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Details of the Kitshoff deal that denied Sale Sharks and kept him in South Africa

By Chris Jones
Springboks prop Steven Kitshoff. (Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)

Sale Sharks have failed in their bid to sign Springbok prop Steven Kitshoff after the Stormers put together package worth nearly R3m more a season for the player to stay in South Africa.

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RugbyPass understands the Sale deal for Kitshoff forced the Stormers to come up with a counter offer which involved finding extra financial help to top up the South African Rugby Union contract and this amounted to £150,000 (R2.8m) more than the £500,000 a-year the Gallagher Premiership outfit were reportedly paying.

This is the first significant impact of South Africa RU’s decision to try and stem the tide of high profile players heading out of the country after the World Cup in Japan, but while Kitshoff and fellow Springbok Pieter-Steph du Toit are remaining  lock Eben Etzebeth looks set to leave for big spending Toulon.

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Afrikaans newspaper Rapport reported that WP Rugby’s decision confirm the appointment of John Dobson as the Stormers coach for 2020 was another key factor in Kitshoff staying allied to the financial assistance from “another party “ and the SARU money to fund the loose head prop’s new contract.  

Kitshoff is believed to be one of the Springboks who will receive R2.5 million as part of SA Rugby’s new player contracting model. That followed reports that the highly rated Kitshoff was likely to spend five seasons overseas after the Rugby World Cup and that it would cost R60m to keep him at home.

The 27-year-old, who has 37 Springbok caps has previously played for Bordeaux in France, before returning to Western Province and the Stormers in 2017. It is expected the Stormers will also hold onto Springbok  tighthead Frans Malherbe, however, after this year’s Rugby World Cup.

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While Sale have missed out on Kitshoff they will bolster their South African contingent with the arrival of brothers Rob, Jean-Luc and Dan du Preez from the Sharks following the end of the Super Rugby season. Steve Diamond, the Sale director of rugby, has seen his team reach the European Challenge Cup semi-finals and push for a top four finish in the Premiership but is determined to bolster his forward pack for next season by bringing in World class talent from South Africa.

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Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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