Western Province need to start making decisions that are business-like, on and off the field, if they want to become a truly professional rugby franchise.
The WP Rugby Union may claim that they have “saved” the organisation by buying their commercial arm with Remgro on Thursday, but it should never have got to this point in the first place.
Implementing their “Vision 2020” plan – becoming the best rugby outfit in the world – is a long way off for the blazer brigade at Newlands. Following the decision to apply for liquidation and having the final order granted this week by the Western Cape High Court, they virtually have to start all over again in how they conduct their business.
Asked why WP got into such a situation, president Thelo Wakefield told Independent Media that factors such as dwindling crowd attendances and season-ticket holder numbers, and “outside interference by contractors” all contributed to the mess the organisation finds itself in at the moment.
It was no surprise that Wakefield proclaimed on Thursday that fans will be able to look forward to “exciting rugby” in 2017. But the reality is that it will take a lot of hard work to reach that point.
Yes, the dispute with media and publishing agency Aerios – who handed in an urgent application at the high court on Friday to stop the sale of the WP Rugby (Pty) Ltd – was the “tipping point” that Wakefield refers to in terms of going the liquidation route.
But in actual fact, this has been a long time coming. For years now, WP have sold assets to reflect “false” profits in their books. You could even go back as far as the sale of the Newlands B field – which is now home to the Sports Science Institute, which opened its doors in 1995.
Portions of Brookside in Claremont were also sold, and such properties and land would’ve been worth millions today if they had been kept.
On the field, there was greater consistency in reaching playoffs under Allister Coetzee, but the Stormers have still not won a single Super Rugby title. For a traditional powerhouse, that’s simply not good enough. Contrast that with their arch rivals the Bulls, who have three championships.
WP reached the Currie Cup final for four consecutive years, but won just two of those, and were knocked out in the semi-finals this season.
While some big names such as Bryan Habana and Jaque Fourie were part of the Coetzee era, most of them have left Cape Town. The only real world-class Springboks at WP are Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit, and there have been reports that Etzebeth could move to Europe after next year’s Super Rugby – along with others such as Nizaam Carr, Cheslin Kolbe, Scarra Ntubeni and Huw Jones.
If that next generation opt to pack up, the Stormers and WP are in real danger of becoming also-rans for a few years. There are a number of top-class youngsters coming through, such as SA Schools captain and lock Salmaan Moerat, flyhalf Damian Willemse and loose forward Zain Davids, but it will take some time for them to be a force in Super Rugby.
The coaching situation has also been unsteady since Coetzee left. Eddie Jones lasted two weeks before jetting off for pounds in England, and Robbie Fleck was suddenly pushed forward to take charge. WP missed out on signing an old head in John Mitchell, which would’ve benefited Fleck’s development especially, and there isn’t much experience in the rest of the management team.
Perhaps director of rugby Gert Smal has to get his hands dirty even further in terms of hands-on coaching, as he has a wealth of knowledge from all over the world, while New Zealander Paul Feeney has been signed as a skills coach as well.
WP need to become robust when it comes to contracting. Too many players have spent several months on the sidelines over a number of years, but are still around in the Cape, playing just the odd game. That cannot continue to happen, while the practice of looking at Maties and UCT first for fresh talent has to stop as well.
Create a fairer system for club players from the entire WP catchment area to make the pro level, which would ensure further buy-in from local communities. While Province and the Stormers have fielded representative teams, transformation must continue to evolve to the point where it shouldn’t be essential for black players to have attended former Model C or private schools to be picked for the professional teams.
Wakefield said that “never again will it be allowed that individuals act on their own and without authority or whatever” when it comes to signing contracts. But there was still a board in place over the years – although it changed over time – and it allowed that to happen.
So, sound corporate governance in the boardroom is non-negotiable, and doing everything possible to create a winning team on the field should be the WP mantra going forward.
And while Remgro has the financial muscle to bolster Province, they also need to be held accountable. The new board of the company that made the purchase on Thursday cannot just be there for show.