Sharks look to business to keep players

Top Sharks players could be saved from poaching by European rugby clubs if an innovative collaboration between the Sharks and local businesses comes to fruition writes Mike Greenaway for The Mercury.

Extravagant northern hemisphere offers have been made to Springboks John Smit and Butch James, among others, and the Sharks on their own cannot match figures that are reported to be in the vicinity of R2,5-million.

The situation is exacerbated by the uncertainty over these players’ future income with the Springboks because the three-year national contracts expire at the end of the World Cup in October.

But the Sharks will not be left on their own to attempt to match the offer from Bath for Butch James and French club Clermont for Smit if current negotiations with KZN businesses are successful.

The concept of “third party” involvement in player remuneration is new to South Africa, but has a precedent in Australia where Wallaby star Mat Giteau was lured to the Western Force from the Brumbies in Canberra thanks to a combined offer from the Force and a consortium of Perth businessmen, with the remainder of his reported R8-million-a-year income made up by his contract with the Australian Rugby Union.

Giteau is believed to be the highest-paid rugby player in the world, and he could be joined in the income stratosphere by star Springboks Victor Matfield and Schalk Burger, who have reportedly been offered massive deals by French club Toulouse.

Of the bid to keep intact a Sharks team that came within seconds of winning the Super 14 title, coach Dick Muir said the foreign bid for veteran Sharks had been expected. “We are doing everything in our power to keep our guys, and that includes finding a way to do business with our currency that is substantially weaker than the pound and Euro.”

The Sharks have certainly been positive and resourceful in looking for ways to keep their players, and if they lose the odd star, their consciences will be clear.

“Some businesses in Durban have already put their hands up,” Muir said.

“This has become a community-served issue. Nobody in KZN wants to see us lose players.”

Muir said a probable way forward was for the players concerned to become involved with businesses while still playing, and then continue working for them after they had retired from playing, thus giving them life after rugby.

In the meantime, Muir and his coaching staff have already begun intense planning and preparation for next year’s Super 14.

“We have to be better than we were this year,” Muir said bluntly “What was good enough to get us into the final this year will not be good enough next year. The game is evolving all the time, and we expect all the teams to be better next year.

“We have to make sure that we are better, too, and we will be.”

Last year the Sharks made no secret of the fact that they used the Currie Cup as preparation for the Super 14, and this year they will do the same.

There will be no two-squad system, though – the second squad will be at the World Cup! …French club Perpignon announced Wednesday night that they had signed Sharks back Percy Montgomery and Stormers lock Gerrie Britz. No further details were given.