It might benefit SA but it costs a lot of English players a position in their own teams and has a knock on effect with the national side.
It might benefit SA but it costs a lot of English players a position in their own teams and has a knock on effect with the national side.
kingcorn
Senior player
2763 posts
Notice that there are a lot of movements with players moving frequently for better money.
Just notice that Jasper Wiese is on the move from Leicester, even though I believe the club has been very good for him and believe he would have been better off staying there.
This got me thinking, if I was the SA coach where do I want my seasoned players to be based.
SA, good to have the boys play locally, get to see more games and able to invite them to alignment camps. The only problem is the extensive travelling and the fact that the playing calendar doesn't quite line up with the southern hemisphere test season.
France, they play a lot of games and the French clubs are really stingy in holding onto the boks and don't like them to be released even when the season is over.
Ireland, players are gaining a lot of experience and the teams play in the URC, so there are some chances to link up with the boks.
Wales, not great rugby clubs and don't think it is good for the boks
Italy, not the best country for player development and there best players get poached by French clubs.
Scotland, same as Italy, although some of the clubs are doing better.
England, Good for player development, decent rugby culture and fantastic fan support. Trips are short and the players don't have to travel long distance.
Japan, the season is only 5 months long. Not the best rugby, but we are seeing some quality players pop up in the league. Some all blacks at their peak with a sprinkle of ninja like players.
I almost believe that our seasoned boks are better off playing in Japan. Maybe for our younger players I would say stay in SA and if you can't break through, go to England or Ireland where you will get noticed.
For me, we have seen the likes of Kwagga, De Allende, Kolbe, Le Roux, Lood, PSDT to name a few still maintain their form and were key players during the World Cup.
My only draw back is that these guys probably need to play 1 or 2 a games to get rid of some rust