2024 Springbokke

[Sards]

Fassi's issue is his defense and showing some grit. He got stepped in a one-on-one situation by a hooker who breezed past him and scored this weekend.

You talk so much shit it's dripping from your mouth....

You are an absolute disgrace as a supporter .

It's time you backed that up with Willemse stats from the weekend. Missed tackles, turned over. Lost possession. Metres running forward etc. Fassi had 2 try assists.

Cobus Reinach tackle

Sards, I don't really understand in which sane reality you can sincerely have a go at Willemse. He is a fantastic player and Springbok, it's such a strange hill to die on. I get your criticism of Libbok, he sure does have his moments, but Willemse is the oddest thing even for you.

I wouldn't have gone there if Blake hadn't made such inane comments about Fassi. Now it's up to Blake to back up his inane remarks .

Anyway it's Blake. What would you expect from a child. M only criticism of Manie is defense and kicking. That's it. Same as everyone else

[Blake]

Cobus Reinach tackle

Very nice. That's why Reinach is a Springbok. Different levels missing a tackle against an All Black vs URC level player.
But that was poor defense by Manie and Willemse.

Here is a Fassi tackle...


That's why he is NOT a Bok.

It's time you backed that up with Willemse stats from the weekend. Missed tackles, turned over. Lost possession. Metres running forward etc. Fassi had 2 try assists.

Willemse played 12 this weekend. I know you don't know a lot about rugby in general, but how would a center and a fullback's stats for a weekend be comparable in any way?

If you want to compare players who both have played 15 in every URC match they played in this season, Gelant's meters per carry stat is better than Fassi's (6.46m vs 6.44m), he beats more defenders per match (2.5 vs 2) and Gelant also has more offloads per match than Fassi (2.2 vs 0.8).

Interestingly Fassi is also 12th on the list for most turnovers lost...losing the ball more in contact than Manie Libbok
Can't find missed tackle stats (yet) but I'm sure if I did, Fassi would be high on that list...not great for the last line of defence.

On all the evidence Gelant is a superior fullback to Fassi, and yet I'd still rather have Willemse at 15 for the Boks and Stormers. He at least doesn't a pea-heart when it comes to tackling big forwards or chasing down linebreaks.

[Sards]

Still waiting for Willemse stats. I know he got turned over twice. Once a penalty

[assfly]

Well this is fun.

[Blake]

Anyway it's Blake. What would you expect from a child. M only criticism of Manie is defense and kicking. That's it. Same as everyone else

That's everybody's criticism of Manie's play. Goal kicking and defence. It's hardly a hot take.

But unlike fullback where we have loads of options besides Fassi, at 10 we are limited after Pollard.

Manie is the only stopgap player we have there right now. The moment a next young Pollard appears that can tackle, kick goal and get the backline attack firing, Manie will be phased out. In the meantime, Rassie and co. have adjusted the Bok defence around Manie's defensive frailties as much as is possible. Here's an interesting analysis on that: Link

Coaches have been hiding weak tackling flyhalves for ages. It's nothing new. But you can't do that at fullback - he's the last line of defence. Nowhere to hide.

[Sards]

[
Cobus Reinach tackle


Very nice. That's why Reinach is a Springbok. Different levels missing a tackle against an All Black vs URC level player.
But that was poor defense by Manie and Willemse.

Thank you. It was just poor tackling all around. Handed off

[Sards]

Anyway it's Blake. What would you expect from a child. M only criticism of Manie is defense and kicking. That's it. Same as everyone else

That's everybody's criticism of Manie's play. Goal kicking and defence. It's hardly a hot take.

But unlike fullback where we have loads of options besides Fassi, at 10 we are limited after Pollard.

Maybe we need to spend time developing players like Masuka and Nohamba

[Blake]

Still waiting for Willemse stats. I know he got turned over twice. Once a penalty

Willemse played 12 this weekend you numpty! 12's get turned over all the time.

The player that is leading the URC in the "Turnovers lost" stat is the Lions 12, Marius Louw!

And even if I could find some Willemse stats for this last match, unless you compare them to Ethan Hooker's, they are meaningless.
For a head to head comparison, Fassi was competing against Gelant this weekend.

[Sards]

Still waiting for Willemse stats. I know he got turned over twice. Once a penalty

Willemse played 12 this weekend you numpty! 12's get turned over all the time.

The player that is leading the URC in the "Turnovers lost" stat is the Lions 12, Marius Louw!

