SA’s ailing asset
18 Sep 2012
RYAN VREDE writes the Currie Cup has completely lost its prestige and is now no more than a platform for some young players to stake a claim for a Super Rugby contract.
I’ve watched every round of the tournament and have been completely uninspired. Certainly there are a handful of promising young players emerging, but overall the standard is decidedly mediocre for what used to be South Africa’s showpiece tournament. This of course has been the case for some time, but the quality on offer in 2012 is the lowest it has been in years, even with the current six-team format.
South Africans often boast of their bountiful player resources. This country is undoubtedly blessed in that regard, by quantity doesn’t translate to quality if the Currie Cup is an indication.
The quality will rise in the closing rounds of the league phase when the Springboks return and reach its climax in the playoffs. This is what South Africans will have to become used to – two and a half months of mediocrity followed by an injection of quality for a couple of weeks.
An extended Super Rugby tournament has contributed in part to this. The wizards at the South African Rugby Union who negotiated the Super Rugby deal did so at the expense of the world’s oldest domestic competition. This made financial sense to them, of course, as there was more cash to be made from broadcasting revenue and commercial opportunities that arose from Super Rugby than there were for the Currie Cup. Australia, with no domestic competition to rival South Africa or New Zealand, shafted their partners in the negotiation and emerged as the big winner, with more Australia derbies and a guaranteed team in the play-offs despite having the weakest conference.
More teams will be accommodated in Super Rugby in 2015, which is likely to mean the tournament cutting deeper into August. Where will that leave the Currie Cup? Will we see a one-round, five match league phase followed by semi-finals and a final? It would certainly heighten the stakes and make for more entertaining viewing, albeit not because of the quality of the product. Some club-standard players will continue to give their mates reason to toast with their TV cameos, when those players should have been watching from their couches. But this is what the Currie Cup has become – the playground of the ordinary.
There is no immediate solution on the horizon. There is no way Sanzar will trim Super Rugby to pit only the very best teams against each other and in so doing reducing the time it takes to complete the tournament. In an ideal world I’d have a Super 10 that starts in early February and finishes 11 weeks later, with a one-round, six-team Currie Cup commencing thereafter. If, for example, Western Province host the Sharks in 2012, they will travel to Kings Park in 2013.
This would allow Springboks players to compete in the Currie Cup before the June Tests. The game’s most important assets – the players and supporters – win, with a higher quality product and roughly the same amount of game time.
This is a pipe dream. The tournament that was once the pride of a nation is being reduced to rubble, serving as no more than an opportunity for aspirant young bucks to impress their coaches. So sad.
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614 Comments
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18 Sep 2012, 16:22 pm
could you ever come on here without needing to make snide remarks about south africans in some or other way for reasons probably only a shrink could explain?
18 Sep 2012, 16:23 pm
Cabbie agree with all that I just don’t think you would have taken us at home at the garden of Eden, anyway mate we’ll never know so who cares,your pack fronted on Saturday you could have sneaked it…
18 Sep 2012, 16:23 pm
@cab-244: those games should be expunged from IRB history! it was actually shameful of the IRB to continue to allow the Springboks to play under their auspices when FIFA & the IOC had banned the racist country from international sport.
18 Sep 2012, 16:24 pm
@cab-244:
@Skeppie-246:
The Cavalier tour sure was a great event from a young rugby spectators point of view (myself). I enjoyed every moment of it.
But thinking back, it was a really silly thing to do, considering the political climate at that time.
I’m thinking that it probably was orchestrated by some misguided rugby administrators backed up by the apartheid regime, and supported by some ignorance from the players (on both sides).
The Boks of that year were a great tem though, especially the backline.
18 Sep 2012, 16:27 pm
But if any act can be said to highlight where they stood, it was their decision in 1986 to ignore the rugby union, the Government, and a whole range of personal consequences to embark on an unprecedented rebel tour of South Africa after a planned official All Black tour was cancelled.
