PaarlBok
Rod McCall (65)
Why?Never will happen.
Why?Never will happen.
Rassie brings IPL to rugby
2010-06-21 08:44Email | Print
Rassie Erasmus (Gallo Images)
Rudolph Lake - Rapport
Johannesburg – The involvement of former Springbok flank Rassie Erasmus in the new International Super Rugby (ISR) competition will not affect his job as director of coaching at the Western Province Rugby Union.
Capetonians can therefore rest assured that Erasmus will still put the interests of the Stormers and WP first and foremost and will still strive to make these two teams the most successful in the country.
Erasmus, his namesake Frikkie Erasmus, a Cape Town lawyer businessman, and two very well-known names in South African rugby are in the process of founding a new international competition in South Africa – something that will change the look of SA rugby dramatically.
The new competition will begin in January 2012 and is based on the Indian Premier League cricket series with shorter matches lasting only half as long as a normal game, and adjustments to rules to make the game faster.
More than 200 of the world's finest rugby players will fight it out at the city's brand new World Cup Soccer stadiums in Cape Town and Durban, playing in a series in which eight teams with a lot of international flavour will compete for about three weeks for handsome prize money.
Springboks like John Smit, Victor Matfield, Bryan Habana, Schalk Burger, Jean de Villiers, Juan Smith, Jaque Fourie, Heinrich Brüssow and Bismarck du Plessis, All Blacks stars like Richie McCaw and Daniel Carter and the Aussies Phil Waugh and James O’Connor, as well as several other top players from England, France and Argentina will be part of the new competition.
Erasmus has already discussed his future, and ISR plans, with the WP rugby bosses and they are satisfied that he will stay on as the Cape Town director of rugby.
The planned ISR competition will however force the country's provincial unions to review their current players' contracts. South Africa, New Zealand and Australia's Super Rugby franchises may also have to think about their preparations for this annual competition between teams of the Southern Hemisphere.
Super rugby teams usually start training early in January but in 2010, coaches may have to wait until February before they can begin preparing as players may be involved with the new competition.
All the international players who have been earmarked to play in the first ISR competition, have contracts with their national bodies and relevant provincial unions and teams that expire at the end of 2011.
According to Sport24's information, they will only sign new contracts with their countries and any provincial unions or teams if they are allowed to take part annually in the ISR competition from 2012.
But the new competition Could also be of great benefit for the South African Rugby Union as local players will be able to earn extra money in the series and therefore not have to leave the country for better pay overseas.
The expectation is that top players will earn millions – more than their current annual salaries – in the ISR series and will have no reason to seek greener pastures outside of South Africa.
international competition
The new competition will begin in January 2012
adjustments to rules to make the game faster
(international superstars) will be part of the new competition
they will only sign new contracts with their countries and any provincial unions or teams if they are allowed to take part annually in the ISR competition from 2012.
Why?
How about you watch the full 80 minute game, but make the game with 13 or so substitutions per match. Penalties and Drop Goals reduced to 1 point. How the Northern Hemisphere would object.
Boet havent Rassie Erasmus convinsed you yet? Never underestimate Rassie and Frikkie Erasmus, they are use to take things to new levels.See all the other posts. The money isn't there, in the middle of the NH season, no way in hell SH unions release their players, IRB will put the kibosh on etc etc etc. Pipe dream.
Not sure if you're being sarcastic but I would object to this more than what might be proposed in SA. 13 or so substitutions... this sounds familiar not sure where ive heard of this concept but I think it might have been done before... Seriously we don't need to copy rugby league to make our game more appealing. Also reducing penalties and drop goals to 1 point is ludicrous think how often teams would delibrately infringe anywhere in their own 22 rather than give up a try, teams would never be onside and the rucks would become even more of a slow shamble because heck conceding 1 point sure beats conceding 5 or 7. If you were being sarcastic then I've gone hook, line and sinker but if you are serious then your suggestion is laughable.
Far from laughable. How are we meant to make rugby attractive. The penalties are out of hand.
As for infringeing near the goal line, get the refs to produce a yellow card, so they'll be forced to play with 14 men for 10 minutes to open up attacking space.
