A possible Super 14 solution

The Bulls and the Lions together in the Super 14? If it had been April the 1st the suggestion might have caused me a ripple of mirth but it seems some rugby officials may be serious about this marriage of inconvenience.

In their efforts to find a solution to their six-into-five-doesn’t-go conundrum it appears certain administrators believe the creation of a northern amalgamation would give South Africa a powerhouse in the competition while also making it possible to give both the Central and Eastern regions representation in the new competition.

The argument apparently is that with Johannesburg and Pretoria so close to each other the problems of travel and absences from home – that insurmountable hurdle which always tripped up the merger of the Lions and the Cheetahs to form the Cats – would be solved while a team with so much in player and administrative resources would be naturally strong.

Like all theories it contains some logic but to me, after 35 years of reporting on the hatches and dispatches of South African rugby, too little thought has gone into the suggestion of a northern alliance and that it is doomed to failure.

Apart from the obvious financial implications of combining two of the strongest rugby cities in the country and effectively halving the income that could be earned my view is that the historic and competitive divisions between the old Transvaal and Northern Transvaal are simply too deep to make possible a successful alliance.

To put the Bulls and the Lions in the same camp would be like twinning Kaiser Chiefs and Orlando Pirates and calling them Johannesburg or Arsenal and Chelsea and calling them London. It simply wouldn’t work.

Then there is the inherent unfairness of penalising the Bulls, South Africa’s best team in this year’s Super 12, by expecting them to join together (with the Lions) while the Central and Eastern regions, with unproven player, administrative and financial resources, get to play on their own.

To me, as a longtime and, I venture to add, experienced observer of the South African rugby scene it is a recipe of disaster that will alienate and marginalise the like of the Falcons, the Pumas and the Leopards while almost certainly leading to damaging legal actions instituted not only by rugby unions who believe themselves to have been wronged but also by their commercial partners.

In my view rugby officials have for the second time in the history of this intercontinental competition been misled by the methods of their Sanzar partners New Zealand and Australia.

We ended up with the unworkable regional system because of New Zealand going that route, when in fact the Kiwis had instituted a centralised structure, and we opted to follow Australia by going the bidding route when it came to awarding a fifth franchise for the proposed Super 14.

What might have been better is for the powers that be to have gone behind closed doors in the company of all interested parties and hammered out a system that would have been best for South African rugby by having a positive effect on the Springboks.

Although my personal preference would have been to veto the Super 14 in favour of a return to the Super 10, the re-introduction of tours and greater involvement by the Pacific Islands and Argentina, the Super 14 is now a reality and we have no choice but to try to make the best of it.

To do that we need to put in place a system that delivers performances that are less damaging to the national psyche while also, finally and conclusively, solving the transformation bogey that has become like an albatross circling over the good ship SA Rugby.

So, may I suggest the following solution?

Without finances no team will be a success so I believe it would be imperative that four of the teams be based in the big metropolitan regions and proven rugby strongholds (if you ignore recent results!) of Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.

The reasons are obvious – commerce, population, big stadiums -the numbers add up.

And now for what I believe could be a way out of the fifth team dilemma.

Why does SA Rugby not retain this franchise and create an out-and-out development team along the lines of the Renegades who were created to provide warm-up opposition for Super 12 teams?

This team could fall under the national coach and the intent would be to provide opportunities for South Africa’s many outstanding youngsters (who have proven their worth in their tournaments) to be taken a step further along the line to the Springbok side.

In fact, some years ago we used to field an under 23 team, called the Gazelles, who used to be awarded fixtures against touring sides so the badge exists and the concept has already been shown to work – in fact with no other team in green jerseys in the Super 14 they would even have an immediately unique strip!

So instead of wondering what happens to the boys who win under 19 and under 21 World Cups they will be in the care of the national coach and his assistants (and whoever they choose to put in charge) and they would, in fact, be Springboks in waiting.

Because of their youthfulness they would attract sympathetic support from the public and, no doubt, a sponsor and it would then be possible for SA Rugby to base them where they choose (preferably in areas where they can have the most impact on transformation) while also staging their matches in cities such as East London and Port Elizabeth.

That’s the idea. For the sake of brevity I have obviously not gone into detail but it is my conviction that a “People’s Team” will do a lot more good for South African rugby and have a far greater chance of success than some of the ideas that are currently being bandied about.