It's time South Africans come to the party in Europe

Ticket sales for Saturday’s clash between the Bulls and Stormers have already passed the 30,000 mark. That’s more than the capacities of every English Premiership club, 11 French Top sides and, apart from the odd occasion that Leinster and Edinburgh play at their national stadiums, every other non-South African team in the United Rugby Championship.

South Africans are clearly passionate rugby fans but context is key. The ‘North-South’ derby, as this 85-year grudge match is known, carries great significance no matter what competition is hosting it. It is a rivalry that cuts the country in half and reaches into deep cultural undercurrents that one could feasibly trace beyond the Boer War at the turn of the 20th century and all the way back into the 1700s.

Which is why the sight of empty seats over the past fortnight for Investec Champions Cup and Challenge Cup matches in South Africa requires some honest analysis.

Let’s start at face value. Some grand old stadiums were practically yawning into the void created by the absence of fans. Ellis Park, the 62 thousand seat behemoth that served as the stage for both South Africa’s first ever World Cup win as well as Siya Kolisi’s first Test as captain, was less than five per cent full for the match against Newcastle Falcons.

The Sharks also struggled to attract a sizable crowd for their 45-5 win over Pau in the Challenge Cup earlier this month. Of greater concern, though, were the poor attendances in Cape Town and Pretoria. For their match against the two-time defending champions La Rochelle, the Stormers barely scraped together 11,550 fans last weekend. The Bulls managed to pull a few more for their contest with Saracens, but only just. A little more than 15,000 turned up to watch their team beat the English champions.

These figures simply aren’t good enough and should not be accepted by players, coaches or the suits at SA Rugby headquarters. South African rugby is failing to give a decent account of itself and must find a way of rectifying the situation or face the threat of alienation.

Whether South African fans like to admit it or not, the sport’s ecosystem in the Republic now needs a welcoming home in Europe. This is especially true after the divorce with their Australian and New Zealand partners. If this current relationship doesn’t work then South African clubs might be constrained to a purely domestic competition.

To be sure, the potential TV revenue generated by subscription paying fans means that northern hemisphere clubs should benefit greatly from the inclusion of the South Africans in the long run. And with the Anglo-South African bank Investec now a title sponsor of the Champions Cup, the symbiotic relationship has been strengthened. But European supporters need convincing that they’ve hitched their wagon to a partner that takes this union seriously. So far, there’s been little evidence to suggest that they have.

Speaking on The Ruck Rugby Podcast, Stormers coach John Dobson did not shy away from the fact that crowd numbers in the EPCR have been disappointing. But rather than cite indifference, he suggested this is a consequence of ignorance.

“I don’t think the South African public yet understand how good a team La Rochelle is, or who they are, or who Saracens are,” Dobson said. “There is a big educational piece there.”

There’s a good chance you need no education on the pedigree of clubs containing Owen Farrell, Maro Itoje, Jonathan Danty or Will Skelton. Those of us who endlessly trawl through social media, and consume torrents of content from vloggers and podcasters, know the ins and outs of every major team in Europe. Around braais and barbecues, at bars and bus stops, we’re able to share our knowledge and passion with a like minded rugby nause. However, we need to accept that the majority live outside of the bubble. Work is needed to bring them in.

A few teams might benefit from playing in smaller stadiums. The Lions should leave Ellis Park immediately and never play there again. It is a wonderful Test arena - perhaps the greatest anywhere in the world when it’s packed - but it has become a soulless, vacuous pit that has become an embarrassment. Literally any other venue would do. Down the road at the University of the Witwatersrand lies a largely unused football stadium that can host 5,000 people. Use it. Create demand. Sell out for once. Who knows, it might be the kick up the backside Johannesburg’s franchise sorely needs.

As for the rest, smaller venues might play a helping hand but there is enough goodwill at the Stormers, Bulls and Sharks to at least try and leverage before more modest homes are occupied. Here, the clubs themselves must follow through on the education drive that Dobson spoke about.

Activations in shopping malls and in public spaces must help make the public aware that a ‘Champions League of rugby’ is taking place on their doorstep. Star players could help spread the message that they are now a part of something truly special. That the cities of Cape Town and Pretoria are connected to some of the sport's most iconic institutions. That Manie Libbok nailing a last minute kick to beat a European juggernaut is an utterly astonishing moment because of a history that stretches beyond the 80 minutes of the match.

European fans have been split on the South Africans participation in ‘their’ tournament. Some gripes, such as travel fatigue, exorbitant costs for visiting fans and the amount of carbon emitted by long haul flights are hard to argue against. But the cultural concerns have stuck in the throat of South African supporters who’d have liked a warmer reception and less European exceptionalism.

But this is a two-way street. It’s no coincidence that nostalgia for the old Heineken Cup seems to be at an all-time high. Unless South Africans come to the party, what once was will forever eclipse what could be.