Tri-Nations
No vuvuzelas at Soweto Test
2010-07-07 19:46
Johannesburg - Vuvuzelas will be banned from the Springboks’ historic Tri-Nations Test match against the All Blacks in Soweto on August 21.
The announcement was made by Lions president Kevin de Klerk, but it may not be a feature that spreads across the country just yet.
A decision is still pending whether the plastic trumpet will be banned from future Test matches and Currie Cup games when the South African Rugby Union meets again.
The decision, which was taken by the Lions, comes after their research showed that it interfered with the running of the game, and follows a decision in New Zealand to also bar the football noise maker.
While the trumpet has been seen as one of the hallmarks of an African Football World Cup, rugby’s administrators are not keen to see a repeat of the Vodacom Super 14 semi-final and final where Bulls fans used their vuvuzelas to create a magical vibe at the Orlando Stadium on their way to the Super 14 title.
“We’ve done our research and we have found that the Vuvuzelas actually interfere with the rugby. It isn’t the same for soccer, so we have decided to do away with it for this Test. We want people to experience the vibe of a full capacity crowd at the national stadium,” Lions president Kevin de Klerk said.
“Our analysis is that the players have difficulty with the lineout calls and in communicating moves on the field. The structure of the two games is also very different, where in soccer there is more room to communicate and game plans are more well-rehearsed. The final of the Super 14 was actually extended by a few minutes as the referee could not hear the calls from the linesman.”
But SARU president Oregan Hoskins denied that rugby was shying away from the mood created by the World Cup.
“It’s not about rugby hating the vuvuzela,” Hoskins said, “The Bulls supporters embraced it and accepted the Vuvuzela in the Super 14. What we’re saying is not to make too much of it. In South Africa the reason why we are successful is that we are very pragmatic as a society and what we say no to today, we say yes to tomorrow. We’re certainly not diehards but it is true that in the Super 14 the players couldn’t hear the calls.
“The Vuvuzela hasn’t been very good for the game, but we keep an open mind and see what happens tomorrow.
“Our constitution dictates that the provinces decide where the Test matches are housed and we still need to find out the attitude of the Bulls and Cheetahs, it might be different to other provinces. We will have to wait and see and discuss it with the various unions before we take a final decision.”