‘NO TOKEN BLACK PLAYERS FOR WP’
Province won’t indulge in window-dressing in its rugby team, says president
WESTERN Province Rugby has promised there will be “no windowdressing” or token black players in its teams – after confirmation yesterday of new race-based rugby quotas.
Official race quotas are to be introduced to South African rugby from next year. A minimum of seven black players will have to be selected play in next year’s Vodacom Cup 22-man squads – of whom five will have to play, and two may be on the bench. And of those seven at least two will have to be forwards.
The president of WP Rugby, Thelo Wakefield, told the Cape Argus yesterday: “I’m happy that Saru took a stance on transformation at Vodacom level.
“There are quite a few benefits. First, it will give players of colour more exposure. Second, it will provide them with a platform to display their talents.
“And, third, it’s just the right thing to do. If you live in South Africa it’s non-negotiable,” Wakefield said.
He said Western Province would accept the new law seamlessly.
“WP doesn’t have a problem,” he explained. “There are 91 clubs in the province, and we understand transformation. Coaches know what’s expected of them.
“We have the players, we have enough stock. All we have to do is nurture them, and we have the structures in place and believe this new law shouldn’t pose a problem.”
“There will never be a time when WP will do window-dressing in the selection of teams. The coaches will still make the selections on merit, and we’ve already played with eight or nine players (of colour) in our teams.”
But he admitted: “I pity the other unions who cannot make it.”
Race quotas were introduced into SA rugby teams in 1999 – with the exception of Super Rugby and Springbok teams – but fell away in 2004.
One of the reasons was that “quota player” caused widespread dismay as a pejorative term.
But now SA Rugby wants to rein- troduce quotas specifically in the Vodacom Cup competition.
Asked to comment, former WP and Springbok captain Corne Krige said: “The danger with quotas, when I look back at my playing days – which is a long time ago now – is that a guy like Breyton Paulse came along and deserved his place in the team, and yet was seen as a quota no matter how good he was – which was unfair.
“How do you select players on pure merit and not count them as a quota player? We have to right the wrongs of the past. But you have to do it with care,” Krige said.
The Vodacom Cup is fourth-tier competition – beneath the national set-up, the Super Rugby competition and the Vodacom Currie Cup – involving16 rugby unions, split into north and south sections.