LETTER: Room for patriotism in SA rugby

Gavin Rich’s latest column refers (“A tale of two competitions: United Rugby Championship vs Super Rugby”, October 9). It’s true that the Sharks were without a number of their recently acquired rugby mercenaries on Saturday, but opponents Leinster were also without more than half a dozen of their top players.

Incidentally, Siya Kolisi is the first World Cup winning captain from any nation to move away from the province that reared him to another provincial franchise. Within days some of his Western Province colleagues followed him, one maintaining that his move was due to his new employers agreeing to assist him with his business.

Rugby is a professional game and players move, but sometimes some of these moves leave an ugly taste. Players like Breyton Paulse, Ashwin Willemse and John Smit are living proof that there is still room for patriotism in SA rugby.

Incidentally I am a big fan of Kolisi, Bongi Mbonambi and Eben Etzebeth, but not of the recent Sharks partnership with Americans who have zero knowledge or understanding of rugby union. Time will tell.

Food for thought is that after 12 games SA teams were unbeaten in the URC this year. SA teams never came close to this over decades of Super Rugby. Both the Boks and the All Blacks will surrender their dominance because of the move to the more convenient URC.

David Wolpert 
Rivonia

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