Patrice Motsepe

The South African Football Association (SAFA) received a major boost after world footballing body FIFA approved Mamelodi Sundowns’ billionaire boss Patrice Motsepe’s candidacy for the vacant role of CAF president.

“We refer to our correspondence dated 12 January 2021 regarding the subject matter. In this regard, we kindly inform you that the Review Committee has declared you eligible for the position of CAF President and FIFA vice-president,” FIFA said in a statement on Wednesday.

Motsepe’s opponents for the prestigious position will be Mauritania’s Ahmed Yahya, Ivorian Jacques Anouma and Senegal FA president Augustin Senghor.

Earlier this month, CAF revealed in a statement that Motsepe and Yahya’s candidacy needed “further checks” before both individuals could be considered for the position.

With everything now in the clear courtesy of FIFA’s Review Committee, the election process will take place on 12 March 2021.

The newly elected CAF president will automatically fill the role as the vice-president of FIFA.

– Compiled by Sport24 staff

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Duane Vermeulen led from the front (Gallo Images)

• Bulls mentor Jake White singled out skipper Duane Vermeulen as the true hero in his team’s Currie Cup semi-final triumph over the Lions on Saturday.
• White said the Springbok stalwart operated at “another level” and that his calm leadership was crucial in the victory.
• But the praise wasn’t just reserved for the seniors as rookies such as Stravino Jacobs also made their mark.

Despite the claims from various younger members of his team, Jake White had little hesitation anointing his Bulls captain, Duane Vermeulen, as the true hero of his team’s Currie Cup semi-final triumph over the Lions on Saturday.

The evergreen 34-year-old Springbok stalwart proved to be a proverbial silent assassin, saving his best work out of sight and having a galvanising effect as leader.

His influence was never more apparent than in the 56th minute of the 26-21 victory at Loftus, when – following the Lions’ short burst of two tries to tie things up at 14-all and a rare missed kick at goal from flyhalf Morne Steyn – he chose to go for touch.

It was a situation that seemingly cried out for another shot at goal, but Vermeulen had other ideas.

By the end of the attacking line-out, replacement hooker Johan Grobbelaar had rounded off a potent rolling maul.

“Yeah, from the coaches box we probably felt that we should’ve gone for the three points, but I suppose you have to trust a World Cup winner who was Man-of-the-Match in the final,” White said afterwards.

“You’ve got to have an understanding that a captain has on-field intuition. Duane knows what’s going on, he probably had a sense too that certain things were working. And you’ve got to trust him.”

The reward of that decision reinforced that Vermeulen’s choice as captain for the start of the White era has been merited.

“Never underestimate what a good captain means to a team,” said White.

“Duane was outstanding. The way in which he handled things, how he talked to the players, it’s inspiring. Remember, after 2 minutes in the second half, we were 14-0 ahead. A few minutes later, it was 14-all. 

“It’s a great thing if your captain can still show calmness in a situation like that. But Duane also mentioned in the changeroom afterwards that he might’ve come up with the words, but that he’s just grateful to see how the rest of the team responded, how determined they were to pull things through.”

That’s not necessarily a tough thing to do when your leader is performing well himself.

“Let’s not forget that Duane played really well too. He definitely made an impact as player too, not just as leader,” said White.

“I’m confident the Lions saw today that he was actually operating on another level. And that’s what you want, you want your best players to perform in these crunch games. You want them delivering their best.

“Duane was one of them. Cornal Hendricks was the official Man-of-the-Match, Ivan van Zyl played well and Morne shrugged off some missed kicks to play well in general. 

“It’s great to see your senior players taking the lead.”

Yet White was also more than willing to single out his youngsters who performed with distinction, particularly 20-year-old winger Stravino Jacobs, who finished with a brace.

“He should’ve had a hat-trick, I don’t know what went through his mind,” said the Bulls’ director of rugby, referring to Jacobs knocking the ball on over the line for one of his scores.

“He’s just come out junior rugby, same as David Kriel. Kurt-Lee Arendse is new to fifteens and was out for a while. They’re going to make mistakes, but to see their work ethic is amazing.”

Courtnall Skosan of the Lions tries to pierce a gap against the Bulls. (Gallo Images)

European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) chairperson Simon Halliday says he expects South Africa’s PRO16 Rainbow Cup teams to become part of the European Champions Cup and Challenge Cup competitions from 2022 onwards.

