'It's so unfair, they are throwing us out of the bus'
These days, the phone of Harold Verster, the Cheetahs managing director, doesn’t stop trilling between five in the morning and eight at night. The South African administrator was due to retire this week, shifting his profound love of Free State rugby from the boardroom to the stands. Instead, Verster is ruminating over legal documents, scrutinising figures and briefing his players and staff about a grave predicament.
The Cheetahs have effectively been jettisoned from the Guinness PRO14. The South African Rugby Union wants its four heavyweight franchises – the Bulls, Stormers, Lions and Sharks – to be the flag-bearers in the northern hemisphere, settled by a vote at a special general meeting on Tuesday.
The upshot is devastating for the Cheetahs, desperately cruel to the franchise that forged the path between South Africa and the European game since 2017. The Cheetahs, remember, were booted out of Super Rugby three years ago, deemed surplus to requirements as that competition became bloated and its relevance waned.
They leaked players and coaches but have comfortably held their own in the PRO14. In effect, they have blazed a trail north for the bigger, more glamorous South African teams, only to be tossed aside again.
“Like in Super Rugby, we are on the back foot. We need to go through all the documentation to try to prove our case. It is very unfair,” Verster told RugbyPass. “We opened negotiations with the PRO14 (then PRO12) in 2017 and it was quite a difficult road to travel, to find your feet, contract players.
Tensions rising in South Africa pic.twitter.com/4ExHssmIvF
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 28, 2020
“We lost a lot of players who wanted to play Super Rugby. We have lost coach Franco Smith to Italy, Rory Duncan to Worcester, Daan Human to the Boks, Dave Williams to the Sharks, and even our doctor to Dubai. We regrouped, we have got brilliant coaches, doctor, a brilliant team, one of the best teams in a long time. Suddenly this thing hits you like a lightning bolt.
“When we joined the PRO14, SARU said they appreciated our solution to being left out of Super Rugby, they called it an ‘elegant settlement’ and said in their report that it would be wonderful for South African rugby. Now they are throwing us out of the bus. It is so unfair. It is really, really frustrating. We are very unhappy with our situation.”
At Tuesday’s meeting, Verster says the Cheetahs proposed the standings in the forthcoming Currie Cup be used to determine which four teams joined the PRO14, but arguments and counter-claims only ended in an impasse.
The Cheetahs have been granted ‘fifth-franchise’ status, meaning they will be eligible to participate in international tournaments, if not remain in the one where they are already established.
One idea being mooted is a Super 8 competition featuring two teams apiece from New Zealand and Australia, as well as the Cheetahs, and one representative each from Argentina, Japan and the Pacific Islands. If no amicable solution can be found, Verster says the Cheetahs will have little choice but to engage SARU through the courts.
“It depends on what content is in the Super 8 for broadcasters and sponsors and we are currently investigating that, and then we might accept it. If the content is too low and we don’t get enough from it, we have got no option but to look at alternatives,” he said.
“SARU has a contract with PRO14. We are not sure exactly what is in the contract, but we have agreements between us and SARU to show that we should be included until the 2022/2023 season. We have enough back-up – not fixed contracts, but agreements that could be seen to be contracts.
“Our senior counsel has looked at it and we feel very comfortable that we have got a good legal case. We do not want to enter into legal battles with SARU. The last option would be legal, but if that’s the last thing to stand on, every union will obviously look at it.”
Jake White's poised to bring his Bulls to Europe https://t.co/Vnr2uUliau
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 29, 2020
All of this will be pondered at a board meeting on Friday where Verster hopes the franchise will begin to piece together their next course of action. The stakes for Free State rugby here are monumental. The cost of facilities, a large squad and staff, and operational outgoings could be ruinous.
“If we lose out on the Super 8 and the financial model, we face serious issues, almost too serious to contemplate,” said Verster. “We sit in a stadium here that can accommodate 40,000 people – this thing costs us R9-10million a year (£470,000). The other smaller entities in smaller stadiums cost them 1.5m or so (£70,000). If we are pulled to that level with them, we are actually in a worse position than them.
“Compare us then to the big four, we can’t sustain this stadium, we can’t sustain our academy, our medical facilities, that puts us in a spot and it’s absolutely unreasonable to do it overnight.”
Verster reels off a long list of international coaches who learned their rugby in the Free State, from Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber to Franco Smith and Neil Powell. He talks about the people’s fervour for the game and how the stadium is rammed full when the Springboks come to town.
“They say we are too small, that we are in the middle of South Africa – the proof of the pudding is in the eating,” he added. “We have a fantastic team of people and we fight like a team. We have got to pull this thing through and we will. I’m very confident we will find something.
