My best achievement in competitive rugby was the semi-final of a regional high school tournament in the now disbanded, but necessary at the time, South African Council on Sports in 1987 (we lost to a more powerful team from Mitchell’s Plain, but the selfish tactics of our flyhalf also had much to do with it).
Sportswise 1987 is a more significant landmark however as it is the year the inaugural Rugby World Cup was played (New Zealand beat France. South Africa, ruled by a racial dictatorship at the time, was rightly banned from the tournament).
Since mid-September the latest edition of the Rugby World Cup is taking place in France (the final is on October 4 in Paris) and although I care less about rugby but am willing South Africa to victory (now football — and mostly the English and Spanish leagues — take priority of my ever shrinking sports obsessions), the tournament is a good time to measure change in that sport inside South Africa.
To that effect, the American news magazine Time just published a feature piece on South African rugby. Titled ‘South African Rugby: No Rainbow.’ The article pulls no punches on the lack of change in the sport.
Some highlights from the Time piece:
‘… [D]espite a 12-year hiatus since its last victory, the team does not look very different today than it did right after apartheid’s collapse. In a country where black people make up 80% of the population, the 30-man rugby squad includes only six players of color — only one more than it had fielded in the 2003 World Cup in Australia, where a white Springbok player notoriously refused to room with a black teammate. Zola Yeye, who last year became the first black team manager in the Springboks’ 101-year history, says the team’s racial makeup is an “indictment” of South African rugby, and a product of “a lot of resistance” to integration.
“Rugby was always seen as apartheid at play,” said Andy Colquhoun, a leading South African rugby commentator, in Paris this week. Even now, he adds, “it is a crucial part of the white psyche. It is South Africa.” Or, at least, white South Africa.
… Springbok manager Yeye faults the white-dominated club and provincial level rugby system for failing to recruit and groom black players. “We’ve got 40 million blacks at home and I’ve got only six of them in the squad,” he says. “I mean, Africans have played rugby in South Africa since the 1800s”…’
* The picture, above, of the South African rugby team, before their departure for France, accompanied the piece.
The thing is that the old white SA schools produce the best talent, but the majority of them are still very much white.
It’s not the national rugby selectors’ fault for picking the best players, the problem lies in the fact that as long as white South Africans can afford to send their kids to Grey, Maritzburg and all the other top schools where they get far better training, the majority of the best players will be white.
These politicians are under the delusion that there is this mass of fantastic black rugby talent that is being ignored by coaches because they are racists, which is absolute bull. If they have ever been able to prove this, they certainly haven’t made an effort to do so.
In New Zealand, the minority ethnic group (Mauris) have a disproportionate representation in the All Black side. Why? Because they are genetically a very BIG, FAST bunch of guys. The same way West Africans are great long distance runners, because it’s simply in their DNA.
The same way Afrikaaners can get bigger and bulkier than black South Africans.
So you see the issue is never that clear cut!
As a South African who has lived and worked in the Far East, Europe and the USA. I find it appaling how bias that article was from Time magazine. They should take their camera and report on the European and American continent where the real racism occurs. But what more can you expect from media outlets like CNN, BBC and the other far left eletist idiots.
South African grass roots Rugby will in the future develop more national players of color. But it is exactly that the Rugby team has more white players and the soccer team has more blacks. But guess what CNN/Times we South Africans will support any South African team be it soccer, ruggy or the world bloody chess championships it hasnothing to do with color but with ability.
Why not try for once in your negitive little journalistic brains try to report a positive story and go down to South Africa and watch South African of all colors firmly behind their Rugby team. So all I can say to Time magazine is go and watch your American Football where men in tights play with helmets and leave us to play a real mans game.
Go Bokke!!!!
capdog…as an american who has played rugby and lived in south africa (cape town)for 7 years I believe I have unique and insightful take on this issue…..First, I agree that, black team or white team, South Africans of all races are supporting the Boks. However, the reality is that there is both white obstructionist racism (overt and subtle) and black perceptions of rugby as a white sport that make it difficult to change the composition of the Boks.
As you mentioned, the top rugby schools are exclusive, expensive traditionally white schools. These kids get the early skill development, sport specific physical development and nutrition. The majority of Black south africans dont have access to these schools. Addtionally, there is still the social and backroom, subtle racism that makes it difficult for the few blacks that do make it to these schools and exhibit some level of rugby skill.
On the flip side, rugby is seen as a white sport by most blacks. It is not actively encouraged or supported at the critical early stages (primary school). As such, the best athletes dont get involved in rugby. They focus on soccer. It will take continued Bok success and a few breakout black players to really get grassroots interest in rugby and pull the better athletes to the game
SA Rugby’s Racist “Doom and Gloomers”
4 November 2007
I hate the implied suggestion that, just because future “Bok” (?) teams are likely to be more reflective of the demographics of the entire nation, now suddenly that means because it’s no longer lily white, we are going to lose all our games forever hereafter. What rubbish! It’s as racist an attitude as anyone wanting to punish a coach for selecting too white a team, simply because the development process had not delivered enough World Cup quality Black players yet!
By winning the RWC 2007, hopefully it will raise the popularity of the game in cultural sectors where it has always been seen as the “Sport of the Oppressor” and justifiably so, seeing as even Errol Tobias was under immense pressure for being the first “black Springbok” (from both Apartheid supporters and Liberation movements), a position that was exclusively reserved for white players for almost a century. Development, development, development…THAT and ONLY that is what will keep our Rugby strong and deliver quality players of all cultures. Then…given our population ratio of around 12 Blacks to 1 White, will it not be natural that on average, the National Team will probably comprise of 13 Black/Coloured and 2 White players? Stop looking at this country and its Sports through White Supremist, Apartheid glasses and embrace the reality of the future, or move to Orania and enjoy the success of your lily white team at international level!
I’m a white South African Rugby supporter. I have been following this game for more than 4 decades now. Nothing would please me more than to see our International Team truly representing the Nation as a whole, not largely a minority that has glumly tried to perpetuate white control of the Rugby Power base.
It’s one thing to try and force a Political solution, by firing white bosses and appointing Black or Coloured bosses, thinking that will solve the problem. The real solution lies at school level and CLUB level. Our normal society is becoming more culturally integrated (schools, universities, etc.) That is where the GAME SHOULD COME FIRST and be MARKETED and DEVELOPED by siting the role models such as the team who just brought honor to ALL South Africans by beating the rest of the world!