Vusi Voetsek: Rugby and rain in the Cape in winter — what a soggy mess

I don’t know what was worse — the performance by the Junior Boks or the state of the field?

Both were pretty dire, to be honest, and not something any South African rugby fan wants to see.

For the record, the “Baby Boks” crashed 34-26 to Italy in their second game of the World Rugby U-20 Championship, after only edging Georgia in their opening game. Now they have to beat Argentina in their final pool game on Tuesday to stand a chance of playing in the semi-finals.

Soggy mud patch

But, the defeat by coach Bafana Nhleko’s young men wasn’t the only disappointing aspect about the match at Paarl Gymnasium on Thursday afternoon.

The state of the field was a disgrace, but that’s no fault of the school or organisers, but due to the heavy rains that have fallen in the Western Cape in recent weeks. The main field at the famous school was a soggy mud patch, and I’m sure played a role in the poor showing by the hosts.

More matches are to be played on that very field, and I can’t help but wonder what it’s going to look like in the coming days.

Other matches at the U-20 Championship in the Western Cape have been scheduled for the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch and Athlone Sports Stadium in Cape Town.

Now I’m no expert on weather and I’m not sure how venues are decided on when big tournaments are arranged, but how is it possible that a World Cup for junior rugby players is scheduled for the Western Cape in the middle of the winter and rain season? How?

Schools tournaments

If you didn’t know, two other tournaments in the Western Cape have had to be moved in recent days because of the rain and unplayable fields. Again, who made these decisions? Did they not know that it usually rains, quite hard, and a lot, in the Cape in June and July? Or, have I got it wrong?

The U-16 Grant Khomo Week this past week was moved from Paul Roos Gymnasium’s Markotter fields in Stellenbosch to Hoer Landbouskool Boland in the winelands, 40km north of Stellenbosch, because, according to SA Rugby, “the fields have become unfit to play on” due to the heavy rains.

Also, this coming week’s Craven Week for U-18 boys, scheduled for Hoerskool Outeniqua in George has been moved to the town’s main sports stadium, Outeniqua Park, home of the SWD Eagles, because the school is “not able to handle the heavy workload due to persistent rain in recent weeks.”

It is an unfortunate turn of events for these schools and venues, and for organisers and visitors, and while no one can predict what the weather will do, my word, I feel for the players who have to try and play in these atrocious conditions.

Fortunately for the U-16 and U18 girls, their rugby weeks will take place in Joburg where it is normally dry in June and July, though there has been some rain in recent weeks, it’s not nearly like it is in the Western Cape. They’ll be in action at Jeppe Boys between 10 and 14 July.

Let’s hope the rain stops in the Western Cape and some of those sorry looking fields – and players – get some respite, and some quality rugby can be played, by the school boys and U-20s.