The impact of South African politics on rugby

[PaarlBok]

As I posted in the jersey thread, this is the first bok jersey without a springbok on the front. I understand that you can only have one logo on the front of the jersey in the world cup, but in 2007 it was a big springbok combined with a little protea. This time, it's all protea. I wouldn't be happy about that, Paarl.

ja sure I aint.

Snor and Roux had some explaining to do in cabinet for their poor showing.

Superrugby

'I deserve a medal' - Div

02 August 2011, 23:58

He deserves a medal after four years as Springbok coach, Peter de Villiers said on Tuesday. "And a big one too," the coach added boldly.



According to Die Burger newspaper, De Villiers and SA Rugby Union (Saru) CEO Jurie Roux were in Parliament to inform the portfolio committee on sport and recreation about preparations for next month’s Rugby World Cup tournament.
De Villiers said the coaching team did an excellent job of forging players from different unions with different game patterns into a world-class team within a few weeks – despite some injuries.

He outlined plans for winning the World Cup, as well as some of the team's weaknesses, strengths and what they see as threats.

He described one of the weaknesses as an inability to deliver the knockout punch.

“We need a killer instinct,” said De Villiers.

MPs grilled De Villiers and Saru about the Springboks’ defeats during the Castle Tri-Nations tour of Australia and New Zealand.

They repeatedly asked why the best team stayed at home, accusing De Villiers of persisting with players whose game is not up to scratch.

But De Villiers maintained that the team has enough experience and talent to be crowned the best in the world, and Roux insisted that the best available players went on tour.

Injured players attended a rehabilitation camp in Rustenburg and Saru has the medical certificates to prove it.

De Villiers stressed that team selections have never been motivated by sentiment and that experience, leadership and “class” were critical.

“We first decide what we want before we look at the names. … There has never been a sentimental selection.”

ANC MPs used the opportunity to attack Saru about the lack of transformation.

According to the Beeld newspaper, Committee chairman Mgolodi Dikgacwi said players of colour are disappearing, while the “white laaities” continue to progress. He wanted to know what Saru was doing about it.

“The past two weeks the Sharks and the Cheetahs on the field were 100% white. Is no development taking place in those provinces? If you don’t tell them what the criterion is they will not come right.”

 

[PaarlBok]

Hats off to Coetzee, skin colour dont count in his books, merit only!

and Wakefield change his tune
WP site

Comment from acting-president of the Western Province Rugby Union - Thelo Wakefield
Thelo Wakefield, acting-president of the Western Province Rugby Union, reacted strongly to media reports that the current WP team is too white.
“This is definitely not the case. I support the WP teams whole heartedly. I only related to what transpired at the General Council Meeting last week,” explained Wakefield.

It was not my own views, but views expressed in the meeting by our club representatives. It was never my intention to be divisive. This union works incredibly hard to ensure we remain inclusive and at the forefront of change for the better and have put in place a number of programmes over the years to ensure this. These continue to produce positive results. I sign off the WP teams and certainly don't prescribe to the coaching staff. I back the coach, Allister Coetzee and his management team and all at WP Rugby.”

“Whilst we hear the concerns raised by our clubs and realise that there's still work to do, we continue to evolve and remain committed to our structures, players, coaching staff and management. We will continue to support, building, rather than breaking down. Our long term initiatives that we have put in place, like the WP Institute in Stellenbosch and the club talent identification programme amongst others, continue to produce results,” added Wakefield. “And we will continue along this path.”

Model of the story, get yourself a coloured coach who can give them back straight.

 

[Mank]

Paarl i have no doubt they previously had quotas in SA rugby, as well as most other sports. However i wont buy into it nowdays unless people provide good evidence. Maybe if this idiot gets in he will proudly re-introduce them and you will have evidence to show us.

I think this is from an interview with PDiv a while ago (could be a few years).

“Wouldn’t official quotas make more sense than this gentlemen’s agreement?” “Quotas do more harm than good. Look what quotas have done to the crayfish industry in this country. When there are official quotas, those non-white players in the team are regarded as quota players.”

In other words, from what I understand, coaches are still required to select a certain ratio, or quota if you like, but the term quota is not used to specify this.

 

[Bruwheresmycar]

Yea thats interesting, pretty vague though and doesn't specify whether he is talking about super/local/test rugby. Even so i find it funny how some people see De Villiers as the pinnacle of stupidity, sarcasm and lies when talking to the media about anything rugby related, but a model of integrity when he is telling the media there may be some form of quota in existence.

Anyway i don't see much more to add to this thread, might be best to leave it be.

