Rugby must change in the open

IT IS to be hoped Heyneke Meyer’s Springboks can now

focus on rugby matters after the furore surrounding

the composition of the World Cup squad over the last

month.

And, maybe, their performance in England will be a lot

better than the South African Rugby Union’s (Saru) han-

dling of the whole situation.

Their silence on trade union federation Cosatu’s con-

cerns that the team doesn’t reflect the demographics of the

country was deafening, while Saru president Oregan

Hoskins blaming the lack of transformation at schoolboy

level was flimsy at best.

Reports emerged from the Boks’ training base in Durban

last week that Meyer was told that his squad must be made

up of 30 percent black players.

In the end, eight players of colour walked down the green

and gold carpet last night – a touch below the required num-

ber. However, Saru was quiet about that as well.

Meyer smiled and answered in the affirmative when he

was asked if he was happy about the make-up of his squad.

But his selections over the past two months suggest that he

may not be entirely happy.

Especially because a few regulars like Marcell Coetzee

didn’t make it, while Siya Kolisi, who only played a couple of

minutes for the Boks off the bench this year, was included.

If it is true that Saru ordered Meyer to pick at least eight

black players in the team, they should have come out and

said so from the beginning so that everybody, including the

coach and the players, knew where they stood.

A player like Rudy Paige, a black scrumhalf from the Bulls

who was arguably the best South African in his position

during Super Rugby, was picked ahead of Cobus Reinach, a

regular for the Boks this year.

Meyer should have blooded Paige in the Rugby Champi-

onship to get some experience going into a World Cup. He is

good enough, and has shown it for the Bulls.

Reinach, who was relatively poor for the Sharks this year,

has been left out and there may be a bit of an uproar. But

this could have easily been avoided if Paige had been given

a chance to show his mettle.

It’s unfair on both black and white players, as well as the

rugby-loving public, to be kept in the dark. SA Rugby needs

to be more transparent when it comes to transformation. Si-

lence and flimsy comments are only making things worse.