Rian Olivier
Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
- South African rugby continues to bleed talent, at a younger age, although most big-name Springboks chose to remain in South Africa.
- SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux hopes the five-year naturalisation period dissuades some youngsters from playing for rival countries.
- 19-year-old, 115kg lock Rian Olivier among the many talented school leavers who found a home at a French club.
South African rugby narrowly escaped a bloodbath with its 21-day opt-out transfer window, but the leakage of junior and schoolboy talent to overseas clubs continues unabated.
Most locally based Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks opted to remain in South Africa during SA Rugby’s Industry Strategic Plan-mandated escape clause.
Narrow calls came when World Rugby player of the year Pieter-Steph du Toit initially walked out of his Stormers contract on the night of the 14 May deadline but withdrew days later after frantic negotiations with the franchise.
A huge offer also came in for Sharks and Springbok star winger Makazole Mapimpi from Japanese club NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes. But some silky negotiation by Sharks CEO Eduard Coetzee meant the 29-year-old stayed for three more years but was allowed a Japanese sabbatical this September to the same club.
Major losses included Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx and promising winger Tyrone Green walking out of the Lions, and Jean-Luc du Plessis and Cobus Wiese leaving the Stormers. Others, like Dillyn Leyds, Andre Esterhuizen and Wilco Louw, confirmed their departures months before the coronavirus caused all sport to shut down.
Addressing the turn of events, Jurie Roux said: “Not entirely comfortable but not entirely uncomfortable about the players that have left – it could have been far worse.
“I’m never happy with any player leaving our country but, in a process where you are in that labour environment, you have to provide people with the opportunity [to accept offers elsewhere].
“I think the net result was not too bad in terms of current Springboks leaving the country. The thing that we worry about far more are prospective Springboks leaving, playing in another country and naturalising.
“It is now a five-year period, not a three-year period anymore, which does make it a little bit more difficult for them to naturalise.
“But with our policy and the fact that we can select players from anywhere in the world – within Regulation 9 – the only real issue we have is that preparation around the Springbok team becomes a bit of an issue.
“And the thing that I’m always sad about is that less of our players actually play in our local competitions. But then again, it does provide opportunities for new players to come through.”
One such young talent, who slipped right through the cracks, is promising lock Rian Olivier, 19, who is bound for French club Castres once international travel resumes.
The 1.98m and 115kg lock, who attended Goudveld Secondary School in Welkom, played Craven Week for the Griffons this time last year in a team that included Western Province junior Keke Morabe.
Olivier was spotted by the Southern Kings and offered a trial earlier this year but they passed on him. Like so many of his age, Olivier ended up going to France instead.
“The Kings were the only ones really interested,” Olivier said.
“That’s why I feel like there’s more opportunities outside South Africa than inside for young schoolboys. I can’t wait to get to play professional rugby in France. I’ve dreamt of playing professional rugby since Grade 8 and throughout high school.
“My friend FC du Plessis [a Grey College product], who is playing at Toulon said it is next-level rugby and that it’s very nice over there. But if ever there was an opportunity to pay for the Springboks, I would because I’m South African.”
While promising Western Province flyhalf Kade Wolhuter returned to South Africa after leaving for Montpellier last year, South Africa lost more than 20 schoolboys to overseas nations in 2019, a volume the country might have to start getting used to annually.
