Wallabies great Michael Hooper believes South African players are struggling in the Vodacom URC and would love to see the local teams back in Super Rugby.
The Stormers, Bulls, Sharks and Lions departed the old Sanzaar competition for the inaugural URC in 2021, and despite the challenges the SA teams face when competing in the northern hemisphere, a South African side has contested every final in four seasons of the competition.
The Stormers lifted the trophy in 2022 following a narrow win over the Bulls at Cape Town Stadium, before going down to Munster the following season in Mother City. In 2024, Jake White’s Bulls lost to Glasgow Warriors at Loftus, and then Leinster in Dublin last week.
All Blacks legend Mils Muliaina previously said an American team competing in Super Rugby could help attract South Africans back to the southern hemisphere competition, amid reports that World Rugby is exploring a US-based team to boost interest ahead of the 2031 World Cup in America.
Two-time Springbok world champion Frans Steyn, now Cheetahs director of rugby, recently criticised the current scheduling and travel demands for SA teams in the URC and EPCR competitions while insisting local teams should return to Super Rugby.
The likes of former Bok and Bulls loose forward Jacques Potgieter played for the Waratahs and speaking on Stan Sport’s ‘Inside Line’, Hooper discussed why more must be done to lure players from the Republic to Super Rugby Pacific.
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“I think we need to make it more attractive. I’d love to see South Africa back,” the 125-Test flanker said. “I’d love to see that country brought back into Super Rugby.”
On whether he’d like to see just players or the Bulls, Stormers, Sharks, Lions and Cheetahs rejoining the competition, the former Australia skipper added: “Their teams, I’d love to see that.
“I hear that it’s very difficult for South Africa to play in that URC, very difficult for the players; they’ve got to fly through Doha to get up there. It’s tough going for them physically to play up and down there.
“I don’t think that the sentiment around it is like, ‘this URC thing is the best thing ever’.
“Maybe it’s just me being old and now being one of the players remembering the past [but] there’s a lot of people talking about, you know, those sort of days.
“It happened back in the day as well, with Jacques Potgieter coming to the Waratahs, you know, guys like that. So I think, how can the competition look juicier for players to come. But it comes down to financial gain.”
Photo: Seb Daly/Gallo Images
