SA rugby: Never a dull moment

It was everything you would expect from a South African rugby year - a wild ride on the field and drama off it.

On the positive side, South Africa finished the year as the only international team to have beaten New Zealand, and won against England at Twickenham for the first time since 1997.

The country's biggest challenge off the field lay in the seeds of destruction that had been sowed in 2005 with the creation of the Southern Spears.

One of the Super 14 teams had to make way for the Eastern Cape franchise, but as the threat of relegation drew nearer, it grew increasingly obvious that there was no way that SA Rugby were going to honour decisions that had been taken under extreme political pressure the previous year. They were right only because there was no way that the Spears were ready to play in the Super 14.

Ultimately the only people who benefited were the lawyers involved in the disputes. Rugby in the Eastern Cape remains in the doldrums and SA Rugby more than likely dipped into their dwindling cash reserves to solve these problems.

It was against this background that the Springboks slumped from one disaster to the next before defying the odds by beating New Zealand in a home Tri-Nations game.

The international season started off solidly enough with a Test series win over Scotland before worrying signs emerged in the 36-26 defeat to France at Newlands.

However, it was the events on the eve of the match that really made the headlines, with Bok coach Jake White threatening to quit SA Rugby for England if his demand for an extension to his contract was not met.

SA Rugby president Oregan Hoskins told him he could leave if he wanted, but White went on the Tri-Nations tour with the Springboks and pledged loyalty after his team had been routed 49-0 by Australia in Brisbane.

There was much controversy on the Tri-Nations tour as White was quoted as saying that he could not pick an in-form Luke Watson ahead of Solly Tyibilika due to transformation reasons. This elicited furious denials, and continued adverse results in the competition did nothing to lift the mood.

South Africa were trounced 35-17 by the All Blacks in Wellington before almost redeeming themselves against the Wallabies in Sydney. However, they eventually lost 20-18.

Things did not immediately get any better on home soil, with the Boks humiliated 45-26 by the All Blacks at Loftus. It was their fifth successive defeat and calls for White's head became louder.

The last two Tri-Nations matches were no more than dead rubbers, but a 21-20 victory against New Zealand provided huge encouragement and was followed by a win against the Wallabies.

Watson continued to heap embarrassment on White by excelling as flank and captain for Western Province. But he revelled a little too much in the role of victim, and his verbal barbs aimed at the Bok coach via a magazine interview were extremely ill-conceived.

Instead, Pierre Spies emerged as the great loose forward sensation on the international front. Watson is far and away the best openside flank in the country, but there is no chance of a working relationship with White.

It was still an extremely fruitful year for Watson. He emerged as a strong leader and was pivotal in his exciting young side reaching the Currie Cup semi-finals.

The development of exciting young players such as No 8 Robbie Diack, lock Francois van der Merwe, tighthead prop Brock Harris, centre Corné Uys and fullback Gio Aplon made it a highly fruitful campaign for WP in spite of them once again not progressing beyond the semi-finals.

It gave Newlands something to cheer after an abysmal Super 14 campaign by the Stormers, where the only highlight was a stunning victory over the Crusaders.

The Bulls and Sharks at least gave South African fans something to cheer, with Heyneke Meyer's men sneaking into the semi-finals ahead of Dick Muir's charges on points difference after a 43-10 rout of the Stormers at Newlands in the final round.

Few could argue that the two best provincial sides - the Blue Bulls and Cheetahs - advanced to the Currie Cup final.

It was a final that had everything except a winner, with the teams sharing the spoils after an epic 28-28 draw in Bloemfontein.

Advertisements for South African rugby could not get any better, but enthusiasm soon dissipated when the national selectors announced the squad for the tour of Ireland and England sans a number of outstanding performers in the Currie Cup.

Developments behind the scenes were no more encouraging as SA Rugby set about appointing a Springbok manager. The advertisement stated that he would have to be black.

White wanted former SA Rugby managing director Songezo Nayo, but had Zola Yeye forced upon him. Under such circumstances it's easy to feel sorry for the Bok coach.

South Africa got a 32-15 whipping from Ireland in their first tour match in Dublin - and the scoreline flattered them. White was chiefly to blame due to his poor selections, and it was no surprise that the defencive line malfunctioned. So the storm clouds were gathering over the coach's head as the Boks prepared for the first test against England.

However, not since Clive Woodward toured with a second-string squad in 1998 had an England team been so weak, and there was every chance of South Africa beating them at Twickenham.

Sadly, they blew it in first Test after getting themselves into a good position, going down 23-21. They did well in the second Test by overturning a 14-3 deficit to run out comfortable 25-14 winners.

Once again the late show had done enough to save White's job, though it remains to be seen to what extent his wings will be clipped in the New Year.

On balance, SA Rugby did the right thing to retain their coach after the end-of-season tour as a change so close to the World Cup could have worsened the situation.

As always there was plenty of political posturing, not least the appointment of Chiliboy Ralepelle as "Springbok captain" for the final tour match against a World XV.

Ralepelle had not yet made a name in senior rugby, but was picked to captain the side and the Boks' "first black captain" was proudly announced to the world.

What is in store for 2007? For one thing, let's hope the SA Rugby ship continues to seek out calmer waters. It did get rough at times this year, but Hoskins spent much of his first year in charge undoing the damage of last year and deserve credit for that.

The Boks have a reasonably tame fixture list and should have a better year, though World Cup success will prove elusive if White continues to select poorly and is not surrounded by the right people.