And even if I could find some Willemse stats for this last match, unless you compare them to Ethan Hooker's, they are meaningless.
For a head to head comparison, Fassi was competing against Gelant this weekend.

Ok . There's a lesson. Don't be salty cap. If you are going to spill tea keep it real. Don't be a doos

[Blake]

Maybe we need to spend time developing players like Masuka and Nohamba

We are.

Now that Bosch has fallen our of favour, Masuku can finally get some gametime to develop. But at 27 he is already older than Libbok and just 2 years younger than Pollard. We need a young 10 in the 21 to 24 age bracket for succession planning. Sasha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (22) seems to fit that requirement, but he needs gametime...lots of gametime and he is stuck behind Manie and competing for 2nd spot with Jurie Matthee who also seems to be a good prospect. Hopefully they'll get some gametime soon.

Nohamba is a part-time 10. He's 1.64m and 69kg. He's a 9 moonlighting as a 10 when needed. He is just really, really unlucky that he's playing at the same time as Faf, Reinach, Willaims, Hendrikse, Papier, van den Berg etc. At any other time in Bok history he'd be in the squad as at least the 3rd choice.

He was invited to the Bok camp and his goal kicking and versatility might get him into the squad pretty soon. Faf is 32 and Reinach is 33 so not sure if they will make the cut to the next World Cup. Williams and Hendrikse seem like the obvious choices to move up in the pecking order when those two step down or get dropped, and I hope Nohamba and Papier can slot into the 2 vacancies and get some opportunities. Not sure where that leaves Jantjies, but he's been poor since 2021 and he can't keep living on his 2019 reputation, but wouldn't be surprised if he gets left out this year.

Still leaves us with a conundrum at 10. No real standouts at the moment, and we haven't had another generational talent like Pollard in the last decade. Maybe it's Masuku, maybe it's Sasha or maybe it's someone else, but they are yet to reveal themselves. Until then Manie is the stopgap.

[LoveOfTheGame]

Maybe we need to spend time developing players like Masuka and Nohamba

We are.

Now that Bosch has fallen our of favour, Masuku can finally get some gametime to develop. But at 27 he is already older than Libbok and just 2 years younger than Pollard. We need a young 10 in the 21 to 24 age bracket for succession planning. Sasha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (22) seems to fit that requirement, but he needs gametime...lots of gametime and he is stuck behind Manie and competing for 2nd spot with Jurie Matthee who also seems to be a good prospect. Hopefully they'll get some gametime soon.

Nohamba is a part-time 10. He's 1.64m and 1.69kg. He's a 9 moonlighting as a 10 when needed. He is just really, really unlucky that he's playing at the same time as Faf, Reinach, Willaims, Hendrikse, Papier, van den Berg etc. At any other time in Bok history he'd be in the squad as at least the 3rd choice.

He was invited to the Bok camp and his goal kicking and versatility might get him into the squad pretty soon. Faf is 32 and Reinach is 33 so not sure if they will make the cut to the next World Cup. Williams and Hendrikse seem like the obvious choices to move up in the pecking order when those two step down or get dropped, and I hope Nohamba and Papier can slot into the 2 vacancies and get some opportunities. Not sure where that leaves Jantjies, but he's been poor since 2021 and he can't keep living on his 2019 reputation, but wouldn't be surprised if he gets left out this year.

Still leaves us with a conundrum at 10. No real standouts at the moment, and we haven't had another generational talent like Pollard in the last decade. Maybe it's Masuku, maybe it's Sasha or maybe it's someone else, but they are yet to reveal themselves. Until then Manie is the stopgap.

Nohamba is 1.64m tall and only weighs 1.69kg? New innovation from Rassie no doubt. You can't tackle that which you cannot see.

[assfly]

Sasha Feinberg-Mngomezulu seems the most likely candidate at this stage. But he really needs to be starting a lot more games at 10, and the Stormers have too much depth in the backline.

He may need to consider a tactical move to another team in order to get this.

It will also be interesting to see how the Bok U20s get on in their tournament. They always unearth new talent, perhaps our next world cup winning flyhalf is in that team already.

[LoveOfTheGame]

Sasha Feinberg-Mngomezulu seems the most likely candidate at this stage. But he really needs to be starting a lot more games at 10, and the Stormers have too much depth in the backline.

He may need to consider a tactical move to another team in order to get this.

