| Volume 3, Week 17 | |
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Editors Note |
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Brilliant! The Super 12 final will be contested between two New Zealand sides as expected and the champion Crusaders will take on the red-hot Blues this coming weekend. For once, this supporter will just sit back, crack open a cold one and enjoy the rugby without the “pressure” of backing a certain team. There may be some silly bets made on the little island but here in SA hair colours and volume will certainly remain unchanged – hallelujah for that! In the week I received my usual SA Sports Illustrated magazine in the post and was pleasantly surprised by an excellent article on one of my favourite people and biggest rugby hero in this world, Frik Du Preez. Now Oom Frik, as he is generally known, is the South African rugby player of the 20th century, which is no mean feat if you consider the many famous contenders for this highest of accolades. In a country blessed with brilliant rugby players over the years and results that are currently second only to the All Blacks it accurately reflects the measure of the man. The living legend played his final test for South Africa in the 1971 tour of Australia, and after the match he was asked to say a few w ords. Never short of a chirp or something to say this rugby colossus remained silent, too emotional to speak. This prompted Kim Shippey, a commentator of old to remark something like, “This was the most eloquent non-speech ever heard.” Having met and spent some time with the great man, everything they say about him is true and he is by far the epitome of Springbok rugby and as the front page of SASI remarked, the current day players can learn a few “Lessons in pride from Frik Du Preez.” The first Springbok team for 2003 will be announced next week and of course the Springbok World Cup captain, RF’s selection is further down in the mail but as for the RWC captain most of the contenders appear injured. Favourite is Corne Krige and here I must concur, the captain must be a first choice in the team, an experienced leader as well as eloquent and media friendly to offset the often stoic and grim Straeuli. Skinstad can also fulfil the role although there might be a question mark on his first choice selection for every game. Joost is an experienced campaigner however not very eloquent in his second tongue, who will forget the blunder this year when Momentum forked out the big bucks and risk to sponsor the Bulls and he gratefully thanked Minolta after the first victory! Ag shame! John Smit is a dark horse and although a very good player, has not played at all this year and a large part of last yea. It takes a few games for even the best of the best to gather form into a new season never mind an 8-month lay off. SA rugby however will be well served by either of the players and it is our job as supporters to stand by our man. Enjoy the final this weekend and look out for the Barbarians vs. England, it always produces sparkling uninhibited rugby, the way crowds want their heroes to play. Next week, a Super 12 round up and RF team of the competition. Ciao Lucas |
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| Visit www.rugbyforum.co.za for statistics, all the quotes and an archive of previous issues | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| "Get those bad boys out for the lads" by Tom Marcellus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Having never had to strut my stuff and shake my dimpled derriere out on the cat-walk, I'm not really qualified to pontificate on the subject of beauty pageants. But, although – especially to a beer-quaffing lout (which this armchair correspondent is not, of course) – pageants are rather easy on the eye, I can't imagine that they're too much fun to take part in. And it must be a real laugh-a-minute when you and your thick ankles and sagging bad boys get voted out right at the prelim stages, even before the heavy hitters (speaking metaphorically, of course) have even bothered to turn up. You and your more homely sisters from the mid-West are then forced to sit on the sidelines, as Brandy from California coos about World peace and the wholesome joys of growing up on the fruit farm with Ma 'n Pa. Ja, right. With the Super 12 semis now behind us and the final now just 2 days away, that's pretty how I've been feeling over the last couple of weeks. Like poor dejected Miss Omaha, as she sips on her strawberry 'shake and adds another layer to her heavily armoured hips. "Who will dance with me?" she wails forlornly, and gently swabs her nasal drip. With the tribulations of last year's Xmas tour still lingering in our minds, and with the Cats, Sharks and Stormers having filled 3 of the bottom 4 places on the log in the Super 12 (having amassed a combined tally of 49 points – the same as the Blues), it is little wonder that Doubting Thomases amongst us are ashen-faced with despondency, as their thoughts drift to the battles that lie ahead. Hell, even those bloodless chums from Northern climes who usually squabble over the wooden-spoon during t he Six Nations are no doubt sniggering at the plight of our hard-pressed little Bokkie. But let them chortle away merrily while they may, I say. Perhaps I'm a little optimistic (yes, it has been alleged before), but my modest view is that the Boks are not a team for trivialities, curtain-raisers and side-shows. Tri-Nations, end-of-season tours, warm-up tests, Super 12's – they're all mere Bah! for our scholars. Our manne, reared on the wide open spaces of the Platteland, are used to a spacious canvas and they apply their oils with broad brush-strokes. Itty-bitty trifles are cast aside disdainfully, as steely gazes are directed away from the humdrum and towards the ultimate prize, shimmering bewitchingly in the distance. Before you, kind reader, cast ME aside, bear in mind that the Boks' record in the World Cup is a proud one: undefeated in all regulation matches, including 2 wins over thos e woolly men from the Land of the Long White Cloud. And that's my story and I'm sticking to it. In the meanwhile, let us at least celebrate the state of our youth rugby, as Paul Delport and his teenage compadres add a bit of much-needed swagger to the junior ranks of the local game and "Young Schalk" Burger & Co gird their collective loins for their defence next month of their U21 crown. I hear that joining Schalk Jr in the loose trio will be one Jacques Cronjé, brother of the indomitable Geo. And speaking of beauty contestants …. |
