Sitting in the Kings Park grand stand, it was disappointing to see the low spectator turnout for the Springboks’ Rugby Championship opener, writes ALASDAIR FRASER.

Yes it was Argentina, but there was once a time when any ground in South Africa would be packed to see the mighty men in green and gold strut their stuff, but sadly this is not the case anymore.

It further illustrates how what was once a premium product is now considered an above-average competition. It seems as if the high water mark was pre-2012 when the Tri-Nations was the ‘king of the castle’, so to speak.

It’s no coincidence, though, that not soon after the Pumas joined the competition, SA Rugby decided to allow foreign players, plying their trade in Europe, to play for the Springboks – causing a mass exodus of seasoned campaigners to enjoy the riches of a strong currency.

We’ve seen a massive decline of interest in the Currie Cup – a competition that was the bread basket of local rugby talent, and one that had SA’s finest sweating blood for their respective provinces. No more grizzled veterans imparting their deep knowledge to the young whippersnappers by grinding them into the mud. How sad.

There was hardly much fanfare as the Blue Bulls and Free State Cheetahs locked horns last Friday night for the Currie Cup’s opening weekend. And don’t forget it’s now just a single round of fixtures – if you still care.

Nowadays, it seems like it’s Craven Week, Varsity Cup and then one season in Super Rugby before a 21-year-old ventures forth to the UK and France. The next generation haven’t even finished their apprenticeship.

Maybe SA Rugby is ahead of its time. Perhaps New Zealand and Australia will relax their rules and we’ll start seeing a free market economy – much like what we see in football.

This is what brings me to my point. The call to make the big move to Europe will save our rugby. Schalk Burger intimated it a couple of weeks ago, saying that the Springboks should play in Europe.

The only way South Africa is going to hold on to the impressive schoolboy talent we see coming off the conveyor belt every year, is to have a strong financial backing to discourage them from the lure of pounds and euros.

For too long, South Africa has been a major financial player in the Sanzar alliance (before Argentina joined) and we cannot continue on this path. Super Rugby is stale. Clearly the fans don’t want it. We want to see our best players playing at home.

Trying to accommodate the Boks in the Six Nations is going to be a tough ask. It will require a drastic change in how our traditional rugby seasons will run. We’ve seen that with the Cheetahs in the Pro14.

Perhaps World Rugby should start looking at implementing a global rugby season and start bringing back rugby tours. The Springboks vs All Blacks rivalry is waning, playing a three-Test series will reinvigorate that.

Otherwise in 10 years’ time, Bok fans will be bleating ‘when we were …’

Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix