‘Quotas’ in SA rugby will soon become a distant memory
THE Springbok starting XV which faced England in the first Test at Ellis Park featured more than a handful of African players. It’s a wonderful development and a step in the right direction. I’m happy to see the progress South African rugby is making in terms of transformation. Long may it continue.
Seeing Siya Kolisi run out as the first black African to skipper a Test side in Springbok history, was a hugely significant moment for South Africa as a young democracy. It was fantastic to see him lead out the men in green and gold yesterday, quite fittingly, at the spiritual home of South African rugby.
Springbok director of rugby, Rassie Erasmus’ mandate is to guide a Springbok team to next year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan that is 50 per cent black. To afford players of colour a proper platform to perform and stake their claim is encouraging to see. I hope ‘quotas’ are dying within a South African rugby context. I’m of the view that the sooner the divisive term is consigned to history, the better because no player wants to be labelled with the dreaded ‘quota’ tag.
We have been in the game from a professional viewpoint for 23 years and my hope is ‘quotas’ soon become a distant memory.
I poured over the current Springbok squad and can honestly say that there is not one black player that has not been selected purely on merit.
There is no way that the likes of Aphiwe Dyantyi, Sbu Nkosi, Warrick Gelant and Trevor Nyakane aren’t there because they haven’t performed out of their skin this season. In terms of Dyantyi, the winger reminds me of a young Bryan Habana and, as soon as he gets the ball, everyone sits up and expects something to happen because of his skill and speed.
Meanwhile, it was great to see Cheetahs loosehead prop Ox Nche, who competed in the PRO14 this season, play for the Springboks in the Test match against Wales in America. I’ve watched him perform for a couple of years and couldn’t believe he hadn’t had a shout at international level prior to the one-off Test in the States.
It’s pleasing to see talented players of colour given exposure at international level. I’m someone who doesn’t count transformation numbers and hopefully people in South Africa are getting to the point where it’s a case of the quality of black players over the quantity.
There are unique racial dynamics within the South African sporting landscape owing to the injustices of the past, but hopefully we’ll move past it sooner than later.