Rugby is a winter sport, ask anyone who cares about the game. If played in summer, it was usually on the beach round about this time.
A few of my mates were pretty big on the beach touch rugby scene, that’s why I know the only rugby I watched on domestic soil at this time of year was at Strand or Camps Bay, they also took it to venues like Struisbaai etc.
As for my sporting fix, I was usually getting ready for the Boxing Day cricket Test at Newlands against whoever.
My, oh, my, how times have changed. Here I am preparing for the Stormers to host the Bulls in a European competition twee dae voor Christmas at Cape Town Stadium.
It was so good to be out there at DHL Stadium in front of the Faithful. We know you will be out in full force for the @Vodacom #URC North-South showdown on Friday.
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) December 18, 2022
🎟️ Get your tickets here https://t.co/qcy74dm4wF#iamastormer #dhldelivers pic.twitter.com/8FLTDJ3ipG
Remember, it’s the European winter as we speak and therefore it’s in the heart of their rugby season.
Now I don’t know if this was carefully considered when South African rugby decided to migrate north. One competition (the United Rugby Championship) was probably enough, but somehow we’ve managed to worm our way into Europe’s Champions League - the Heineken Cup.
It just doesn’t make sense - why would you play in a continental tournament when you’re not even part of that continent. It’s the same as Manchester United playing in the African Champions League - not that they’d want to - but the idea is as absurd if you’re European.
Just as France scrumhalf Antoine Dupont, who was quoted as saying: “For purists, it’s a bit difficult to grasp. Our whole generation has known the legendary European Cup.
“It’s a new competition now. It’s no longer the European Cup.
“We have to approach it like that and try to see the positive by telling ourselves that we will play new teams. But it’s a bit hard to understand.”
As we continue on this Heineken Cup journey, it’s beginning to look increasingly difficult to understand it myself.
So as we close the chapter on the year that was, let’s look at when our top guns playing in this country actually had some R&R.
With the eerste skote of last year’s URC klapping in September 2021, the manne had a bit of a break in December.
That’s because they weren’t involved in the Heineken Cup last year, meaning that break is gone now.
Then January kicked off. And we had summer Currie Cup - also a first to my recollection.
Watered down, I know, but still we had the Currie Cup running from January to June.
While the union players strutted their stuff on domestic grounds, the franchise stars were involved in the URC.
There was a bit of a break at the start of January because of the non-involvement in the Heineken Cup, but that break is gone now.
So while the Six Nations were on in February and March, South Africa’s URC franchises played catch-up on some games they missed because earlier in the campaign.
April then saw the start of the Springboks alignment camps, while the teams were still druk besig with the URC in May and June.
The Stormers klapped the Bulls 18-13 in the final on June 18, the following week the Pumas beat Griquas 26-19 in the Currie Cup final.
Stay with me here - to date we’ve had a jam-packed season from January to June.
So a week after that final, the Boks took the field against Wales for the first Test match of the year.
Wales left our shores in mid-July, before the Rugby Championship kicked off and took us from August 6 to September 24.
Now remember, this is when the northern hemisphere teams take a break - they had their Six Nations earlier in the year.
And unlike our Currie Cup which still runs during their Six Nations, their domestic competitions aren’t active during this break - England’s Premiership stopped in June and kicked off again in September only, the same goes for France’s Top 14 en so kan ons aangaan.
Nie ons manne nie, they kap nat.
So when September, and the Rugby Championship internationals, end, the new European cycle kicks off again.
Round one of the URC started on the same weekend SA played their second last Rugby Championship match against Argentina this year.
While the franchises were getting into the groove again, the national team then prepped for the end-of-year tour to the UK - the November internationals.
Following that, our manne usually had a good December holidays where they could let their hair down before coming back in January to skud af those extra kilos.
But now we are preparing for the Stormers against the Bulls on a Friday night twee dae voor Christmas.
Tickets for the North-South festive Friday clash at DHL Stadium are moving fast 💨
— DHL Stormers (@THESTORMERS) December 21, 2022
Halfway line tickets in the East Stand Tier 2 are now open for sale.
You can also get tickets in the North or South stands for just R70.
🎟️ Book your spot now https://t.co/qcy74d4t85 pic.twitter.com/QInIHLwCR3
What are we doing to our players mense? Are the rugby bosses so behep met geld that they are willing to break these manne?
I reckon SA Rugby president Mark Alexander and his boys will have to look at this again.
Personally, I wouldn’t enjoy a program like this if I were to be involved in a professional team.
PS: we will see the fallout from this on the field in a few seasons’ time, unless you’re like Jake White and pick two teams to make it clear that players are mense too and that that need rest too. Okay, he explained that it was the travelling factor that tired out his players, but I’m just adding this to that.
Wanneer kry die manne kans om hul millions te spend?
It’s no wonder then that we see some of our players like Sbu Nkosi, who admitted to emotional problems because of playing at the highest level, struggling mentally…