 

[Mank]

Even so i find it funny how some people see De Villiers as the pinnacle of stupidity, sarcasm and lies when talking to the media about anything rugby related, but a model of integrity when he is telling the media there may be some form of quota in existence.

Ok, I thought the quote was quite revealing in it's own right, but up to you how you interpret it. Guess it'll just have to be down to deduction and what you see as more likely. No issues with you wanting hard proof if your intuition says no quotas. For me I think it's pretty much common knowledge there is still a gentlemen's agreement (quotas by another name) in existence, but I could be wrong.

 

[PaarlBok]

Oh well speaking of which. Saru's Hoskins blwing his top
Sport24

SA rugby too white - Hoskins
2011-08-07 13:51Email | Print

Cape Town - South African rugby union (SARU) president Oregan Hoskins is "highly disgruntled" that teams playing in the Currie Cup and the national under-19 and under-21 competitions are predominantly white.

"It is unacceptable that certain unions still pick lily-white teams. SARU is committed to transformation, but not all unions are playing their part," Hoskins told the Rapport newspaper.

Hoskins also wrote a letter to the respective provincial unions three weeks ago, in which he expressed his dissatisfaction over the matter.

Hoskins wrote the letter after the Sharks fielded no players of colour when they trashed the Blue Bulls in a Currie Cup match Durban on 16 July. On that same weekend, the Cheetahs only fielded one player of colour against the Leopards in Bloemfontein.

"Only 17% of all players that played in the respective provincial competitions during that weekend were players of colour. It is too few, and we must improve it," said Hoskins.

There is no current quota system in South African rugby, but Hoskins is convinced the government would reinstate it if the unions don't play their part.

Hoskins did, however, say that he is happy with the racial composition of the Springbok team after coach Peter de Villiers included six players of colour in his 24-man squad.

 

[Thomond78]

and Wakefield change his tune
WP site

Model of the story, get yourself a coloured coach who can give them back straight.

In fairness, WP would have many more Coloured players if the Blou Bulle didn't poach them all...

 

[Thomond78]

As I posted in the jersey thread, this is the first bok jersey without a springbok on the front. I understand that you can only have one logo on the front of the jersey in the world cup, but in 2007 it was a big springbok combined with a little protea. This time, it's all protea. I wouldn't be happy about that, Paarl.

To be fair, that's RWC's fault. If it's the Bok or their precious logo to move off the front, it should be the logo, every time. Dolts.

 

[Blue]

In fairness, WP would have many more Coloured players if the Blou Bulle didn't poach them all...

Like who exactly?

 

[Blue]

Oh well speaking of which. Saru's Hoskins blwing his top
Sport24

Well Hoskins is to blame. Fark he is a twat.

 

[Thomond78]

Like who exactly?

Gurthro Steenkamp, for one. Although I still cannot believe you've been so slack as to let Toulouse get their hands on him; I reckon you've let a real propping gem slip there.

 

[PaarlBok]

In fairness, WP would have many more Coloured players if the Blou Bulle didn't poach them all...

The perfect example is Boland. Apart from the poaching we show what can be done if a province have a rugby culture. Thats the problem with dose like Hoskins, Wakefield and the politicians. They keep on critising the top structure teams and dont do anything at the roots of rugby. Boland community is a rugby one all over the province and half their CC squad is coloured players.

Boland province have the most clubs in SA and easily 70% coloured players.

 

[PaarlBok]

I'll go to the very low structure of Interschools U13s. Boishaai poach this three blacks I saw last week in their U13 team. Khanya Ncusane & WP U13 Craven Week captain Athi Magwala

 

[PaarlBok]

Right this never ending story will never end untill we are done. The latest
Our provinces reaction to Hoskins claims
Sport24

Unions defend 'lily-white' teams
2011-08-14 15:
Cape Town - Rugby unions have been transformed at management level but it’s “harder” to ensure more diversity on the playing field.

This was the reaction of *provincial rugby bosses after South African Rugby Union (SARU) president Oregan Hoskins said last week that he was *dissatisfied that certain teams were still “lily-white”.

Hoskins said he was unhappy that teams in the Currie Cup tournament, the national *Under-19 and Under-21 tournaments were still too white. SARU was also roasted in Parliament over its transformation programme.

Hoskins confirmed he had sent a letter to provincial unions a month ago in which he berated them for not having enough black players in this year’s Currie Cup and the SA junior teams contests.

“It’s unacceptable that certain unions are still choosing lily-white teams. SARU is committed to *transformation, but not all the *unions are pulling their weight,” Hoskins said.

