Is the Southern Kings region capable of producing enough quality players in the future to sustain the franchise?
Having a look at all the players from the Southern Kings region playing rugby all over the country & abroad one starts to realise the amount of talent coming from the region. I have compiled a list of all the players currently playing for other unions who went to school in the SWD, EP & Border regions. Note that the list was compiled from limited information gathered from Wikipedia and could be slightly inaccurate but accurate enough to give a reasonably good idea. Due to the limited information obtainable from Wikipedia not all players from the smaller unions have biographies and therefor I could not determine where they went to school.
Let us start looking at the players playing Curriecup for one of the major (premier division) sides & players involved in the Vodacom cup for these teams.
BULLS(6):
Bandise Maku, David Bulbring, JJ Engelbrecht, Bjorn Basson, Akona Ndungane, Grant Hattingh,
Dont know if I can claim Serfontein as he left at 16.
CHEETAHS(3):
Phillip van der Waldt, Caylib Oosthuizen, Davon Raubenheimer
GRIQUAS(10):
Dalton Davis, Rocco Jansen, Gouws Prinsloo, Brummer Badenhorst, Simon Westraadt, Ligtoring Landman, Jaco Nepgen, Enrico Acker, Durandt Gerber, Nico Scheepers
LIONS(3): Stephan Greeff, Lionel Mapoe, Lionel Cronje
SHARKS(10):
Rayno Gerber, Lwazi Mvovo, Odwa Ndungane, Keagan Daniel, Tim Whitehead, Marco Wentsel, Tera Mtembu, Sibusiso Sithole, Jaco van Tonder, Allan Dell
STORMERS(3):
Ross Geldenhuys, Siya Kolisi, Scarra Ntubeni
A total of 35 players schooled in the Southern Kings region are currently playing for one of the top 6 (Curriecup) unions, either for their senior sides or the Vodacom cup teams.
Players playing for sides in the 1st division not part of the franchise catchment area:
CAVALIERS(1):
Ntando Kebe
FALCONS(2): Jongi Nokwe, Vincent Gwavu
GRIFFONS(2):
Ashwin Scott, Norman Nelson
LEOPARDS(2): Jaco Grobler, MB Lusaseni
PUMAS(9): De-Jay Terblanche, Rudi Mathee, Lubabalo Mtyanda, Boela Serfontein, RW Kember, Doppies le Roux, Carl Bezuidenhout, Wilhelm Loock, Rosco Speckman
A total of 16 players schooled in the Southern Kings region are currently playing Curriecup for one of the 1st Division teams. This list could be longer but due to the limited amount of player profiles available on Wikipedia I could not determine where many of the players were schooled.
Players playing abroad:
Zane Kirchner, Dewaldt Potgieter, Jacques Potgieter, Jano Vermaak, Rory Kockott, Johan Muller, Wesley Dunlop, Ryan Konkovski... to just name a few. For this article not really interested in listing all the players from the Southern Kings region playing abroad.
Players playing for the 7's National team. (players used in 2012/2013 season)
Cecil Africa, Steven Hunt
Coaches from the Eastern Cape region either coaching or involved in rugby in some other way.
Nick Mallet, Alistair Coetzee, Rassie Erasmus, Andy Solomons, Pote Human, Ricardo Loubscher
(Some serious combined brain power & coaching experience in this lot)
This blog was not written to take a shot at the Southern Kings for not developing these players (not that they could do so in the past without an academy or with top class rugby as an incentive) or at the other unions for poaching the players (seeing that it is a professional era). This blog was merely written to establish whether or not the Southern Kings region are capable of producing players in the future to sustain the franchise.
If you consider the amount of players already playing in the region who were schooled there and the amount of players playing for other unions the Southern Kings region surely have the potential to produce enough quality players to sustain a franchise as long as they are capable of retaining the players, especially with the establishment of a decent academy and junior structure.
As a previous blog of mine (http://brandewijnvancoke.blogspot.com/2013/09/academy-scouting.html) have pointed out the Kings Academy have had a reasonably successful year regarding recruiting youngsters for the academy and if they continue with the good work at junior levels they should be ready come 2016.
BVC - you make some good points - except that you have overlooked the feeder rugby schools in the Eastern Cape, to the clubs, provinces and franchise team, as well as the Universities & Colleges - where these elite EC rugby players are discovered, tagged & poached by other unions.
ReplyDeleteThe trick is a Talent Identification Program at school level & nurturing these players all the way through even if just for three years. No such database exists in the Southern Kings.
The pull through for these players to stay and play for the Southern Kings would be for the Southern Kings to play in the new European Tournament in 2014, 2015 & 2016 against flagship UK & French clubs.
That gets the players to stay and play in these games!
Heineken Cup: English & French clubs to set up new competition
Top-flight English and French clubs say they are to set up a new tournament to replace the Heineken Cup from next season.
The clubs gave notice last year of their intention to pull out of the two existing European competitions at the end of 2013-14.
They are unhappy with the differing ways teams qualify for the Heineken Cup and how proceeds are shared.
The new format would include English and French teams and be open to others.
The Heineken Cup, which began in the 1995-96 season, features teams from England, France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy.
