SA Rugby has to do more than dangle the carrot of playing for the Springboks in order to keep players in South Africa, writes CRAIG LEWIS.
At face value, when SA Rugby announced that only overseas-based Springboks with more than 30 Test caps will be eligible for national selection from July onwards, it appeared to be a step in the right direction. After all, it seemed at least that something was being done at last to curb the player exodus to overseas teams.
Upon closer inspection, though, it’s clear that the policy is a relatively superficial one. Indeed, the biggest flaw revolves around the fact that in a World Cup year, the Bok coach will have free rein to pick whomever he so chooses, regardless of the number of caps.
It’s indicative of a half-hearted measure that is neither here nor there. It also pales in comparison to the overseas policies of Australia (who have a much stricter 60-cap rule) and that of New Zealand, where any player plying their trade overseas remains ineligible for the All Blacks.
As a case in point, it’s recently been revealed that Sharks scrumhalf Cobus Reinach was keen to remain in South Africa, but poor communication from SA Rugby, and its failure to act swiftly in terms of helping to match the offer on the table ultimately ended in Reinach signing a deal with the Northampton Saints. It was a situation that smacked of similarities to that of flanker Marcell Coetzee, who eventually headed to Ulster as a result of the lack of clarity around his future in SA Rugby.
Reinach has been a loyal servant to Sharks rugby (just as Coetzee was), and felt at home in Durban, but even after SA Rugby belatedly attempted to keep him in on local shores, I doubt he will have any fundamental regrets about taking up a lucrative contract with the Saints.
Give Reinach a year or two in England, and I’d heavily bet he’ll be a better player who is thriving in a new environment where professionalism reigns supreme. As it is, when the next World Cup rolls around in 2019, he can still be picked for the Boks, while alternatively, he could have a couple of good seasons in England before returning to South Africa as an improved player.
Unfortunately, the allure of representing the Boks will never be the only defining factor that is taken into consideration when a player is considering a move abroad.
Forget even the considerable money that can be earned, but clubs in Europe and England often offer a player the sort of professionalism, player management, quality coaching and state of the art facilities that SA Rugby simply doesn’t have. Then factor in the ability to experience a different environment and a new form of competition, while being able to travel around Europe with pounds or euros in the pocket, and it begins to become a no-brainer.
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Take it from a player who has experienced just that. Writing in his column for AllOutRugby.com, former Sharks and Bok lock Alistair Hargreaves suggests SA Rugby should be addressing the root cause of the current player exodus and attempting to understand how to make players desperate to remain in South Africa.
‘I am in no way negative about my experiences within South African rugby, but the professionalism I experienced during my time at Saracens was on another level. I felt I was given every opportunity to excel. I experienced a different level of coaching, player management and was exposed to a culture that put the players' needs at the heart of the club.
‘Had the current 30-Test policy been in place when I was weighing up a move to Saracens with four Test caps to my name, it wouldn’t have affected my decision. I was at a point in my Sharks career where I got a bit stale and wasn’t excelling in the environment. I felt like I was losing my passion for the game and needed a change of scenery.
‘When I left for London, I knew it was unlikely that I’d play for the Springboks again and I was content to accept the outcome. The threat of not playing for the Springboks again wouldn’t have been enough to keep me in SA. Ultimately, it was the best decision I ever made. I started to love the game again and relished going to work. It made me a better professional and improved me as a player.’
Reinach should read that and feel far more at peace with his decision to head overseas. Ultimately, SA Rugby has to do more in terms of the way it sells the concept of playing for the Boks and staying in South Africa. Players have to be given clarity, direction, reassurance and due remuneration to stop them from packing their bags.
In a nutshell, it revolves around what needs to be a far more professional and proactive approach when it comes to doing everything it takes to retain players that SA Rugby cannot afford to lose. It’s about selling and promoting the complete product, rather than just half-heartedly dangling the diminishing carrot of wearing the green and gold jersey. It’s about being accountable and putting players’ needs and desires first and foremost.
– Lewis is a senior rugby writer at Highbury Media
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Photo: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images
