RUCK N ROLL
GAVIN RICH: Odds on SA depend on Boks travelling better this year
Springboks need to be in contention when they hit home soil later in the competition
SA’s chances of success in the Rugby Championship depend squarely on their ability to turn the disadvantage brought about by the travel sequence into an advantage by being in contention when they hit home soil later in the competition. The Championship kicks off this weekend following the same format in terms of the sequence of travel that it has for all six years since Argentina was added to what used to be the Tri-Nations. Australia and New Zealand play each other in the first two weeks while the Springboks and Pumas cross and recross the Atlantic, then those two teams go to Australasia for the middle phase before the theatre shifts to Argentina and SA in the last fortnight. It is in a need of a revamp not just because the formula is tired, but also because the persistence with the same sequence of travel from one year to the next may render the competition unfair. Bok coach Rassie Erasmus touched on it at a media conference last week when he admitted he was thinking of sending so...
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