Mayan Calender doesn't predict the end of Rugby
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Photo by Anton Geyser /Rugby15.
Morgan Piek – According to the people in the know-how, the Mayan calendar predicted 21 December 2012 as the date in which the World as we know it will change. Some even believe that today is our last day on earth. Many have their theories, however one thing is a certainty – Rugby is forever changing.
2012 was another incredibly tough and long year in both international and domestic rugby, things are not about to change anytime soon with 2013 promising to be an even longer and tougher season. For the Rugby enthusiast, such as yours truly, it just gets more exciting.
More rugby comes with a price, as does anything else in life – there may be more sick days taken on Friday mornings during the Super Rugby season, more golf games postponed and the divorce rate might climb, however the biggest price to pay is the physical toll on players.
Dr. Tim Noakes of the Sports Science Institute has been saying for a long time that our players are playing too much rugby – he is one hundred percent spot on. We see this problem crop up every year when the first Springbok squad of the season gets announced just after the Super Rugby Final.
South African rugby has for many years been blessed with an abundance of talented players coming through the ranks every single season, many of whom get lost in the system because of no game time. These players need to be used in a better rotational system in order to preserve our Springboks. Despite having a terrible international season, a player such as Morné Steyn should be rested during Super Rugby. Louis Fouché is a more than capable player and has proven himself time and again during the Currie Cup.
One can even go as far as to assume, had Heyneke Meyer had the likes of Schalk Burger, Pierre Spies, Bismarck du Plessis, to name a few at his disposal, the Boks could have ended 2012 undefeated.
Next year the Springboks will be playing in a Four Nations international series towards the latter stages of the Super Rugby season when the British and Irish Lions tour Down-Under. Albeit that the Boks are lesser opponents, Scotland and Italy are the two prefect Tests to blood the next crop of stars. Scotland will be a watered-down outfit seeing that their best players will be taking part in the Lions tour.
The South African rugby public will be in for a treat nonetheless. Two back-to-back tests, one venue, one day, three weekends in a row – that in its own right is any fans dream.
Castle Incoming Tour
- Saturday, June 8: Scotland vs Samoa; Springboks vs Italy – Mombela Stadium, Nelspruit
- Saturday, June 15: Samoa vs Italy; Springboks vs Scotland – Mr Price Kings Park, Durban.
- Saturday, June 22: Team 3 vs Team 4 ; Team 1 vs Team 2 – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria.
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