Quotas saga ruffles Boks

Distracted from "Die Swart Gevaar" they are facing in the shape of the All Blacks, talk in the Springbok camp has turned to the burning issue of racial quotas ahead of Saturday's Rugby Championship clash.

With debate raging at home over the proposed changes to selection policy that will compel the national coach to select seven players of colour in his match-day 23 from next year, it was just a question of time before the players started discussing the issue with a sense of unease.

In a team gathering earlier this week, some senior players suggested that such sweeping changes would make it easy for players to seek contracts overseas.

That would seriously affect coach Heyneke Meyer's plans of winning next year's World Cup because he has invested heavily in players who campaign abroad.

Team management has been gagged and cannot discuss the matter, in public anyway, but it didn't stop reporters from probing Meyer at yesterday's team announcement.

While some All Blacks lazily strolled through the shopping malls of the capital on their day off yesterday, Meyer was careful not to put his foot in it.

"I'm just here to coach," said Meyer, inadvertently but strikingly reminiscent of the under-siege Springbok management's pronouncements here in 1981.

"It's always great to be among rugby people in New Zealand. You should probably ask that of the SA Rugby Union. I'm just here to represent my country. I've got enough worries of my own."

Reporters were later again reminded to direct questions to Saru headquarters, but the controlling body has remained mum on the subject.

Saru is determined to go ahead with its transformation initiatives as it believes it will grow the game in the long run.

It argues that 84% of South Africa's under-18 population is African black, but that only 4% of that number has access to rugby at school.

It intends entering into a partnership with the government that will redress that massive imbalance. But broadening the base of the sport does not guarantee changing the face of the Springbok team.

Saru will need to gaze inward and look in equal measure at the valid and convenient argument that transformation in rugby will happen together with change in socioeconomic conditions in the country.

Saturday's match-day squad will fall significantly short of the minimum quota requirement set for next year. Bryan Habana, Cornal Hendricks, Tendai Mtawarira and Trevor Nyakane are the non-white players in the match-day squad. Lwazi Mvovo, Oupa Mohoje and Gurthrö Steenkamp are the other non-white members of the touring squad.

It remains to be seen if this week's distraction will have any impact on the team's performance in a clash Meyer has described as the biggest challenge for every South African.

Some, however, may suggest that inequality remains our Everest.