John Mitchell: SA sucking his thumb thinking that he can win Super Rugby

South African rugby may be mistaken in saying that one of its teams will win Super Rugby in the near future, but the reality is that it will not happen soon.

Bulls coach John Mitchell had little hesitation He is actually trying to justify the franchise's radical plan to recruit three or four "world clbad" players for next season.

Loftus men are apparently eager to attract Springboks Duane Vermeulen (No. 8), Ox Nche and Frans Malherbe (props) to play their rugby in Pretoria while targeting the imposing Lied flank Cyle Brink .

"We guess and take the thumbs to think that our teams can win a tournament of this magnitude, especially with the amount of games that have to be played. Ssuking some world clbad players and Super Rugby quality is a joke, "said Mitchell before the Bulls meet with the Jaguares at home on Saturday.

"We, as South African teams, we simply did not have Super Rugby quality squads in their entirety. Only when we start creating Super Rugby quality teams will a South African team win the tournament. We create a culture where we put young men into match situations for which they are just not ready. It's a reality and it speaks on the dashboard. "

Exactly, when the Blue Bulls Company, the professional branch of the Bulls, will not have the money to fund the planned recruitment campaign, Mitchell says nothing. With the lure of foreign currency that continues to undermine local teams, some pragmatic voices are wondering if Mitchell is unrealistic.

But it is not categorical: it can work. "It's about focusing on your flagship team in the club and when you're investing in juniors, you're trying to get a return on investment, which means you have to be more specific in your recruiting and create the type of competitive team that keeps the players together for a few years.

"We know the challenges of Europe but there are still many young men who love our lifestyle. I want to be close to my family and would like to play for Springboks. "

For now, however, the Bulls need experienced big names and sort the dead wood.

"We are in advanced negotiations to bring in world-clbad players. The Currie Cup players are not switchboard operators, "said Mitchell

Bulls: Warrick Gelant, Jamba Ulengo, Jesse Kriel, Johnny Kotze, Divan Rossouw, Handre Pollard (c), Paper Embrose, Hanro Liebenberg, Jannes Kirsten, Marco van Staden, RG Snyman, Jason Jenkins, Conraad van Vuuren, Jaco Visagie, Pierre Schoeman. Bench: Edgar Marutlulle, Simphiwe Matanzima / Matthys Bbadon, Mornay Smit, Thembelani Bholi, Nic de Jager, Ivan van Zyl, Libbok Manie, Dries Swanepoel

For more sport in your own way, download The Citizen App for iOS and Android .