A top-of-the log Vodacom URC clash between the Stormers and Glasgow has been undermined by baffling broadcast scheduling, writes MARK KEOHANE.
Writing for TimesLIVE, Keohane says Saturday’s 1:45pm kick-off at Cape Town Stadium shows a failure to understand South African rugby audiences, particularly in the Mother City, the country’s strongest spectator base.
This should have been a prime-time spectacle. The league’s top two sides, both former champions, meeting in a match that could shape the final standings. Instead, it has been reduced to an inconvenience for supporters.
“How does Cape Town, the best attended ground for fixtures in South Africa, get the worst kick-off time?” Keohane asks. “It is madness.”
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The clash with schools rugby gutted the crowd for the Stormers’ previous match, against Connacht, which kicked off at the same time. Western Province’s rugby heartbeat lies in its schools system, and families “from Paarl to Newlands” chose that over an early-afternoon URC fixture, as seen in the empty family stands last Saturday.
The consequence is more than optics. It undermines a competition still trying to entrench itself in South Africa’s sporting landscape.
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Form adds intrigue. The Stormers have lost momentum after a strong start, while Glasgow arrive wounded after a heavy defeat to the Lions. The winner strengthens a top-two push; the loser risks slipping into the pack.
Up north, the Lions are expected to capitalise at home, with their scoring form suggesting another statement.
The Lions have averaged 50 points in their last three home matches against overseas opposition.
For Keohane, the rugby will deliver. The scheduling has not.
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
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A top-of-the log Vodacom URC clash Vodacom URC clash between the Stormers and Glasgow has been undermined by baffling broadcast scheduling, writes @mark_keohane
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