“A South African player can earn more from a two-month contract in Japan than he can if he were to win the World Cup with the Springboks this year. That's the reality we have to face up to.” - SA Rugby Volume 19, Number 18 23 May 2019 Register to receive your own free weekly newsletter at www.leopardnewsletters.co.za The 2019 SA Player Exodus Begins It has become a regular event in South African rugby that clubs from around the world send scouts in search of talent. Lately, it happens at the end of the PRO14 and about halfway through Super Rugby that local stars and some up-and-coming players are offered obscene amounts of cash. It began with European and Asian clubs targeting our off-season, which meant those players would still be available in their off-season but as the global rugby calendar expanded, that strategy ran into problems. Now the gloves are off and players are signing two-, three- and even five-year contracts. The only thing that’s changing is that the exodus is And, as mere rugby fans, we have no right to getting larger as more players take the opportunities complain. It’s very simple: most rugby players have, presented to them. And those who feel that they have at best, a 15-year professional career. Staying in little chance of playing for the Springboks, may use South Africa for the duration will not generate the opportunity to qualify to play for another nation – enough to set a player up in a business or to start a as so many have already. new career after his playing days are over. Names that spring to mind include: WP Nel As SA Rugby said itself in a recent media release: (Scotland), CJ Stander (Ireland), Braam Steyn (Italy), “A South African player can earn more from a two- Josh Strauss (Scotland), Phillip Eloff (USA), Johan month contract in Japan than he can if he were to van Heerden (Romania), Wimpie van der Walt win the World Cup with the Springboks this year. (Japan), DTH van der Merwe (Canada) and Jaco Otto That's the reality we have to face up to.” (Germany), to name just a few. [Note: The original media release cannot be found To find out who might be next on that outbound because the mental midgets who created SA Rugby’s travelator, check out the SA player exodus in SA new website didn’t bring across the historic content. Rugby mag. However, news organisations such as Reuters reported on it at the time. - Ed] KEY TOPICS IN THIS NEWSLETTER A Weekend of Upsets in Super Rugby The Role of Strategy in Modern Rugby The PRO14 2018/19 Comes to a Head SA Players in the PRO14 Dream Team? The 7s Circuit Arrives in London Does Rugby Need More Refs or Fewer Laws? Page 1 A Weekend of Upsets in Super Rugby The PRO14 2018/19 Comes to a Head All but one of the matches this weekend could be In the first of the PRO14 semifinals played last called upsets in some way shape or form. It began on Friday night in Glasgow when the home-town Friday morning when the Jaguares beat the Hurricanes Warriors hosted Ulster. It was an interesting match in Wellington, New Zealand: 20-28. But the superb considering the number of players with South performance was trumped a couple of hours later when African roots taking part, some of whom have played the Bulls thumped the Rebels in Melbourne. international rugby for other countries. The trend continued on Saturday when the Blues, who were bottom of the New Zealand conference, secured a bonus point win against the Chiefs, effectively leapfrogging the Waikato side on the table. And a couple of hours later, the Reds lost at home to the Waratahs in a match that could have, should have gone the other way. Later that afternoon, the Lions nearly let it slip in Johannesburg but kept their heads despite having 23 handling errors (compared to the Highlanders’ 12). For Glasgow, DTH van der Merwe (Canada), Kyle The final score was 38-29 but the home team could Steyn (Scotland) and Oliver Kebble made significant have and should have picked up a bonus point. contributions. On the part of Ulster, Marcel Coetzee, Louis Ludik and Rob Herring (Ireland) took the field. The final match of the weekend was probably the biggest surprise of all, when the the struggling As the final scoreline suggests, the Glasgow Warriors Stormers burgled a draw against the champion dominated the contest and simply wouldn’t let the Crusaders at Newlands. The visitors had their Ulstermen into the match. At half-time they were moments but failed to capitalise on the 33 tackles they three tries