It will also be interesting to see how the Bok U20s get on in their tournament. They always unearth new talent, perhaps our next world cup winning flyhalf is in that team already.

He recently signed a contract extension, which will keep him in Cape Town until 2027 at least. He absolutely needs more game time, also needs to be capped at some stage too.

[Sards]

Maybe we need to spend time developing players like Masuka and Nohamba

We are.

Now that Bosch has fallen our of favour, Masuku can finally get some gametime to develop. But at 27 he is already older than Libbok and just 2 years younger than Pollard. We need a young 10 in the 21 to 24 age bracket for succession planning. Sasha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (22) seems to fit that requirement, but he .

Love him. Has the most X factor and skill of any player currently in South Africa
It's shocking he is overlooked and shifted around. He should be the first name on the sheet in the position he orefers

[Sards]

Sasha Feinberg-Mngomezulu seems the most likely candidate at this stage. But he really needs to be starting a lot more games at 10, and the Stormers have too much depth in the backline.

He may need to consider a tactical move to another team in order to get this.

It will also be interesting to see how the Bok U20s get on in their tournament. They always unearth new talent, perhaps our next world cup winning flyhalf is in that team already.

Very sensible.

But everyone is planning too far ahead. Wales is our first game. That's where we should be experimenting. You won't know until you get a chance

[Blake]

Nohamba is 1.64m tall and only weighs 1.69kg? New innovation from Rassie no doubt. You can't tackle that which you cannot see.

Edit my typo. Thanks for the catch.

[LoveOfTheGame]

Nohamba is 1.64m tall and only weighs 1.69kg? New innovation from Rassie no doubt. You can't tackle that which you cannot see.

Edit my typo. Thanks for the catch.

[Blake]

Sasha Feinberg-Mngomezulu seems the most likely candidate at this stage. But he really needs to be starting a lot more games at 10, and the Stormers have too much depth in the backline.

He may need to consider a tactical move to another team in order to get this.

It will also be interesting to see how the Bok U20s get on in their tournament. They always unearth new talent, perhaps our next world cup winning flyhalf is in that team already.

He recently signed a contract extension, which will keep him in Cape Town until 2027 at least. He absolutely needs more game time, also needs to be capped at some stage too.

He needs game-time at 10! He's played a handful of URC matches for Dobson, but they have mostly been at 12, but we have Willemse and Dan Dup to cover there.

We have a glut of promising (and versatile) backline players at the moment; which is going to make it difficult to give everybody game-time, but with Bok duty, URC, Euro and Currie Cup I'm glad we are also building some good depth.

Scrumhalves: A little weak. Paul de Wet has been good, but after that the drop-off in quality has been noticable with Jantjies, Masimla and Ungerer. Need some investement there
Flyhalves: Too many to give the understudies enough gametime. Libbok, Sasha, Matthee, Jean-Luc Du Plessis
Centers: Very strong. Dan Dup, Willemse, Sasha, Hartzenberg, Simelane, Ruhan Nel (when he gets back from injury)
Wings: Solid: Loader, Zas, Hartzenberg, Angelo Davids (when he gets back from injury) and Skosan
Fullback: Might need one more. We have Gelant, Willemse and Blommetjies

[OomStruisbaai]

SMZ is injured and only now coming back. He need to play at 10. Future Bok.

[Blake]

SMZ is injured and only now coming back. He need to play at 10. Future Bok.

I missed that news somehow. Pity, but glad he is returning. Hopefully Dobson will be able to rotate Manie, SFM, Matthee and JLdP and give all of them some gametime over the next 12 months.

[Calculon]

latest Squidge video is out - on Pollard

[Gumboot]

Springboks lock Eben Etzebeth has lifted the lid on the “big mistake” Ireland made ahead of their Rugby World Cup quarterfinal loss to the All Blacks last year.

Speaking to Jim Hamilton on The Rugby Pod, Etzebeth revealed that “probably 12 out of the 23” Irish players had said “see you guys in the final” when shaking hands after the pool match between Ireland and South Africa, won 13-8 by Ireland.

Dismissing the All Blacks had stunned him.

“Because the way the logs worked out we were going to play France and they were going to play New Zealand and my immediate thought was, ‘Are these guys seriously not even thinking about the All Blacks in the World Cup quarterfinal playing against them?’,” the Springboks star said on the podcast.

