Sharks and Stormers could meet eight times
If you sit back and examine the format of the new Super 15, one of the things that stands out for me is that the series is not ideally suited to South African rugby.
14 January 2011 | Jake White
That may sound a bit harsh, but you have to consider where the roots of competition in this country come from.
We might have gained re-entry to international competition and won the World Cup twice as well as got deeply involved in the Tri-Nations and Super rugby, but in terms of competition that keeps the local fans coming back for more, you can trace it all back to the years of isolation.
Back then, the Currie Cup was the pinnacle of what we were about – certainly for this generation – and remains an important part of what makes the game tick in this country.
Yes, they have a tough provincial competition in New Zealand and Australia also have theirs, but, for me, nothing compares with the intensity and feeling of the Currie Cup.
A big part of this is the needle that has always existed in the big derby games, the head-to-head meetings between traditional rivals has got the players coming out and playing on a different level and stirred the fans.
When you take that out of the equation, something very special goes missing from the overall make-up of the game in South Africa.
And, if you think about it – especially with the Tri-Series between the Stormers, Lions and Sharks at Newlands later this month – it is not beyond the bounds of probability that the Sharks and Stormers could meet eight times this season with the build-up matches in Cape Town, the home and away of the opening phases of Super 15 and the Currie Cup if both sides go all the way.
Quite simply, that’s far too many derbies. It blunts the needle if you like, taking the intensity out of it for both the players and the supporters.
It presents something of a problem for the provincial coaches and the Springbok coaching staff. With that much competition, the guys with a chance of making it to the World Cup will be playing out of their skins to prove a point. It’s impossible to stop.
Just think about the loose forwards as an example. There’s Heinrich Brussouw versus Schalk Burger for a start and then players like Pierre Spies, Duane Vermeulen, Ryan Kankowski, Willem Alberts and Keegan Daniel all giving it everything.
None of them are going to give anything but all they’ve got. From personal experience, there were times when several players were fighting for one or two spots, you had to hold them back in Springbok training sessions.
The very competitive nature of South African rugby sides – and the first part of the Super 15 – could just raise the tempo of how hard our sides go at one another and how often a side to all intents and purposes out of contention, pulls off a win that really hurts a side who are still in the mix.
But there are some positives about warm-up matches like the Tri-Series. It offers a coach the chance to try out new combinations and, if he is allowed to rotate players, experiment with certain things, without giving too much away ... or it costs his side.
What must be guarded against though is a coach playing a total B-side combination. You can argue as much as you like about looking at the depth available, but it is often the case that the coach will never play that combination in a match situation.
But what a coach really doesn’t want, no matter who he turns out on the day, is a side which leaks points and gives away soft tries.
Nor does he want a side that defends negatively and keeps up being blown up by the referee.
This is also a warm-up for the refs and a bad impression at the start that is likely to have the referees talking among one another may stretch across the competition.
No, I’m not in favour of too many derbies, because you have to remember that the coaches want to win just as much as the players do and all it does is introduce extra pressures.
But then pressure is very much a part of top rugby, so I’m going to pour myself a long whisky and soda highball and drink to the success of South African Super 15 sides.