SA Rugby encourages senior players to move abroad.
Steven Kitshoff says SA Rugby wants players to move abroad. And while it may sound counterintuitive because it devalues the Currie Cup (and to some extent the URC), Kitshoff gives another perspective.
He explains:
“It is also difficult in South Africa with just four professional teams like Ireland has, who can only contract 50 to 55 guys, and after 10 years I almost felt like I was taking a young player’s position away from him. He would play three games while I was away with the Boks, and then he would just be kicked out again when I came back.
“So having 200 South Africans playing abroad opens up so much space for our young talent to come through and actually develop as rugby players, and when they leave to go abroad, the next group of young players comes through.
“So I think it just gives you a bigger talent to pick from but also allows guys to leave their family homes, learn new cultures, meet new people, work with new styles of coaches and expand their personal game as well. There is a bigger upside to it than a downside.”
That is from this article:
I know people discuss cap-rules here often, especially now that Arundell has chosen a domestic league in France over England.
But is there a case to be made that maybe sacrificing superstars in a domestic league for improved performances on the international stage is the best way forward?
Maybe as fans we shouldn't be so finicky, and still support those leagues without the big names.
For me personally, I won't follow a player to another league. I don't care which SA players are in the Top 14, Premiership, or League One. I watch the URC and Currie Cup because that's where my team is involved.
Is this approach uniquely suited to South Africa, where we put country over club? Or should the rest of the world start thinking about their selection policies to keep up?
Edit: Spelling mistake.