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Rugby World Cup could reveal these 3 new recruiting pipelines

By John Scimeca

PARIS, FRANCE - MARCH 19: Joe Marchant of England in action during Six Nations tournament match between France and England at Stade De France in Saint-Denis of Paris, France on March 19, 2022. (Photo by Loic Baratoux/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - MARCH 19: Joe Marchant of England in action during Six Nations tournament match between France and England at Stade De France in Saint-Denis of Paris, France on March 19, 2022. (Photo by Loic Baratoux/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) /
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SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE – APRIL 10: JC Pretorius #6 of South Africa runs with the ball against Kaminieli Rasaku #11 and Jerry Tuwai #9 of Fiji in the first half of their cup quarterfinal match during the HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens at the National Stadium on April 10, 2022 in Singapore. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images)
SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE – APRIL 10: JC Pretorius #6 of South Africa runs with the ball against Kaminieli Rasaku #11 and Jerry Tuwai #9 of Fiji in the first half of their cup quarterfinal match during the HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens at the National Stadium on April 10, 2022 in Singapore. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images) /

1. South Africa

South Africa is a nation of more than 60 million residents located at the southern tip of the African continent. One of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse nations in the world, it counts 11 official languages and a vast number of influences on its history, culture, and landscapes.

The “Springboks” (the team’s nickname from a gazelle native to southern Africa) are one of the world’s most successful rugby-playing countries, having won the Rugby World Cup three times since 1995. This was the country’s first appearance in the World Cup, as it was barred in 1987 and 1991 due to Apartheid.

The post-Apartheid team that hosted and won the 1995 Rugby World Cup with Francois Pienaar as captain (and with support from newly elected president Nelson Mandela) inspired the highly acclaimed Clint Eastwood-directed film Invictus in 2009, which won several major awards.

If there are so many talented rugby players from South Africa, couldn’t a few more find their way onto the American football gridiron at the college level?

Two South Africans currently play in the NFL: Minnesota Vikings kicker Greg Joseph, a Florida Atlantic product, and Chicago Bears offensive lineman Dieter Eiselen, a first-team All-Ivy League performer from Yale. Eiselen was a former rugby player who ended up at a Connecticut boarding school for high school before joining the Bulldogs at the FCS level.

The only other non-kicker from South Africa to play in the NFL was Jerome Pathon, a wide receiver who played for four different teams between 1998 and 2005. Pathon was born in Johannesburg but grew up in Canada before going in the second round of the 1998 NFL Draft. At the college level at the University of Washington, he had 73 receptions in 1997 — the fifth-most by any Huskies wideout in a single season.

Sure, the distance is great from the United States and the sporting culture is dominated by rugby union and soccer, but the potential is certainly there for more South African rugby players to make an impact in college football.

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