“So that remark they made, ‘See you guys in the final’, I was just like these guys are making a big mistake to look past probably one of the most dominant teams, or probably the most dominant team in the last 20 to 30 years of test rugby.

“I was just like, ‘Surely they can’t!’ I mean we would never say that because we knew we had the host nation and we knew we had to pitch up to beat France in their backyard."

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/350264049 ... arterfinal

Just out of curiosity... Etzebeth's been a world-class lock for a number of years now, so where do Saffers rate him in the Springbok pantheon?

[OomStruisbaai]

I'll rate him just below Frik du Preez. Eben is a great mixture of 4 and 5 lock. You can use an aerial (Matfield) or fetcher (Bakkie) lock partner with him. The only reason I rate Frik du Preez above him is that Frik could drop, place and score.

https://fb.watch/rNJxnfEBVc/

[OomStruisbaai]

latest Squidge video is out - on Pollard

Dankie Boet. Volg hom al van sy u13 dae by KleinGim. Hy was n 20 bar champ van sy graad 11 dae. Sards haat hom meer as vir Willemse.

[Gumboot]

I'll rate him just below Frik du Preez. Eben is a great mixture of 4 and 5 lock. You can use an aerial (Matfield) or fetcher (Bakkie) lock partner with him. The only reason I rate Frik du Preez above him is that Frik could drop, place and score.

https://fb.watch/rNJxnfEBVc/

Would've loved to see du Preez and Meads going at it.

[Blake]

Just out of curiosity... Etzebeth's been a world-class lock for a number of years now, so where do Saffers rate him in the Springbok pantheon?

It's that age old conundrum of recency bias and comparing modern professional athletes vs. amateur era players.

I don't think many would argue against the assertion that Etzebeth is the best Springbok lock of the professional era. He's the most rounded and complete lock of the last 3 decades combining the best attributes of Matfield and Bakkies into one player.

For me, Eben is the best lock we've EVER produced and I hope he can remain injury free and surpass AWJ in terms of caps. He's 32 and has 119 caps and 171 is the number to beat. 10 matches a year for the next 5-6 years is doable, if he doesn't get any serious injuries.

Some oldies and journalists will wax lyrical about Frik du Preez, and while he was undoubtedly an amazing player for his time, it was a different era. The game was more unstructured and scrappier, an any player with a bit of pace would dominate with all the available space and non-existent defence systems. At 1.88m and 96kg Du Preez would be dwarfed by modern locks. He played flank as well back in the day because even then it was his mobility and pace is what really set him apart. No arguing that in full flight, he was a sight to behold. There's a couple clips in this tribute video.

[assfly]

I think Eben is the best lock we've ever produced.

I could go on about what he brings to the team, but in fact it's easier to notice what a poorer side we are when he's not playing.

[Sards]

I think Eben is the best lock we've ever produced.

I could go on about what he brings to the team, but in fact it's easier to notice what a poorer side we are when he's not playing.

Which was basically most of the season. My big gripe.
But I have seen a huge shift in rugby dynamics. Eben seems to be very popular with the press. This is something he has developed at the Sharks. Him and his wife are ambassadors of some sort for the Sharks. In fact the entire Sharks marketing department has had a major shift. I wonder if they got in a proper company to take that over. Fans are getting a lot to chew on. Back to Eben. Do you think he is being groomed for Bok captain. He seems to be talking for all South Africans and we can't get enough of him. It wouldn't surprise me. But he has a huge job ahead. Firstly he needs to be part of a team that wins something. Something substantial. Like the Challenge Cup. And this weekend is going to be the acid test.

[Blake]

But I have seen a huge shift in rugby dynamics. Eben seems to be very popular with the press. This is something he has developed at the Sharks

He's only the 8 caps away from surpassing Habana and Matfield in becoming the most capped Bok player in history and he's captained the Boks 13 times already. Of course he is in high demand for interviews. Even moreso with rumours that Siya might not be available to play for the Boks and rumours that he might even retire soon.

Eben will be the obvious choice to take over as Bok captain if Siya is unavailable and with Duane and Fourie retired. Bongi will be the other captain in rotation when Eben gets subbed/injured. Expect both Eben and Bongi to do a lot of press and media to improve their skills in that department. It's just coincidence that they are both at the Sharks at the moment. But Eben did a ton of media and interviews while he was playing for Toulon as well.

[LoveOfTheGame]

I think Eben is the best lock we've ever produced.

