sport news CHRIS FOY: South African rugby has a LOT to offer but geographical gulfs ... trends now
South Africans have become wearily accustomed to power shortages which cause the lights to go out, but that trouble does not blight their rugby.
What a show of force they produced at the weekend. The European elite have been left in no doubt that they could be eclipsed in both the Heineken Champions Cup and the Challenge Cup.
All who went to South Africa were beaten. The Sharks scored seven tries and put 50 points on Munster in Durban. Similarly, the Lions scored seven tries and put 50 points on mighty Racing 92 in Johannesburg — despite the inconvenience of an early red card.
In Cape Town, Harlequins were not anything like as close to upsetting the Stormers as the final 32-28 scoreline suggests.
The only South African defeat came on Sunday when the Bulls were comprehensively beaten in Toulouse.
South African sides showed their dominance in the European competitions this weekend
The Sharks defeated Munster in Durban while Harlequins were beaten by the Stormers
Rassie Erasmus has spoken on seeking a change to the perceptions of South African rugby
In an interview with The Mail on Sunday, Springboks’ director of rugby Rassie Erasmus spoke about seeking to change global perceptions of South African rugby.
The best means of winning hearts and minds abroad is to stage and dominate grand, vibrant occasions, without a trace of controversy — as they did so well in recent days.
The bottom line with the new, expanded cross-border events which have replaced the old European Cups is that they are an unwieldy, chaotic logistical exercise.
It won’t take long for all those involved to grow weary of the long-haul demands which led to enforced squad rotation in some cases during the pool stages.
But South African rugby has so much to offer and it needs to find its niche, which is no easy feat given the geographical gulf between the country and its rivals.
It is thousands of miles too far south for easy alignment with Europe, but thousands of miles too far north-west for easy links with Australia and New Zealand.
When its teams are at full-strength and well supported, the mystery to an outsider is why South Africa cannot function in splendid isolation with a domestic league which could be the envy of the world.
There is so much native talent which needs an outlet at home, to stop the overseas exodus which diminished the Boks for years before Erasmus revived them.
Ideally, World Rugby
