The business of being professional

For all Sarfu’s espousal of business principles South African rugby remains pretty amateurish.

The union has been re-structured to consist of a business arm, known as SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd, and an administrative unit while coach Harry Viljoen’s re-organisation has resulted in the national team being called the Springbok business unit.

In a changing world this is good and well, but adopting the language of commerce has not resulted in Sarfu being more professional.

Take the recent “announcement” of a squad of 35 players to gather for a Springbok training camp in Durban on Sunday.

The group has been aired in the national media but an official list has yet to reach us through the proper channels.

Thus you have the anomaly that the list that appears on Sarfu’s own website consists of 34 players and includes scrumhalf Neil de Kock, while a list that has been circulated to the rugby writers of various newspapers consists of 36 players and includes Werner Swanepoel, Robbie Fleck and Kleinjan Tromp. Western Province scrumhalf De Kock is not in this latter group.

It is claimed that the second list emanated from within the Springbok business unit.

The situation surrounding Fleck is understandable. He is a key Bok who has been injured and there is obviously a need to assess his fitness and keep him involved.

The circumstances surrounding the like of De Kock, Swanepoel and Tromp, however, are disgraceful. De Kock must wonder whether he has been dropped, Swanepoel whether he is back and Tromp, who has never been in a Springbok group, what the hell is going on.

Being called into a Springbok squad is a big moment in a player’s development and one would have thought that such mismanagement belonged in a different era when administrators were everything and players did as they were told.

In addition there is something very wrong with the principle of a player such as Friedrich Lombard, for all his obvious attributes, being included in the group having for months played no rugby at all while Wylie Human’s consistent performances are ignored.

Equally one must question employment practices that abet Joost van der Westhuizen’s attempts to get out of a contract and somewhat immorally encourage Braam van Straaten to dishonour his signature - this after the kingpin goal-kicker was not, in the first place, offered a decent contract.

The decision to offer the ageing Van der Westhuizen a three-year contract, while others are on 30 days notice, may yet backfire while the continued absence of Rassie Erasmus indicates that there is more to the Free State flanker being disregarded than meets the eye.

The signals being sent out are inconsistent, contradictory and unethical and you don’t require an expert to tell you that’s no way to run a business.