For decades South African teams measured themselves against their Super Rugby opponents and in turn the Springboks measured themselves against the All Blacks. But the rise of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship has created a shift north in both focus and rivalry as Irish clubs and Ireland have become the new target.
Springbok legend John Smit, speaking on a Vodacom United Rugby Championship media call, says it’s been one of the success stories of the VURC that it’s accelerated what has always been an intense rivalry between the Springboks and Ireland.
“South Africa is always going to have a rivalry with anyone they see as a threat, and Ireland are a big threat,” said Smit.
“They’ve been doing things right from a rugby perspective for a very long time. That’s what puts them right at the top of the list for South Africans. We’re a funny bunch. We like to measure ourselves against the best and try and prove that we’re at the same level. South Africans are very good at focusing on anyone they think can beat them at any one time.
“The Irish have been so good for so long. I look back to our day, I was always up against Brian O’Driscoll as the opposition captain and our track record against Ireland wasn’t too good. Ireland have been really good at beating us for a very long time. The Vodacom United Rugby Championship has fuelled that existing fire from an international point of view because you’ve got Leinster and Munster who’ve been phenomenal, and then Ulster and Connacht who are very difficult to beat away from home.”
Smit, who had long argued for a move up north for South African rugby, said he believes the Vodacom United Rugby Championship has definitely taken the South African game forward.
“The rise of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship has been phenomenal. I think we’re better placed in this scenario because we are having to play different types of rugby and we’re having to adapt, evolve and innovate a lot more than we did in Super Rugby. Super Rugby had only one style of rugby that gained the most success in the tournament whereas in the VURC and playing across the two hemispheres all teams have to be able to play more than one style or be able to adapt to the weather and types of pitches and the conditions on the day. I do think that is helping South Africa, and vice versa all the teams at an international level as well to be able to adapt for the Test matches that we put so much emphasis on.”
The growing rivalry between the Springboks and Ireland is a welcome by-product of this, and one which Smit believes is showing itself most clearly where it matters most – amongst the fans and ticket sales.
“The rivalry is not a new thing, but it’s certainly something that is growing at a rapid rate. I think the one thing that proves that is the fact that both the upcoming Test matches between the Springboks and Ireland in South Africa were sold out in less than a day.”