However, provincial bosses have defended their transformation *programmes.

Herman Abrahams, deputy chief executive of Western Province, *admitted “there is a shortage of transformation structures”, while adding in the same breath “our *management positions are filled by black people and the critics must not just look at the 15 *players who run out of the tunnel.”

He said yearly targets must be set for black players.

“If we widen the intake of black players at the bottom, more *players will make it to the senior teams.”

Blue Bulls Company chief executive Barend van Graan said they recruited only the best available talent, pointing out that their numbers were 21.7% black players in the Under-19 team, 18.2% for the Under-21 side and 18.2% for the senior squads.

Van Graan said their best black players were not available for the Currie Cup as they were serving in national teams.

Free State Rugby Union *president Harold Verster said, *practically, transformation took time. “There are people of colour in management and we have already developed numerous black players, just to lose them to the other *unions.”

Griffons chief executive Eugene van Wyk said they had a high number of black players because there were black management members in decision-making *positions.

In the meantime, sources inside SARU’s committee for transformation and development said during a meeting on Wednesday there was concern over transformation failures at provincial level.

Apparently most fingers were pointed at the northern unions.

There were fears that government might impose quotas again as there had not been visible *improvement in transformation.

SARU chief executive Jurie Roux said the union was drafting an official transformation policy following the midweek indaba.

“This is being drafted in *conjunction with the Department of Sport and Recreation and we hope talented players of colour will in future be identified through mass participation and go on to play at the highest level.”

Absa, the main sponsor of the Springboks and SARU’s national competitions, this week said their last year’s position - over the slow pace of transformation in rugby - “remains unchanged”.

Dunno what happen to the earlier posters trying to say qoutas dont excist in SA Rugby. Its vokken kicking and alive like hell.

This is what they really want to see

Sport24

SA rugby 'should be 60% black'
2011-08-14 17:15Email | Print

Rugby (File)
Related Links
Springboks bolster their squad
Deans: Boks 'getting there'
Smit's World Cup dream alive
Julian Jansen

Cape Town - Makhaya Jack, a TV commentator and former player for SARU (in the old segregated national union for coloured players), this week said the minister of sport should issue an ultimatum to provinces to transform.

He believes the minister should also create structures separate from SARU to evaluate and monitor transformation.

He said South African teams should be at least 60% black.

"SARU is sitting on a transformation charter, but nothing is happening.

“You see good black players in the Grant Khomo and Craven Week teams, but they disappear when it comes to the Vodacom and Super Rugby tournaments, as well as in the national teams,” said Jack.

 

[PaarlBok]

Snor gets the hot seat again
Sport24

Enough black Boks - Div
Johannesburg - While he selected only two more players of colour in his World Cup squad than his predecessor, Springbok coach Peter de Villiers insisted that transformation within the game has taken place.
"We transformed this team from a team that wasn’t accessible to the people to the team that is now the people’s team," said De Villiers.

In the 2007 Springbok squad, six "non-white" men were included in Jake White’s final group of 30 players who went on to lift the William Webb Ellis trophy in France.
Four years later, the team’s first "non-white" coach was also scrutinised for the situation which is now under his control.

In recent weeks, Currie Cup coaches have been taken to task for fielding white-dominated sides despite the fact that so many black youngsters are representing their provinces at schoolboy level.
De Villiers took offence to a question posed to him, directly after he had presented his team to the media with regard to transformation.

He said he had hoped that, by this stage, people would look beyond skin colour and only judge players on their performance.
"I don’t know how many black players there are in the squad, we never sat down and worked that out or decided to pick someone based on the colour of their skin," said de Villiers.

"We wanted South Africans to be proud of the team that is going overseas and we selected the best rugby players in this country, at this moment, in their specific positions.

"If they are black, they are not to blame for it and if they are white they are not to blame for it either."

 

[PaarlBok]

We had a national sports indaba this week between all role players withing SA sports. The net result
Sport24

Quotas will stay - minister
2011-11-22 19:33Email | Print

Johannebsurg - It was too early to scrap quotas in South African sport, Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula said on Tuesday.

On the final day of the National Sport and Recreation Indaba in Midrand, during discussions on transformation in the plenary, it was decided that the quota system could not be scrapped while the transformation charter and the transformation scorecard would be adopted into the Nation Sports Plan.

During the final session of the transformation commission, where the resolutions were to be passed, there was widespread division on whether the system should be scrapped or reinstated.

“The indaba acknowledged the challenges and limitations with regard to the implementation of the quota system in its current form and the negative effects of this system in deepening racial polarisation,” Mbalula said.

