OPINION: SA teams feeling the heat playing in two Euro-based competitions

While the money might be good and there are no concerns about jetlag, South Africa’s four URC franchise teams can’t be happy with the demanding travel expectations and week-in, week-out rugby they are now being asked to play.

One of the big reasons for South African rugby bosses opting out of Super Rugby was because of the long flights and subsequent jetlag the players had to endure when travelling to Australasia and Japan.
A move to Europe promised better times with regards to travel … a quick overnight flight, no jetlag and no problems.

Think again.

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South Africa’s Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers are now being asked to travel to Europe for matches by first stopping over in other countries, making the trips all the more demanding.

Then there are bus rides added to the mix in some European destinations and to make matters worse, the South Africans teams who are playing on two fronts – in the URC and Champions/Challenge Cup competitions – are currently having to divide their squads between the competitions.

Demanding schedule

The coaches had a good idea of what was coming last year, a reason why they grew their squads, but I don’t think for one minute did they realise just how demanding the schedule would be playing in Europea-based competitions, which run non-stop almost, without any rest.

Playing rugby in December and January, some of the hottest months in South Africa each year and over the festive period when in the past the players were on leave and on holiday with their families, can’t be easy either.

And then, going from the hot, hot temperatures of Pretoria and Cape Town to playing in freezing cold weather in Europe, from one week to the next.

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It is no surprise the South African coaches are picking weakened teams for some games and targeting specific matches and competitions to field their best teams. The demands are simply too much to be competitive on all fronts all of the time.

While the South African teams generally did well in their debut URC season and continue to impress now, one’s got to wonder at what cost and whether this model is sustainable?