Head honcho of the sport must use his power to make the changes
The issue of the paucity of black head coaches in rugby has been undaba mlonyeni, the talk of the town, this whole year.
It is 2019 but it may as well be 1919 because rugby is lagging well behind its target of having a transformed – at least 50% black representation – environment by the end of this year.
I was stunned, then, to read that SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux, who has done his best to escape public scrutiny regarding a multitude of issues, was “disappointed” at the fact that there is only one black head coach in the country’s Super Rugby and Pro14 franchises.
That sole flag-bearer is Southern Kings head coach Deon Davids, who is in his third season at the helm of the Port Elizabeth-based franchise.
None of the four Super Rugby franchises are headed by black head coaches, let alone black African, which, in this day and age, is really a kick in the groin for the advancement of transformation ideals.
Allister Coetzee, the last black Super Rugby coach, left a massive vacuum in Cape Town, not only in terms of results but in transformation objectives as well.
During his tenure as Stormers head coach, Coetzee had as many as 11 to 13 black players in any given 23-man squad.
When he departed, he was replaced by a white imitation – Robbie Fleck – and a technical team that was all-white, bar defence coach Paul Treu. When matters soured with Treu, the Stormers went into the competition with their remaining allwhite coaching staff members.
Up north, the Bulls were said to have coveted Davids’ services but they went with Pote Human instead.
Human commands a lot of respect in Pretoria, having coached the Blue Bulls and Tuks (University of Pretoria) in the past but the fact that Hayden Groepes is his only non-white member of coaching staff really drags the transformation objectives back.
Roux’s response to this stagnation really left a bitter taste. He told SA Rugby Magazine: “It’s been extremely disappointing to see recruitment opportunities missed at all levels and we are looking at mechanisms to address that attitude. There aren’t enough black coaches coming through the union systems and those who are there are not being provided with sufficient opportunities.”
To be disappointed is a rather useless emotion to possess, especially for a person in immense power. Roux has the power to put it into rugby policy, influencing the SA Rugby executive and general council (of which he is a member) to make special provision and amendments that require provinces and franchises to appoint black members of staff.
He has the power to put it into rugby law that teams that do not transform will lose their franchise licences or be relegated from the Currie Cup Premier Division.
Franchise status is very valuable, as we’ve seen with the Pumas’ countless attempts to force their way into the elite group – although at the expense of the Kings.
Eastern Province – as is their calling – is leading the way with regards to transformation in the coaching booth. In fact, the union can claim to have given SA Rugby its prized assets such as Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick as well as other franchises such as the Sharks, who have former Eastern Province utility back Ricardo Laubscher assisting Robert du Preez.
Another milestone was reached in recent weeks when Chumani Booi was named the head coach of the Eastern Province SuperSport Rugby Challenge and Currie Cup teams.
Booi assisted Elliot Fana at the Border Bulldogs, where he cut his teeth as an innovative thinker and man-manager.
His rugby pedigree is not up for debate, having played for the Stormers, Bulls and Sharks.
He is the embodiment of how the Border and Eastern Province unions ought to promote talent within the province. These are practical steps that a union serious about changing the face of rugby enacts. It’s time for Roux’s SA Rugby to act. *Disclaimer: Thando Manana is the Eastern Province team manager for the SuperSport Rugby Challenge and Currie Cup 2019.