Rugby is dying a slow death in the southern hemisphere.
Leading up to the Super Rugby final between the Crusaders and the Lions earlier this month, there were some real concerns that the New Zealanders won’t fill the stadium. In the decider nogal.
Luckily, Kiwi supporters decided to watch the showpiece live and it wasn’t played at a near-empty stadium.
Good on them.
My big concern is South African rugby.
And those of you that have noticed the sparse crowd in Durban where the Boks hosted Argentina on Saturday will agree.
I know it’s end of the month and people are waiting for payday, but if the Boks were in the Mother City I am sure our people would have made the effort to get to the ground.
But what the crowd numbers indicate is a general decline in interest in rugby in SA.
Further evidence of this was in the Currie Cup on Friday where a handjievol mense watched the match between the Free State Cheetahs and the Blue Bulls.
This new Currie Cup format looks destined to hit the final nail in the coffin of SA domestic rugby.
And if administrators can’t find a solution to this problem soon, our rugby simply can not grow from strength to strength.