'Not to take a stab at Super Rugby... but it seems to me the best players in the world are playing in Europe'
As a kid growing up in Cape Town, Edinburgh was always on Nic Groom’s bucket list – its beauty, its history, its quaint, cobbled streets and closes weaving a mesh in the shadow of the castle.
The fire-eaters and human statues and bagpipe players that pack the city every summer, the thronging festival-goers and the explosion of colour and culture. All of it transfixed him.
Not only will Edinburgh soon be his home and the place he plays his rugby, but Scotland’s capital will also be where the little scrum-half and wife Erin start their family.
“We’re expecting our first child in October, a baby boy,” explained Groom, who is due to fly out on July 15. “You never know, he could be in a kilt one day. It’s going to be mad, and we’re moving on top of everything.
“I’ve wanted to go to the Edinburgh Fringe for years since school, so it’s going to be quite surreal having it on my doorstep.
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“I enjoy comedy, I love live music… I really appreciate the arts. I’ve got a lot of time for those street performers, someone banging out covers singing their heart out. That’s really cool to watch. I dabble in the guitar, but very much self-taught. It probably won’t leave my house… and I hear Edinburgh’s a really good place to bring up children.”
In one of the worst-kept secrets in Scottish rugby’s long history of leakiness, Groom will soon rekindle his love for northern hemisphere rugby and all the tumult that goes along with it. He actually agreed what is initially a two-year contract, with the option of an additional season, many months ago.
Richard Cockerill, the Edinburgh head coach, told reporters in April he’d signed “a senior nine”. But Groom’s soon-to-be-former franchise, the Lions of Johannesburg, wanted the deal kept quiet until June 27 for fear of further disrupting a team that has had its troubles.
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— Edinburgh Rugby (@EdinburghRugby) June 27, 2019
“There was a bit of confusion as to when I could leave,” explained Groom. “With the baby and stuff, that was quite stressful because Erin can’t fly any later than September.
“It was hard to leave because I felt like I invested a lot in the place in the short time I was there. But they understood my reasons for going, where I’m at in my career and what I still want to achieve in the game.”
Two months ago, with the Lions on tour New Zealand, their coach Swys de Bruin abruptly vanished on the eve of a match, his sudden exit later explained as the result of the sheer strain the job had taken on him.
2/2. Catch me in real life, I'm much more interesting, I promise. Take it easy ..
— nic groom (@nicgroom) March 20, 2015
The same week, defence coach Joey Mongalo was found guilty in Australia of indecent assault. Later in the season, play-maker Elton Jantjies was dropped for breaching team protocol, and their captain and totem Warren Whiteley managed only four appearances amid a hopelessly injury-wrecked campaign.
The Lions, beaten finalists three years running, finished ninth. “In the coach’s defence, it takes balls to do what he did,” said Groom. “We’ve been challenged massively as a group. The team has really lost a bit of an edge – some real key guys who were very influential have left some gaps that are busy being filled.
“As a player, it was frustrating at times that we just couldn’t get it right; we struggled to get over the line. We tried a few things; some worked and some didn’t. But if I’m a bit more philosophical, rugby works in cycles sometimes.
“As a group, we were maybe in the process of finding new ways to win and new ways to play. They’re an extremely innovative group, not scared to experiment, and yeah, we didn’t get as far as we’d hoped, but I think going forward, they’re in a good place.”
At 29, now is a good time to leave. Groom’s infatuation with European rugby is palpable. It was stoked at Northampton Saints, as bruising as much of his two years at Franklin’s Gardens turned out to be.
By the end of his second season in April 2018, Saints were a sorry lot, a pale shadow of the storied old giant of English rugby he had joined. The ending was bitter, but what he experienced in England left him thirsting for more northern hemisphere rugby.
There is more pressure than in Super Rugby, he suggests, more at stake and more fervour frothing in the stands. “As a product, it’s probably much more attractive than Super Rugby. There’s literally something on the line every game. That was something that I found to be very challenging at first, but something I actually miss.
“And that brings some really big plays that can swing a game and in some instances change a whole campaign. That, along with the real passion for the game, the stadiums, how it’s followed and supported, to be a player in that environment is really exciting.”
This yearning for Europe speaks to a wider malaise across the old SANZAAR nations, the festering disinterest in Super Rugby’s failed format and the northwards flitting of some of its biggest names.