“First-prize is to get us back into the PRO14. We have got a right to be there. They made a mistake to get us out. Why are the other four so well positioned to take the place that we rightfully deserve? If it wasn’t for Covid-19, we would be there now.
“If we are in the PRO14, we should stay there. People like us up north, the PRO14 people really want us there, but it’s not their decision. Treat us fairly, we deserve it. We don’t want to fight, we want to solve this problem as we did with Super Rugby, but please, be fair to us.”
Club rugby in either Hemisphere will never be the same after this move by South Africa's Super Rugby teams.
Posted by RugbyPass on Tuesday, 29 September 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
The Hurricanes are good, especially with a decent coach now. However, let’s be real, the Crusaders and Chiefs are clearly a good degree weaker without the players they’ve lost overseas now. The Canes lost one player. It’s also why the aussie teams ‘seem’ to be stronger.
9 Go to commentsOr you could develop your own players instead of constantly taking from the SH competition and weakening it in the process? With all the player and financial resources these unions have compared to SH countries you’d think they could manage that, or is weakening the SH comps and their national sides an added bonus? Probably.
3 Go to commentsNot so fast Aaron, we might need you in black yet lol. God knows he’d be a lot less nerve-racking than hot and (very) cold players like Perofeta. It’s really a shame Reuben Love isn’t playing 10, we’ve got enough 15 options.
4 Go to commentsAnd those from the NH still seem to be puzzled (and delighted) why NZ’s depth isn’t what it once was. Over 600 NZ players overseas, that’s insane. This sort of deal is why Super Rugby coaches have admitted they struggle now to find enough quality to fill out their squads.
6 Go to commentsArticle intéressant ! La question devrait régulièrement se poser pour les jeunes français originaires de Nouvelle-Calédonie, Wallis-et-Futuna et de Polynésie entre la Nouvelle-Zélande et la Métropole… Difficile pour la fédération française de rugby de se positionner : soit le choix est fait de dénicher les jeunes talents et de les faire venir très tôt en Métropole, au risque de les déraciner, soit on prend le risque de se les faire “piller” par les All Blacks qui, telle une araignée, essaye de récupérer tous les talents des îles du Pacifique… À la France de se défendre en développant l’aura du XV de France et des clubs français dans ses collectivités d’Outre-mer !
3 Go to commentsWrong bay. He needs to come to the REAL BAY which is Bay Of Plenty and have a crack at making the Chiefs.
3 Go to commentsIs Barrett going play full back??? They already have all the centers…
15 Go to commentsForgive my ignorance, I might not fully understand so would appreciate clarification: Didn’t the Bulls have to fly with three different carriers, paid for by the South African Rugby Union, whilst Edinburgh got a chartered flight sponsored by EPCR? Also, as far as I understand it South African teams don’t yet share in the revenue from the competition and are not allowed to host Semi-finals or Finals at home. Surely if everyone wants South Africans to “take the competition seriously” then they must make South Africans feel welcome, allow them to share in the revenue, and give them the same levels of access as the teams from the other countries. Just a reminder that South Africa has a large and passionate Rugby audience. Just by virtue of our teams being a part of these competitions means that more of us are likely to watch the knockout games, even if our teams haven’t qualified. It would be silly to alienate such a large audience by making them feel unwelcome.
18 Go to commentsFirst of all. This guy is very much behind the curve. All the bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning took place days ago already. Not adding anything to the topic other than more bleating, whingeing, whining and moaning. 🍼 Second of all, not one mention of the fact that South African teams can’t get home semi finals or finals. The tournament was undermined and devalued by the administrators. 🤡 Thirdly, football teams often have to juggle selections in mid week games, premier games, champions league games etc. and will from time to time prioritize certain titles over others. 🐒 And lastly FEK Neil, and anyone else for that matter, for insisting on telling teams how to manage themselves. If they make what is largely a business decision that suits them and doesn’t suit you - tough shite. 💩 It’s not rocket science as to why the Bulls did what they did. If this guy is too slow to figure it out (and is deliberately not mentioning one of the key reasons why) then he isn’t a journalist. He should join the rest of us pundit plebs in comments section. 🥴
18 Go to commentsSo the first door to knock on Rob is Parliament followed by HMRC. The Irish Revenue deliver a 40% tax relief rebate on the HIGHEST EARNING TEN YEARS of every pro Irish rugby players contract earnings at retirement. That goes a long way to both retaining their best talent and freeing up wages for marquee players. Who knows, if that had been in place in the UK, you might not have been able to poach Hoggy and Jonny Gray from Glasgow…!!!
