Bok test farce
30 Apr 2007
Keo, in his Business Day column, writes ticket prices should be slashed in half for the two matches against an England D team.
It is a disgrace that the two England matches in SA are being recognised as Tests. Even more scandalous is that the South African public will be charged top dollar to see the Springboks whip chumps who have been asked to tour in the guise of reigning world champs.
Springbok coach Jake White has stated he will play his strongest team to score psychological points ahead of September’s World Cup rematch with the best of the English. Anyone who believes this is an idiot. White, by saying it, asks for ridicule.
South Africa can gain nothing from the two-match farce against an England squad missing its 45 best options. White will benefit in that he can claim two Test wins against a traditional Test nation. It will statistically help him when he fights for an extension of his national contract.
But the Boks can’t benefit and neither can world rugby. If the Boks win by 70 points it will be meaningless.
If they win by less, England can claim a moral victory.
The Boks are the ones on a hiding to nothing — not those Poms who, as London Sunday Times rugby correspondent Stephen Jones wrote, will wear the English Test jersey for the first and last time.
Those Englishmen touring are “the dispensablesâ€. It is what the international game has been reduced to, all in the name of misguided professionalism and the thirst for cash. Sponsors are cheating the public by selling this series as Test rugby. Even more despicable is that the International Rugby Football Board is cheating the sponsor by allowing the matches to be played as Tests.
The South African Rugby Union could make a statement to the rest of the world and show that in this country we refuse to tolerate such sporting fraud. Saru can refuse to recognise the game as an official Test and they can cut the ticket prices by 50%.
Saru has the most fantastic opportunity to take this negative and turn it into a major winner for those who still believe in the ethos of Test rugby. But you know as well as I do that they won’t do that because that would require innovation. It would mean Saru being viewed globally as a leader. Instead the South African custodians of Test rugby will remain limp followers.
The Test matches will go ahead, the fraudulent selling of Test rugby will be further encouraged and the game’s administration will be the ones laughing at the fools who pay full price to watch an A team play a D team.
Ask yourself if you are one of the fools who will be served a pie instead of caviar later this month and willingly pay caviar prices for your pie?
If you are, then don’t ever complain about the price of a Test match ticket in this country.
The public are the big losers, but only a minority will see it that way. Too many will pay the entrance fee to witness a mismatch they know SA will win.
The simplistic argument of “I don’t care who they pick, they are England†can only lead to heartache at the World Cup when a full-strength England team may just embarrass the Boks.
I can just hear the outpouring in Paris should this happen as all those simpletons who believed the lie of the May Tests ask how a team the Boks beat by 70 in May could beat the Boks in September. The same simpletons will then call the Boks chokers and pay another R120 for a beer in an Irish Pub in Paris.
What they won’t admit is the England the Boks play at the World Cup is not the England they will play in May. I say this with certainty because if these simpletons did, then Saru would have to give away tickets to get anyone to watch in Bloemfontein and Pretoria. No one would be buying into the farce. As it is ticket sales are doing very nicely, thank you. And Test rugby is supposedly alive and healthy.
Long live the clever administration which promotes this as Test rugby. Long live the idiots who pay to keep this administration operational by attending the matches. Long live Test rugby as we now know it because Test rugby as it should be — when the best play the best — is dead.
280 Comments
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30 Apr 2007, 23:33 pm
I agree and I will pay to see that bashing take place
1 May 2007, 00:01 am
Check the RWC rules out
Pool phase
If Teams are tied at fulltime, the Match will be deemed a draw and the respective Match points shall be awarded to each Team.
Knockout Matches
For quarter final Matches, semi-final Matches, the Bronze Final and the Final, if Teams are tied at fulltime, then the winner shall be determined through the following sequential criteria;
i. extra time – following an interval of 5 minutes, extra time of 10 minutes each way (with an interval of 5 minutes) shall be played;
ii. sudden death – if the scores are tied at the conclusion of extra time, and following an interval of 5 minutes, then a further extra time of 10 minutes maximum shall be played. During this period the first Team to score any points shall be declared the winner (sudden death);
iii. kicking competition – if after this sudden death period no winner can be declared, a kicking competition will be organised between the two Teams. The winner of that competition shall be declared the winner of the Match
1 May 2007, 00:08 am
pretty much same as 2003.