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Join the OFFICIAL SPRINGBOK SUPPORTERS CLUB by contacting 021-438-8185 during office hours or mail info@springboksupporters.co.za and take advantage of special offers, members discounts and great competitions and prizes!! |
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| Wait a Week or Two by Desmond Organ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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As they say in the “classics”, you cannot count the chickens until they have all hatched. It is with this thought in mind that I have decided to delay the naming of my Super 12 team of the year. It is quite frankly unfair to name the side before the entire competition is complete. There are several players contesting the final that could quite easily squeeze in at the last minute. Not only that; the format of the competition dictates that the toughest games often come towards the end when battle we
ary players have to pick up their efforts for yet another week in order to come away with the ultimate prize. Fortunately though the finalists do enable a trip into the art of predictions as far as the Australian and South African contributions are concerned. What then is the press pundit to make of the opinions of journalists across the Super 12 spectra and the selections that they are undoubtedly asked to make? The basic requirement is one of objectivity and that requires some kind of points system. I was somewhat entertained by several selections of a reputable news provider, not so much because their p oints system was flawed but because it appeared to be based on the opinions of an isolated approach. It is extremely important to identify other requirements that impact decisions and these should include the opinions of writers from other countries and also the consistency of performance and the locality in which they occurred. Performing well away from home is a sure indicator of differentiation if there is an equality of opinion on a specific player or position. So much is made of the home and away argument during the course of the competition that to ignore it is like using a metric system in an examination after instruction has occurred in inches. Quite simply a point should be awarded to a player if he is considered one of the players of the week in his respective country. In compiling a regional team of the tourname nt, players that make the team of the week should be awarded an extra point only if they are being considered for the final 15. If there is still a degree of uncertainty then the home and away factor should be considered as a differentiator. Of course the opinions of the press do not always dictate the selection of the fifteen players that will most consistently represent their countries in the next several months, but one would hope that the initial selections would be based on current performance and also availability. It is a very foolish man that entertains the art of decision-making without all the facts at his disposal. South Africa unfortunately is blessed with several “experts” in this regard. The selection of players that have not completed the tournament should only occur in media teams if that player has outscored all other contestants on the basis of the points system. The guessing game that occurs with the media selection of the national team for the first several internationals is even more subjective in its approach. This is quite simply caused by the fact that the selectors have other criteria that they must consider or they are “blessed” with knowing what each player has to offer them. Knowing what a player has to offer is often a guessing game but then again there are coaches who make selections, which are bewildering to say the least. Sometimes they are so bewildering that you would think that the coach has spent the best part of the season with his head squarely placed in a location, which has no resemblance to a rugby field. There are also the emotional comments that come during the course of the season and the media are all too quick to remind coaches about the comments made earlier in the year. That is the course of constructive investigative journalism, what else does one expect, a weekly narrative of the course of events? |
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Subscribe to Sharkmail, weekly E-Zine sent to you from the heart of Natal Sharks Rugby. Get the latest news and competitions. Subscribe at sharksrugby@mweb.co.za |
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| New Zealand wins the Super 12 by Vinesh Naicker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Last week saw the four semi-finalists qualify. The Blues, Hurricanes and Crusaders had already secured semi-final spots and the Crusaders and Hurricanes were playing for a home semi-final spot.
The Brumbies, Highlanders and Waratahs had everything to play for but for some reason never really fired.
