Rugby: Springbok exodus looms after World Cup

CAPE TOWN - South African rugby faces a potential exodus of Springboks after the World Cup.

This follows a ruling by the European Court of Justice that has opened the way for a stream of Springboks to join English rugby clubs.

The court ruled that players from Africa and eastern Europe could no longer be counted as foreigners.

This comes after English rugby clubs had been limited to only one foreign player on the field for the 2003/2004 season.

The quota amounted to discrimination in employment
An example is Newcastle Falcons in the English Premiership. Before the court ruling they would have had to choose between South Africans Mark Andrews and Warren Britz and Tongan Epeli Taione.

Now the Falcons can select all three.

The ruling has not yet led to a change in policy by English rugby's governing body, the Rugby Football Union, but players' agents expect one soon.

The only obstacle to South African players would be to get a work permit, but here Springbok coach Rudolf Straeuli has unwittingly helped.

One requirement for a permit is that an applicant should have played an official Test within in the past 18 months. Since more than 60 players have turned out for the Springboks since Straeuli took over in February 2002, it means the supply certainly will be there.

The court's jurisdiction applies across the European Union (EU) and was made after a Slovakian handball player sued the German Handball Federation for limiting the number of non-EU players in its league.

In May the court ruled that the quota amounted to discrimination in employment and that the system should not apply to nationals of countries which have an association or co-operation agreements with the EU.

More than 100 countries have such agreements, including South Africa.

The court ruling does not only apply to rugby, but also to cricket and soccer and any jobs that are governed by a quota for non-EU nationals.

Currently there is a two-foreign player limit in English cricket while French and Italian soccer also have limits on the number of non-EU players allowed per team.

All those quotas are now illegal under the new ruling.

From the start of the 2003/2004 rugby season in England, clubs would have been allowed only one non-European Union player on the field during a match.

A South African sports agent, Jason Smith, said England would definitely become more attractive as a destination for local rugby players.

"With the one-foreigner-per-team regulation that would have come in this season many South African players were worried that the English market would quickly fill up," said Smith.

A South African player who made about R500 000 from playing rugby in the country should be able to get a contract of about £70 000 in Britain (about R820 000).

"The contracts in Britain are also structured better for the players," he said.

Ever since rugby went professional in 1995, Britain has been a haven for Springboks looking for a pay day after retiring from international rugby.

The favourable currency exchange rate would also make English clubs an attractive option for South Africans.

Springbok captains Francois Pienaar and Andre Vos have been among the many South Africans who followed this route.

South Africa Rugby did not want to comment on the court ruling until it had studied the decision and gauged the impact it would have on players under its jurisdiction.

- INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS (SOUTH AFRICA)