to the good and 24-3 up. Final score 50-20. forced the Stormers to miss. In the second semifinal on Saturday, the home team, Much of the press after the match was about the Leinster, had no South African links that we could Crusaders try that was denied by an incorrect call of a discern but the opponents, Munster, had three players “forward pass” by one of South Africa’s most with roots here: Jean Kleyn (eligible for Ireland in notorious TMOs: Marius Jonker. All the replays show September). CJ Stander (Ireland) and Arno Botha. unequivocally that the pass was not forward and that abysmal call robbed the Crusaders of a deserved This was a much tighter match with no tries scored in victory. the first half at all as the teams went in with a scoreline of 9-6 to Leinster at half-time. In the second stanza, the home side scored two tries and a penalty to Munster’s solitary penalty, thereby sealing a place in the final with a 24-9 victory. These results will see the final played in Glasgow this Saturday (19:30) as the Champions Cup runners up travel to Scotland to take on the Warriors. While the Glaswegian team has twice defeated Leinster in PRO14 this season, they did suffer a humiliating exit (55-19) from the Champions Cup at the hands of the Irish team in January. Should be a fascinating match. Page 2 Page 3 Upsets Galore this Weekend in the SRC The 7s Circuit Arrives in London Until this past weekend, the 2019 SuperSport Rugby This weekend will see the penultimate round of the Challenge was largely devoid of upsets but that all World Rugby Sevens Series take place in London, changed on Friday night when the Boland Cavaliers England. The Blitzbokke lie in fourth on the series went down to the Sharks (29-28). The trend continued table (on 121 points), trailing the USA by 24 points on Saturday when the Golden Lions were thumped at and also behind Fiji (141) and New Zealand (130). home by the Pumas (33-51) and the Blue Bulls were This means that the chances of the reigning hammered in Kimberley by Griquas (38-17). champions defending the title they won in each of the last two years, are remote, at best. The Free State Cheetahs restored some semblance of normality when they thrashed SWD Eagles (64-17) Even if the teams ahead of the South Africans were and Western Province followed that up by defeating to stumble badly, that would probably not be enough. the Zimbabwe Academy 33-13. All three would have to fall flat on their faces AND the Blitzbokke would have to win in London and a week later in Paris. That’s highly unlikely. Nevertheless, Neil Powell’s team will be relishing the contest and very keen to win two more gold medals to finish a challenging season on a high note. While not at full strength, the squad will welcome back two previously injured players, both of whom have made a mark this year: JC Pretorius and Muller du Plessis. Both last played in Vancouver and were named in that tournament’s Dream Team after the Blitzbokke In the Sunday derby at the Impala Rugby Club in secured their first gold medal of the season in Rustenburg, Griffons beat the Namibian Welwitchias Canada. More good news is that regular captain, (34-24) in what was a tight match until about the last Philip Snyman, will travel with the squad as the quarter. The later match at that venue saw a thriller in thirteenth player in both London and Paris and may which the lead changed hands several times before the be called upon if someone is injured. Valke suddenly had a 23-point lead with ten minutes to play. In London, Powell’s charges are drawn to play in the pool stages on Saturday against Japan (12:20), To their credit, the Leopards fought back to score three Canada (15:26) and Argentina (18:32). If they win all converted tries to end a heart-breaking two points three encounters, they’ll emerge top of the table and down (50-52). The final match of the weekend was at then will probably face either Australia, Spain or the Wolfson Stadium outside PE, where the EP Wales in a Cup quarter-final. But if they stumble and Elephants pummelled the Border Bulldogs (52-3). This drop a game, they could face USA in the last eight. weekend will see six matches on Saturday: Western Province vs EP Elephants SWD Eagles vs Boland Cavaliers Namibian Welwitchias vs Leopards Zimbabwe vs Free State Cheetahs Pumas vs Griquas Sharks vs Border Bulldogs And on Sunday, at Bosman Stadium in Brakpan, Blue Bulls face Golden Lions and Valke take on Griffons.