Just how would Cape cope?

Last week, the Western Province Rugby Union witnessed a bizarre show of razzmatazz and showmanship. Six potential Super 14 franchises presented their cases to the South African Rugby Union (SARU) with glittering rhetoric and beaming smiles.

SARU, never shy to cash in on easy publicity, invited the public to witness the bidding. It was a conspiracy of smiles. No chance of reality here. Absolutely no chance of anybody mentioning that on the Super 12 table, South Africa's teams were 7th, 9th, 10th and 11th after six rounds.

If this is the best South Africa's top players could manage, how exactly is a bits-and-pieces fifth team going to cope?

This reality is discussed endlessly by lovers of the sport but never in the boardrooms. At SARU, The Truman Show is in full swing and has been for some time.

Meanwhile, news of John Mitchell's latest Wallaby signings for his Perth team was filtering through. Can you imagine the ever-widening gulf in planning for the Super 14 between Mitchell and the yet-to-be-appointed coach of the yet-to-be-identified fifth South African side?

Our administrators have made an art of pontificating and vacillating, hesitant to tackle a tricky Super 14 problem. Politicians argue that the fifth team must have a strong racial transformation element to it, while sportsmen reckon that it should go to the best team outside the current four franchises.

The Eastern Cape region has a strong tradition of black rugby and the country's highest number of registered black players.

The problem is that the provincial teams involved - Border and Eastern Province - have struggled in the B section of the Currie Cup.

In competition for the fifth franchise is the Central Region, basically the province of Free State. The Bloemfontein-based team has been a very unhappy partner in the Cats franchise and are desperate to break away.

Free State argue that they are one of the Currie Cup's most consistent achievers, and it is true that they are a nursery of talent for the richer unions.

So who is it going to be? Free State or the Eastern Cape? Do not be surprised to hear that it is highly likely to be both. The reliable word from the SARU circus is that the two are to be joined in what will be another hellish combination.

Bloemfontein and the Eastern Cape cities of Port Elizabeth and East London are more than 1000km apart. We've seen that regional franchises don't work in South Africa because of the distances involved. The Cats are a prime example - Free State and the Lions (Johannesburg) have never got on.

South Africa performed best in the Super 12 in 1996, when the top four Currie Cup finishers were given Super 12 representation.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY