with the expected Olympic monetary backing. And in addition to the influx of money, Caravelli was quite excited about the quality of athlete he would be able to attract.
Caravelli reckoned he could get access to Olympic sprinters and that he could possibly field the fastest Sevens team in the world. It would still be up to him to teach them the skills and understanding of the game required, but it was a challenge he was willing to accept.
The same will apply to other countries and the possibility of having a bigger pool of athletes in rugby can only be good for the game.
Rugby in South Africa already attracts some of the best athletes we have, but to the likes of the USA, Russia, China and even the Caribbean teams, the decision will make a massive impact.
Game into disrepute
Unfortunately the hard work done by the IRB has been tainted recently.
In the UK there have been incidents involving fake blood and dodgy substitutions, there have been incidents of eye-gouging and the IRB had to discipline one of their most prominent members - South Africa - for bringing the game into disrepute.
After witnessing Matt Giteau’s attack on Fourie du Preez on the weekend, I would also like to say – justice for Bakkies!
Du Preez is now a victim of his own brilliance and has become a target for opponents, while Botha has become a pet project for citing commissioners and judicial officers.
There have also been a couple of incidents where the proposed camaraderie and good faith of the game has been compromised.
You only need to look at THIS video of a game between Mossel Bay and Heidelberg to understand how quickly an act of bad sportsmanship can lead to thuggery and crime. Well done to SWD and SARU for stepping in so quickly and banning the guilty club for 15 years.
For too long incidents were not dealt with in the appropriate manner and rugby turned the other cheek.Racism is at the root of this, although we cannot call it that because in this instance, it was not acted out by white people.
The fight between parents at two prominent West Rand schools in Gauteng was an all-white affair, and make no mistake, this is not the first time this has happened. It would be interesting to see what punishment would leads to in this instance.
As I understand, a touch judge was assaulted and last time I checked, that is punishable with a life-time ban from rugby. The fact that a former Springbok was involved gave this incident more exposure than normal. The actions of the authorities will be watched closely.
We all want our kids to play this game in the future, but at what cost, and with what values? Certainly not those that were on show at the Monument v Noordheuwel clash. And certainly not the way Heidelberg Rugby Club seems to believe is the rugby way.
Thanks to the IOC for making rugby part of the great Olympic family. We can NOW go and borrow their ethos of good sportsmanship, friendship and participation. Some people in rugby clearly need to be reminded of the values of fair play and good faith. Sad as it seems, we needed the Olympics more than they needed rugby.
Read JJ every Sunday in Rapport.
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.
