South African Rugby Football Union chief executive Rian Oberholzer says that winning the 2001 Super 12 competition is the next step in the country's climb up the international ladder.

Oberholzer agreed that it was time that South Africa broke its Super 12 duck - only once has a South African team made it into the final, the Sharks in 1996.

"Most definitely. All our coaches must work together to help the Springboks continue to improve and the Super 12 is an important next step for us in that regard," said Oberholzer.

"If you look back at our domestic season, there can be no doubt that our Currie Cup competition is very strong and it's now time a SA team won the Super 12.

"There can be no more excuses. We have the players and the coaches and we must now get out on to the field and do the business."

Oberholzer, reflecting on the Springboks' tour of the UK and Argentina, is optimistic about the future of the game in South Africa.

"I think the tour was positive on the whole. Losing to England was obviously a blow, but we did well against Argentina after a difficult start, beat Ireland and Wales and ended brilliantly against the Barbarians on Sunday.

"The team was on an upward curve and definitely coming to terms with the game plan under the coach. It's not easy adapting to the expectations of a new coach and the team needs time to adjust.

"We are entering a new chapter in SA rugby and these are exciting times, as are the coach's thoughts on the way the game should be played," said Oberholzer

Besides the loss to England, Oberholzer also views the Bok midweek team's poor form as a tour negative. But he points out that the blame for their unsatisfactory record of two wins in four games should rather be put at Sarfu's door.

"The midweek team didn't perform to expectations, but that's not their fault. They had a very unfair match programme and it's hardly surprising that they struggled as a result.

"I think it's important to analyse what went wrong on the tour and I think that we (Sarfu) must just ensure that we don't undertake a similar tour in future," admitted Oberholzer.

Despite their failures, Oberholzer still believes the midweek team's outings were invaluable in terms of highlighting promising young talent. He says the SA under-23's winning performances this year provided a similar purpose - they take on Morocco in the African Cup final in Cassablanca on Saturday.

"One cannot help but feel positive about the next few years when you look at the young talent coming through.

"The under-23 team especially showed plenty of promise and these are the guys who will be coming through the ranks. It augurs very well for the future of SA rugby."

It has been a year of mixed fortunes for the Boks, but new coach Harry Viljoen has done well considering the difficult circumstances in which he took over the job. Now that he has more time to plan, mistakes of the past can be rectified.

Prior to their recently concluded tour, the Boks won just three out of seven Tests in 1999. The Boks' form under Viljoen, however, helped increase their win-loss ratio to played 11, won 6.

Viljoen said from the outset that his first tour in charge would not be solely results-orientated. He was adamant that he needed time to get to know the players and to lay the groundwork for his ball-in-hand approach.

With the Super 12 looming large on the rugby horizon, Viljoen will need the support of the country's regional coaches to ensure that the momentum gained on tour is not lost.