I could go on about what he brings to the team, but in fact it's easier to notice what a poorer side we are when he's not playing.

Which was basically most of the season. My big gripe.
But I have seen a huge shift in rugby dynamics. Eben seems to be very popular with the press. This is something he has developed at the Sharks. Him and his wife are ambassadors of some sort for the Sharks. In fact the entire Sharks marketing department has had a major shift. I wonder if they got in a proper company to take that over. Fans are getting a lot to chew on. Back to Eben. Do you think he is being groomed for Bok captain. He seems to be talking for all South Africans and we can't get enough of him. It wouldn't surprise me. But he has a huge job ahead. Firstly he needs to be part of a team that wins something. Something substantial. Like the Challenge Cup. And this weekend is going to be the acid test.

To be fair Eben is popular because he is you know, Eben. Not sure what that has to do with the Sharks marketing team, but ok sure why not. Anyway, best of luck against Clermont, I'll be shouting for the boys! Also, I see the game is played on Saturday, May the 4th. So may the force be with you Sards....

[_Os_]

I have only noticed Etzebeth since he reached his career peak of playing for the Sharks. Doesn't play as often as Johann Muller. Not as good in the lineout as Albert van den Berg. Not as versatile as Willem Alberts. Not as hard as Johan Ackermann. Not as funny as Mark Andrews.

Verdict: Average.

[Sandstorm]

I have only noticed Etzebeth since he reached his career peak of playing for the Sharks. Doesn't play as often as Johann Muller. Not as good in the lineout as Albert van den Berg. Not as versatile as Willem Alberts. Not as hard as Johan Ackermann. Not as funny as Mark Andrews.

Verdict: Average.

[assfly]

I have only noticed Etzebeth since he reached his career peak of playing for the Sharks. Doesn't play as often as Johann Muller. Not as good in the lineout as Albert van den Berg. Not as versatile as Willem Alberts. Not as hard as Johan Ackermann. Not as funny as Mark Andrews.

Verdict: Average.

A poor man's Marco Wentzel.

[Sandstorm]

I have only noticed Etzebeth since he reached his career peak of playing for the Sharks. Doesn't play as often as Johann Muller. Not as good in the lineout as Albert van den Berg. Not as versatile as Willem Alberts. Not as hard as Johan Ackermann. Not as funny as Mark Andrews.

Verdict: Average.

A poor man's Marco Wentzel.

He barely deserves even one of his RWC medals.

[Sards]

I think Eben is the best lock we've ever produced.

I could go on about what he brings to the team, but in fact it's easier to notice what a poorer side we are when he's not playing.

Which was basically most of the season. My big gripe.
But I have seen a huge shift in rugby dynamics. Eben seems to be very popular with the press. This is something he has developed at the Sharks. Him and his wife are ambassadors of some sort for the Sharks. In fact the entire Sharks marketing department has had a major shift. I wonder if they got in a proper company to take that over. Fans are getting a lot to chew on. Back to Eben. Do you think he is being groomed for Bok captain. He seems to be talking for all South Africans and we can't get enough of him. It wouldn't surprise me. But he has a huge job ahead. Firstly he needs to be part of a team that wins something. Something substantial. Like the Challenge Cup. And this weekend is going to be the acid test.

To be fair Eben is popular because he is you know, Eben. Not sure what that has to do with the Sharks marketing team, but ok sure why not. Anyway, best of luck against Clermont, I'll be shouting for the boys! Also, I see the game is played on Saturday, May the 4th. So may the force be with you Sards....

Cheers. Day from hell today.

I am sure you follow the Stormers pages.

There has been an intensive marketing boom from the Sharks. It's almost too much really. I pick and choose
Ever since we started winning

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/77Qx5S ... tid=oFDknk

Links re Eben and his wife

Hollywood bets know exactly how much value Eben brings from a marketing point of view. I am sure him and his wife are set for the immediate future. And great that his wife gets a package too.

I just feel Sharks are light years ahead of the rest in building a brand.

Sponsorship drives professional sport.

[assfly]

I just feel Sharks are light years ahead of the rest in building a brand.

As soon as the dropped the fear the fin bullshit, things improved!

[Blake]

I just feel Sharks are light years ahead of the rest in building a brand.

As soon as the dropped the fear the fin bullshit, things improved!

The biggest mistake the WP Rugby and the Stormers did was not aligning those 2 brands.