The Brumbies went down to the Crusaders, as did the Highlanders to the Reds. The Waratahs did beat the Chiefs but were unable to secure the four try bonus point necessary. As a result the Brumbies got in by default. Crusaders (39) vs. Hurricanes (16) The Hurricanes went into this game on the back of two defeats following a streak of 7 straight wins; unfortunately three of the four games they had lost on the way were to the other three semi-finalists. Referee Peter Marshall refused to allow this game to get out of first gear. I don’t think anyone could accuse him of being biased as he made a number of dodgy calls against both sides, but he just used his whistle far too much instead of allowing advantage to be played. I could understand this if it wasn’t two New Zealand teams playing, but everyone knows Kiwi teams prefer advantage to be played. As a result the game was pretty forgettable. The Hurricanes were never able to revel in the open or broken play environment they favour as they were moving from set piece to set piece all game long. The Crusaders were not able to build any continuity or phase play. The Hurricanes knew they would have to score their points and get ahead in the first half, as there have not been many instances of teams beating the Crusaders in the last 20 minutes. They never really looked like opening up the Crusaders though, whatever they tried the Crusaders were equal to the task and never really looked threatened. At the end of the day the legendary defence of the Crusaders was the difference and won them the game. The Hurricanes kept trying, but the game was beyond contention when Penn knocked on a dodgy pass from Spice in front of his goalposts. Robertson picked it up and dotted down under the posts. 39-16, game over. Many people including me had written the Hurricanes off at the start of this year. Despite having a classy set of back they have never really fired in the forwards, with a lack of both talent and discipline letting them down over the years. Colin Cooper has made a huge difference to the team. I don’t think that any coach in one year had made such a difference to a team. He took a very young and untested tight five and welded them into a competitive unit. It will be interesting to see how they go next year with the big match experience they now have. Blues (42) vs. Brumbies (21) I was curious to see how the Blues game plan was going to change with semi-finals football and have to admit I was surprised at the contempt they seemed to show to the Brumbies. I know the Brumbies had some key players out with injury, but the way the Blues came out and threw the ball around made me think they playing catch up footie, instead of just starting the game. Devine was obviously wired and I thought he would be spending 10 minutes in the bin, the way he was throwing the ball away and pu shing players around. The Brumbies, however, were having their own troubles too, with several good attacks foundering as passes went straight over the sideline. The first try of the game came as a result of good driving play from the Blues forwards. The Brumbies forwards didn't commit to the rucks in large numbers and the Blues were able to make good yardage. Devine eventually received the ball and dotted down. 8-0. The second try was much like the first; the forwards kept it close and went one off the ruck with the other forwards providing good support. In the end the forwards drove over in classic fashion and Meeuws scored the try. 15-0. Both tries surprised the Brumbies as it seems their defensive game plan was focussed on shutting down Spencer, and he wasn’t actually the one making all the play. The third try came with the forwards driving it up again. The Blues spread it wide and once again the Brumbies were watching Spencer. Gear had come off the right wing onto the left, and combined well with Rokocoko to put him over. 22-0. Halftime, and the Brumbies were shell-shocked. Finegan replaced Horua at half time and the Brumbies forward effort really picked up after that. The first try of the second half came as a result of MacInallys chip and regather. From the resulting ruck Roff was released down the right wing and passed inside to Gerrard who scored. 22-7. Finegan scored the Brumbies second try after some classic Brumbies play, moving the ball left and right across the width of the field and really stretching the Blues defence. 22-14, the Brumbies had stepped up a gear and it was game on again. However, Finegan had injured himself scoring the try and went to the blood bin. While he was off Muliaina received the ball 30 metres out. He broke through a weak tackle from Bartholomuesz, and then ran between Paul and Gregan, stepped inside the tackle of Roff and dotted down. 27-14, and the Blues weren’t going to lie down. Some great driving play and quick ruck ball allowed the Blues to get within 10 metres of the line. MacInally killed the ball and Spencer kicked the penalty. 