1 May 2007, 00:10 am
Is the sudden death not new?
1 May 2007, 00:12 am
nope. dont think so.
1 May 2007, 00:15 am
This still does not help with Sky Sports in the UK only showing a couple of games. They have the rights but sit on it
If you live in Australia, New Zealand or South Africa this probably isn’t for you because you more than likely already know that in Australia you can watch it on Foxtel, in New Zealand on Sky Sports and South Africans watch it on M-net.
However if you are not in Australia, New Zealand or South Africa this is for you.
Rugby fans in 73 countries around the world can now watch every match of the Tri Nations, Super 14 and Incoming Test matches live on the internet, after the South African, New Zealand and Australian Rugby Unions (SANZAR) struck a five-year deal with Mediazone, a leading global online broadcaster.
An additional 77 countries will be able to access the matches on an 18-hour delay.
The ground-breaking deal will allow expatriate supporters to watch their provincial and national teams just like they would as if they were at home. It will also give new Rugby fans around the world their first opportunity to watch the best Rugby that the Southern Hemisphere has to offer.
Rugby Channel includes every fixture from the Super 14, the whole SANZAR international season including the inbound Tests in June and the expanded Tri Nations series, the complete ABSA Currie Cup from South Africa, and the entire inaugural Air New Zealand Cup.
The Rugby Channel offers a year-long All Access Pass for US$129.99, or viewers can purchase competition-specific passes, or individual matches on a pay-per-view basis.
1 May 2007, 00:57 am
Karen
You never did upset me.
You also never did answer my question.
You just repeated your ‘same ole’ statement w/o backing it up. I could say you sound like Tacitus but that would be rude and ungentlemanly of me (also untruthful).
In case you have forgotten
- I conceded that Botha is an able replacement for Smit
- I questioned Bismarck’s capability to take over at this point in his career (and Bismarck would agree with me)
- But most important I discussed form in 2007 and asked whether based on 2007′s form (2006 is irrelevant) John Smit deserved axing. Or whether the other hookers had played that much better? You have to play significantly better than the encumbent to unseat him. Its only fair.
BTW – As a Sharks supporter why would I be having a Blue Monday? Had a great week-end. The Sharks , the Bulls and the Stomers all won. The only blight on the week-end was the poor Cheetahs performance
I take no joy out of the any poor performance of a SA side against international opposition. It seems many SA posters (not picking on you) on this board take joy from a SA sides defeat. It baffles me. By all means when it comes to a local derby lets be provincial as hell. But when we play overseas opposition then lets get behind one another.
Hopefully this week-end will also be good. However I will never count my chickens
1 May 2007, 01:17 am
BTW all. Did you spot the recent post WC signings?
Accoding to the UK Sunday Times
Confirmed
John Smit to Clermont Auvergne
Almost confirmed
Victor Matfield to Leicester
Other impending Springbok imports include
Schalk Burger
BJ Botha has already had approaches from six English and French clubs.
Rumours
Jean de Villiers
Fourie du Preez
both to Europe
Tip of the iceberg chaps. Many more to come
Someone is going to snap up
- Bakkies
- Luke Watson (unless Jake leaves and then he will hang on to aim for a Bok place)
- CJ vd Linde
- Jacque Fourie
- and others
1 May 2007, 03:07 am
nz has confirmed hayman, jack, mauger, kelleher, tuitoupo.
oliver, mccalister, evans also seem likely.
1 May 2007, 03:08 am
Bah Biscuit, who would want Looke…
1 May 2007, 03:09 am
Tell you what, Trinations 2008 will be a very interesting affair…
1 May 2007, 03:46 am
261,,,argentina should be part of it by then, which makes it 4N
1 May 2007, 04:02 am
Tomsta, it will not happen mate. Clubs in the UK can’t even get it right to have the Poms send down a proper squad to SA, whats the chances of them falling in with a 4N tournie down south?
