Ken Borland

The last time the Springboks were preparing for action it was all about making sure they peaked for the 2019 World Cup, and Bulls prop Trevor Nyakane said on Tuesday that the same levels of readiness are now being sought ahead of the series against the British and Irish Lions.

Although no dates have yet been set for the Lions tour, the Tests are probably not much more than three months away and the Springboks based at home will only return to action this weekend with the start of the Rainbow Cup. Which itself will be cut short if the South African franchise are not allowed overseas.

Nyakane has an added complication in that he will miss the Bulls’ opening match, against the Gauteng Lions in Pretoria on Saturday, due to a rib injury. But he played a full part in the Springbok alignment camp that was held last week.

“There hasn’t been much time for big Springbok camps but we received a lot of enlightening information so we can do what is required to prepare for the Lions series. I really enjoyed it and it was good to see the unions working with each other. We were able to see how the Springbok management want to go forward and they reminded us of what is expected.

“At the World Cup, we went in firing at our best and that’s what they’re looking for again now. They were reminding us of what we produced before, what we are capable of, and work-rate things, whether they want us to gain weight or lose weight, or be fitter. So we have to make sure we meet those standards and we know what is required to play Springbok rugby,” Nyakane said on Tuesday.

In terms of the Bulls, Nyakane said they have been working hard on giving the consumers of Bulls rugby what they want: Which is more trophies, and a dominant scrum.

“At the Bulls we are always striving to be the best and winning trophies, which we’ve done in the last few months. But those trophies are now just in the cabinet and it’s time to focus on the next one. We don’t want to just compete in the Rainbow Cup, we want to win it. Obviously there are going to be new teams that we are playing against so we’ll have to adjust to that.

“We’ve put some emphasis on our scrum but you can’t talk it right, you have to do it right and the only way to do that is with live scrums. We’re trying to sort out some little issues, so we have done a lot of scrumming and the bodies have taken a bit of heat. But we hope to see some improvement in our scrum on the field on Saturday,” Nyakane said.

The players, through their union, the South African Cricketers Association, have now had their say in the governance crisis in South African cricket and have questioned whether the Members Council is acting in the best interests of the game.

Cricket South Africa stands on the brink of no longer being recognised by the Minister of Sport and therefore unable to represent the country internationally, after the events of the Special General Meeting last weekend in which the Members Council refused to ratify the proposed amendments to the constitution that would have ushered in a more independent board of directors.

SACA accused the Members Council of acting in bad faith.

“We respect the fact that the Minister has shown great patience in dealing with the governance crisis, and the events as they unfolded at the Special General Meeting of 17 April 2021, were in bad faith and disrespectful not only to his office, but to all cricketers and the public. Government intervention in the sport will have dire consequences, the full extent of which we do not yet know.

“The right to represent South Africa may be withdrawn and the ICC may suspend Cricket South Africa. These outcomes will in turn impact touring, broadcast rights and sponsorship deals. Ultimately the financial viability of the game will suffer and cricket at all levels will be severely prejudiced. The Members’ Council has now acted contrary to the wishes of the Minister, the Nicholson Recommendations, King IV Governance principles, and international best practice – how can this be in the best interests of our game?,” SACA said in a statement released on Monday night and signed by national captains Temba Bavuma, Dane van Niekerk and Dean Elgar.

SACA pointed out that these events will be particularly injurious to the women’s game in South Africa. The last 14 months have been smooth sailing for the Proteas Women, as they have reached career-high rankings in the sport. But all their had work will be undone if CSA aquaplane out of control and drive cricket off a bridge.

“The Momentum Proteas Women’s team has enjoyed unparalleled success over the past 14 months, and the women’s game in South Africa is on the verge of significant expansion. The development of the game is now under serious threat, and at a time when we should be enthusiastic about the future, we have to be concerned about its future.
“The Proteas Men’s team has an ICC World T20 Event in November. Preparation has already started for this event, and the current state of cricket administration undermines our work in this regard. It may even lead to our suspension from this event should the ICC decide to suspend South Africa. To the sponsors, we apologise for the actions of our administrators who have undermined and betrayed your commitment to the sport,” the statement says.

Tighthead props have always been the pearl in the crown as far as Bulls coach Jake White is concerned when it comes to picking his teams, but unfortunately the World Cup-winning coach is going to have to do without his first-choice No.3, Springbok star Trevor Nyakane, for their opening Rainbow Cup match against the Lions on Saturday.

According to the injury report released on Monday evening by team doctor Herman Rossouw, Nyakane has a rib injury and “will in all likelihood miss the first game but should not be out for too long”. Rossouw described it as a “new injury”, so Nyakane must have picked it up in training.

Springbok Marcel van der Merwe has been released to play for La Rochelle in France as a medical joker, so Nyakane’s replacement is likely to be 23-year-old Mornay Smith, who is considered a highly promising young tighthead.

Regular captain Duane Vermeulen has received much well-deserved adulation for his role in reviving the Bulls but the Springbok hero also won’t be available on Saturday, although he has begun light training after knee surgery, along with outside backs Gio Aplon and Travis Ismaiel.

Wing Stravino Jacobs, another rising star, is also back in training, while lock Walt Steenkamp as fully recovered from the heart problems he had after contracting Covid and has been given the green light to start training again. Fans will also be happy to see exciting loosehead prop Simphiwe Matanzima is back on the field again after tearing his achilles tendon eight months ago.

Cricket South Africa’s Members Council and Sascoc are likely to discover on Monday what punishment sports minister Nathi Mthethwa is going to hit them with after the stunt they pulled at the weekend’s Special General Meeting of the cricket body, leading to the new Memorandum of Incorporation designed to improve governance not being passed.

In a clearly orchestrated move, Sascoc president Barry Hendricks was parachuted into the SGM, having earlier turned down an invitation to just be an observer, and then delivered a prepared address that basically warned the Members Council that Sascoc would cancel their membership if they went ahead with the amendments to their constitution.

Hendricks had explicitly been warned by Mthethwa, in a letter last week, to not interfere with the process, and now he and Members Council acting president Rihan Richards have been called to a meeting with the minister on Monday.

“You cannot believe how annoyed the Minister is,” sources close to Mthethwa told The Citizen on Sunday.

A statement released by the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture on Sunday said the minister was disappointed the Members Council had acted “in bad faith” and he has been left with “no further option but to exercise his rights in terms of Section 13 (5) of the Sports Act” and he “will be taking the necessary steps required to exercise his rights in terms of the law”.

It is likely that he will tell CSA that they are no longer recognised by the Department of Sport, which would lead to them being unable to play any international cricket.

The Interim Board, having failed to win over the recalcitrant Members Council, now only remains in name and will prepare their final report for Mthethwa, their term of office having ended with the SGM at the weekend. It is believed several directors have decided to take no further part in cricket’s affairs.

Cricket South Africa, already in troubled financial waters before the Members Council/Interim Board impasse, will now be in dire straights because leading sponsors and broadcasters are already believed to be preparing to jump ship. One official with knowledge of CSA’s financial situation said a ban on the Proteas would probably mean the organisation would be bankrupt and unable to run the game before the start of next season.