Bitter endings, bright beginnings

The Bulls will reflect on their defeat by the Glasgow Warriors in the United Rugby Championship (URC) final on Saturday as a missed opportunity. Looking at that game from a broader South African perspective, there’s something to be said for the 51,000 fans who watched the contest at Loftus Versfeld, and for the atmosphere they created.

On the same day, more than 60,000 people attended the Test between the world champion Springboks and Wales at Twickenham. It was remarkable to see so many people in the region — including a fair amount of London-based South Africans — travelling to the England rugby headquarters, especially since the national side was away touring in Japan. More than 80,000 fans attended the match between the Boks and All Blacks at the same venue last August.

Capacity crowds are expected for the Tests in South Africa — the clash between the Boks and All Blacks in Cape Town on September 7 recently sold out — and the national team is well placed to build on its recent successes and consolidate its position as the world’s leading rugby team.

In short, South African rugby is in rude health.

Last week, the South African Rugby Union reported a deficit of R6.8m for the recent financial year. The union highlighted the challenges of funding a World Cup campaign in France — culminating in win bonuses for the victorious Springboks — as well as the cost of regularly sending five teams to the northern hemisphere. The expenses should be alleviated in the next few years, as the union concludes an equity deal and becomes a full partner in European Professional Club Rugby.

By most accounts it’s been an unprecedented period of success for South African rugby, with the Boks claiming a second consecutive World Cup title and the provincial teams flying the flag in European tournaments.

The Sharks won the Challenge Cup in May, becoming the first South African team to lift a trophy in Europe.

The collective South African contribution to the URC may be an even bigger success with crowd attendances, and TV viewership numbers continue to trend upwards.

It was hard not to view Saturday’s final at Loftus as a success, even though a South African team ended up losing. For a third successive year, a South African side hosted the URC final, a statistic that emphasises the quality and consistency of the local teams over the course of a tournament spanning 10 months.

While the teams are still coming to terms with the challenges of juggling their resources across multiple competitions — no team progressed beyond the quarterfinals of the Champions Cup — they have added terrific value to the URC.

Meanwhile, a few South African players and coaches continue to make waves for clubs based abroad. There were a couple of familiar faces on the winning side at Loftus.

In the wake of the Warriors’ 21-16 victory, captain Kyle Steyn — who was born in Joburg and studied at Stellenbosch University before pursuing a professional rugby career in Scotland — spoke about his South African roots, and how his father was a bodyguard for president Nelson Mandela.

Franco Smith, who played alongside Rassie Erasmus for the Springboks in the late 1990s before going on to coach Free State, Italy and the Warriors, praised his players for what they had achieved at one of the most intimidating venues in the sport.

Nobody gave Glasgow a chance when they travelled to Limerick to face defending champions Munster in the semifinals. Glasgow were written off ahead of the decider at Loftus, as the challenge of travelling to South Africa and adjusting to the altitude was widely viewed as insurmountable.

On the day, however, it was the Warriors rather than the Bulls who showed more intensity and application in the latter stages. The visitors held their defensive shape in the last minute of the game, and forced a turnover on their try line.

It’s worth nothing that all three finals have been won by the less fancied team.

In 2022, a Stormers team beset by financial issues and poor administration defied the odds to qualify for a home final, and went on to edge a star-studded Bulls team. Last year Munster were forced to travel extensively in the playoffs, yet managed to beat Leinster in Dublin, then the Stormers in Cape Town. Most recently, Glasgow became the latest underdog to enjoy a fairy-tale ending.

As was the case after the Stormers’ failure in 2023, the losing finalists will come under scrutiny in the coming weeks.

Bulls director of rugby Jake White didn’t attempt to hide his disappointment after the defeat at Loftus. He highlighted the fact that the team had lost two URC finals in the space of three seasons.

Nearly five years have passed since Johann Rupert and Patrice Motsepe acquired a controlling stake in the Bulls. In 2020, White was appointed to revive the team, and the Bulls went on to enjoy some success at domestic level.

A significant trophy, however, continues to prove elusive.

In the lead-up to the Test at Twickenham, Erasmus went out of his way to praise the Bulls, a Pretoria-based franchise, saying he was proud of their achievements.

The Bulls got a lot right in terms of their recruitment. Bok tighthead prop Wilco Louw was brought back from club rugby in England to transform the scrum. Two-time World Cup winner Willie le Roux was signed to improve their attack — and the team certainly missed the fullback after he was ruled out of the final with a hand injury.

The Bulls players and coaches were praised after the victory against Leinster in the semifinal. On that occasion, the coaches’ tactics were spot on, and the players fired from start to finish.

But in Saturday’s final they lacked the balance between power and precision, while the leadership left much to be desired. Getting that balance right, and perhaps bolstering the leadership group, should be a priority.

An eye on 2027

Erasmus is revising the balance of the Springboks ahead of the biggest games of an important 2024 season. In July South Africa will host Ireland — the most consistent team in world rugby over the past four years and the Six Nations champions — before focusing on the Rugby Championship, a tournament they haven’t won since 2019.

Erasmus declared himself satisfied with Saturday’s 41-13 win against Wales at Twickenham. The coach unveiled new players who have given him further options, none more so than winger Edwill van der Merwe who scored a try on debut and was judged man of the match.

While the core of the side that won the 2023 World Cup will be retained for the series against Ireland and the Rugby Championship, Erasmus is aware that his tried and tested players aren’t getting younger, and that he has to plan for the 2027 World Cup in Australia.

The series against Ireland will be the focus for the next two weeks, and it promises to be one of the most absorbing events of the season. That said, it’s encouraging to see the Bok bosses investing in the future and working towards a potential third successive World Cup title in 2027.