A National Sports League: Rugby In South Africa

Rugby Rugby is one of South Africa’s big three sports, alongside Football, and Cricket. The country has fared extremely well on the world stage. For the disadvantaged people of the old apartheid South Africa, Rugby was the “white” person’s game and, even more so, the game of the Afrikaner. Traditionally, most communities of colour played Football, while for white communities, Rugby was the Winter sport of choice.

Super 14 The Super 14 competition features 14 regional teams from South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia, with South Africa providing Five teams, New Zealand Five, and Australia Four. The teams include… Sharks: Players from the Natal Sharks (based in Durban, Natal, and KwaZulu). Stormers: Players from provincial teams the Western Province and Boland Cavaliers (Cape Winelands and the West Coast of the Western Province.

Super 14 Central Cheetahs: Players from provinical teams the Cheetahs, Griquas and Griffons (largely Northern Free State). Cats: Players from provincial teams the Lions, Pumas, and Leopards (Johannesburg, North West, and Mpumalanga). Bulls: Players from provincial teams the Blue Bulls and Falcons (Northern Transvaal, East Rand, and Pretoria).

Vodacom Cup The Vodacom Cup has become an important competition on the South African Rugby calendar. It takes place at the same time as the Super 14 competition, starting in later February and finishing in mid-may, and thus creates a platform for talented young players who might otherwise not get a chance to make their mark. It has also been a fertile breeding ground for strong players from previously disadvantages backgrounds, thanks to the enforcement of quotas.

Vodacom Cup Quotas, successfully implemented lower down, now extend through the higher levels of South African Rugby, including the Super 14. The Vodacom is divided into 2 sections; North and South; with the top 2 teams advancing to the semi-finals and playing a cross-section of matches of one-vs two for a place in the final. The North is made up of the Gloden Lions, Griffons, Leopards, Pumas, Falcons, Blue Bulls and Griquas. The South’s teams are the Mighty Elephants, Boland Cavaliers, Border Bulldogs, Free State Cheetahs, Eagles, Western Province, and KZN Wildebeests (KwaZulu Natal).

Currie Cup The Currie Cup is the premier provincial Rugby competition in South Africa, and was first contested in 1892. The format of the Currie Cup varied from year to year, and finals were held intermittently until 1968, after which the final became an annual event. Up to and including 2007, the most successful province in the history of the Currie Cup is Western Province (Western Cape) with 32 titles (4 shared), followed by the Blue Bulls (Northern Transvaal) with 22 (4 shared), The Lions (Transvaal) with 9 (1 shared), The Natal Sharks (Natal) with 4, and the Cheetahs (Free State) with 4 (1 shared).

The Currie Cup Other teams that have lifted the trophy include Griquas (Northern Cape) 3 times, and Border (Eastern Cape) twice; both shared. For many years the biggest rivalry in South African Rugby was between Western Province and the Blue Bulls. During the early to mid-1990’s, this was superseded by a three-way rivalry between Natal, the Lions, and Western Province.

The Currie Cup The Blue Bulls have returned to Currie Cup prominence, however, while the Free State Cheetahs won three titles in succession, from 2005-2007, including sharing the Currie Cup with the Blue Bulls in 2006. The Currie Cup takes place roughly between July and October. The format divides 14 teams into 8 Premier Division, and 6 First Division teams.

Supporters Most of the supporters are very localised or regionally based. This is perhaps the inevitable, given the regional/local structure of rugby teams in South Africa. Supporters have traditionally been mainly white people but, increasingly, more black and coloured people follow the sport. Former president Nelson Mandela was a keen Rugby fan and “claimed” the shirt of the South African captain, following the country’s first Rugby World Cup triumph in 1995.

Activity How can a sport put a nation/country “on the map”? How can Leisure, Sport, and Tourism all be linked together in terms of Rugby? Explain the human and physical implications of sport for a country (and the world). How does Race and Location play an important part as to how “good” a country is at a particular sport?