French Top 14 club Toulouse are reportedly eager to attain the services of Springboks Frans Malherbe and Siya Kolisi.
French rugby newspaper, Midi Olympique, reports that the Stormers duo are on the shopping-list of the French giants who want to bolster their ranks after this year’s Rugby World Cup.
Prop Malherbe has played 4 Tests for the Boks, while flank Kolisi boasts 10 caps.
This follows the recent announcement that Stormers flyhalf Demetri Catrakilis will join Jake White’s Montpellier later this year.
While the interest in the Stormers players appears to be high, their coaches are also believed to be in high demand.
Forwards coach Matthew Proudfoot is linked with a coaching job in Argentina and Vodacom Cup and Under 21 coach John Dobson wanted by the EP Kings.
Sport24
Ag jinne now I know how the Free State feel each year……..
1 @ Stormersboy:
Farkit, the Bulls have been feeling like this too since 2011 already!
Something drastic will have to be done against France and their french Clubs, buying absolutely fregin everybody!!
The only way to try and curb it is to adopt the NZ policy of central contracting (and looking after the players via sabbaticals etc. ) and NOT to select ANY foreign based players for the Springboks.
Won’t help keep those who truly want to chase the big bucks from staying, but it might keep those who still cherish playing for the Boks
3 @ nortie:
I agree.
However, looking at the amount of senior New Zealand Players who will also be going to France & the UK after the Rugby World Cup, they will be suffering too.
Same at the Aussies.
So, one comes to the conclusion that Central Contracting… and doing it well, is not enough!
It is clear that there is an accelleration in the percentages of Southern Hemisphere players who go abroad… and the players are targeted younger and younger.
One will have to look at additional things to stem the tide… and logic dictates to me that the Southern Hemisphere would have to bring player renumeration up close to that which applies abroad.
Now the only way to do that would be:
1. Via Southern Hemisphere Provinces / Clubs / Franchises becomming PRIVATELY OWNED and thus driven by business principles.
2. Instituting a TRANSFER FEE system, whereby the Club losing the player would be entitled to a stiff transfer fee, to replace him with a like for like player in the quality stakes.
3. The Southern Hemisphere will have to play in CROSS-HEMISPHERE COMPETYITIONS where they share an equal slice of the broadcasting pie, making it immediately viable to pay your assets (players) more… as the same moneys will be available to co-participating Northern Hemisphere Clubs in the same competitions.
4. Enforcing or causing to enforce a “FOREIGN PLAYER CAP LIMIT” on all clubs, engineering a limit of what the Frenchies or UK or Japanese teams will be able to buy.
Is it easy to achieve, hell no… but somehow the groundwork will have to be done to move in that direction!
Sitting on an aeroplane…
@ grootblousmile:
#4 lots of issues to look into but basically rugby is a profession like any other in many ways albeit with it’s employees a lot more in the spotlight than most. With this in mind I do not like the idea of player number caps. For me that almost amounts to an infringement of fundamental rights of humans. If anyone in any job can fulfill a countries requirements for visa then should not be denied a job, must sign off now will take up the debate another time.
6 @ Bullscot:
It happens already in rugby, all over!
Let me give you examples:
1. New Zealand who only let players who play in New Zealand competitions qualify for the All Blacks.
2. Wallabies do exactly the same.
3. The Premiership already has a system of “Marquee Player Allowance” – 2 players only… so call this an enforced “French Marqee Player Allowance” then, that I am advocating!
4. Foreign Player Cap Limits apply to the Australian Super Rugby sides, with special dispensation to the Force and Rebels (because they are newer franchises, still building their own stock).
5. The Japanese league has rules that only 2 foreign players may be on the field for a specific team in a game (of course they may have more than 2 foreigners on their books).
6. Is AGE-group rugby also wrong then, because it discriminates on the basis of age ? What if a 20-year old demands to play in the Under 18 Craven Week… is he discriminated against when they say no?
7. Does any and every country on this earth not then also infringe on these supposed basic human rights, with Visa control, work permits, entry control, voting rights… ect, ect…
If one looks at this hard enough, all Southern Hemisphere rugby and it’s survival is at stake… so some measures will HAVE TO BE instituted…
Some (like me) might call it regulating and protecting the game and others (like you) might see it as discrimination in the workplace…
@ Bullscot:
I agree, if you take all the sentiment away of “for the good of the game”, rugby is a business and will be run like one and the Euro is just too strong and the Southern Hemisphere market too small for the French and English.
Even if we only select local players for the springboks (which I agree with) it is unlikely to stop the hemorrhaging, players expect to be play for their franchises at 21 and for the springboks before they are 25, so it appears unlikely that they will “work for it” anymore unless the player has no interest in going to Europe or already has business interests locally.
Kolisi ????
Hondkak is going to shit his jean pant.
@ gunther:
I wonder where Hondo is?
Been MIA for a while now
@ MacroBull:
@ grootblousmile:
The truth of the matter is that the problem is FAR deeper than most imagine.
For example my “home” club of Coventry currently play in National League 1, effectively the third tier of English Rugby and are actually a SEMIprofessional club.
In their last game v Richmond they had 3 South Africans in the team.
Cliffie Hodgeson – Flyhalf – Former Boland and Border.
Jaques le Roux – Flank / 8th man – Born in Cape Town, now plays for Potugal.
Roan van Heerden – Lock – Former Leopards (Now studying for Masters degree in UK)
Also, a friend of mine’s ex-wife has a brother who went to play semi-pro club Rugby in Manchester STRAIGHT OUT OF SCHOOL, without ANY Provincial age group experience whatsoever.
The lure of the NH currencies WILL eventually decimate our playing stocks.
However, on a positive note, I was pleasantly surprised by the performance of University of Fort Hare’s side yesterday v TUT.
This shows me that the potential is there at grass roots level, we just need SARU and the Provinces to unlock it.
@ nortie:
I think he’s still mourning Jackie Selebi.
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