The tour was called off following an injuction lodged by two Auckland lawyers, Patrick Finnigan and Phillip Recordon, who argued it would contravene the rugby union’s constitutional promise to promote, foster and develop the game. Warwick Taylor and the the rest of his team weren’t so much disappointed as furious.
On July 13, All Black lock Murray Pierce was watching his club team, Wellington, play Oriental-Rongotai when Finnigan and Recordon’s injunction was announced. He was expecting to fly out to South Africa in five days, so he’d opted out of playing to avoid injury.
Pierce, a policeman at the time, had no idea of what had happened until another spectator told him. The team couldn’t leave until the case was completed.
“You couldn’t print my response,” he says. “It’s one of those moments in life that you never forget because I’d been looking forward to it for so long. I was really excited and having that taken away by a couple of smart lawyers, it was just gutting.”
The NZRU officially canned the tour two days later and the case was quicky dropped. Up in Rotorua, Pierce’s squad mate and rugby cult hero, Hika “the Hooker” Reid, was plain angry. He still fumes over 1981 and the impact of the anti-tour campaign: “Remember the Waikato game? Two hundred people stopped 30,000 people from enjoying themselves. How ridiculous is that? It was pathetic.”
Reid had been so determined to tour he’d played the trial match with a broken jaw. “I wouldn’t let the doctors wire me up, that’s how much I wanted it. I was like everyone else, I’d been watching those games since I was a kid and that was my shot.
“Everyone around me had been really supportive, but then I’m sure anyone who didn’t want the tour to go ahead wouldn’t have approached me. I know I wouldn’t have approached me. Especially after it was called off, I wasn’t exactly a happy chappy. So when the Cavaliers came up I was more than happy to jump on …”
As for Taylor, the injunction at least gave him some temporary relief from those opposed to the tour. He’d only started teaching at Christchurch’s Burnside High School the previous year and their staffroom wasn’t exactly a bastion of pro-tour sentiment.
He’d been the subject of protest marches around school grounds – pro and anti, with teachers on both sides – and wasn’t short of other people’s opinions. A Christchurch resident unlucky enough to share the same name had his fence graffitied for it.
But he was still keen to go. Aside from the obvious challenge, it also presented a chance to make amends for his brother Murray, who had been part of the Waikato team that famously didn’t play the Boks in 1981, and his own non-appearance from the bench during Otago’s match later in the tour.
All the same, he attended a few Hart (Halt All Racist Tours) meetings and pro-tour rallies before deciding he needed to go to South Africa to see for himself. Like the other players (with the notable exceptions of coach Brian Lochore, future World Cup winning captain David Kirk and winger John Kirwan), he raised his hand when a rebel tour was first mooted.
Not that it happened easily. The planning at this end was mostly run by lock forward Andy Haden and Auckland businessman Winston McDonald, but there were several false starts and constant media denials before the balloon finally went up in April 1986.
The bulk of the squad left as quietly they could, assembling in Sydney before flying on as a group. They were later met in South Africa by those – including Taylor – who had been playing for a World XV team in England. According to Taylor, they had left for Britain still unsure whether the rebel tour was on or not.
Just in case, he had left a letter with his wife apologising to his school for the extended absence and requesting further leave.
Rugby legend Sir Colin Meads was a late inclusion as coach, despite doubting their chances of success. No matter, to his way of thinking the trip wasn’t just a unique sporting adventure, it was about bridge-building and sticking one to the protesters he considers hypocrites for focusing on one injustice while ignoring others. So he was in, even though it would cost him his job.
“I was a New Zealand selector back then, and while they couldn’t sack me I was asked not to reapply next year. So it was curtains for me. But that didn’t worry me, I had no hesitation in going. I mean I had already been twice, and twice been pipped at the post by the referees. But for those other guys, this trip was their only chance at an opportunity they thought had passed them by. It was the ultimate in rugby.”