Unlike every other team that combined their Super Rugby and Currie Cup brands (Lions, Cheetahs, Sharks, Bulls), for some reason the Stormers/WP and Kings/Spears/EP Jumbos decided not to and it really was to their detriment IMO.

I think they tried to follow the NZ Super Rugby franchise model where the remains a distinction between for example the Hurricanes and the Wellington Lions, and it might also just be that the Stormers gave a lot more power to their constituent unions (Boland, SWD) who didn't want WP to appear dominant (even though they were and it was inevitable).

Personally, this mish-mash of team branding (and the cringiness of having a main sponsor in your team name) needs to end. I wish we could either return to provincial unions (like the Irish) or make the teams city based (like the Scots).

Cape Town Stomers
Pretoria Bulls
Johannesburg Lions
Durban Sharks
Bloemfontein Cheetahs

I know it sounds weird because we aren't use to it, but I think from an international perspective it's actually nice to include that if our teams are going to participate in the URC and European competitions. And provinces won't really work because we have 14 unions, many of them aren't provinces, 2 of the teams are from the same province, and unlike the 4 Irish province names, calling the Stormers "Western Province" makes no fucking sense in an international comp.

[assfly]

The biggest mistake the WP Rugby and the Stormers did was not aligning those 2 brands.

Unlike every other team that combined their Super Rugby and Currie Cup brands (Lions, Cheetahs, Sharks, Bulls), for some reason the Stormers/WP and Kings/Spears/EP Jumbos decided not to and it really was to their detriment IMO.

I think they tried to follow the NZ Super Rugby franchise model where the remains a distinction between for example the Hurricanes and the Wellington Lions, and it might also just be that the Stormers gave a lot more power to their constituent unions (Boland, SWD) who didn't want WP to appear dominant (even though they were and it was inevitable).

Personally, this mish-mash of team branding (and the cringiness of having a main sponsor in your team name) needs to end. I wish we could either return to provincial unions (like the Irish) or make the teams city based (like the Scots).

Cape Town Stomers
Pretoria Bulls
Johannesburg Lions
Durban Sharks
Bloemfontein Cheetahs

I know it sounds weird because we aren't use to it, but I think from an international perspective it's actually nice to include that if our teams are going to participate in the URC and European competitions. And provinces won't really work because we have 14 unions, many of them aren't provinces, 2 of the teams are from the same province, and unlike the 4 Irish province names, calling the Stormers "Western Province" makes no fucking sense in an international comp.

I agree about WP Stormers. I also don't know why the Stormers never capitalised on the iconic blue and white hoops for a jersey for a start. I've never really liked any of the recent Stormers jerseys, and the colours of the current one make it look like a school kit, or a swimming costume. When I see the traditional WP jersey, it takes me back so many years and speaks of heritage.

As for the DHL / Hollywood Bets / Vodacom bullshit, the sooner it goes the better.

I love the idea of using city names. It may go a long way to giving the teams a sense of location and belonging, and also help bring more tourists over. That is until the ANC demand the names be the Tshwane Bulls, eThekwini Sharks

[Blake]

I agree about WP Stormers. I also don't know why the Stormers never capitalised on the iconic blue and white hoops for a jersey for a start. I've never really liked any of the recent Stormers jerseys, and the colours of the current one make it look like a school kit, or a swimming costume. When I see the traditional WP jersey, it takes me back so many years and speaks of heritage.

I haven't bought a supporter WP, Stormers or Bok jersey in more than 15 years. I hate most of the and at the prices they are charging I am not going to pay that for the "privilege" of being a walking billboard for the sponsors. I support the team, so give me a plain jersey with zero sponsors on please. At least these are now hitting the market (finally!) so I guess I'm not alone.

Regarding the Stormers' name and terrible jerseys, it goes back to my "too many cooks" comment. I think it's just a result of of the internal politics between WP Rugby, Boland and SWD unions. All of them are such strong feeders and have such history that those boardrooms are stacked with egos.

That desire to please all the constituent parties led the Stormers launching their brand in 1998 with this abomination of a jersey that attempted to to combine the (clashing) colours of the 3 unions into one jersey, which gave us this abomination



I'm glad that the Stormers jersey has slowly gravitated back to more closely resemble the WP one. Hopefully it's part of a longer term plan for eventually consolidate the 2 brands in a similar way the others franchises and unions did from the start.

[OomStruisbaai]

The IPL cricket show the way for branding. Their SA success is unbelievable.