3 Go to comments1. True, if that “free” ticket means access to all but the prized exhibit - EVIP only. SA cannot host semis, even if they’ve earned it (see Sharks vs ASM Clermont Auvergne at… Twickenham Stoop). 2. Why no selective outrage over Lyon doing the exact same thing a week earlier? Out of all the countries France send the most “B teams”, why nobody talking about “disrespect” and “prioritising domestic leagues” and “kicking them out”? 3. Why no mention of the Sharks fielding all of their Springboks for the second rate Challenge cup QF? No commitment? 4. Why no mention of all the SA teams qualifying for respective euro knock out comps in the two seasons they’ve been in it? How many euro teams have qualified for KO’s in their history? Can’t compete? 5. Why no mention of SA teams beating French and English giants La Rochelle and Saracens? How many euro teams have done that in their history? Add no quality? The fact is that SA teams are only in their second season in europe, with no status and a fraction of the resources. Since joining the URC, SA has seen a repatriation of a number of players, and this will only grow once SA start sharing in the profits of competing in these comps, meaning bigger squads with greater depth and quality, meaning they don’t have to prioritise comps as they have to now - they don’t have imports from Pacifica and South America and everywhere else in between like “European” teams have - also less “Saffas” in Prem and T14, that’s what we want right? 'If the South Africans are in, they need to be all in' True, and we have to ensure we give them the same status and resources as we give everyone else to do just that. A small compromise on scheduling will go a long way in avoiding these situations, but guess what, France and England wont compromise on scheduling because they ironically… prioritise their domestic comps, go figure!
18 Go to commentsthe success of the premiership can be summarized by : only 10 teams. It makes a huge difference with the overcrowded top 14 (let us not talk about Leinster and URC…)
1 Go to commentsGood for him. The ABs were fooling around again with converted fullbacks that had a penetration of a marshmallow. Laumape or as Aki has shown for Ireland, go forward is important in the centres. If it had been DMac - Aki- Aumua - Ioane- Telea- Jordan in France the final result would have been different.
4 Go to commentsDan Carter a apporté son professionnalisme, des méthodes de travail, un esprit qui manquaient à l’USAP. Son influence, même une fois blessé a été énorme. Et pour citer une anecdote, certains soirs il venait de lui-même à l’entraînement des jeunes pour dispenser ses conseils. On ne peut pas compter ce qu’il a apporté au club en heures de jeu sur le terrain. Est-ce que le club en a eu pour son argent ? Avec la publicité sur son nom et le titre, je suppose que oui.
1 Go to commentsThe SA sides are suffering from a bum rap here. There isn’t a side anywhere in the world that would do things differently in their shoes. They’ve been set up to fail in the EPCR comps by vested interests, with last minute intercontinental travel requirements that costs an arm and a leg to book in advance just on the possibility they might be required. And the total nonsense that denies any chance of home venues is entirely biased and absolutely unsporting. Either EPCR, the Top14 & the Gallagher Premiership get it sorted on a fair and equitable sporting basis for ALL participants or expect the ridicule to continue. Right now, these comps are a joke!
18 Go to commentsSA sides should do the right thing and leave the champions cup, they are lowering the standard with completely one sided games, not up to the right level. The greatest club tournament in the world is being banjaxed by the weak SA sides.
18 Go to commentsCouldnt agree more. SA sides need to show more committment and really have a go at the Champions Cup. Its quite possibly the most prestigious title in Europe and SA sides need to respect that prestige and serve up their best. EPCR needs to do more to ensure that sides from South Africa and sides travelling to and from SA have a better chance in this competition. The Bulls were put in a really difficult position of having to travel there and back in one week. One could argue that this is what the SA sides signed up for and that La Rochelle didnt complain or send out weakened sides despite having to travel to SA and back and play on successive weekends but surely the situation is also unfair on La Rochelle as well and so EPCR needs to think about successive gameweeks and the travel effect of the competition
18 Go to commentsI hadn’t watched much Canes this season but sat through a replay of that Chiefs game with no distractions. That pack is beastly. I really like the look of Iose. He loves the tough stuff. The first Quins clip may be the best I have even seen for a TH driving his opposite into oblivion. i need to take your word for the contribution of Walker, but Collier there with a straight back pushing up from under was a lovely thing to see. Have you fallen in love with Baxter also, Nick? I think Stuart Barnes may have written his column about him recently, naked. He positively frothed.
15 Go to commentsSmart guy. I wish he was running the RFU or something!
3 Go to commentsWhy Barrett, when Leinster already have at least 4 top centres.?
15 Go to comments