Wallabies players would have to defy the Australian Rugby Union and become ''rebels'' if they wanted to be part of a proposed Twenty20-style rugby tournament planned for South Africa in 2012.
South African officials, including Stormers coach Rassie Erasmus, are organising an international competition in which eight teams will play 40-minute matches using new laws aimed at hastening the game.
Sources on Wednesday said numerous South African players had signed up with International Super Rugby about three months ago, and New Zealand and Australian players - including Phil Waugh, James O'Connor, Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell - are being targeted. Springboks who have been linked to the tournament include Victor Matfield, John Smit, Bryan Habana, Schalk Burger, Juan Smith and Bismarck du Plessis.
The players targeted are essentially those coming off contract with the South African, New Zealand and Australian rugby unions after the 2011 World Cup. And Australian and New Zealand officials are well aware that some of their players were approached by ISR organisers recently.
A well-known Australian rugby identity has also been in contact with the organisers, who include Cape Town lawyer and businessman Frikkie Erasmus, in a bid to become the coach of one of the teams.
The new tournament, which is planned to start in January 2012 and run over three or four weeks, is based on cricket's Indian Premier League, with plans to play matches at the new World Cup football stadiums in Cape Town and Durban.
The concept is understood to be based around auctioning team licences and major players.
However, some enormous hurdles would have to be overcome before the tournament could go ahead. If a player is contracted to the ARU, he would not be allowed to play, because the tournament coincides with the players' compulsory six-week rest period. With the Australian season being extended from February to late November next year, the only rest period will be over summer, in particular January.
If the player is no longer contracted by the ARU, he would have to hope for a quick financial windfall, because he would not have the outlet of then going to a northern hemisphere club. Northern hemisphere clubs are heavily involved in their own competitions in January and are highly unlikely to release players.
Despite suggestions the players involved in the Twenty20 would sign new contracts with their countries and provincial unions only if they were allowed to take part annually in the ISR competition, it is difficult to see that occurring while the countries and provinces hold the upper hand at contract negotiation time.
ARU chief executive John O'Neill on Wednesday said he was aware of the Twenty20 proposal. ''We've had no formal proposal from them, and they don't have any backing that we can identify,'' he said.
Slow down Boet, ment he is the first one to react to the concept. Dont let me refill my mauser here.Shot what, Paarl? He said they had no proposal and they seemed not to have any backing - I presume he means any "official" backing from governing bodies? Sounds like a pretty mundane statement. I'd say Rassie "shot" first with his pie in the sky concept which has a whole bunch of hurdles in front of its realisation. I would expect any CEO of a national Rugby body to say similar. A shortage of rugby doesn't seem to be a big point on most agendas.
This isnt a surprise but this may settle the deal pretty quick.Rugby
WP in dark over Rassie's 'IPL'
2010-06-24 22:54Email | Print
Rassie Erasmus (Gallo Images)
Stephen Nell
East London – The involvement of Rassie Erasmus in a mooted IPL-style rugby tournament has caused a stir at Western Province.
Theuns Roodman, chief executive of the Western Province Rugby Union, has written to clubs this week to inform them that no permission had been granted for such a tournament.
He says in the letter that WP have “no information” about the planned tournament.
Sport24 reported on Sunday that Erasmus is part of a consortium that will manage the competition.
“The union did not sanction any such competition or gave anyone permission to stage such an event. An event of such nature must have the sanction of SARU and the IRB, and is considered a SARU matter,” Roodman wrote to clubs.
The tournament is set to be staged from January 2012 in the Cape Town and Moses Mabidha Stadiums.
Erasmus currently works as WP’s director of coaching.
The planned tournament may well clash with an existing sponsorship of WP.
It is understood that the sponsorship of a pre-season triangular tournament between the Stormers, Sharks and Western Force by Neo Africa stretches until 2012.
Roodman said that the decision to communicate with clubs was a result of him being inundated with questions about WP’s possible involvement in the proposed tournament at Cape Town Stadium.
“We don’t even know the facts yet. I have been pounded with questions from the clubs,” said Roodman.
Pat Kuhn, chairperson WP Rugby (Pty) Ltd’s board, did not want to comment on the matter on Thursday.
It is believed that it’s currently the topic of internal discussion at WP.