'Get behind Eastern Cape rugby'
NMMU coach Kolie Brandt acknowledges strongly that the FNB Varsity Cup presented by Steinhoff International is helping grow rugby in the Eastern Cape, but says South African rugby has a responsibility to do more to promote rugby in the region.
The formation of the Southern Kings, and the possibility of Super 14 rugby should be seen as a major boon to Eastern Cape rugby – which for too long has been starved of top-level provincial action – but Brandt is of the opinion that Super Rugby remains an unrealistic dream in the near future.
“I don’t think the Super 14 franchise will happen for us very quickly,” Brandt told varsitycup.co.za, “it will cost millions and doesn’t make economic sense.”
What does make sense to the veteran coach, though, is for the Kings to take part in South Africa’s premier domestic competition, the Currie Cup. “At least we should get Currie Cup rugby,” he said.
“South African rugby has a responsibility. They promised us a Super 14 franchise, which hasn’t happened, so what is Plan B?”
Brandt has one of the toughest jobs of all the coaches in South Africa’s favourite student competition, as the top rugby talent in the region is often lured away by the financial lure of the so-called ‘bigger’ Unions.
“If we can get a side in the Currie Cup, then the Varsity Cup players will be able to then go on to play provincial rugby [like with the Stormers, Bulls and Lions],” said ‘Oom’ Kolie. “Then at least we will have the opportunity of keeping the best players in the region.”
The Eastern Cape is a hotbed of rugby-playing talent, with schools such as Dale and Grey PE producing 2009’s Craven Week Player of the Tournament Andile Jho and SA Schools eighthman Siya Kolisi, respectively.
Kolisi is now on the books of the Lions – indicative of one of the biggest problems in South African rugby at the moment – according to Brandt.
“The big Unions take these guys and offer them more than they can earn as Vodacom Cup players, before they have proved anything at a professional level,” he said.
“Where are they now? They are sitting at the big unions, playing club rugby and hoping for something to happen. They spend three years out of the system, don’t get exposure and eventually are lost to South African rugby. They would be better served playing Varsity Cup rugby here and then moving into the Currie Cup system eventually.”
In Brandt’s view, a Currie Cup side will bring more players to NMMU where they will get exposure to the Varsity Cup, and eventually provincial rugby, which would – ultimately – help transform the game in the country.
“From a statistical point of view if you look at what is happening at schools, the demographics of South African rugby are changing,” said the NMMU coach.
“This [area] is the future of where our rugby is going at the moment. For the development of game, in this region particularly, they [South African Rugby administrators] will have to have a rethink.”
By Tim Human