30-14. Kaplan, up to that point had had a pretty good game, but he then made a shocker of a decision. He penalised Tuitupou who had tackled a player, remained on his feet and ripped the ball clear. Instead of penalising the tackled player for not releasing, the Brumbies received a lineout 5 metres out. A good drive from them and Bartholomuesz scored under the posts. 30-21. A good run from Braid and a quick ruck gave Spencer some room and he passed to Rokocoko in the tackle. Rokocoko thundered over in the corner. Spencer absolutely butchered the conversion but the Blues had opened up the gap again. 35-21. Desperation play for the next 10 minutes from the Brumbies who now needed to score 2 converted tries. Two minutes to go and a jolting tackle released the ball from the Brumbies grasp. Rokocoko kicked it ahead, picked up and passed to Rush, who bumped off Gregan and passed to Howlett. Howlett scored under the posts. 42-21. Devine had taken a head knock during the play and had to be stretchered off. The final hooter went while play was stopped, and Gregan asked Kaplan if he was going to end the game. "It's not as if we can score a try and win this" he stated. Kaplan refused to end it though, and so in a gesture of defiance Gregan insisted on 3 scrums from the 3 resulting penalties stretching the one minute of game time Kaplan had wanted to play into 3 or 4 minutes. So next week the final is at Eden Park between the Blues and the Crusaders. Everyone is talking about the Crusaders structured play and defence up against the strikepower of the Blues attack. Let’s not forget however that the Blues defence this year has let in less tries than the Crusaders. On the other hand the Crusaders always seem to do just enough to win. |
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| The First Springbok Squad, 2003 by Lucas Scheepers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The first Springbok team for the important World Cup year of 2003 will be announced next week and with a completed Super 12 in terms of SA participation it is an opportune moment to discuss the likely candidates for the job. At the time of writing a few prominent players
are injured and duly not considered fit for selection. Here goes, the RF Springbok contenders and possible mix for the first test against Scotland on 8 July. Fullback: A recent purchase of the HO De Villiers biography highlighted a few pertinent characteristics of what is required from a Springbok fullback. Vital qualities are bravery, rock solid defence, ability to counter-attack (in HO’s case unparalleled!), sound kicking with both feet and positioning as well as a keen sense of timing. Of the players available the best of the crop is Jaque Fourie, who had an excellent season. Strong in defence, fearless under the high ball and devastating as an attacker the young gun’s only perceived weakness is his kicking ability with both feet. Contenders are Jaco van der Westhuyzen, who was widely complimented for his outstanding season and Ricardo Loubscher who was injured for the middle of the Super 12. With Fourie out, van der Westhuyzen should be in. Wings: With some of the main contenders injured like Breyten Paulse and Dean Hall, a few players stood out during the competition at various times and one reminded the selectors of the value of experience. On the left wing, Pieter Rossouw with his unpredictable genius is the natural selection. With an inexperienced fullback the wings are vital and therefore Stefan Terblanche cracks the nod over young contender Ashwin Willemse. Willemse seem to have what it takes and is probably a good p rospect for an extended World Cup squad. Centres: The outside position is well catered for in SA rugby with Andre Snyman in excellent form and the try scoring machine Marius Joubert returning near the end of the season. Grant Esterhuizen produced the goods as replacement for the Stormers and in the Vodacom final. As a player he has matured from the rash youngster of a couple of years ago. His skills have improved markedly and his pace and defence is strong. The inside centre position has to go to Robbie Fleck, in form and with the right attitude he could be a star again for SA. Other contenders are Bobo and De Wet Barry, Bobo did himself no favours by losing form at a crucial time in the competition playing for a struggling side. Internationals show class even when their team is losing. Barry is a brilliant defender but his passing skills are not up to international standard. Flyhalf: Butch, Andre or Louis? These three are really the only contenders with Derrick Hougaard as an outside choice. The playing pattern of the Springboks will dictate the choice in pivot however it is the belief