Cashing in Super Rugby frequent flyer miles for a first-class Vodacom United Rugby Championship ticket was an excellent decision for the future of South African rugby, according to MARK KEOHANE.

“In just one year and one campaign, the Vodacom United Rugby Championship has killed off the romance of a Super Rugby brand that was still trading on its glory days of the late 90s and early 2000s and ignoring the reality of a financially and physically nonsensical tournament,” Keohane wrote in his TIMESLive column.

“When Super Rugby began, it was a great tournament. Unsaturated, simple and full of quality. That was far from the case by the end of its 25 years and South African involvement made less and less sense, given the travel times and lack of player depth across five franchises.

“The United Rugby Championship is the future, and the future is now. It is also only going to get better. For an inaugural tournament, the URC was a spectacular success. For South Africa, it was a spectacular success.

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Keohane argues that the success of the Stormers and Bulls, along with the national representation from individuals playing in the URC, has justified South Africa ditching their SANZAAR domestic rivals for regional participation in the northern hemisphere.

South Africa’s seldom recognised contribution to Super Rugby was showcased during the July tours. The Stormers and Bulls beat Leinster in the URC and, soon after, Ireland surged to a historic series victory against the All Blacks in New Zealand.

“Rubbish to the claims that an exit from Super Rugby would see a drop in quality, because what the Stormers and Bulls had to beat to secure the all-South African final at Cape Town Stadium, was Ireland’s best, and it was these Irish players who would a couple of weeks later combine to win a three-Test series against the All Blacks in New Zealand for the first time in history.”

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