Thursday, 2 February 2012
What to do about the super kings?
With the announcement that the eastern cape based super kings will replace the team that finishes bottom of the South African conference in this year’s Super 15 many people are saying "it's about time" while many others are asking "are they ready?" and I am not worried because it will be for only 1 season. Let us be honest the 2013 wooden spoon will have the Super Kings’ name on it before the halfway point of the season because they will lack the players. I am not detracting from the hard work and dedication shown by the Watsons and De Wet Barry who have taken the team forward by leaps and bounds but the simple truth is that no one will want to sign for perennial relegation candidates. Without a lower league to fall back on players from the lions and cheetahs will automatically sign for one of the three top unions if their team is relegated rather than signing for the kings because who wants to move their family around the country year after year. I feel I must ask whether or not the Eastern Cape rugby union is even aware of the dangers of entering the toughest domestic rugby league in the world? Well if not I will tell them: Fans hate to lose when a team loses fans stay away from the ground, ask the Lions they know and so do their accountants and lawyers and the banks whose loans they are defaulting on. Fans are also fickle, so win a few games and they will start to come back but sponsors are less loyal, and once again it will all be about accountants and lawyers scrapping over empty coffers. Finally underdog stories only end happily in the movies when up against the power of the Bulls the class of the Crusaders or the flair of the Stormers I can’t see even the most in form Super Kings team doing the business, and that means relegation. Patience is the key to developing rugby in the Eastern Cape, not because the players are not there but because the will to play in the Eastern Cape is not there. Even with some of the best rugby schools in the country based in the area the EP union has not made it to top flight Currie cup rugby because the future stars would rather play in unions that are already established. Making the EP team a super rugby franchise will not increase its stature or convince young guns that Port Elizabeth is the place where they want to stay it will simply put an end to the calls for an extra super rugby spot. So are there alternatives? Yes! There are always alternatives and the first step should be making the Mighty Elephants a competitive team. This is not an impossible task because we have seen the success of Griquas rugby over the last 5 years as they have improved in stature and league position consistently. This has in part been through the partnership they have with the Cheetahs and through the development of players who found themselves out of favour at the bigger unions. The EP rugby board need these kinds of partnerships first to build a team from the bottom up. We say you must learn to walk before you can run, but this is a case of learning how to bind before you try to scrum.
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Your views are noted but what about the side to be relegated. Neither the Lions nor the Cheetahs will be able to sustain any momentum and face the same problems. So why should the EP side not be given the benefit of opportunity. Maybe with opportunity (and a bit of luck) comes some success, and big name players might like to live by the sea but can't get into the Stormers or Sharks side for whatever reason.
ReplyDeleteYou are right opportunity is the key, but should the opportunity not be given on a smaller stage first? It does not seem to make sense that a 2nd division union will be able to even be competitive at super rugby level. The big name players are unlikely to take the risks of joining the kings and the youth development system is like chalk and cheese when compared to those of the Sharks and the Stormers. I know we have been hearing the same thing for years now that EP produces the players and then loses them but super rugby is unlikely to change that. I believe once the super kings have proven themselves domestically then we can begin to talk about their inclusion into super rugby. The players from the two feline unions are also more likely to chase the money by playing overseas before they think of joining a team that will find it difficult to stay in the competition. In conjunction with that the kings may do well and avoid the bottom of the overall log but avoiding the bottom of the South African conference just seems like a pipe dream. If SANZAR says 2016 will be the first opportunity to add new teams then that should be the goal for the kings, if the mighty elephants can clinch promotion this year and start building a team for 2016 then I think they will have justified their inclusion, but for now I fear it will do more harm than good.
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