The king is dead, long live the king

Sad-BulldogOnly the small-minded (and the few Australians among us) were willing England to lose on Saturday night.

Granted, it’s a tough call to choose between rugby’s equivalent of broccoli or cabbage, but for the sake of the tournament to retain its vibrancy, England were important.

The World Cup will continue without them, but a party without its host is just weird.

England deserve enormous credit for the tournament they have presented thus far. Stadiums have been heaving and by all accounts the frippery on the sidelines has been good-natured and hearty.

The English haven’t always been very good at the sports they claim as their own, chiefly rugby, cricket and football, but they’re good sports. In rugby, at least, they embrace the opposition (and their supporters) and give sustenance to their efforts. As the 2012 London Olympics proved, any excuse to have a party will bring the best out in the English.

Not to single them out, mind, for Scotland’s treatment of last year’s Commonwealth Games was much the same. They were brilliant, welcoming and warm.

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England stands out for the remarkable levels of support offered rugby across the land. Games featuring tier two teams like Georgia, Romania and Namibia have been packed, not to speak of bigger matches. Last weekend’s England-Wales fixture soared past 81 000 spectators.

It gets better.  Ireland against Romania, hardly the most appealing of fixtures, set a world record crowd of 89 267 at Wembley. You suspect that the English would pay to watch Outer Mongolia contest the toe-wrestling championships. Good on them.

The irony is that this World Cup is the single most expensive event for spectators in sports history with average ticket prices pitched at £104.17 (about R2206). That’s R212 more than the average ticket price for last year’s football World Cup in Brazil.

Those people with tears in their eyes? They’re the South Africans trying to get by on their puny Rands.

There’s a big lesson here for SA sport. We make much of being a fanatical sports nation, but when did we last boast a full house for rugby or cricket? Beyond Kaizer Chiefs against Orlando Pirates, which other football fixture packs the stands?

Even in a tough economy, local prices are manageable for most, but we still see swathes of empty seats at major internationals. We talk a good game, but few bother to watch one live.

There’s talk of South Africa being on standby for the 2019 Rugby World Cup with the Japanese struggling to meet construction deadlines, but matching England’s offering would be a tough sell.

Only matches against the All Blacks threaten sellouts locally. For all the apparent appetite that abounds, South Africa’s passions are narrow. Who would trek out to Rustenburg or Polokwane to cheer on Tonga or Canada in the dead of night? Especially with South Africa’s appalling public transport.

England has matched fixtures to stadiums perfectly, using compact soccer grounds like St James’ Park and Villa Park which has allowed locals to soak up the events and also spread rugby’s gospel. The game appears to be in rude health all across England.

You wonder which similar grounds South African rugby would utilise. Few suggest themselves as sumptuous arenas that could do justice to a World Cup. Perhaps only Outeniqua Park in George or Boland Park in Wellington.

You could ask the same questions of the Commonwealth Games, which will be on our doorstep before long. Athletics might be a big Olympic sport, but its profile locally barely registers a blip – and it’s the most appealing Commonwealth offering. Forget the spin. It’s a big ask to expect 54 000 people to rock up at Moses Mabhida for an athletics session.

You could say the same about swimming. Despite boasting great swimmers like Chad Le Clos and Cameron van der Burgh, the sport’s ardent followers are largely members of the close-knit swimming community. Durban, and indeed swimming itself, best pull up its PR socks to sell what is an outstanding spectator sport.

For many, the local stadium experience remains a wretched one. England, with its energy and vibrancy and good humour, offers a profound lesson in hosting major sport.

South Africa could learn. – © Sunday Tribune