South Africa alone will haemorrhage a flood of talent this autumn. Handre Pollard, Lood de Jager, Eben Etzebeth, Coenie Oosthuizen, Stephan Lewies and Groom himself are among the heaviest hitters bound for Europe. More still, including several front-line Springboks, will take up eye-watering short-term contracts in Japan.
“It seems to me that the best players in the world are playing in Europe so immediately, things are somewhat diluted in Super Rugby,” reckoned Groom.
“Not to take a stab at Super Rugby, but possibly just a lack of innovation around keeping it exciting has taken its toll and people are leaving. The lifespan of a rugby player also puts a lot of pressure on people to go where it’s exciting or where they can make a proper future.
“It just seems like it is game after game, it’s hard to follow as a spectator. As a player, teams are just ebbing and flowing, things become far too familiar. To me, it seems like everyone in Super Rugby has got one eye on what’s going on in Europe.”
South Africa, of course, has neither the money nor the competitions to keep all of its galacticos and it has acknowledged as much by removing the 30-cap threshold for overseas-based players to win Springboks selection.
“With the exchange rate, in a lot of instances SARU are going to a gunfight with a knife,” continued Groom. “I would think they need to somehow merge with the northern hemisphere and streamline the whole competition. That’s the only way, in my opinion.
“It’s about looking after the players too. Giving them that opportunity would possibly keep some – the fact they could play around Europe, the doors would open to something they have never had.
“From a South African perspective, I guess it is concerning that your best players aren’t in the country, but I always say, if your son was in that position, what would you want him to do? And I don’t think you can blame them.
“I’m more concerned that one day when I look back on my career, I have some great friends from all over the world, incredible memories, and a taste of rugby in different countries. Personally, that would be a crime to miss out on.”
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— Edinburgh Rugby (@EdinburghRugby) June 15, 2019
And so to Edinburgh, and a club reborn under Cockerill. In 2017, the bull-headed former hooker inherited a desolate place, a team of talented but weak-willed underperformers and a disaffected support.
He gave them a fitter, meaner, snarling team the city could get behind, a team underpinned by Scots. They got to the Guinness PRO14 quarter-finals and should have gone further. The place was transformed.
But last year, Edinburgh fell short. Not enough ruthlessness, too much inconsistency. They were brilliant in Europe but flaky in the PRO14, and they paid for it. It’s the Challenge Cup this season.
The brutal truth, a truth Cockerill is wont to stress, is that Edinburgh are not yet good enough or savvy enough to get away with off days. There’s a serious project in the offing here and Groom is enthused by the part he can play in it.
“I’ve been part of some really successful, established teams, so it’s going to be exciting to join a team that is maybe just scratching the surface of how far they can go. It just seems like there’s a lot of promise in the place, a lot of ambition. You want to be joining a place like that.
“You kind of get the sense it’s got a lot more to do with rugby, which is cool. There’s an opportunity to be part of something a lot bigger than rugby.”
Groom will compete with the canny Henry Pyrgos and the burgeoning Charlie Shiel this season, his task to add more zip and direction to an attack that could do with finding extra gears.
“My biggest strength is the ability to make good decisions in games,” he said. “I’m an experienced scrum-half and I back myself to make big calls and make sure the guys around me are put in the right positions, and able to really express themselves.
“Speed of ball is something that I’ve really worked on. I love running with the ball, I love speeding the game up.
“The thing I miss about the northern hemisphere is that as a scrum-half, there’s a lot of responsibility on you, not only from an attacking perspective but defensively, relieving pressure, applying pressure. A huge responsibility compared to the southern hemisphere. That is something I really enjoy.”
Responsibility will come and in spades. On the pitch, Cockerill will make sure of that. And off it, so too, no doubt, will Baby Groom.
WATCH: Jim Hamilton explores South Africa in episode three of the RugbyPass Rugby Explorer series
Comments on RugbyPass
It was a pleasure to watch those guys playing with such confidence. That trio can all be infuriating for different reasons and I can see why Jones might have decided against them. No way to justify leaving Ikitau out though. Jorgensen and him were both scheduled to return at the same time. Only one of them plays for Randwick and has a dad who is great mates with the national coach though.
53 Go to commentsBrayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
5 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
5 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to comments