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World Cup-winning coach casts more doubt on South African involvement in Rugby Championship

By Online Editors
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Doubt about South Africa’s participation in the Rugby Championship has raised the possibility that the Currie Cup could receive an even bigger Springbok injection.

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The delayed return to play in South Africa continue to raise doubt over the Boks’ involvement in the SANZAAR competition, with reports from New Zealand and Australia also casting doubt about the feasibility of the tournament this year.

Franchise coaches say players need at least four weeks of contact work before they can play, meaning a local competition cannot start before the weekend of September 25-26.

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England star Courtney Lawes spoke to RugbyPass this week, opening up on many of the pressing topics circulating the rugby world.

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England star Courtney Lawes spoke to RugbyPass this week, opening up on many of the pressing topics circulating the rugby world.

Were the Springboks to compete in the November 7 to December 12 Championship, which New Zealand is likely to host, they would have to leave South Africa by October 18.

Assuming that domestic matches are staged each weekend in South Africa, potential Springboks would have played only four games by the travel deadline.

Referring to the Championship recently, new Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber said that “unless we can play six domestic matches, I do not think we will go [to New Zealand].”

New Zealand Rugby had hoped to stage the opening Bledisloe Cup match in Wellington on October 10, but New Zealand’s new COVID-19 outbreak earlier this month has created uncertainty about the feasibility of that happening.

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It means more delays and uncertainty over the Rugby Championship.

Bulls Director of Rugby Jake White, in his weekly ‘No Holds Barred’ interviews series on the Bulls social media applications, hinted that the Boks may not be involved in the Rugby Championship.

He has asked what his plans are for rotating players and covering injuries and said he will look at the schedule and make assessments before deciding on a strategy.

“There was a feeling that the Springboks would be leaving to play [in the Rugby Championship] overseas,” White said.

“That hasn’t been confirmed either.

“It could be that [players like] Duane Vermeulen and Trevor Nyakane could be available for the entire Currie Cup season.

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“If that is the case it has an impact on how you rotate the players.”

Another topic of discussion on the Bulls’ mobile App was White’s preferred method of defence in an era where the rush or press defence has become popular.

He reminded the viewers that in 2004 his Springbok team started the ‘rush’ defence, by coming off the line fast and closing down the opposition from the outside.

“It is something we are familiar with in South Africa and it is something the players are comfortable with,” White said, adding: “Of course we will be using it, but I am not sure we will be using it all the time.

“What has changed a massive amount in the last couple of years is the defence patterns.”

He added that with his experience of having coached in Australia, France and Japan he has the experience of a variety of attack strategies.

“I am looking at a combination of what the Bulls are strong at, what the Bulls are strong at, what the Australian, Japanese and French sides do well.

“There will be a tweak to the way we play, but we will never forget that the Bulls have a DNA that is important to them as well.”

– Rugby 365

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J
Jon 7 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”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 10 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.

39 Go to comments
A
Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

39 Go to comments
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