Durban - As the second season of the United Rugby Championship builds towards the play-offs, the general consensus is that it has been good for South African rugby, but how much better could it be if the four South African teams played at full strength from start to finish?
There are three South African teams in the top eight as the business end of the URC approaches, and while the Stormers are safe for a quarter-final berth, the Sharks and the Bulls are fighting for their playoff lives.
They are hoping that with their Springboks back, they can save the day and secure a spot in next year’s highly lucrative Heineken Cup.
And this highlights the one drawback of an otherwise great competition. The South African teams are forced to field under-strength teams for much of the URC while the European teams also have periods without their internationals, and this sometimes means mismatches.
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But there is a solution, according to Michael Yormark, the president of Roc Nation Sports International, the global sports agency that also serves as a consulting partner to the URC.
“This problem of lack of consistency in the strength of teams is an issue with rugby as a sport,” the New Yorker says. “International players are pulled in and out of the competition and this should be reviewed.
“It can be resolved if you put all your stakeholders in a room and ask what is best for the game,” Yormark added.
“In football, when the international breaks occur the clubs do not play. I think there is a solution there for rugby. All the stakeholders, including the players, need to ask what is the best way to grow the game.
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“What is in the best interests of both the national and club teams and how do we balance it? Ultimately, what is best for the fans and for the commercial viability of the sport?” Yormark asks.
On social media, the Sharks’ chief investor, Marco Masotti, has voiced
the frustration of many commercial partners who want to see the best playing every week.
Yormark puts it like this: “If I am buying a season ticket, I don’t want to be told that only a fraction of the games will feature the best players.
“If you want private investment in rugby, be it in South Africa or Europe, you have to allow those clubs to control their destiny,” Yormark continues.
“Marco has said that ultimately you must be able to control the actions of your organisation. You want to be able to impact success. You do not want to have your hands tied behind your back.
“Marco has a justified frustration. Decisions about the availability of the top players should be made collectively. All stakeholders should have a say regarding the best interests of the clubs and the international team.
“Marco is a passionate owner, as are his partners, and they want to build the Sharks into a world-class organisation, and they can only do that if they can control their destiny. They want to invest and get a return. What can be wrong with that?”
But looking at the URC in general, Yormark is thrilled at how the competition hit the ground running last year. And now the second season is building to an exciting climax.
“This time last year we talked about the URC’s goals and objectives, and how they wanted to be different, and what it stood for,” he says. “Huge steps have been taken to accomplish that and the first season culminated in a fantastic final between two teams from South Africa, the URC’s new market.
“Now the URC is having another great season and is building on the momentum of last year. The influence of South Africa continues to be enormous. Overall, the SA teams have been outstanding.”
@MikeGreenaway67