1 May 2007, 04:12 am
i hope it does happen. it will be good for argie rugger. perhaps the contracts to play for argentina in a 4N could be worth more than their club contracts. if money talks,,then SANZA’A'R should get the deal they need with broadcasters.
surely the argie players would be jumping at the bit to play in the toughest annual competition, after all they only playing in europe to get better opposition. if they can get it regularly like in 4N then surely that will help them develop.
1 May 2007, 04:16 am
Tomsta, 4N will only be a few games a year for them, I don’t think it will compete with the paypacket of some 30 odds games for a club. SANZAR will also only fork out money if they can see a material benefit in it for them. I think they will just see it as more and ‘unnecessary’ spending…
1 May 2007, 04:34 am
true true
id love to see the argies giving the kiwis and aussies a regular biffo
1 May 2007, 04:44 am
Not to mention the B….never mind!
1 May 2007, 04:49 am
LOL. mate those argies are a physical team. i love it when we play them coz they really do stand up for themselves unlike some other nations. those guys are passionate and it shows in their play.
its good for the boks to get roughed up now and then.
1 May 2007, 05:18 am
You are right though Tomsta, it would be great for them and they will only improve. Maybe the other Nations are just to worried that they may get to good…
Thinking about it, I do understand a huge number of the guys play in Europe and that they can put out a mean 1st 15 but how does the backup reserves look? Will the actually be able to compete in a tough comp like the 4N? Honest question and I don’t know the answer…
1 May 2007, 05:52 am
koos bro, the argies dont have depth. but there is one way to get depth, although id hate to see a argies team try and compete without their top guys. the deal will have to have the condition that NH clubs release argie players for the 4N comp, otherwise its not worth them coming at all. we are better off trying to get the PI team back and firing again.
1 May 2007, 09:18 am
I said this last week already – Test rugby is dead – forget about what it was – it will never be the same.
The only time you will see test teams at full strength playing one another will be in World Cups.
Everything inbetween is irrelevant.
The IRB, and rugby nations live in a 4 year cycle.
If you want test rugby back – scrap the World Cup.
1 May 2007, 09:24 am
PA
I know see what you were getting at last week!
1 May 2007, 09:25 am
Hallo Pietman hoe gaan dit daar?
1 May 2007, 09:46 am
Hello pietman,
Ja its sad but true man.
And in my opinion there is no point in flogging a dead horse.
People should become educated enough to know what something is, and what it is worth. It is pointless going on sentiment or going off about it on blogs like this.
See test rugby for what it is – when we do that then people will want to spend their Saturday afternoons doing something else or rather go to his son or daughter’s school to watch them play.
Once people are educted, they will make educated decisions.
One of which is you must be really ****** dof to pay R350 to go watch a test today.
Cause if you want to watch sport entertainment – switch your TV on to WWE.
1 May 2007, 09:48 am
The only internationals in soccer today is that Euro Cup thing and the World Cup – it is also about the only time those nations are at full strength.
Inbetween – spectators adopted the route of club soccer and made that huge – the road rugby will follow is similar – and unavoidable.
1 May 2007, 09:49 am
And the BOK’S lose by record margin to England D.
1 May 2007, 10:09 am
We should just take the win.
We need it in our win loss ratio, I mean RSA a need it.
The also gave us 50 points with a depleted team.
Who cares really.
1 May 2007, 10:30 am
Gee cant anyone count?
England will be without their top 66. 3 teams of 22.
This means that with a squad of just over thirty England’s 100th best player could be playing the Boks.
1 May 2007, 12:41 pm
278# Shame. Who cares?
I say let’s stick it to the Pommies big time.
4 May 2007, 16:08 pm
278.
Without our top 66? Even if the teams we’re missing were the three top teams in the GP (they’re not – Leicester are 2nd, Wasps 5th, Bath 8th) do you seriously think all players in those teams, including the subs, are better than the first team players at the other clubs? I’m not saying you won’t beat us but I wouldn’t underestimate this England side. There are going to be quite a few players coming over who you might not be familiar with but have been in fantastic form and who have a lot to play for with places in the WC up for grabs. Personally I’m looking forward to seeing the likes of Simpson-Daniel, Strettle, Allen, Robinson, Winters, Lund, Easter etc running at you guys. Think by predicting a 50 point victory you’re getting a bit ahead of yourselves…
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