SA’s Preparation Series: Where are the top players?

Many people might find it strange that the current rugby competition called the Preparation Series is being contested without the country’s top players.

It is, after all, a competition that was designed by SA director of rugby Rassie Erasmus to prepare the four top teams for the Rainbow Cup and the rest of the sides for the Currie Cup.

But thus far the top four franchises – the Bulls, Sharks, Stormers and Lions – have all put their leading players on ice.

The way things stand now it could just as well have been called an U-21 or U-23 series, or even a development competition, as the majority of the top four have seen it as a chance to blood their youngsters.

ALSO READ: Rugby’s prep series: A chance to play, but what really is the point?

In the same breath one can’t deny the emergence of some young talent which could not only bolster the wider training groups, but will also get the necessary experience to become the stars of the future.

At the Lions there are exciting young stars like flanks Mark Snyman and Sibusiso Sangweni, flyhalves Luke Rossouw and Jaden Hendrikse, and massive prop Asenathi Nthlabakanye.

At the Bulls, exposure has been given to locks Janko Swanepoel and Jan Uys, tighthead Mornay Smith, hooker Joe van Zyl and loosehead Gerhard Steenekamp.

The Stormers have an exciting new wing in Sihle Njezula, along with centre Cornel Smit and loose forwards BJ Dixon and Marcel Theunissen.

Promising Stormers wing Sihle Njezula during a training session. Picture: Gallo Images

The Sharks have exposed new potential stars like loosehead prop Khwezi Mona, hooker Fez Mbatha and the prop that everyone is talking about lately, Ntuthuko Mchunu.

But while the idea of the competition was maybe a good and even innovative one, referees have done little to make the product a better one, with blatant mistakes and wrong calls.

One example was the forward pass that Griffin Colby missed from Sihle Njezula to fullback Sergeal Petersen in Tuesday’s game between Griquas and the Stormers in Kimberley.

It resulted in a crucial try as the Stormers were leading 17-13 at the time of Petersen’s try but instead held a handy cushion of 24-13 at the break.

Another referee who was put on the radar was Rasta Rasivhenge who awarded the Bulls 15 penalties against just five in their 48-31 win over the Pumas in Nelspruit on Tuesday, depriving the home team of gaining any significant momentum.

If the players are expected to perform to a certain standard, so should the referees. The one can’t do without the other.

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