Warning bells ringing for SA rubgy

Saturday's defeat of the Boks by what was no more than a novice French side, has rung warning bells for South Africa rugby. Heed them, or the famous green and gold strip will be become the laughing stock of world rugby.

Juggling players is not the solution, neither is firing the coach. Admittedly it is stupid to go into a test without a recognised place-kicker or with centres incapable of cutting a line and linking with their wings, but the real problem is burn-out.

The Super 12 is killing our players and the game. How can you expect players to appear in a test match for almost 11 weeks on the trot? Whose body can take the punishment of international competition every week? And how can you expect players who hate each other for four months to suddenly mould into a team?

Our players are tired. After a tough Currie Cup and a strenuous overseas tour last year they had a mere six weeks to get ready for the Super 12. Now follow the "warm-ups" against the French and the Italians before the tough Tri-Nations. Then comes this year's Currie Cup, followed by another overseas tour.

Frankly, if I were a professional player, I would seriously consider going on strike.

Killing the goose!

Greed is killing our game. Sarfu is milking every cent it can out of the Boks and is demanding too much of its "employees".

But because the pay is good, the older players hang on for as long as they can before seeking retirement money in Europe, while the younger ones are only too keen to play as much as they can to get into the top pay brackets.

In the meantime our rugby at grass roots is dead. Club rugby, once the great breeding ground of future Springboks, has deteriorated into a social affair and the only time it makes headlines is when fights break out. The Vodacom Cup is a farce and does not draw crowds.

Schools still survive

Fortunately schools rugby is alive and well, especially in the Western Cape where there are no trophies.

Here we still see boys playing for the honour of their alma mater. They are not afraid of giving the ball air, of running hard and of seeking try-scoring opportunities. Most Saturdays I see better rugby at under-12 and under-14 levels watching my sons play than some of the rubbish dished up at higher levels.

Saturday is the annual derby between Rondebosch and Bishops. There will not be enough room around the Piley Rees field at Diocesan College to accommodate all the spectators.

Surely this game should be staged at Newlands so everyone can enjoy it.

Look north

We have been impressed by the quality of rugby being played by England and France lately. Both have thriving club competitions and there is even a European Cup, which is played before and after the Six Nations and all internationals take part.

Perhaps the Super 12 should be restructured to be a competition between the top clubs in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand early in the season. This can be followed by the Currie Cup, but please, limit the number of sides to eight and spread the competition over a good four months. The other provinces can play for the Vodacom Cup.

Keep the Tri-Nations until after the Currie Cup final and end the season with a contest between the winners of the Tri-Nations and the Six Nations.

Club rugby again

Western Province can lead the way by bringing club rugby back to Newlands and by forcing the provincial players to turn out for their clubs when the provincial side is not playing.

In this way younger players will be able to learn from the professionals and the selectors will be able to view upcoming talent.

Again a Super League consisting of no more than 10 sides should be contesting the Grand Challenge. In the hey-days of HO de Villiers and Morne du Plessis, Villagers and the Maties drew up to 25 000 people to Newlands. There is no reason why it cannot happen again.

Back to basics

After years of isolation, we were almost too keen to play tests at any cost. The Super 12 has served its purpose. Our players are suffering and even the public is getting tired, as witnessed by plenty of empty seats at Ellis Park last week.

Stop the madness now. Cut down on international fixtures. Make club rugby strong again. Limit the Currie Cup. Allow our players to enjoy the game. Unless we do, forget about ever winning the World Cup again.