While he was still in the air, a black wreath was delivered to Pierce’s home, where his wife was with their newborn baby. By the time he found out, his wife and child had already moved in with her mother as a precaution.
“That was up-front, personal intimidation,” he says. “It was a scary thought to know that these people knew where we lived. When your family gets dragged into something like this the whole dynamic changes.”
full article here… http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10750033
18 Sep 2012, 16:27 pm
Bakkies yip a lot of what you posted is true sadly, you don’t have to answer the question but you being an honest chap and all I didn’t think you’d have a problem answering.
18 Sep 2012, 16:27 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-251:
Seriously Bakkies
The opposite is true about yourself, HG and Gunther.
I’m not supporting either side, but it’s getting really tiresome and subtracts from the intelligent rugby banter normally happening on the site.
18 Sep 2012, 16:28 pm
@Skeppie-246: It was still morally wrong and they,rightly,got sanctioned for it.For it was pure enjoyment,but for millions in SA and around the world it was painful to see a group of players go against world opinion.They basically endorsed apartheid with their decision to tour no matter how you want to spin their presence in SA of the eighties.
18 Sep 2012, 16:28 pm
@poppa69-250: Why though? Just because of the money issue?
18 Sep 2012, 16:28 pm
@wnbb-258: For you it…
18 Sep 2012, 16:29 pm
@Transformation-247:
yes, you are right.
its just not so easy to play nicely with thee kiwis though is it.
always want to make theie little smartass remarks but woe betide if you give them a wakeup call reality check.
@poppa69-250:
pity you couldnt make the same effort amongst yourselves though.
so much to fix within nz rugby and society.
but being the type of people you are, you rather look around for easy options cos looking yourselves in the eye an recognising your shortcomings is the harder thing to do.
18 Sep 2012, 16:30 pm
@NZINCHINA-252:
yeah maybe a step too far, but it would have been a helluva game imo.
@TooMuchRugby-254:
from a political and moral viewpoint, the tour was horrendous and the South Africans deserved to get bashed and no-one woulda felt sorry for them, cos everyone wanted to see that arrogance get its come-uppance – but purely from a rugby viewpoint, the talent, particularly the Boks backline talent was phenomenal. It was an immensely talented Bok team.
18 Sep 2012, 16:30 pm
@Transformation-253: That’s **** Transie and it’s disrespectful to the men who gave their blood sweat and tears to bok rugby. Not all white saffas are racists
18 Sep 2012, 16:32 pm
Cab there is one hell of a game coming up shortly in Soweto.
18 Sep 2012, 16:32 pm
make no mistake, most if not all unions fans on both sides of the indian ocean tuned in for it, and id hazard a guess cane might have watched with discontent, but maybe not – either way i think Cane was right – but the Bok rugby talent then was equally undeniable.
18 Sep 2012, 16:33 pm
Bakkies you should have answered that question…….
18 Sep 2012, 16:33 pm
@wnbb-258: Why was it morally wrong. Those springboks were nott he government, they did not create apartheid. Apartheid was an abomination but I don’t see why rugby can’t seperate itself from political madness.
18 Sep 2012, 16:34 pm
@NZINCHINA-264:
depends who they pick – its a poor excuse, but i want to see our best front up to nz, but yes it seems meyer is gradually getting it right and Soweto is going to be massive with the ABs trying to break the unbeaten test record that Malletts Boks hold.
18 Sep 2012, 16:34 pm
Right im off to bed, old Bakkies has taken the fifth so ill take that as a yes – cheers.
18 Sep 2012, 16:36 pm
thanks china, try to be a little more open and self effacing about yourselves and whats going on in your rugby as much as you do wrt sa rugby.
you’re always here running sa rugby down, convincing yourself your rugby is something it most certainly aint in the process.
its not unfortunately, and thats the truth… deal with it…
no, apartheid was a terrible thing and like racism in so many aprts of the world (such as nz in the present) it was abhorrent and has no place in modern societies and their attempts to make a world which is better.
