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South Africa have been done dirty once again

(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

“They cannot represent themselves, they must be represented.” When Karl Marx penned his 1851 essay, The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte, he did not have rucks and mauls on his mind. But there is an interesting parallel between French coups and class struggles, and a festering imbalance in the world of rugby.

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World Rugby, the game’s overlords, saw fit to grant Australia and the United States of America the right to host the next two men’s World Cups in 2027 and 2031 respectively. The latter decision is a laudable one. The US has long been portrayed as a sleeping giant and the commercial appeal is obvious. Win over hearts and minds across the Atlantic and rugby union would reach new heights. We may even get a half decent PlayStation game as a result.

But the former stinks of rugby’s oldest malaise that champions the interests of the bourgeoisie and sidelines the proletariat. And if you’re in any way connected to South African rugby, you’d be forgiven for wanting to storm World Rugby’s headquarters in Dublin and call for a revolution.

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      Dillyn Leyds | Le French Rugby Podcast | Episode 28

      We chat to La Rochelle’s South Africa international Dillyn Leyds ahead of the all-French Champions Cup quarter-final against Montpellier to find out about Ronan O’Gara’s spikiness, how he ended up in the west of France instead of South West London and his chances of a Springbok recall. Plus, we look at the madness of the Top 14 where still nobody is guaranteed a play-off place with two rounds to go, look ahead to all of the Champions Cup quarter-finals and we pick our MEATER Moment of the Week…
      Use the code FRENCHPOD20 at checkout for 20% off any full price item at Meater.com
      Head over to daysbrewing.com and use the code RUGBYPASS15 to get 15% off a case of their 0.0% beers

      The next opportunity South Africa will get to host a tournament they have already won three times will be in 2035. That is exactly 40 years since the last time they did so. Coincidentally, 40 years separates Marx’s aforementioned essay and South Africa’s first rugby match, against the British Lions in 1891. As the German philosopher said, “History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.”

      To put that gap in time in perspective, three of the 2019 World Cup winning Springboks weren’t born when Nelson Mandela handed Francois Pienaar the Webb Ellis Cup in one of the sport’s most enduring moments. As many as 26 of the 33 who triumphed in Japan were under the age of five. Schalk Brits, the most senior figure of the squad, was 14.

      How many children were raised on the rainbow tinted mythology of that glorious day in Johannesburg, when a bunch of semi-professionals representing a fractured nation on the mend beat the indomitable All Blacks and took a giant leap towards unity? How many rugby fans in the Republic closed their eyes and knew, deep down in their marrow, that one day they’d get to welcome the world again? Surely it wouldn’t be too long. The door was left on the latch. A place was kept at the table. The guests would be back soon. They promised they would.

      That promise was made before the 2023 bid. In 2017 the Rugby World Cup Limited board submitted a comprehensive evaluation report of the three nations in the mix. Based on certain criteria including host cities, tournament infrastructure and commercial commitments, South Africa received a rating of 78.97, edging out France (75.88) and Ireland (72.25). But the winner would be elected by a vote. Despite the governing body’s recommendations, France won the deciding round by a score of 24 to 15.

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      The news flattened the South African rugby public as well as the country’s government that had stumped up a fortune in ensuring that the bid was successful. Given the decade of waste under the corrupt former president Jacob Zuma, and the economic pitfalls of the Covid-19 pandemic, it is hard to imagine any future leader taking a similar risk.

      Incredulous after the defeat, Mark Alexander, president of SA Rugby said, “We are bitterly disappointed at this decision and would like to apologise to the people and government of South Africa for raising their hopes.”

      It was not Alexander that owed his people an apology. He had done all he could. Well, almost. He did not account for a knife in the back delivered by unions that had said one thing but had done something else. There were votes promised but undelivered. What’s more, Rugby Africa, the continent’s governing body, voted against South Africa’s bid. Twisting the knife further is the fact that the body’s head offices are in a Cape Town building paid for by SA Rugby.

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      Rugby Africa perhaps had their head turned by French euros. The Africa Cup, the mini-tournament that will determine the continent’s final representative in the 2023 World Cup, will be staged in France. As South African journalist Brendan Nel points out in New Frame, “France will pay all the costs for the tournament, but it hasn’t gone unnoticed in Africa that there is a desire to have a French-speaking African country represent the continent at the World Cup.”

