To me having a split like this is running opposite to the point of university competition. Also, students come and go, they are not professionals. For example, one year KZN might have a great team, get promoted and then have a bad run and get chucked out and get thrashed the next year. How do the smaller rugby universities hope to attract playing talent if there is no real chance of them ever making it out of the Shield, which competition the scouts are watching.

I don’t think the structure benefits SA university rugby as a whole and does nothing to develop the weaker teams, although the “traditional” strong universities are no doubt benefiting handsomely at their poorer cousins’ expense.

So lets look past the razzmatazz and spin doctoring and find out if the smaller varsities have received any benefit at all. Could you do this for us KEO?