BRENDAN VENTER: This move will solve an important Springbok riddle
'It’s too simplistic to say that New Zealand and England are the most dominant rugby nations because they select exclusively from home-based players'
SA Rugby's 30-cap overseas-based player policy, which will take effect from July 1, has drawn a barrage of criticism. Naysayers have suggested SA Rugby should have been more decisive in approach and instituted a blanket ban on foreign-based players in line with New Zealand and England, the top two nations in world rugby, who choose not to use overseas-based players. Last year I asserted that SA Rugby shouldn’t select foreign-based players because there are a limited number of these players who will contribute to South African rugby moving forward. However, I’m now of the view that a blanket ban would not represent an ideal solution for South African rugby because the national team is currently in a transitionary phase. So, we need to keep our options open and build the most competitive unit from players based locally and abroad. It’s too simplistic to say that New Zealand and England are the most dominant rugby nations because they select exclusively from home-based players. It’s no...
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