18 Sep 2012, 16:37 pm
@katman-118: I think,therefore I am.LOL
18 Sep 2012, 16:38 pm
@Transformation-253:
yes they probably should – it was an enthralling series tho especially if you wanted to see that backline play test rugby or as close to it as was possible.
18 Sep 2012, 16:40 pm
@Transformation-253: Let’s also burn all copies of Paul Simon’s Graceland, while we’re at it.
18 Sep 2012, 16:41 pm
@TooMuchRugby-257:
look tmr, i never mean to take it to the gutter but you have to admit a lot of what these kiwis (and a good dose of locals too) do/say would never be tolerated anywhere on any forum in any farken place on the globe, by the/any resident group of bloggers who would be so affected and denigrated.
i dont think i’ve ever seen you call out the kiwis and their local bumchums when behaving so offensively.
18 Sep 2012, 16:42 pm
On sport and politics. Politicians don’t get sport, and never will. Sportsmen don’t get politics, and never will. Polar opposites on the ‘what I want to achieve, how I need to measure myself and how I want to be remembered’ scale. The End.
18 Sep 2012, 16:43 pm
@Skeppie-267:
At least our cricketers made a token protest, when they walked off at Newlands. Our rugby players just remained silent at the governments refusal to allow Maoris to tour.
18 Sep 2012, 16:43 pm
@Skeppie-141: He was doing a Cowan on Burger Geldenhuys.Dr.Danie said that BG would never play for Boks
again.And he never did.
18 Sep 2012, 16:44 pm
@poppa69-255:
and all the while a seemingly large percentage of the nz population were muttering under the breath or whispering to one another about the stupid maoris and pi’s…?..
to this day some of them do it seems…
18 Sep 2012, 16:45 pm
@Skeppie-263: where did i say all white saffas are racists?
the institution of SPRINBOK rugby at the time was run by bigot and the teams were picked along racial lines. FACT! the IRB had no reason to be endorsing a condemned regime! FIFA and the IOC had showed them the way but they still dragged their feet!
18 Sep 2012, 16:46 pm
@Skeppie-259: not the money issue at all, there was still plenty of residual effect from the 81 tour… that tour really divided NZ… so to have a team represent NZ and tour a country that was still being sanctioned did not sit well with many NZ people..
didnt think it would be that hard to grasp to be honest..
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-261: again, i think NZ society has less issues then SA society? but its by no means perfect either
“but being the type of people you are, you rather look around for easy options cos looking yourselves in the eye an recognising your shortcomings is the harder thing to do.”
please highlight some examples, then illustrate how SA goes about doing it the right way? turn the mirror on yourselves too bakkies, but your expertise on NZ society is very impressive..
do you believe everything you read in the newspapers too?
18 Sep 2012, 16:47 pm
@Skeppie-267: Don’t come with that apartheid was the government’s policy.No government in this world is seperate from the people.The people guides governments in policy-making decisions.You can’t seperate the one frome the other.Your people benifitted from that system because it served their purposes.Why is it that even in a democratic SA we had white players refusing to share rooms with black players or to accept them as equals.Why was it morally wrong?It was morally wrong because the world refused to accept a system whereby whites determined how a black man should live his life.The world refused to accept a system based on social divisions.
18 Sep 2012, 16:47 pm
@cab-265: the games were not televised IN NZ Cab, thats how much opposition there was to it… I doubt most kiwis have ever watched the games, but we know of things like the kinghit..
18 Sep 2012, 16:47 pm
@Skeppie-267: it wasn’t separate as those who picked the team were steeped in Broederbond kak!
you can’t deny that Danie Craven was a roving racist that said people of colour will never wear the Bok jersey!
you cannot!
18 Sep 2012, 16:49 pm
@NZINCHINA-157: A Murray Mexted Story.
GerT BezuidenhoutKeep the money.
