Contract top players SA Rugby told
29 May 2006
SA Rugby should contract the country’s top players directly and manage them as a national asset.
This was the proposal in Parliament’s sport portfolio committee on Monday, Sapa reported.
“It is about time that SA Rugby does what the prevailing practice is in other parts of the world and take the responsibility to manage the national asset,” committee member Cedrick Frolick
proposed during a briefing on transformation by top SA Rugby officials.
“The top players… contract them and then give SA Rugby together with the selectors and the coach a bigger say in how this asset can be used best to advance our national agenda.”
Frolick said there was a structural fault in South African rugby, with wealthy unions attracting the best players. “The coach is complaining most of the top players are injured, he has difficulty getting co-operation from certain unions with regard to the resting of key players during certain times of the year.”
“It all points to something that must be wrong with regards to the contracting of our top players in South Africa,” he said. “If we continue to allow a situation that they are contracted the way they are contracted at the moment, and that is by the different unions and franchise holders, we will never address the problem.”
The current scenario was “not correct for this critical juncture in history”. “We will never achieve what we want to achieve if we simply leave it in the hands of big unions to decide.”
Bangilizwe Solo proposed the introduction of a standardised fee to stop the problem of player poaching. A plan must be developed to promote club rugby and ensure that players came from the communities whose clubs they represented on the field, he said.
Stipends paid to players in rich provinces like Gauteng would be higher than in others, attracting more players. “We must make it (the fee) equitable so we reduce this poaching,” Solo said.
9 Comments
29 May 2006, 21:01 pm
definitely on the ball. the provinces should know that the country is the biggest entity in the land. this will quash a lot of confusion, and fighting between the two spheres
29 May 2006, 21:03 pm
29 May 2006, 21:27 pm
frolick is an ***…ja innie parlement kan jy ook enige kak kwyt raak…
Wonder what this poor ANC lakey will say when the Competition Board starts investigating the Unions for price fixing?? Ever heard of supply and demand you poor sod…
Wonder what HAPPINESS will tell the SA players when they earn less than Kees lensing at the SHARKS!!
By the way – gr8 job Kees and co for reviving the Nam Rugby this past weekend!! So gr8 to see that aguy like KEes does not forget his roots!! What an example to the rest of the FATCATS out there!!
29 May 2006, 21:35 pm
When a dominant employer uses their position to control wages its called “monopsony”. The Competition Act does not regulate this practice.
29 May 2006, 22:44 pm
The principles sound pretty good.
This is a step in the right direction. Might be difficult to iron out, but that what the lawyers & trade union reps earn big bucks for.
Nou gaan die poppe dans!
30 May 2006, 04:45 am
Hallelujah!
30 May 2006, 09:05 am
Presumably these gentlmen play for te parliamentary rugby team and olay for the AB’s!
how somebody can sit on any committee in the institition charged with safeguarding the constitution and then propose restrictions on income and where people earn this income is diabolical.
Centralising the contracts is probably a good step, but the Force exposed the inadequacy of imposing salary ceilings.
Forcing a draft like the BA’s use may also be a good idea. The idea that we even out the playing field on some kind of social agenda is bollocks, that’s how we got the Spears debacle.
If the Frolick’s of this world had rugby at heart they’d be more worried about the repeated fitness failings we experience, the ability of the structures to reach and achieve sporting excellence rather than how much money bigger unions can muster.
30 May 2006, 10:01 am
why don’t we just stop the currie cup
30 May 2006, 11:44 am
Cause it’s the only thing the Bulls will ever win, 007.
Have to agree with the principle, though. Central contracts for key players
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