Super Rugby that was padlocked yesterday and the Currie Cup due to start next week increasingly have the look and feel of a patch job created out of necessity from a calendar torn to shreds by the pandemic.
While SA Rugby got the camel through the eye of the needle to bring the professional game back to the playing field, match cancellations in SRU served to blight the competition with its legacy set to be felt in the Currie Cup as a result of the points carried forward into that tournament.
Some might argue the integrity of both competitions has taken a knock as a result of those cancelled matches declared draws, while the playing schedule which saw some teams play more home matches than others has also come in for derision.
Sometimes it's just bad luck
Stormers coach John Dobson believes the Autumn Nations Cup in Europe may be on to something in the way it punishes teams when their players test positive for Covid-19 and matches have to be cancelled as a result. "You had the situation where France got five points and Fiji zero. If you get zero points as a consequence of not following the right protocols, sometimes it is just bad luck. It could be us next.
"But ultimately you want excellent behaviour from players outside these environments that we control. If your team gets zero points and there are consequences maybe a guy will think twice about going to a mall," asserted Dobson.
He said if there is a share of the points maybe three-all would be a more equitable arrangement than the current two each. Dobson then mischievously played devil's advocate by suggesting that might be open to abuse.
"Maybe we don't feel like going to Bloemfontein early in January. If the options were no points or five points we would absolutely want to play. Three points each, we'll probably take it. I just think these cancellations affect the integrity of the tournament if it goes on."
That said, he had no problem acknowledging the Bulls as worthy champions.
Super Rugby Unlocked finished yesterday with coach Jake White delivering the Bulls their first silverware since Victor Matfield held the Super Rugby trophy aloft in Soweto a decade ago.
"You've got to think on your feet, you have to be resilient. You have to understand that sometimes things are out of your control," said White this week as the silverware was being buffed for the Bulls. "I'm not arrogant but we enjoy winning."
In veterans like Duane Vermeulen, Morne Steyn, White had players familiar with the winners' podium, while fetcher flank Marco van Staden proved himself as arguably the most influential player in the tournament.
Lost captain and tactician Pienaar
Along with the Stormers, the Sharks and the Cheetahs will lament their inconsistency in SRU. The Sharks were at times passive but they have the player base to mount a serious challenge in the Currie Cup.
While the Cheetahs finished in the top four they will feel they could have done better had they played all their matches and did not lose captain and tactician Ruan Pienaar to long-term injury.
Like the Stormers, they will look forward to the Currie Cup with relish. The Cheetahs, through their involvement in the PRO14, are accustomed to playing in the sweltering conditions likely in December and January.
It is a fact not lost on coach Hawies Fourie, who is eyeing a top-two spot that brings home-ground advantage in the Currie Cup play-offs.
The Lions played just four matches and have no realistic prospect of challenging for the Currie Cup. Apart from three defeats, two home cancellations helped put paid to their campaign.
Heading into the Currie Cup all the teams will look to salvage what they can from a disjointed SRU.
As Dobson sagely acknowledged, the tournament that was created when SA Rugby had to make "the best of very bad circumstances", fell well short of the send-off many fans had envisaged for Super Rugby.
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