Piss of Boks go and join the U.K

[AB Jnr]

Bok players are being lured to join a U.K team instead of playing the Super 12 comp.
Well reality is the Bok players are shit.
They can't play Super 12 or Test rugby. The NZRU and ARU have carried the Boks for 10 years now and they still haven't learnt how to play rugby.
Bok rugby is pathetic. From once the supremo of world rugby to shit.
As far as I'm concerned they can go and fuck off and play with those useless Pommie cants. Its about the same standard of rugby anyway.

[Nathan]

Not a great 1st post mate. For starters you've reported on something without telling us any details... like who the two players are.
Secondly, it's not as if it's only South Africans who put themselves out to pasture in the UK for a few years at the end of their carreers - do the names Christian Cullen, Toutai Kefu, Dan Herbert, Matt Burke, Todd Blackadder, Zinzan Brooke and Bredon Laney mean anything to you?
Third, you say that the NZRU and ARU have "carried" South Africa for a number of years. What rubbish. Even though I am of the opinion that the South African team of 2002-now are the weakest Springbok side in history, test matches between them and us are still massive drawcards, create huge interest and are always great to watch even if the All Blacks have dominated recent matches like never before. And since South Africa has something like 50 million people compared to NZ's 4 million and Australia's 20 million in a country where rugby union is a minority sport, it could be argued that, financially at least, South Africa are "carrying" NZ and Australia.

As for the "useless Pommie cants", remember that they're the world champions. And they will be for at least another 3 and a half years (geez I hate saying that).

[EREHWON WARRIORS]

Well said , Nathan! I , too , am disappointed that AB Jnr cannot show more tolerance to our oldest foes! Perhaps he should heed his own advice  
The rumours are alarming enough.....and could have a detrimental effect on all our comps...if indeed they are true! I refer to Chris Mirams articles in today's Sunday-Star Times....as I guess AB Jnr was)        Cheers , Nathan. What a pity we can't smite guests!          ::)BAZ

[ugly ref]

Well at least if the Boks left SANZAR our tests with them might create even more excitement than the TriNAtions buzz.

How about this for an idea? Drop Super 12, and include 4 Aussie teams and the three PI nations in our NPC (call it something else..... SOuth PAcific CHamps). Have 16 teams in total, have a big round-robin, NRL type semis. Can even play it from March to June al la Super 12 then leave July August for new Tri Nats, tests between AUS/NZ/PAC Is, and your annual test series against Boks.

Season finishes in September, our pro's can choose between resting til Xmas or having sabbaticals in NH til Xmas for a bit of extra money. It doesn't have to be all season, something along the lines of the county cricketers.

the thing the Yarpies have got going for them is they've the same time-zone as Europe, a big selling point in media rights. Maybe they should set up by themselves.

I think if the split was right for a Pacific Series, NZ could ending up making the same money as they do now, and not have to endure those regular 21 hour flights to SAF.

Travel costs are cut, become breakfast viewing of choice in the Northern Hemisphere SKY channels. This product may sell just as well to Rupert.

UR

[EREHWON WARRIORS]

Some good ideas UR! Biggest negative as far as Rupert is concerned would be size of SA market probably almost 50% of SANZAR. To appease the  "purse strings" we'd have to include another BIG market say JAPAN (has-been AB's & Ozzies with top Japanese talent) which then allows those players to continue international career beyond BaaBaa's like matches  .

May not solve NZ problem of too many high population bases for first division. Hawkes Bay, Manawatu, Counties etc would fold without pathway....unless P/R from Div 2.....and..........
NO MORE VIKINGS EXPERIMENTS!!!!!!!! BAZ

    SOUTH PACIFIC CHAMPIONSHIP or SPC orSUPER16!

[ugly ref]

Thanks for adding to the idea BAZ.

the old chestnut of SAf's population is a tough one, cos in reality

a)only 10% of the population follow rugby, usually white.

b) that reflects thru to subscriptions on Supersport, which probably only has as many subs as SKY NZ.

So yes, big population, but Rupert can do his sums too. Maybe its better for rugby to have the Yarpies playing the Northen Hemisphere. Their playing style is certainly more aligned to that part of teh world.

We can still have three tests against them every year, but the Saffers have never been much chop at Super 12.

The other thing about the SAFs is almost a quarter of white SAF passport holders live outside the country....read ENgland (a few down our way), which is why this ZP team is so popular.

UR

[Tesrof]

One thing ... I don't think you've left anywhere for NH teams to tour down here.  If the Internationals were played in the middle of SOPACH (sort of like State of Origin) then players would have to be taken out of their team, which could mean the difference between getting into the final play-offs or not.  Still, with 15 round robin games and 4 weekends of play-offs & finals there's plenty of time for the best teams work their way to the top.

Also the room for expansion doesn't seem to be there.  5 months is a long time for a competition to run.  If the once mighty Manawatu restablish themselves, instead of just being a feeder for Taranaki, could NZ justifiably ask for an extra place or two?  I could see Australia getting to 6 teams before we'd ever get to 12.  And adding another 4 teams means SOPACH would run for 6 months!  Bloody Hell!  That'd get boring real quick - imagine 10 games per weekend ... plus tests ... plus a bit of League ... and maybe a bit of cricket ... there'd be no time to go to the wholesaler for supplies. I shudder to think how that'd affect comps like FantasyRugby or Rugby Comp much less family and friends.

