SA Rugby Criticises Sharks; Springboks Shine on Awards List
Springboks have the ideal problem of being inundated with rising stars, recently highlighted by the URC's Next-Gen Player of the Season Award list.
Of the sixteen nominees, six are South African, of which four have earned Springbok caps: Henco van Wyk, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Andre-Hugo Venter, Cameron Hanekom, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Andre-Hugo Venter, and Quan Horn.
Rassie Erasmus will undoubtedly be considering each player for the upcoming winter tests.
SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer views the proposed Club World Cup as a way of forcing 'SA teams to take the Champions Cup seriously,' suggesting his opinion to resemble a growing trend that South Africa's club contingent prioritise the URC.
Bulls, Sharks, and Stormers have become renowned for resting starting players for the Champions Cup, a tournament neither of the sides managed to eclipse five points after four games, albeit all qualifying for the URC knockout rounds, finishing second, third and fifth.
Springboks' Erasmus may like the thought of South Africa's club contingent being more competitive against norther hemisphere outfits, but there's a long way to go before the Club World Cup can be announced.
'The financial aspect is something that still needs to be figured out. At this stage, only projections have been made, but if accurate, the Club World Cup could be financially beneficial,' the SA Rugby boss revealed
'Officially, no structures have been put in place yet, and no broadcasting rights or sponsorships have been sold. So the financial impact will only be determined in the future.'
'The announcement is somewhat premature, with a lot of detail outstanding, and we don't have all the answers yet.'
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211.
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