Transformation: rugby ducks issue

11 August 2011 - 02:52 By Craig Ray
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UNDER FIRE: Sharks coach John Plumtree, who is being forced to justify the selection of an all-white team in the face of complaints from SA Rugby Union boss Oregan Hoskins Picture: STEVE HAAG/GALLO IMAGES
UNDER FIRE: Sharks coach John Plumtree, who is being forced to justify the selection of an all-white team in the face of complaints from SA Rugby Union boss Oregan Hoskins Picture: STEVE HAAG/GALLO IMAGES

South African rugby this week ducked its head below the parapet over the lack of black player representation in the Currie Cup and in professional rugby generally.

It was left to Sharks coach John Plumtree to defend the status quo.

The Sharks started the furore by picking an all-white team against the Blue Bulls in round one, prompting SA Rugby Union president Oregan Hoskins to angrily fire off letters to the 14 provincial presidents.

What the letters said has not been disclosed, but it's not the first time Hoskins has complained to the provinces and it's not the first time they have ignored him.

Saru is in a tough position because it runs rugby but does not make policy. Provincial unions have to decide on it through a vote. If a quota system is to be reintroduced, the 14 provinces will have to pass a resolution on an issue that they're avoiding.

All provinces are already signatories to Saru's transformation charter that was adopted in 2006, but it seems they have ignored it.

Efforts to talk to several stakeholders were unsuccessful, but that's not surprising as there is little left to say on the subject.

Most provinces ignore black player development. The fact that black players make up only 17% of participants in the Currie Cup tells its own story.

"I've always picked on merit and it's never really been a problem in Durban because we've always had such excellent black players," Plumtree said in defence of his selections.

"But it's a double-edged sword because if you put a young guy of colour [in the team] and he's not good enough, it could be the end of his career if he doesn't play well.

"It's an unfortunate thing, so you have to be careful with any player, regardless of colour, at this level. He's got to be good enough, otherwise it can be a frustrating experience for him, and for everyone else."

Des Booysen, of the famous Raiders club in Johannesburg, and a Saru player during the apartheid era, says he believes that the bottleneck occurs between junior and senior rugby.

"There are usually six or seven good black players in every Craven Week team, but they fall away quickly afterwards," Booysen said.

"Only two or three will make it into the provincial under-21 structures and maybe one or two into the senior team. It's been like that for years."

Booysen's assessment is not new. The "glass ceiling" syndrome facing black players is a recurring theme. The question is why and what have the unions done about it?

No one can adequately explain - or is willing to - the first point, while the provinces have all to a lesser or greater degree failed on the second count. Strongly worded letters from Hoskins to union presidents have changed nothing.

Perhaps rugby has matured enough for the numbers game to no longer be an issue.

And perhaps the Sharks being able to select an all-white team should be celebrated as a sign of a mature sport and, by extension, a racially mature country. But one suspects this is not so.

Even at international level there seems to have been stagnation in black-player representation, although the Springboks should never be the plateau where development is undertaken.

"There is absolutely no pressure on me to pick a certain number of black players for the World Cup," Bok coach Peter de Villiers told The Times in May. "At the World Cup, the focus will be on being the best in each position. The guys who go to the World Cup - white and black - will feel worthy of their positions."

Unfortunately fewer black players will go to the World Cup in future if they are unable to break through at the provincial level first.

Saru is evidently awaiting feedback on an extensive plan for mass participation in schools and an academy project it presented to the government.

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