South African Rugby and all other professional sports have felt the increase in oil prices due to the effects of the Iran war. As ticket prices increased, spectators emptied stadiums. Now with an upcoming match between the Springboks and England’s Roses, and a truce between Iran and the United States (US), Ellis Park Stadium was half filled. Ticket sales for the match were slow and there were only 21,000 tickets sold by the middle of last week.
That figure is sure to climb as the Test approaches, but in the past, Tests in South Africa involving the world champions sold out quickly. That is not currently the case. There are many factors at play here, but for SA Rugby, the war in Iran has played a huge part, a spokesperson told Rapport.
The arrival of the English Rugby team on South African soil will no doubt attract thousand of spectators to the rugby stadium. Escalating oil prices may have cast a dark shadow on game attendance but that should change. Rugby as a professional sport draws in spectators to revel in its toughness, as well as too serve too rally supporters to their national teams, when they oppose each other.
It would be difficult to find a Springbok fan not confident of the world champions’ chances at Ellis Park on Saturday, but there is a danger that if England get it right, it could be a tough afternoon for the Springboks at the Joburg cauldron. While the Boks have had some famous victories on the field, England could well look to the Northampton blueprint, with the English champions and Bristol Bears both having success at altitude in the last 18 months down the road at Loftus Versfeld, and both with a brand of rugby that has been very successful.
There is a school of thought that believes the altitude affects teams ahead of big games, but with sports science what it is nowadays and the English camp having months to plan ahead for this game, chances are they will be better equipped than most sides that travel to the Highveld.
Rugby is not only tough but intense as a sport. Fans from both England and South Africa would have been drawn to Ellis Park to see who would score glory. Both the Roses of England and the Springboks of South Africa are competitive teams. When they meet on the pitch, the match becomes a battle of brute force, training and talent. There is no room for failure, but eventually one team has to give way. Comprised of professional athletes both teams will keep spectators focused on the match speculating on who will be the victors. Not even international conflicts like the Iran war can keep the spirit of professional sport at bay for long.
The English would have certainly trained well for this game. The Springboks, however would have been well prepared for the game as well. Both teams would be equally matched opponents. In the end, only one can achieve victory. It will depend on how one team outmanoeuvres the other. In the end it will be pointless to speculate.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
