South Africa’s players have matched and beaten the best of Ireland in the United Rugby Championship — and now it is time South African rugby supporters stand tallest and show the same passion and support shown to the Irish teams.
Leinster, beaten semi-finalists last season, hosted Munster, who didn’t make the play-offs, at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin last weekend. Nearly 50,000 passionate rugby supporters turned a league match into a magnificent occasion. This is what is needed from South African rugby supporters.
The in-stadium support has been shocking, given the pedigree of the South African league quartet, the winning ways of the South African teams and the expansive and free-flowing style of these South African teams.
The Springboks, in six home Tests, filled 98% capacity, yet every South African franchise is battling to get people into the stadium for league matches. The Stormers, in their play-off matches en route to the 2021/22 title, led the way at Cape Town’s DHL Stadium. The 34,000 stadium attendance for the final was the maximum capacity at the time because of Covid regulations.
The previous play-off matches were also restricted in numbers because of Covid. The Bulls practically gave away tickets to ensure a crowd of 25,000 for their first home game that allowed for a Covid-restricted capacity of 25,000. They did a R25 special for entrance, seating and a drink.
More than 20,000 made it to one of South Africa’s most prized venues and one that is affectionately known across the world as the cathedral of South African rugby. Not even this special could get the numbers to 25,000. The Bulls were winning at the time, and they would stun Leinster in Dublin in the semifinal before losing 18-13 to the Stormers in Cape Town in the final.
The Stormers, champions and playing sensational rugby, had to make do with a crowd of 12,000 for their first match at the DHL Stadium this season.
The Stormers, champions and playing sensational rugby, had to make do with a crowd of 12,000 for their first match at the DHL Stadium this season. It was double what attended their first home match a season ago, so there was a remarkable improvement, but it was nowhere near the sort of crowd that should have turned up to celebrate the champions.
South African rugby supporters on social media boast of being the most passionate, supportive and knowledgeable in the world. When I read some of the online offerings, the knowledgeable claim takes a beating. The passion is there, and the support is also there, but more so online than in person.
I asked a question on my timeline as to why in-form South African teams can’t pull crowds to the stadium? The reasons were plenty: cost of tickets, cost of travel, inconvenience of travel, time of kickoffs, hassle, location, economics, a shocking match-day experience in which the price does not equate to the occasion. Every second response was cost and convenience. There was so much rugby to enjoy on television and with channel swaps there was great football, cricket and much more. A home bar, the TV remote and a braai were costs that were justified; not the cost of a ticket to a match, which ranged from R25 to R250.
I get the inconvenience, but a coffee is more expensive than entry level tickets. There didn’t seem to be a shortage of people willing to pay excessive prices to watch the Springboks this season, and those ticket prices exceeded anything being paid to watch home URC matches.
The boast is that South Africans love rugby but given the apathy in how they support their own regions, I’d suggest South Africans love the Springboks more than they have ever loved rugby. If the love for rugby was real, then Loftus should be humming with support on Sunday when the Bulls play the Sharks and Ellis Park should have a buzz to it for the Lions and Stormers thriller. These home derbies only happen once in the season. Make this once count.
Mark Keohane is the founder of keo.co.za, a multiple award-winning sports writer and the digital content director at Highbury Media. Twitter: @mark_keohane
