- Former Springbok coach Carel du Plessis believes South African rugby should continue playing competitions in the southern hemisphere.
- His views go against a prevailing public mood that the local game’s future lies in other regions like Europe, especially after New Zealand expressed its preference for a Super Rugby tournament without their arch-rival.
- But Du Plessis argues the Kiwis’ tradition of staying at the forefront of rugby innovation means SA should want its players exposed to that level of expertise.
Former Springbok coach Carel du Plessis admits he’s swimming against the tide to an extent but would prefer South African rugby to stay in the southern hemisphere.
Speculation has been rife these past few weeks over the local game’s future direction, particularly after New Zealand Rugby revealed its preference for a revamped, trans-Tasman Super Rugby tournament following an independent review.
SA Rugby, for its part, has confirmed that “Plan Bs and Cs” – notably involving participation in Europe – have been formulated though no concrete arrangements are in place yet.
“Look, there are quite a few factors that would make a move up north sensible,” Du Plessis told Sport24.
“The favourable timezone is an obvious benefit and one could argue that a few of our franchise’s style of play is well suited for those conditions. But I’m not quite convinced. In my humble opinion, I still believe our best bet is to stay right where we are.”
The 60-year-old, affectionately known as the “Prince of Wings” during his playing career, shares the sentiments of Jurie Roux, SA Rugby’s chief, who opined last week that “playing against New Zealand, Australia and Argentina is what keeps us strong”.
“Without taking away any of our achievements, the New Zealanders remain at the forefront of innovation in the game. We’ve seen it with Super Rugby Aotearoa, which seems like a nice product,” said Du Plessis.
“You’re almost guaranteed to learn something new every season from them. There’s a level of expertise that we wouldn’t be exposed to in other regions. I believe we would still want our players’ abilities to be gauged by their standards. That’s where the excitement lies.
“We all understand that Super Rugby’s appeal has been waning these past few years, but that’s a multi-faceted issue. Perhaps it’s more about re-examining the competition structure than anything else.”
Despite the Cheetahs reaching the playoffs in their inaugural season in the PRO14, the central franchise’s continued struggles away from home in the tournament illustrates that a move to Europe doesn’t translate into instant success.
“The grass might not be always greener. It must be pretty tough having to play at home on a Saturday and then be in totally different conditions 48 hours later,” said Du Plessis.
“That requires not only various tweaks to your preparation but also a pretty big mindset adjustment. There will certainly be some teething problems initially.
“Plus, I’m still struggling to wrap my head around rugby being played in December in South Africa. But maybe that’s just because I’m an old dog!”
