Plan to racially transform Springboks

Former world champions South Africa will include seven non-white players in 23- man match squads next year if dramatic transformation proposals are adopted by the national rugby body.

And at least five of the seven should be on the field at any time during Tests leading up to the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England, a South African Rugby Union (SARU) statement said.

Only three non- whites – wings Cornal Hendricks and Bryan Habana and prop Tendai Mtawarira – started in a Rugby Championship defeat by Australia last Saturday.

They were among four black forwards and three black backs included in a 30-man Springboks

The plan has been shared with SASCOC (national Olympic body) and the sports ministry and the next step is for the general council to sign it off. South African Rugby Union (SARU)

squad selected by coach Heyneke Meyer to tour Australasia.

Facing intense government pressure to transform a historically white sport, SARU want half the national team to be non-white by the 2019 season.

The ‘ 50- 50’ plan would also apply to national sevens, youth and schoolboy teams and to the Currie Cup, the national interprovincial rugby competition and a Springboks breeding ground.

SARU separates mixed- race players like Habana and black African players like Zimbabweborn Mtawarira in their proposals amid government anger over the lack of black Af rican Springboks.

When Meyer names his 30-man World Cup squad for England, at least five of the non-whites are expected to be black Africans.

SARU said in a statement that ignoring the racial imbalance in national teams would “put the sport at peril.

“The plan has been shared with SASCOC (national Olympic body) and the sports ministry and the next step is for the general council to sign it off.”

SARU development manager Mervin Green blamed t he slow reform pace on “a lack of proper talent identification and development programmes” at provincial level.

Transformation plans come amid growing media unhappiness with Meyer for recalling veteran white players rather than giving emerging black Africans a sustained chance.

Respected senior rugby writer Dan Retief said in a City Press newspaper column that if anyone ever picked a rod for his own back it was Meyer.

“Meyer has made some odd selections and arguably failed to rebuild while being out of touch with the imperatives of the country he lives in.”

Retief singled out black African f lank- cum- lock Teboho ‘ Oupa’ Mohoje, who won his first cap as a replacement against Scotland this year.

Despite a short, impressive debut, he has not had a minute of game time since while 33-yearold Juan Smith was recalled to start against Argentina after a near-four-year Test absence and performed poorly.

Nobel peace prize laureate and leading anti-apartheid campaigner Desmond Tutu recently criticised the lack of Springbok game time for black Africans. — AFP