The Big Debate
12 Mar 2009
SA Rugby magazine asks: Should the Vodacom Cup be scrapped?
YES: John Dobson (UCT 1st XV coach)
‘I’m convinced the only reason SA Rugby has kept the Vodacom Cup going for so long is because of its contractual obligation to the sponsor. The competition is not of a particularly high standard considering the amount of money that’s been invested in it. As I told SA Rugby magazine last year, Western Province played their 2008 Vodacom Cup matches at Villagers Rugby Club, which says a lot about the level of interest in the competition. The Varsity Cup final attracted 18 000 – more than any Vodacom Cup game last season.
‘The Vodacom Cup has also had a negative impact on the broader growth of rugby in this country because the provinces only focus on a very small group of players who they identify very early on in their careers. This hampers the ambition of talented club players who aren’t in that system. The Vodacom Cup contradicts its old slogan of “Tomorrow’s Springboks today”, because any player who plays senior rugby these days has come through the provincial ranks – they aren’t being discovered in the Vodacom Cup. Provinces tend to pick players who have been in the system from start to finish because they have invested a lot of money in them. They don’t cast the net any wider.
‘SA Rugby should rather invest its money in a national club league that includes the 10 strongest clubs from the north and the 10 strongest from the south. This would strengthen the ties between the clubs and the provinces.’
N0: Jerome Paarwater (WP Vodacom Cup coach)
‘The Vodacom Cup is still a very important competition for South African rugby. If our players get injured in the Super 14, where are the coaches going to get replacements from? They certainly can’t get them from the Varsity Cup. While the Varsity Cup is an eye-catching competition and great to watch, its biggest problem is the defensive abilities of the teams. Most of the players who are brought into the provincial set-up from the Varsity Cup are weak in that department. In the Vodacom Cup, we focus a lot on structure and defence, which gives the players a better grounding for Super 14 rugby, and it’s a far more professional environment.
‘There are so many rugby players in this country that the more competitions we have the better. At the moment, those players who don’t make a Super 14 squad drop down to a Vodacom Cup squad and have the opportunity to attract the attention of the Super 14 coaches and work their way back up again. This keeps the pressure on our Super 14 players to perform each week or risk being dropped.
‘If I were to make one change to the current Vodacom Cup format, it would be to play the games on a Wednesday or Thursday night, instead of over the weekend when it’s competing with the Super 14. This way the Vodacom Cup would get more TV coverage and attract more fans to the games. We saw how much attention the Varsity Cup got last year when matches were played on a Monday night.’
Do you think the Vodacom Cup should be scrapped? Send your views to judge@hsm.co.za
10 Comments
12 Mar 2009, 09:07 am
YAY!!!
12 Mar 2009, 09:07 am
Who’s the B…. Dragon now?
12 Mar 2009, 09:10 am
I don’t know… Maybe the Vodacom Cup can be broadcast on Friday nights only or Wednesdays or something?
12 Mar 2009, 09:13 am
They must not scrap it. It gives some of the younger and newer chaps a run.
12 Mar 2009, 09:20 am
Why don’t they play the Vodacom cup earlier in the year before the S14 when everyone is so desperate for some rugby on tv that we will even watch the nonsense in Europe.
12 Mar 2009, 09:58 am
The Vodacom Cup has a place in South African Rugby, however it should be an under 23 tournament with the six super 14 franchises (Yes, I included the Eastern Cape) playing against each other on a home and away basis. This way the tournament would have closer games and then it would be breeding younger players for a higher level such as the Currie Cup and of course the Super 14.
12 Mar 2009, 10:20 am
#6 Yogi: Not a bad idea…
#5 Dumb Supporter: your’s too. Can work all the rustiness off before the Super 14 starts
12 Mar 2009, 10:30 am
We still need a good club competition in SA. Our structures are ****! Period! The only province that has it right is KZN. And they will dominate all competitions for the next 10 years or so because of it. Varsity Cup has just made the disparity worse. There should be a good club competition, then Vodacom Cup, then Currie Cup, then S14/15 then International.
Thats how it should be, and in every province! Plus every province should have their own academy (which talented players from all clubs go too), which should then fall under a cental academy (which the top provincial acadmey players go to), such as the new IIRASA or whatever that thing is called. Plus there can then be a national director of coaching/rugby or whatever. Plus specific national coaches that help all teams in all competitions.
This will lead to paths for players and coaches to follow, plus they will know where they are in the grand scheme of things.
Much better tahn the current system of politics and discrination! IMO. But what do I know, I’m just a young stupid skinny Soutie, well thats what I keep getting told.
In the words of Naas: the turkey wont vote for christmass
12 Mar 2009, 11:29 am
They should leave it. It is the only change smaller teams like Province, The Cheetahs and Lions will ever have on getting some silverware.
12 Mar 2009, 23:51 pm
Who cares?
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