“To this end, the indaba observed the unfortunate and painful stigma imposed on young black athletes and players as a result of the application of this archaic system.”

With the rigorous debate surrounding this contentious issue, it was decided that the quota system would not be scrapped, and the merit system would also not be undermined.

“However, a strong case has been made for the uninterrupted continuation of the quota system through the direct selection of black players into national codes, using the adopted scorecards contained in the transformation charter,” Mbalula said.

“You will still have that particular programme [quota system], but at the same time that programme will be enhanced by a visible and clear transformation charter.

"Federations and everybody else will be held accountable in terms of what we seek to achieve as a nation about integration, equity and accessibility in terms of different sporting codes.”

Rugby in particular came under fire, with SA Rugby Union (SARU) president Oregan Hoskins defending his federation.

Hoskins admitted the sport had not progressed as much as it could have in terms of transformation, but he invited more black people to get involved in rugby.

“It will not help to talk only in this forum. I also experienced the worst form of apartheid and the fact of the matter is that I am democratically elected [as SARU president],” Hoskins said.

“So I urge my comrades with the expertise to make yourselves available to the rugby unions and SARU to have a say.

"To effect change in rugby we have to start in the boardroom because, as you know, most of my brothers in rugby are white.”

Hoskins said he would seek clarity from Mbalula and the Sports Ministry as to what had been decided regarding quotas.

“We have heard the decision and that is contrary to what the Minister had said earlier - that quotas had been done away with," Hoskins said.

"The indaba has decided that quotas should not be done away with, so we will meet as SA rugby to discuss the effect of what has happened here.”

Hoskins is just as dumb as the Minister. "It have to start at the board room", NO you dumb doos, it starts at grassroots levels, at the bottom. This will never going to end.

 

[PaarlBok]

Sport24

SARU to boost transformation
2011-12-08 16:59Email | Print

Cape Town - The South African Rugby Union (SARU), with the backing of the National Lottery and Department of Sport and Recreation, plans to launch a major Academy Project that has the potential to dramatically increase the opportunities for top-flight rugby among young, black players.

Sport and Recreation Minister Fikile Mbalula announced a SARU pilot initiative to open four rugby academies within the Eastern Province, Border, South Western Districts and Boland Rugby Unions. The plan is dependent on the release of funding by the National Lottery.

SARU hopes to induct 120 young players into the Academies across the Eastern, Southern and Western Cape regions. They will receive expert coaching as well as sports science, dietary and supplementation support. They will play for the age group teams of their unions and “graduate” at the age of 21.

“We are hopeful of confirming this major SARU initiative in due course,” said Oregan Hoskins, president of SARU. “It has the potential to break significant, new ground and will help address our long-standing concern over the drop off in black player numbers between schools and professional rugby.

“The programme will also equip young players with the life skills to manage their careers and its demands in a way that was clearly and so tragically absent in the life of Solly Tyibilika.

“But, in its basics, it is about levelling the playing field and giving talented young players the chance to compete with their peers on an equal footing.”

However, Hoskins warned that the Academy initiative would remain stalled without extended backing. SARU hopes to confirm details in the New Year.

The Project is planned to start with a grant of R35 million by the Lotto. The application was made in September 2010 and SARU hopes to receive the written confirmation in the very near future. Funding beyond the first year is still being sourced but Mbalula said he would support SARU’s application for funding on a continuous basis.

The Academies will use existing facilities to concentrate spending on player development. Each Academy will have a full-time staff of six and a part-time doctor. Players will spend 40 weeks of the year at the Academy and will, in addition, pursue further education programmes.

Hoskins said that although creating new Springboks was desirable, the focus of the Academies was more fundamental.

“Let’s not have any illusions,” he said. “These Academies are not expected to be new ‘Springbok conveyor belts’. We are not in competition with the metropolitan unions for young players and those unions will continue to select and recruit the very best emerging players from all communities.

“But there are a large number of talented young players who show outstanding potential but then fail to make the cut for reasons of conditioning and nutrition as much as skill and ability. These Academies will go some way to addressing that issue by providing a safety net.”

SARU is pursuing plans to open five further academies across the country. An application for two further academies - at the Griffons and Valke provincial unions - was not successful at the first attempt.

 

[spooony]

Wonder how a guy feels when he knows his only in the team because of a racial quota. Don't think any sportsman no matter how desperate will accept that or will like to get in that way and will mostly decline.
But on the other hand they are doing a good job to make some believe they were actually good enough to be part of a national team where everyone knows he's not up to scratch.