I honestly don't think I want the Aussies to be part of our NPC, and more than I'd want to have our teams in the Currie Cup or the Zurich Premiership.  Super 12 and the NPC work, I think they need refining rather than overhauling.

Cheers
T

[JB]

>>a)only 10% of the population follow rugby, usually white.
I'll have to take exception to that statement boet.
I'm not white, most of my friends aren't either. Yet we still love rugby, go to games and watch it on supersport.

[JB]

Can I just say there are also alot of good players, plying their trade in the UK too. Corne Krige (Yeah, he plays a hard game),  Selborne Boom, *Percy Montgomery, *Jaco van der Westhuizen and a few others. So, despite the supposed exodus of 'crappy' players(and there are some).... there is still some genuine talent over in the UK.

* -- Current Bok Squad.

--JB

[Screwball]

Just some interesting stats...

SuperSport's subscription base is around 2million subs, not just in SA, but across the African continent and some parts of the Mediteranean.

Out of that base for the recent Wales test the AR's show that just over 50% watched the game. STAGGERING stats!!! That does not include the people who watched the delayed broadcast on SABC (the national broadcaster).

[ugly ref]

Where did you get that figure from?

That would have broken a world cable and satellite rating! By 25%!

I work for the Asian tv equivalent and we can get up to 30 million of our 250m subsrcibers to watch the world cup final, but it doesn't mean the sponsors will bring money to the table, because again overall the population of Africa, or South Africa, rugby is a small sport participation and viewing wise, compared to football.

Ok you say 2 million people watched SAF v WAL, but how many people would have watched the final of the African football champs last year?

I'd say over 100million right?

And the fact that SAF will play the PAC Islands next week in Gosford underlines the fact that the travel is a pain in the arse. Worth suffering for a three match test series, but not really that good for Super 12?

What would you Kiwi fans want to see?

Crusaders verse Sharks?

or Canterbury NPC vs Fiji?

I know what would be more competitive and absorbing for me. And if the Island countries would turn down tv rights money for a comp like this it makes sense to run with it.
UR

[Screwball]

I said the subscriber base is around 2million, not 2 million watched.

The AR figure was given to us in a feedback meeting a week later. We all went "Wow" as well! Unfortunately I cannot say I saw the report with my own eyes, but let me try and work out what else the subscribers could've watched.

The game was on June 26 at 15:00 SA Time live on SuperSport 1 and M-Net.
- So first of all the movies on the movie channels were re-runs.
- It’s soccer off-season so no games to watch there. The only Euro 2004 game is much later the evening.
- No cricket as the match between NZ and WI is abandoned and it is off-season for local cricket as well.
- The Open de France is being played (golf) and a Frenchman is running away with it. That after the US Open, where a South African won  , so you know the big names are all going to sit out this weekend.
- It's the weekend before Tour de France start, so you can't watch that.
- There's no Formula 1 action to watch either. Hmmm, some MotoGP at Assen, but it just finished.
- For only the third time in history there will be play on middle Sunday at Wimbledon as no play is possible today (being Saturday).

Hey maybe people wanted to catch a glimpse of the Boks while they were still winning. It's easy to get into the swing of things and be positive about the Boks. When last did they have a series win against a team (Ireland) rated better than them in the world? (Can't even remember!) So this should be another win for the Boks.

In all seriousness though, I am not saying the 50% is true or not true, but really thinking about it, there was absolutely bugger-all else to watch that day.

To answer the second part of your post, I would rather see the PI's and Argentina join the Tri Nations and it become a Five Nations tournament. I think it's unfair to expect an international team like Fiji to play provincial rugby. Don't you think that's a bit degrading? Yes they are not on the same level as the other four SH teams, but that's why I think they should play as the PI's.

We've tried a few times (and it seems we might try again) to have Namibia and Zimbabwe play in our provincial competitions, but they got hammered by our worst sides. It's not a good situation. Just think if you represented your country and you lose agaist a third rate provincial outfit from another country. How would that make you feel?

[wes]

ur   a   tosser   and   a  let   down   you  obvoiusly  have  no  idea  about rugby  the   talent   that  excudes  from   south   africa  is  at a  high  standard  I  personally   have    huge   respect   for  the   all  blacks the  old  enemy u   however  enjoy sweeping   generalisations which  proves  to me  how   ignorant  u are   and  the ignorance  I  dealing  with!!!!

[Waga]

Wes, proof is in the pudding as they say!

When was the last time you beat the ABs?

When did you last win the tri-nations?

When was the last time swide won the S12 from SA?

Mate, why not get yourself a profile, come on board and start some debates and discussions with regards to saffa rugby. To be honest I know F##K all about it beacuse I'm a Kiwi and love my countries club and international sides (except Canterbury...) but am always keen to read other people's intelligent views.

Get the chip off your shoulder and get posting, Saffa rugby is in dire straits, how is this going to change?

By the way speaking of chips of shoulders, wheres Nicholas from England?

[JB]

For a very good insight into SA rugby and their fans... check out....

http://www.keo.co.za