'Anyone who moves to France and wins Player of the Year is really something'

England Rugby seems to be growing from strength to strength.

🥴

I guess he’s a popular leader and the front runner to captain the lions.

But of course, this isn't my team and it's not my problem. There will always be people on either side of the fence, I just believe that closing off a national team just because a players seeks a salary elsewhere is indicative of a very limited mindset. All I hope for is for the ABs to continue being a force on the field, regardless of who plays in the jersey, so that the Springboks can continue being pushed everytime they meet each other on the field.

You speak of four of the top five nations having closed border policies. Well, Ireland is really just Leinster and a handful of other players. Irish rugby is coming up well, but let's not pretend there is parity between clubs. If you want to eb in the national team, your best chance is to get into Dublin let alone stay in the country. England rugby? They have often been said to have one of the deepest pools and pockets in the game, so they have the potential to be healthy regardless. If they can sort out their identity anyway. But thene again, are they so healthy? Clubs closing down, extraordinary players in the prime leaving (Ribbans, Arundell et al.), it's not a great look over there. France? France is a whole different kettle of fish - no other nation in the world can claim to have such strong multi-league club rugby, so even there they have an enormous feeder culture. Besides, loads of players want to move to France for the money so it's a moot point even thinking of reasons why French players would want to leave their home country. The money is at home.

Your comment on whether or not it is worth it, considering the length of the season. This is a very fair question, one in which SA is going to have to learn the answer to over the coming seasons. But there are two points to consider here: 1) can this not create a situation whereby increased depth and rotation for player health and safety allows for more players to get game time? If Rassie can rotate 50+ players in a season and maintain a great record, then it can be done. Naturally, clubs won't have the same resources at hand but nevertheless there is a solution to be found rather than restricting the top level of the game to a smaller number of players. If rugby wants to expand its reach, it is going to have to expand its structures in order to do so. The second point is that this exact question strengthens the call for a global calendar. Get NH and SH national and club teams aligned.

However, I do think that you have missed my point. Basically, why should a player be excluded from selection just because they earn money elsewhere? Yes, it's a difficult scenario. Yes, there will have to be workarounds. But to say that "it is simpler and easier to manage" is a lazy excuse. This handling of the Mounga situation is a total farce, because there is no clear vision here. Certain players are given sabbaticals, or they sign short term contracts with foreign teams knowing that by and large their national jersey is nailed down. Why not just let them play overseas, if their jersey is so nailed down? There is no easy answer to the problems we all know that global rugby is running headlong into, but right now there seem to be a lot of cooks with a lot of their own priorities in the kitchen and something is going to have to give.

Funneled to the top? Isn’t that how every sporting league works anywhere in the world? The top players go to the top teams with the bigger budgets?

I do realise how many South African players are abroad (at any level) and it’s a very small percentage of the total number of professional players.

The bottom line is that NZ doesn’t have close to the player numbers SA has. Which is why they have to keep them in NZ.

Yes he has had a few BAD results but there is a heck of a lot of skilful players he’s introduced

Not a good result against Scotland but perhaps not a bad thing

They have played the worst Welsh side ever and won fortuitously in an amazing game against England

So this was a reality check

Guys like Wright, Suaalii, Valetini and McDermott are thriving under Joe but equally Wright and Kellaways defence is a liability

Williams and Frost are going well and Skelton isn’t the answer IMO

Main issues for me like England are first up tackles and still that old tight five bug bear

Still, things are improving and a good effort or even a win against Ireland would be an amazing end to their tour

I feel they are starting to show fatigue and Ireland are slowly improving

Never know though! They will relish the underdog status

As an ABs fan an improving wallabies is a good thing

They lose players left, right and centre due to pay disputes or them being unaffordable. Players can't make ends meet, getting paid peanuts, yet the top brass gets paid millions. They don't play the game. They don't sacrifice their bodies, their health and even their sanity due to all the head injuries. No, they just keep scooping because they can. Off the back of the players and unions, who are trying their very best to keep the pot full.

How can this be allowed? How is it fair? I'm a Saffa, and I'm completely disgusted by this. He is the Zuma of rugby in England. If you don't know the fall of that corrupt fool, Google him. If I were a player from England, I'd have no part of the RFU and start another organisation apart from them, or at least refuse to play any more competitions until all these corrupt fools are kicked out of the sport

Savea lost his acceleration. It's the first thing to go and it knocks player's confidence. Their game is built around a burst of speed to get through a hole or around someone. Once that fails a few times they start looking ordinary and it's all downhill from there.

There's the odd exception like Ben Smith who could do it all, but for the most part speed merchants have awesome but short ABs careers.