Saffers heading to Australia

[PaarlBok]

http://www.bdlive.co.za/sport/rugby...e-south-africans-make-their-mark-in-australia

South African rugby players, and a few cricketers, are no longer such rarities in Australian sport.
Four rugby players will turn out for Canberra’s Brumbies in this year’s Super 15, while the Western Force will have exiled Cheetahs flyhalf Sias Ebersohn and Durban-born flanker Chris Alcock on their books as well as former Stormers defence coach Dave Wessels.
Ebersohn was once considered a shoo-in for the Cheetahs at flyhalf, but since the emergence of rookie Springbok Johan Goosen in the province he has begun to lose out, which is why he is trying his luck in Australia.
Ebersohn says he is enjoying Perth, a city once dubbed "Bloemfontein by the Sea" by Springbok Schalk Burger.
"It’s a laid-back city, easy to get around in the traffic," Ebersohn says. "But it’s nothing like Bloemfontein. There is a lot going on in Perth and it’s a much bigger city, definitely not like Bloemfontein."
Ebersohn is here on a two-year contract with a point to prove after his star waned at the Cheetahs.
"I’m not looking too far ahead," he says. "My only focus is to win a place in the team and produce the goods for the Force."
South Africans have long made their mark in Australia. Kepler Wessels came here during apartheid so that he could play Test cricket. Tony Greig, who left South Africa eventually to captain England at cricket, was one of the pioneers of Australia’s World Series Cricket, the famous breakaway movement from the game’s establishment.
Clyde Rathbone, a former South African under-21 captain, and former Bok Tiaan Strauss followed them.
The migration was not limited to players. Mickey Arthur, having lost his job as South Africa’s national cricket coach, took the job at Western Australia before being appointed to his current job as coach of Australia. Jake White, who coached the Boks to World Cup victory in 2007, found himself without a job at home, but two years ago was hooked by the Brumbies.
Joining White at the Brumbies in the approaching Super Rugby season are Ruan Smith, a 22-year-old prop from Western Province; Stephan van der Walt, a promising 22-year-old centre from Klerksdorp; 22-year-old Johannesburg-born Mark Swanepoel, who has already played for the national under-21 team; and the prize catch, 20-year-old Etienne Oosthuizen.
Oosthuizen is a towering lock who got out of his contract with the Lions when the Ellis Park team was relegated from the Super 15. At 1.98m and tipping the scales at 120kg, Oosthuizen revealed that he had turned down an offer from the Bulls to sign for the Brumbies as White’s "foreign development player".
After seven weeks in Canberra, Oosthuizen says he does not suffer from homesickness with so many team-mates speaking Afrikaans.
"Not every person gets a chance in his career at a young age to go to another country and play Super Rugby, especially for a coach like Jake White, who did so much for his country," he says.
Oosthuizen says bonding with Van der Walt and Smith has made the transition easier. "They speak Afrikaans, so it feels just like home. During the day we speak English and at night we switch to Afrikaans."
He has been impressed by the professionalism in Australian rugby. "Australia is much more professional in the way they go about their work and coaching," he says, citing things such as recovery after training.
"In South Africa they focus more on strength and bulking up. That is the difference, but the game stays the same."
Within three years Oosthuizen could qualify for Australia and could face a choice between the Boks and the Wallabies. "I don’t mind who I play for, it doesn’t matter," he says.
The South African cricket imports are here mainly to play in the Big Bash, Australia’s local Twenty20 competition. Former Western Province pace bowler Alfonso Thomas made a stunning debut for the Perth Scorchers recently, taking two wickets in his first over to put the Perth side on course for an upset victory over the Brisbane Heat at the Gabba.
Also here is Proteas off-spinner Johan Botha, doing a good job captaining an Adelaide Strikers side who are second on the T20 table. Botha also captains South Australia in the Sheffield Shield.

 

[It is what it is]

And we gave you Campo in return.

 

[PaarlBok]

And we gave you Campo in return.

and Mike Haysman, Could have send Campo earlier when he was still playing.

 

[Braveheart81]

It surprises me that there aren't any South African born cricketers challenging for spots in the Australian team. Given how many South African born rugby players have either played for the Wallabies or are currently on the scene, it seems strange that there isn't similar representation in cricket.

 

[disco]

Les Kiss was defence coach for the Sharks or Stormers I think.

It would be harder to crack the Aussie Cricket team than the Wallabies considering it's a national game played at basically every school across the land, I heard someone say that Ed Cowan was the 1st private school boy to make the Aussie Cricket team.

 

[KevinO]

South African's are taking over pretty much every European cricket team, England, Ireland, Holland to name a few off the top of my head.

It's amazing how many South African Rugby players are now making a living outside of SA, there is a lot of them playing in Ireland with all four provinces these days. Filling the positions where the Irish struggle for the size and power (Props and hookers mainly)

That's before you even mention France that has players from everywhere making a living.

 

[lemoen]

And we gave you Campo in return.

