Cape Town - South Africa’s rugby bosses now need to act swiftly and decisively. If they don’t, we’ll face years of pain and embarrassment.
The saddest thing about the Springboks’ recent losses - and their general poor showing in 2016 - is that there is not one problem that needs addressing. There are multiple issues at stake and fixing these problems is going to require sacrifice, strong and bold leadership as well as honesty.
I wasn’t in Durban for the Test but it looked like a full house. I’m sure all those fans bought those tickets a long time ago, before they even saw how the Boks were playing in the Rugby Championship. Also, it was a full house because the All Blacks hadn’t visited Durban for a number of years and we all know Bok-All Black Tests are something special. Ha, no more, sadly.
Anyway, with the Boks performing the way they are, what are the chances of fans simply staying away next time a Test is held in South Africa; next June? Why would anybody spend hundreds of Rand on a ticket to watch what they produced on Saturday?
Also, the current Bok sponsor is not a long term deal and one can only wonder why no-one has come on board for the long haul.
I know what can happen to a team and union (Lions) when things go wrong and the first team loses far more than it wins ... it’s not pretty. The same pain can hurt the Boks and Saru for some time, unless the game’s leaders step up and take charge.
But what has happened to the Boks in recent weeks, and the embarrassment of conceding nine tries and 50 points to the All Blacks on home soil on Saturday, cannot continue. It simply can’t.
The problem is there is no quick fix, but hopefully the coaching indaba scheduled for the end of the month will bring together a few men with good, enterprising ideas that will help solve the issues plaguing our game.
Just one of the problems that needs discussion is how to handle the merry-go-round playing schedule some of the players are on. Of the men who featured against the All Blacks in Durban, Bryan Habana, Francois Hougaard, Morne Steyn, Warren Whiteley, Francois Louw, Steven Kitshoff, Jaco Kriel, Lionel Mapoe and Willie le Roux now continue to put their bodies through the grinder for their overseas clubs before having to man up to the best in Europe in a month’s time.
When will they get a rest, get an opportunity to put their feet up and recover from the bashing they’ve taken in the last few months?
Some of the others will return for the Currie Cup semi-finals this weekend, and maybe a final, and then they, too, will be expected to be in top shape come the Test against England in a month’s time.
It’s not possible for these men to deliver all the time.
This is one issue that needs to be addressed. And we haven’t even got to the inexperience in Allister Coetzee’s coaching team and the fact some of this country’s best rugby brains are sitting idle or earning their money abroad. Saru must now show they are the leaders of the game, and a union that puts the Boks first.
The Star