The time has come for the Cheetahs to ditch the “Poor cousin” mentality, put on their big girl panties, and starting thinking like the Super Rugby contenders they are, says Tank Lanning in his eNCA.com column.
And then there were four. And then there were no Cheetahs. Yes indeed – the Bloem boys fairytale season came to an agonising end, missing a last second conversion that would have seen them go into extra time against the Brumbies in Canberra on Sunday.
Fairytale it was though …
• They reached the play-offs for the first time ever.
• Got 3 wins on their Australasian tour.
• For the first time, they scored more tries than they conceded – 40 to 32.
• The 32 tries they conceded is the least ever.
• Their average score of 23-22 is the first time they had a “winning” average score.
• First time they won more matches than they lost – P17, W10, L7.
• Their 10 victories is twice as many as their previous best.
But come the actual quarter final game against Jake White’s well coached Brumbies, it was all a little helter skelter for the Cheetahs as they showed their inexperience by not taking the points on offer, making silly mistakes in trying to rush the play, and again tried their luck with Coenie Oosthuizen at tighthead for the last 25 minutes.
It was a game the Cheetahs could still have won, though, this being their first defeat to an Australian team this season, and without doubt their best campaign since their Cats partnership with the Lions came to an end after the 2005 season.
And wearing my “Greater good” hat, perhaps this result is the better one for South African rugby. Had the Cheetahs won, they would have had to travel to Waikato to take on the log-leading Chiefs, while the Bulls would have had a very uncomfortable afternoon hosting the high riding Crusaders in their semi-final.
Instead, the first semi-final is an all-New Zealand (cooler box emptying) affair in Hamilton between the defending champion Chiefs and the seven-time champions Crusaders, who crushed the Reds in their one-sided quarter final. And the second sees the Bulls hosting a Brumbies side who will have travelled a long way after a pretty unconvincing win against the 6th ranked side in the tournament.
Should the Crusaders get past the Chiefs, a not altogether ridiculous idea (the Crusaders slaughtered the Chiefs 43-15 in Christchurch earlier this month), and the Bulls get past the Brumbies, the 2013 Super Rugby final will be at Loftus! Even the Crusaders would find that a prickly excursion.
But back to the Cheetahs … They need to ditch the “Poor cousin” mentality and starting thinking like a big union. Sure, only 6% of the SA population live in Bloemfontein, but those reams of empty seats at every home game are an eye-sore. And the fact that only 4 of the 20 most watched Super Rugby games in 2013 involved the Cheetahs is an indictment on the franchise. Even the Kings, in their first ever Super Rugby season that saw them prop up the log, managed to be involved in 5 of those top 20 games!
This is a region fed by what has to be a contender for the greatest rugby school in the history of the world in Grey College, and supported by a regular Varsity Cup contender in Shimlas. It is time they put on their big girl panties, implement a few modern marketing initiatives, and get the people of the region, now Super Rugby contenders, to “Back their boytjies”.
Having seen a great many games this Super Series, I have to agree that the sight of the stands half filled at best is disturbing. It is not without noting that many stadiums across the three countries could have been better filled. Especially suprising to see that Loftus crowds have dropped hugely unless it was against only a few top ranked sides.
I am sure there are a million reasons/excuses as to why there were empty seats, from a cousins wedding right through to the final of the Highveld Melktert Competition. Fact is that just putting on a good game of rugby is not enough and I think in many instances ticket prices have been established with greed being the biggest motivation and not providing the locals communities with an enjoyable experience.
I am not sure what schemes are in place to fill stands but one I certainly feel would benefit all would be to introduce a system where by all children under the age of 16 gain free entry on condition they are accompanied by an adult. These free entries could be limited to unreserved seating areas and these adult tickets only sold on game day on a first come first served basis. The additional revenue generated by Dad buying Johnny a can of coke, 2 x samoosas and a pack Cheese and Onion chips will at least cover the cost of some of the staff at the grounds (they would have to be there anyway right?).
Another idea would be the introduction of half time entertainment which actually does what it says on the pack. There are singers and dancers galore who want some exposure in order to kickstart careers. Get these talented individuals to perform ALA Superbowl for 10 minutes while the buggers are in the change room chewing on an orange. Performers do the gig for free to get exposure, the crowds go wild listenning to “Willie Vlermuis en die bos Orkes”, everyone is a winner.
Just a few ideas from a couch potato.