The advent of the Varsity Cup tournament has brought the South African rugby public’s attention back to club rugby in South Africa. A few years ago, before the days of pink shorts and “players that rock” the thought of watching club rugby on a Monday night seemed ludicrous, yet here we are, eagerly awaiting another action packed installment of the competition.

While the Varsity Cup has done its part to reignite the interest shown in varsity rugby, the question should be raised as to what impact the pink crazy version of the game has had on club rugby in general, and whether it is leaving open clubs behind in terms of sponsorship, revenue and ultimately player recruitment.

Both Maties and UCT - perennial power houses in the Varsity Cup - feature in the Western Province Super League A, possibly the toughest club league in the country. The dominance of the University teams is clear to see, with UCT winning the title for the first time in 37 years last season, taking the crown from Maties who won it the year before. Hamiltons of Sea Point (the oldest club in the country) were able to break Maties’ monopoly on the league title in 2009 through investing huge sums of money into player recruitment, becoming the first club to break Maties’ run since Villagers in 2000, and NNK before that in 1996.

Universities have an obvious advantage over open clubs. Young players fresh out of school all desire to go to university upon completing matric, and as most of South Africa’s brightest rugby talents are nurtured in top quality schools, most are able to attend university. Universities for their part can offer bursaries and free hostel accommodation as ways to get the players within their structures. Add to this the carrot of Varsity Cup exposure being dangled in front of players and it is clear to see that the lure to play university rugby has never been greater.  The expansion of the Varisty Cup to include an under 20 (Young Guns) competition will do little to curb this trend, and will further fuel young players’ desires to head to university rugby.

While one cannot estimate the operating budget of university sides like UCT and Maties due to their ‘hidden’ expenses of bursaries and accommodation costs, the same cannot be said for open clubs. Hamiltons are said to run on a budget of around R3 million, above and beyond the accommodation they provide for some of their players. Durb-Bell, who finished 4th in the league last season, operate on a budget of about R1,5 million. Villagers in Claremont operate on a budget of R1,3 million and narrowly avoided relegation from Super League A last year, surviving by the skin of their teeth after gaining only 24 points from 18 matches.

Hamiltons used their new found wealth to recruit players like ex-Sharks captain Jaco Gouws, ex-Springbok Johan Ackerman, former Griquas prop Attie Winter, Lions Super 14 player Bertus Smit and Pumas flyhalf Pieter Benade.

The amounts above are astounding considering the club game in South Africa is played on an ‘amateur’ level. When taking into account that the smaller professional unions in South Africa like SWD, the Griffons or Border operate on budgets of R3 – R5 million, it is no surprise that the likes of Hamiltons can afford to lure players from smaller unions down to Sea Point to further their careers.

No club in Super League B runs on budgets higher than that of Super League A strugglers Villagers. This begs the question: Is there a minimum amount of money needed for a club to compete in Super League A? The answer, sadly, is yes.

Gone are the days when player loyalty won leagues. Gone are the days when reputation and the lure of a great post match club house atmosphere was enough to bring players to your club. Money rules the day.

It is estimated that as many as 20% of all Super League A and B players make a living off their club rugby through match fees, monthly salaries and petrol allowances, an enormous amount. Amateur? I think not.

Sadly the top 3 spots in the league will continue to be filled by the clubs who have the resources to recruit the best players. Coaches will continue to rotate around the league chasing the biggest pay day, and supporters of so many fantastic clubs who now languish in the lower leagues due to lack of finances will be left to ponder the glory days of old. Clubs who are promoted to Super League A will continue to yo-yo to and fro between the leagues if they do not get the resources to recruit top players, and top level clubs will continue to compete until their big sponsors pull the rug out from under them.

By no means do I intend to have a go at the clubs fortunate enough to have passionate sponsors who are willing to do their part for club rugby, I purely intend to highlight that the club rugby system needs urgent attention to level the playing field. Unions need to set norms and standards within which clubs are forced to operate so as to sustain club rugby as an amateur game for all to benefit from.

The only teams guaranteed success are the universities, the rest will forever depend on supporters and sponsors with deep pockets to fuel their passion for success. One can only hope for their part that those sponsors don’t walk away for good.