of this writer that a flyhalf’s play is dictated by the quality ball he receives. The other consideration is defence, with the flyhalf channel the most congested area in rugby he must be able to hold his own and not “force” the players outside him to make crucial high lunges and rather accept a penalty than compromise a defensive weakness. As tactical kicker and defender, Hougaard is potentially the best of the four, Butch intimidates but somehow does not conspire to actually tackle rather than try and stop his attackers. His rashness and “eagerness” to get involved robs the backline of their general and chief decision-maker. Andre Pretorius and Louis Koen is defensively frail although Koen is probably the stronger of the two and with his kicking attributes the safest bet for the team. Louis Koen as proven match winner with Pretorius as backup in both no 10 and 15 position. Scrumhalf: There are quite a few contenders for this vital position however Joost seem to be the front-runner, his slow pass has improved tremendously and his work rate has always been high. An average kicker of the ball he does not need to kick with Koen as his flyhalf and he can concentrate on motivating and controlling the forwards as well as keeping the oppo’s loose forwards honest. An able back up will be Neil De Kock or Bolla Conradie. Eightman: One of the most hotly debated positions as there are so many quality loose forwards in the country. The candidates are Bob Skinstad – an ex captain and potential World Cup captain and inspirational player who was certified genius in his glory years of 1998. Since then he’s had to make due with more than his fair share of injury and re-invention as a player. Pedrie Wannenburg, the young Bull played magnificently in Europe last year amongst the most trying of conditions and prov ed himself in the Super 12 this year. Joe van Niekerk’s year have been a nightmare with injuries yet like Wannenburg was exceptional in Europe when the going was tough. Outside contenders are Juan Smith and Sean Sowerby. Skinstad’s experience, lineout expertise and flashes of brilliance crack the nod especially with the pack of forwards selected. Flanks: The two ingredients of a successful combo is a fetcher and ball carrier, Corne Krige should be fit and ready to do the rough and tough with Wikus van Heerden and Hendrik Gerber as main contenders. The other is one of Pedrie Wannenberg, Joe van Niekerk or Juan Smith. There are many wonderful players in these positions it really comes down to combinations and with Skinstad to create Krige to do the graft, Wannenburg is the ideal catalyst for both set of skills. Locks: The Bulls have gone back to producing quality lock forwards, one of the positions the Lightblues dominated in years gone by. The contenders are Victor Matfield for his lineout expertise and obvious ability and to partner him there is big and bearded Geo Cronje, Bakkies Botha who is so prominent locally but did his long term Bok chances no favours with weak performances in Europe, Quinton Davids played very well for the Stormers and the hard man, AJ Venter – the best player on the park for the green-and-gold against England last year. The combo of Matfield and Venter should lock the scrum. Props: The import of Robbie Kempson and his obvious strengths on both sides of the scrum make him a definite then there is the experience of Visagie, Rautenbach who played well in the Tri Nations with Lawrence Sephaka and the Bulls front rowers of Bezuidenhout and Bands. The Springboks can choose any of these and come out with a real strong pack. Hooker: The position is a bit on the shy side with John Smit unable to play, Lukas van Biljon on the bench most of the time and Bullet retired. The first and foremost task of this player is throwing into the lineouts, the most consistent and also a very good scrummager is Danie Rossouw from the Bulls while the return to fitness of Shimange is also good news. The likely candidate to wear the no 2 is Danie Rossouw, at this stage. Springbok XXII 15. Jaco van der Westhuyzen, 14. Stefan Terblanche, 13. Andre Snyman, 12 Gcobani Bobo, 11 Pieter Rossouw, 10 Louis Koen, 9 Joost van der Westhuizen, 8. Bob Skinstad, 7. Pedrie Wannenburg, 6. Wikus van Heerden, 5 AJ Venter, 4. Victor Matfield 3. Faan Rautenbach, 2 Danie Rossouw, 1. Lawrence Sephaka, 16. Bolla Conradie, 17 Andre Pretorius, 18 Butch James, 19 Hanyani Shimange, 20 Robbie Kempson, 21 Juan Smith, 22 Geo Cronje |
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Join the SARUGBY news and discussion group for the fastest sarugby news and the most intense debates around the South African game. Send a blank email to sarugby-subscribe@yahoogroups.com |
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The [New Zealand] Rugby Union wants to parade us but we have to pay for the honour.