The current tournament participation agreement came into existence in 2014 which meant the Cheetahs and Southern Kings could not qualify for the Champions or Challenge Cups when they started playing in the PRO14 in 2017.

However, negotiations on a new deal could see that agreement change, with the likes of the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers having something extra to play for.

It was recently announced that these four former Super Rugby franchises would be South Africa’s entrants in the PRO16 Rainbow Cup event set to start in April.

“The agreement was set up in 2014 which was the year before I became chairman. It expires effectively in 2022 so we were always going to be debating what the future looked like from two years out and we have been doing that,” Halliday told The Rugby Pod.

“We have had an independent review. They have come up with a load of recommendations which the board have unanimously backed and we’re now working out how that feeds into a new agreement and it’s very exciting.”

When probed on whether South Africa’s teams could feature in the European competitions, Halliday added: “We know South Africa have an intention to become part of the PRO16 and we’re fully expecting if that happens for that (South Africa’s European participation) to come our way. We’d be pretty naive if we didn’t think that.

“When you think about that sort of development, plus frankly the growing strength of all the clubs around all the leagues, it’s (European competitions) only going to get bigger and better. We are duty bound to drive an agreement that fully realises that.”

The European Champions Cup is the top-tier competition for clubs whose countries’ national teams compete in the Six Nations.

Clubs qualify for the Champions Cup via their final positions in their respective leagues (English Premiership, French Top 14 and PRO14) or via winning the second-tier Challenge Cup, while those that do not qualify are instead eligible to compete in the Challenge Cup.

– Compiled by Sport24 staff

Stedman Gans in action for the Bulls during the 2020 Super Rugby Unlocked event.

• Bulls star Stedman Gans isn’t surprised by several sevens players making almost seamless transitions into the 15-man game this season.
• The Blitzboks skipper believes fifteens still places a premium on speed and skill because of its ability to crack open tight matches.
• Gans’ experience of many do-or-die situations on the World Sevens Series circuit will also come in handy for the Bulls’ Currie Cup semi against the Lions.

Discourse over this season’s domestic programme – Super Rugby Unlocked and the Currie Cup – might at the moment be dominated by the overall standard of SA’s rugby product, but there is another prominent theme: the rise of the sevens stars.

2020/21 has marked a potential watershed for the local game’s ability to integrate stars from the seven-man format into fifteens.

Kwagga Smith had been somewhat of a poster boy in reaching Rassie Erasmus’ Springbok World Cup squad in 2019 while Rosko Specman, Seabelo Senatla and Ruhan Nel all have had their moments over the past few years.

But the dramatic impact made by the Bulls duo of Stedman Gans and Kurt-Lee Arendse, along with promising stints from Werner Kok and Angelo Davids suggests that transitions are becoming more seamless.

It’s not something that surprises Gans, who’s been a lynchpin in midfield for Jake White’s Bulls.

“I’m definitely happy for the guys,” he said as the Bulls prepare for their Currie Cup semi-final against the Lions next weekend.

“The way the 15-man game is going, it’s suiting the sevens guys more and more. It definitely has an influence on why they’re coming through.”

That’s an intriguing thought actually, given that some local coaches have argued that fifteens has become more attritional due to factors such ranging from solid defensive structures and inconsistent law interpretations.  

“More speed and skill is coming into the game,” said Gans.

“In the past, I believe power played a bigger role, it still does, but refinement is now one of the biggest influences on the game. Given how tight many games are nowadays, it’s the sevens players that can come in and make a difference at a crucial moment during proceedings.”

With the Currie Cup reaching its climax, teams boasting sevens exponents have another possibly underappreciated advantage in team members who are used to delivering results when the stakes are at their highest.

Neil Powell, the Blitzboks head coach, has noted before that the structure of World Sevens Series almost weekly exposes players to proverbial do-or-die situations, particularly when a team loses a match in their Pool and then have to play catch-up in the quest for Cup glory.

Gans agrees.

“There are things you learn when you’ve been in those pressurised situations before. I’ve been privileged to experience it quite a few times in my career,” he said.

“I can definitely draw on it in the playoffs. It’s about focusing on the process and not the outcome. It’s small mental triggers that make all the difference.

“Knockout games need not be complicated.”