Hehe, is Campo doing anything other than commentating? Love having him in the studio before a game with Naas and the boys

 

[PaarlBok]

Les Kiss was defence coach for the Sharks or Stormers I think.

ja and Tim Lane. SA did gave his son Sam back after a very good rugby education. Regarding cricket I think the English have more money maybe. Our Soutie cricketers look like going back to their roots.

 

[qwerty51]

Nah it's because cricket is #1 here so we have the best cricketers already.

 

[Jets]

Les Kiss was defence coach for the Sharks or Stormers I think.

It would be harder to crack the Aussie Cricket team than the Wallabies considering it's a national game played at basically every school across the land, I heard someone say that Ed Cowan was the 1st private school boy to make the Aussie Cricket team.

I don't think thats true. I think he is the only current player who went to private school. It has a lot to do with 15 year olds being able to play grade cricket, so players who don't have school sport are playing top grade cricket from an early age.

 

[Braveheart81]

Cowan was just the first CAS/GPS boy for a long time to play test cricket for Australia. Jackson Bird has just become another one.

One of the reasons behind this is that private school cricket has a much shorter season than anywhere else so it is quite detrimental to a young cricketer to be playing for a private school rather than grade cricket where they get a lot more play.

 

[qwerty51]

All to do with the standard of the cricket as well, private school cricket on Saturdays is not very strong where as the rugby is.

 

[Blue]

I thought it was the fact that private school boys are too soft and opinionated? Seem to recall reading some such comment in a Sydney rag recently.

I think we are likely to see more regular schoolboy rugby players of South African stock emerge out of the West than here in Sydney. It's a very different demographic of Saffer in Sydney vs Perth.

 

[ChargerWA]

Still a bit of an "outpost" mentality in the West.

It wouldn't be an exageration to say that 1 in 10 people I deal with are here in WA on a daily basis are from South Africa. Due to the demogrpahic moving here being young families in a business situation they are more heavily represented in the work force than the population as a whole by ratio.

I think it's great. With the explosion in Saffers, Kiwi's and Poms they are one of the key driving forces behind the growth of Rugby in WA.

 

[Lindommer]

.....Ed Cowan was the first private schoolboy from Sydney to make the Aussie Cricket team for a couple of years.

Ed (Cranbrook) was followed into the Aussie cricket team by Jackson Bird (Riverview). There have been many private schoolboys wear the baggy green going all the way back to Joe Darling from Prince Alfred College in Adelaide. PAC, by the way, produced four Australian captains: Darling, Clem Hill and the two Chappells. Lindsay Hassett, Ian Redpath and Paul Sheahan all attended Geelong College, Craig McDermott came from Ipswich Grammar and Stan McCabe avoided the physical rigours of rugby at Joeys to play for Australia at the same time as Bradman. Tibby Cotter from Sydney Grammar was the only Australian test cricketer to perish in the First World War; a significantly larger number of Wallabies met their end in that conflict.

 

[Jets]

Quite a few Saffers in rugby in Brisbane too. It's something that adds to the rugby community, and community as a whole, in my opinion.

Maybe they come here as they get looked after better than in other places, like the UK where you can play for England but can't stay when you retire.

http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-uni...e-Fourie-as-retired-flanker-faces-deportation

 

[p.Tah]

I think it's great. With the explosion in Saffers, Kiwi's and Poms they are one of the key driving forces behind the growth of Rugby in WA.

This won't endear me to our Victorian friends but I am glad the Force got the 4th Australian spot in 2007. As important as Melbourne is, if they got the 4th spot I believe Perth would have been over looked in 2011. We'd probably have had the Lions and the Kings in Super Rugby,Australia would have had a smaller rugby footprint and what sport would the Saffas, Poms and Kiwis play out West?

 

[PaarlBok]

Nah it's because cricket is #1 here so we have the best cricketers already.

The ranking and score board dont agree with your statement.

 

[Bardon]

Quite a few Saffers in rugby in Brisbane too. It's something that adds to the rugby community, and community as a whole, in my opinion.

Maybe they come here as they get looked after better than in other places, like the UK where you can play for England but can't stay when you retire.

http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-uni...e-Fourie-as-retired-flanker-faces-deportation

I think the treatment of Fourie is disgraceful. If they're happy for him to pull on an England shirt he should be allowed to stay no matter where he was born. Representing a country on the international stage should confer citizenship in my opinion. The injury was picked up while representing England.

Brian Moore has also spoken out about his treatment on the BBC.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/20947552

 

[SuperGrover]

I think the treatment of Fourie is disgraceful. If they're happy for him to pull on an England shirt he should be allowed to stay no matter where he was born. Representing a country on the international stage should confer citizenship in my opinion. The injury was picked up while representing England.

Brian Moore has also spoken out about his treatment on the BBC.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/20947552

Alternatively, maybe you shouldn't be able to represent a country on the international stage unless you're already a citizen.