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      Money talks louder than loyalty and, even if SA Rugby’s decision makers were so inclined to make backhanded deals and slip envelopes under hotel doors, the country’s struggling rand was never going to prove decisive. The legacies of the Springboks, of Mandela and of 1995 might stir souls, but they don’t grease palms. Avoiding the risk of further embarrassment, World Rugby rescinded the democratic process. World Cups would now be awarded, not earned by a popular vote.

      It would be remiss not to mention other factors that count against South Africa. It is a dangerous place. Only blind jingoists would deny this. And though rape and murder statistics are largely confined to areas where tourists generally avoid, every sporting showpiece, from the 2010 Fifa World Cup, to the most recent English cricket tour in 2020, is littered with stories of pickpocketings and violent muggings. Public transport is also a mess which compounds matters, often restricting visitors to secluded oases of privilege.

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      But the exchange rate is a dream for anyone spending pounds, euros, dollars or yen, the food is sublime, the wine is even better, the natural beauty is breathtaking, the weather is idyllic, the stadiums are world class, the rugby heritage is storied and the fans, those black, white, brown, Zulu, Afrikaans, English, Xhosa fans who comprise the most diverse rugby supporter base anywhere in the world, make it all worthwhile. This shameful snub is not just a loss for South Africa. The entire rugby ecosystem will miss out on something special.

      Perhaps I’m biased. I remember the ecstasy of 1995. I was just seven-years-old and spent most of the final playing with friends in the backyard. But even my prepubescent brain could grasp the significance of that moment. I could not comprehend the evils of apartheid and my white skin sheltered me from its horrors, but I could tell we were forging a new identity as a nation. My father’s tears and my mother’s joy conveyed a palpable sense that something momentous had taken place.

      For 40 years the only South Africans who will witness a Rugby World Cup will be expatriates or the wealthy. Marx would no doubt be fuming. And so, with this latest insult, those who wear the green and gold must represent the rest of us as we cannot represent ourselves.

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      Comments

      41 Comments
      g
      guy 970 days ago

      Problem when you rely on aus and nz , they will usually bring the knife out...

      J
      JB 984 days ago

      Still astounds me that any South African even mentions 1995, let alone proudly. To barely beat a side that has been poisoned by criminal elements in your country is only cause for embarrassment, not celebration.

      C
      CT 1159 days ago

      As with most events it goes where the money is, look at the soccer world cup venue completely illogical

      D
      Dale 1166 days ago

      The fact remains, in the transparent part of this process the World Rugby Council concluded that SA's bid was the strongest in their opinion, and they would have included crime factors in that analysis. Then behind closed-doors, WR decided to give it to France. Something stinks.


      It would be interesting to see the Rugby Council's report, just to rule out the possiblity of any bias within it in favour of SA's bid. Such a bias wouldn't excuse World Rugby's lack of transparency, but might possibly mitigate the decision somewhat. Anyone know if this can be obtained?

      S
      Siphelele 1166 days ago

      How crazy is it that as soon as they finish giving the corrupt French the wc, they immediately change the procedures. Bill Beaumont or whatever his name is clearly has a vendetta against SA, if it’s not rule changes to weaken us it’s something else

      J
      Jmann 1167 days ago

      ever the victims...

      s
      sean 1167 days ago

      South Africa didn’t bid this time as they were burnt the last time through some serious corruption.. don’t blame them although hate that it’s going to Australia a country that doesn’t love the sport and is on a ridiculous time zone.. who wants to watch rugby matches in the morning it’s a liver killer

      G
      Geoff 1157 days ago

      Ridiculous match times are the same for NZ if they have RWC in the northern hemisphere

      M
      Machpants 1167 days ago

      Maybe they didn't get the RWC because they didn't apply? Nah, stick with conspiracy theories.

      You gotta be in it to win it!

      G
      George 1168 days ago

      You have provided the answer....It would be remiss not to mention other factors that count against South Africa. It is a dangerous place. Only blind jingoists would deny this. And though rape and murder statistics are largely confined to areas where tourists generally avoid, every sporting showpiece, from the 2010 Fifa World Cup, to the most recent English cricket tour in 2020, is littered with stories of pickpocketings and violent muggings. Public transport is also a mess which compounds matters, often restricting visitors to secluded oases of privilege.