18 Sep 2012, 16:53 pm
@poppa69-280:
but here we are poppa, on a south african blog discussing these very things.
no one here runs from the truth its brought up and thrown about as uncomfortable as it may be.
besides, you dont need to look for racial or other demons in south african sport and society… the facts are well know and easily exposed for all to see.
you dont need to teach us nothing on the subject boet.
rather try looknig uncomfortably inwards and ask questions of the self same men who allow maori and pi people to play rugby for their national team cos it keeps them winning and yet will think you a lesser man all the same.
face your own demons
believe me you have them
in sport
in race
in honesty
18 Sep 2012, 16:55 pm
and while you’re at it do something about your dishonest cheating
its time to clean your rugby up
18 Sep 2012, 16:57 pm
@wnbb-281:
you think the grass is green in nz?
18 Sep 2012, 16:59 pm
282 Popps oh really – good on new Zealand
I think the kinghit on dalton was during a midweek game bs bulls but gert smal, coach of Ireland, gave Gary knight a regmaker from hell – watch it on youtube – funny stuff.
18 Sep 2012, 16:59 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-285: sorry, where have I ever thought of PIs or those from my own culture as “lesser” men?
you seem to have me confused with your father..
Racism exists in NZ, but have you ever been to NZ bakkies? so how have you become an expert on NZ rugby and the inherent underlying “racism” that hides behind every rugby team in the land? who is your source and where is the unrefutable proof? because Andy Haden said the saders only have 3 PIs in their team? Because Pat Lam and fatialofa complained about racial taunts?
so that is unquestionable proof that the whole of NZ society is immersed in racial inequality?
you sir are one thick individual..
18 Sep 2012, 16:59 pm
you’ve gotten the rwc m o n k e y off your backs so make an effort to create a lagecy thats a little cleaner from here on in.
i would certainly start respecting ab rugby again if it could.
18 Sep 2012, 17:00 pm
@poppa69-289:
no, i mean the many white nz’ers who think you a lesser man simply for being maori.
18 Sep 2012, 17:01 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-285: Did you support the the Apartheid system??? Just answer the question.
18 Sep 2012, 17:02 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-274:
In my opinion the first shots in anger were fired by HG on this thread, and so it is most of the time.
Always Bakkies, HG and Gunther against the Kiwis. They are no innocent, but you guys sure are overstepping the boundaries, which leads to retorts by the Kiwi’s.
It’s flucking unpleasant man. Why don’t all of you grow up!
18 Sep 2012, 17:03 pm
@i_love_u_bakkiesbotha-291: could you give me their names please, i am not sure who you mean
18 Sep 2012, 17:04 pm
@poppa69-289:
dont do this pops.
dont lie to yourself
dont lie to me
dont do this
i never said the whole of nz is undeniably racist but it certainly seems to undeniably be a lot less idealistic than you make believe.
going on those articles it would seem to in fact be far more racist than one could ever have imagined, no.
18 Sep 2012, 17:05 pm
@wnbb-292:
please refer post #270
18 Sep 2012, 17:05 pm
@wnbb-281: Of course governments are seperate from its people, don’t be naive, apartheid was as divorced from me as the current SA government is. Individuals are racist not entire countries. Those white players who refuse/refused to share rooms with black players will need to live with themselves but how can you say the entire bok team was racist because of the government’s evil policies?
18 Sep 2012, 17:07 pm
@NZINCHINA-245: A really kak question.Did you masturbate as a child?All whiteSaffers were..Some passive,some active.We are trying to build a nation for our childrenBlack & White.
18 Sep 2012, 17:08 pm
@TooMuchRugby-293:
ok fine i hear you, you can have your blog tmr.
play with yourselves as you see fit.
i really am dragging you all down.
i’ll pop in when the boks play.
@poppa69-294:
dont be ridiculous man..?..
18 Sep 2012, 17:09 pm
@Transformation-283: Transie individuals do not speak for everyone. You have a lot of facts about the white boks who were racist, how many facts do you have around the white boks who were not?
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