With the Pro12 having no relegation, teams can rest players for league matches to keep them fresh for Europe, while the two Scottish and two Italian clubs are guaranteed a Heineken Cup place.But English and French clubs argue their counterparts in the other four nations have an unfair advantage in Europe.
Premiership Rugby, which represents the 12 top-flight English clubs, said in a statement it had proposed the formation of two 20-team competitions to replace the Heineken Cup and second-tier Amlin Challenge Cup.
But it said "discussions have been unsuccessful and the clubs can only conclude that negotiations on any new European agreement have now ended".
It added: "Given the importance and urgency of the current position, and the reconfirmation that the French clubs will not participate in any competition unless it includes the English clubs, the clubs have now asked Premiership Rugby to take immediate action to put in place a competition for 2014-15 to include the French and English clubs but which will also be open to teams from other countries."
European Rugby Cup, which runs both European club competitions, said all parties involved in the consultation process would be represented at a scheduled meeting of its board in Dublin on Wednesday.
It added in a statement: "While there is a shared sense of frustration among ERC's stakeholders at the lack of progress towards a new accord, the meeting will provide an opportunity for the parties to review the consultation process to date."
Did not really go into the colleges and club teams so much as I feel most of the players are poached directly after school or during the Craven Week (I might be wrong, but it feels that way).
DeleteI like your idea regarding a Talent Identification Program at school level to nurture the players all the way through. I heard that the Academy is in contact with the head coaches of the different 'main' feeder teams (not sure who they are) to help identify players at a younger age (think from 16 or something)to keep tabs on some players. Not sure if this counts as a Talent Identification System but is surely better than it was before, still not good enough though. But I agree, a proper talent identification system (especially at a young age) is vital in building the team.
As far as joining the European leagues... I can not agree more. Many will probably castrate us for mentioning it, but sometimes change is good. I especially like that we (SA) won't be the one to financially carry such a competition and that we can benefit from other nations a bit... sort of like OZ and NZ have been benefiting from us for the last decade+. I defnitely agree with you that the Kings must somehow try and expose this opportunity in the North to try and build to 2016 super comp.
I just mainly concentrate my blogs around the idea that the Southern Kings are joining Superrugby in 2016 as I don't feel SARU have the balls to make such a call. Many of the supporters feel that the quality of the European club competition is inferior to that of Superrugby... I however feel that if you remove SA from the comp you lose half of the quality sides and if you add them to Europe surely that quality will be better (not that it is inferior to start with). Our forwards might learn something against some French club teams in European conditions and their back-lines can learn something about running rugby in our weather conditions... a win, win as such.
PS - you thinking about returning and running for president at EP rugby?, I hear the election is coming up soon. haha :D
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis in from Dublin:
ReplyDeleteAll parties reaffirm commitment to ERC negotiations
Despite recent reports, all parties involved in the formulation of a new ERC Accord, including the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) and Premiership Rugby, have reaffirmed their commitment to the process. A meeting focused solely on the negotiations will be convened by ERC as soon as practicable.
It was agreed at a scheduled ERC Board meeting in Dublin today (Wednesday, 11 September 2013) that ERC would facilitate the discussions and that the current points of difference, including the share of central revenues, qualification and season dates, would all be on the table.
The Board reiterated that European club competitions must be organised by ERC and that any purported cross-border club tournaments needed the approval both of the IRB, and of the relevant Unions who are shareholders of ERC.
Surprise was expressed at the timing and content of yesterday's media announcements by the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) and Premiership Rugby, and representatives of both bodies were invited to explain their positions.
It was pointed out that there was a range of proposals made by stakeholders, none of which were acceptable to all parties, and it was agreed that the negotiations towards a definitive solution needed to begin again in earnest.
Attendees at today's ERC Board meeting
Jean-Pierre Lux (ERC Chairman)
René Bouscatel (Ligue Nationale de Rugby)
Olivier Keraudren (Federation Française de Rugby)
Philip Browne (Irish Rugby Football Union)
Peter Boyle (Irish Rugby Football Union)
Peter Wheeler (Premiership Rugby)
Roy Headey (Rugby Football Union)
Ian McLauchlan (Scottish Rugby)
Dominic McKay (Scottish Rugby)
Roger Lewis (Welsh Rugby Union)
Stuart Gallacher (Regional Rugby Wales)
Fabrizio Gaetaniello (Federazione Italiana Rugby)
SARU would do well to consider particpating in BOTH Super Rugby, as well as in the new British Telecom sponsored Series with English & French Clubs from 2014-2016 – South Africa has sufficient depth for each of the 6 franchises to have two teams participating in the NH & SH to derive double the income & revenue from broadcast, sponsors & advertisers – putting South African Rugby as the most powerful financial entity in rugby.
The President is a political figurehead - what is needed is strategic future planning as you are discussing here from the Southern Kings CEO (which is vacant) in associaton with the EP Kings CEO, Border & SWD.
The problem here BVC is that the administrators become mired in trivia and weekly games and can never come up for air to put the Super Rugby franchise on a trajectory for the future.
The mass exodus of coaches and players disembowelled the admin and left them shattered only because there was no Plan B - like we are talking here - in fact no one is talking game tme for 2014 or 2015 but only for 2016 and there is no sense in that as that has a set of problems as players in High school Craven Week & Universities want to play international televised rugby this weekend next month and for the next two years...................if you get my meaning.