Former All Black captain Kevin Skinner on New Zealand Rugby's centenary Test celebrations To me criticism is part of the game. But it always hurts, it's like a dagger to the heart. Most times it's opinionated, but sometimes you deserve it and you must take it to heart and try to minimise (the error) next time. Andre Watson He (Van der Westhuizen) was a bit arrogant at times, but with good reason, Joost is definitely the best South African player of the past number of years. Abdelatif Benazzi You'd have thought that after representing your country 87 times it would be easy to let go, but it isn't. It's a huge gap to fill. Neil Jenkins on his retirement "An All Black on the 1965 tour of New Zealand said, 'You have to be wide awake when you play against (Mannetjies) Roux.' And Corneels Cronje, a northern Transvaal wing, replied, 'And when you play with him you have to be twice as wide awake." Frik Du Preez as quoted in SA Sports Illustrated |
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Hi Lucas Having just come back from a 4 week holiday in Australasia I am convinced that the Super 12 is beginning to lose its impetus. Not even in New Zealand where 4 of their sides where in the running for the four top spots was the interest that great. I was in Australasia over the same time in 1998, 2000 and 2001 and the interest was far greater, having the privilege of attending a game or two. As for Australia, well Union still sucks the hind tit by far. One can only imagine if League and Footy did not exist, all the other Union playing nations would not be able to compete. As for Wayne's comments on the status of SA Rugby in last weeks forum, I agree entirely with him and unfortunately it will only get worse. Basically the same thing is happening in SA business as people still continue to leave the country. Unfortunately winning has become a non-event in SA team sports as teams are "thrashed" week in and week out. Currently in Australia there is a major shake up been undertaken in soccer which stems basically from their non-participation in the last World Cup. This shake up is from top down and believe me do not be surprised if the Aussies don't become a leading soccer nation within the next 5 to 10 years. This aim will be boosted by there determination to host the World Cup in 2014. Unfortunately with the "clowns" heading up the different sporting codes and a Sports Minister that can only be described as a disgrace, we already have very little to be proud of as a sporting nation let alone as a nation. Regards Lionel |
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Hi Lucas, Super Springboks The Super 12 has elapsed, and what do sit with, but to look forward on what our possibilities is, to do good in the RWC. Lets look at what Strauli indicated, and I think he hits this right on the head....to choose experienced players, and with a small quantity of exiting, committed youngsters. These guys should be able to do basics first and to tackle their hart out - This was the basic reason why was Nick Mallet so successful. A good pack of forwards, to soften it up, and the last 15 minutes, use impact players to do the rest. The ONLY problem the coach will have is to let these players play together for at least 3-5 games, without any injuries, and to drill the steps into them. Lets look at a good experienced, in form team, that can tackle, and good on attack. 1 and 3 R. Kempson. R. Bands. 2 J. Smit. 4 and 5 G. Cronje. A J Venter. 6 an 7 P. Wannenburg, C. Krige, 8 A. Badenhorst. 9 N. de Kock. 10 L. Koen. 11 P. Rossouw. 12. R. Fleck. 13. A Snyman. 14. S. Terreblance. 15. W. Greef. Forward replacements and good impact players. C. Bezuidenhout. D. Coetzee. J. Van Niekerk. B. Skinstad - Impact player Back replacements and good impact players . B. Conradie. B. Russel. - Impact player R. Loubsher. - Impact player G. du. Toit. - Impact player A. Pretorius. - Impact player Hein Groenewald |
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Hi Ed I had to catch my breath over the weekend when I read what was being contemplated in terms of payment for the Bok World Cup squad. SARFU have to be kidding - R75000 per game and R25000 win bonus, with added bonuses for reaching the quarters, semis and final! K@k! I had a boss once who wisely stated; 'Prove your value and then you'll be paid for it.' Here's how I believe the Boks should be remunerated: 1. Being selected for the Boks should be the ultimate honour and the desire to give all for one's country when wearing the Bok colours, overwhelming. 2. Players should realise that becoming a Bok instantly increases their market value as a professional probably by up to three times more than their provincial value. 3. Bearing points 1. & 2. in mind, there should be no basic payment for a Bok selection, as they are already well remunerated by their provinces, just a fair per diem should be given to them. A win bonus is something else and has been earned. 4. A Bok squad selected for the World Cup should be aiming at victory, as nothing less is acceptable to the fans and, on winning the World Cup, paying the squad R1 000 000 per player would then be justified. I'm sure SARFU is beset with some really doff administrators. Isn't it really apparent 'in this professional age' that offering a basic of R75 000 to appear on the field and a win bonus of R25 000 equals R100 000, but playing just well enough to remain selected yet careful of total commitment to avoid injury would equal R150 000 for two games? Our players have demonstrated that they are very capable of garnering incomes but are less demonstrable of their ability to succeed, so don't judge me as cynical, but certainly as a realist! It's time for our Bok 'professionals' to honour the colours that allow them the opportunity to garner vast sums of money. If they have an iota of pride in themselves and the national colours, let them play for victory and then reward. If they're not prepared to, select the Under 20 side and send them off in the knowledge that they know how to play with pride! Storm Ferguson |
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