Bok fans deserve to know

A bit like Peter de Villiers's next Twitter outburst, a Springbok squad announcement is something to be approached with trepidation, because it almost always ends in the kind of robust debate that comes perilously close to being settled through fisticuffs.

With the racial undertones that tend to accompany each selection, the squad announcement has become a controversial thing.

In the last year or so, the South African Rugby Union have tried to draw the sting out of that by shielding Bok coach Heyneke Meyer from the traditional interrogation by the media.

The most recent example of that was this week, when a Supersport camera was dispatched to the Saru headquarters and chief executive Jurie Roux read out the squad.

Meyer's not-so in-depth sentiments on some of his choices were sent out by e-mail to print media, who claim not to have been told where the team was being announced.

As my barman Sipho says, a Bok team announcement is a big event.

I hate to sound like a new traditionalist, but in the old days the Saru president used to announce the team and the coach used to explain his decisions.

This week we had some ex-Maties fullback holding court on technical matters surrounding the Bok team.

The folks at Saru might be patting themselves on the back for having stifled any meaningful discussion on the end-of-year-tour squad, but they've done the rugby fraternity a disservice.

There are many reasons why more than just pliant media should have made it to the announcement.

The first and most obvious reason is the questions that emanate from the actual selections.

For instance, how have Louis Schreuder's steady but uninspired performances suddenly turned him into the flavour of the month at scrumhalf? What did Chiliboy Ralepelle do wrong to warrant losing his place to Scarra Ntubeni?

What's the thinking behind Bakkies Botha's recall at age 34?

What kind of form has Jaque Fourie displayed for his Japanese club? Does that mean a rethink on the JJ Engelbrecht experiment at outside centre? And after his myriad injuries, wouldn't it be more prudent to allow Johan Goosen an opportunity to be strong enough for the rigours of first-class rugby, not to mention get through a whole Super rugby season, before selecting him again?

Many a rugby hack has had a crack at addressing these questions, but all those answers are hollow without the opportunity to bounce them off Meyer's rationale.

This brings us to the other reason Saru should have been more inclusive - promoting the right kind of debate.

South African coaches and players - and Roux, come to think of his arrogant put-down of the press at Meyer's unveiling as Bok coach last year - love banging on about how little the media knows about the game.

It's an accusation you can't level at the media if you refuse to engage it. The biggest loser in all of this is the man on the street, who relies on what is fast becoming half-baked rugby discourse as a result.

Also, given the stick Schreuder and Ntubeni's selections have taken on social media, it would have been nice to have their coach protect them by giving his rugby reasons for their inclusion in his team.

Now you have two laaitjies, who should be enjoying being in the Bok team for the first time, having to fend for themselves until tomorrow when Meyer finally addresses the media.

Whether the decision was made with contractual obligations to Supersport in mind, or just to snub print media, it wasn't clever business. People still buy more papers than they do DStv decoders.