      G
      GrahamVF 1143 days ago

      Don’t think you understand the meaning of jingoistic which would be appropriate term for what you wrote ;)

      m
      matt 1168 days ago

      Brilliant article. I too was seven years old watching the final in Jo’burg, from that moment on I was hooked and it’s lived long in the memory.

      Hopefully Big fat cat B*ll Beaumon* won’t be around much longer. I can only imagine his wife had an affair with a saffa or something or maybe Rand bungs just don’t service his lifestyle any longer.

      Anyway he’ll be joining Sepp in the hall of corrupt officials right before catching the train to hell.

      J
      JJ 1168 days ago

      Sepp introduced awarding world cups two at a time, to get double bribes instead of just one. Bill is just following his lead.

      C
      CRZ38L 1168 days ago

      "It would be remiss not to mention other factors that count against South Africa. It is a dangerous place. Only blind jingoists would deny this. And though rape and murder statistics are largely confined to areas where tourists generally avoid, every sporting showpiece, from the 2010 Fifa World Cup, to the most recent English cricket tour in 2020, is littered with stories of pickpocketings and violent muggings."


      This was among the first of things that sprung to mind when reading this article, unfortunately it probably does play a large part in South Africa's fate.

      D
      DP 1168 days ago

      Nothing quite like watching rugby while eating cornflakes.... Ozzies in general don't give a hoot about Union so here's hoping that at the very least it re-ignites some interest in the dying sport down there. What are the odds of Eddie returning to coach the Wallabies for that one? pretty good I'd say...!

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      N
      NH 1 hour ago
      'The Wallabies need to convert much better - or Melbourne could be much worse'

      Nice one as always Brett. I think the stats hide a bit of the dominance the lions had, and they would look alot worse in that first half when the game was more in the balance. You mention it here but I think it hasn’t been talked about enough was the lineout. The few times the wallabies managed to exit their half and get an opportunity to attack in the 1st half, the lineout was lost. This was huge in terms of lions keeping momentum and getting another chance to attack, rather than the wallabies getting their chance and to properly ‘exit’ their half. The other one you touch on re “the will jordan bounce of the ball” - is kick chase/receipt. I thought that the wallabies kicked relatively well (although were beaten in this area - Tom L rubbish penalty kicks for touch!), but our kick receipt and chase wasn’t good enough jorgenson try aside. In the 1st half there was a moment where russell kicked for a 50:22 and potter fumbled it into touch after been caught out of position, lynagh makes a similar kick off 1st phase soon after and keenan is good enough to predict the kick, catch it at his bootlaces and put a kick in. That kick happened to go out on the full but it was a demonstration on the difference in positioning etc. This meant that almost every contested kick that was spilled went the way of the lions, thats no accident, that is a better chase, more urgency, more players in the area. Wallabies need to be better in who fields their kicks getting maxy and wright under most of them and Lynagh under less, and the chase needs to be the responsibility of not just one winger but a whole group of players who pressure not just the catch but the tackle, ruck and following phase.

      17 Go to comments
      J
      JW 2 hours ago
      Competing interests and rotated squads: What the 'player welfare summer' is really telling us

      Thanks for the further background to player welfare metrics Nick.


      Back on the last article I noted that WR is now dedicating a whole section in their six-point business plan to this topic. It also noted that studies indicated 85-90% of workload falls outside of playing. So in respect to your point on the classification of ‘involvements’ included even subs with a low volume of minutes, it actually goes further, to the wider group of players that train as if they’re going to be required to start on the weekend, even if they’re outside the 23. That makes even the 30-35 game borderline pale into insignificance.


      No doubt it is won of the main reasons why France has a quota on the number of one clubs players in their International camps, and rotate in other clubs players through the week. The number of ‘invisible’ games against a player suggests the FFRs 25 game limit as more appropriate?


      So if we take it at face value that Galthie and the FFR have got it right, only a dozen players from the last 60 international caps should have gone on this tour. More players from the ‘Scotland 23’ than the more recent 23.


      The only real pertinent question is what do players prefer more, health or money? There are lots of ethical decisions, like for instance whether France could make a market like Australia’s where their biggest rugby codes have yearly broadcast deals of 360 and 225 million euros. They do it by having a 7/8 month season.

      68 Go to comments
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