‘Race’ to the Rugby World Cup

Now Heyneke Meyer and SARU have come under immense scrutiny of late regarding selection of players and transformation within the sport especially at Springbok level.

Now I have to say I agree with those people who have criticised the Springboks on lack on transformation because in my opinion none is happening at the highest level of the game.

Now I firmly believe in the current Boks set up there are some black players who have not been given the same equal opportunities as some of their white counterparts.

Jessie Kriel great talent is known to many as a fullback but Heyneke Meyer has seen him as a centre and chose him ahead of the best 13 in South Africa in Super rugby Lionel Mapoe. 

I have no issue with that because Kriel has really impressed but as well as Kriel has played, he's done nothing that Lionel Mapoe has not been doing for two seasons against those exact same players in Super Rugby. 

There's still nothing to suggest that Kriel is performing at a higher level than Mapoe would do in the same position. Mapoe was brought in the squad as the centre but instead a player who doesn’t play in that position is given a chance ahead of him, what message does that send to the player?

Elton Janjties

For me one of the best fly half talents we have in South Africa one that we will probably never see the true potential of because Meyer has not given him a chance. Look at the chances Meyer gave Pollard, Lambie and Goosen before they  became this established fly halves in international rugby who says had Elton been given the same chance he wouldn’t be as good or better? 

Oupa Mahoje

Now this player Meyer is very fond of and probably will go to the World Cup but why haven’t we seen him ever since the Brisbane Test? Don’t tell me about rotation of players no because Oupa has been out of rugby for some time and needs game time - yet he hasn’t seen action since Australia?

Another player who comes into mind is Lwazi Mvovo. A well-established wing who has never disappointed in the green and gold but continues to be overlooked by Meyer. Yes he starts on the wing this weekend but is this not because of the pressure coming from outside influence? If not, where was he last weekend when Jesse Kriel got moved to wing? He was sitting on the bench while a player who was out of position occupied is position.

It has become very clear that resistance to transformation has nothing to do with the fear that the Springboks' performances will suffer because even when it is to the clear benefit of the Springboks for purely Rugby reasons, our coaches still act in a manner that undermines transformation.

Now the Public has gone crazy about this transformation saga regarding the Springboks especially on social media.  

One post from Facebook has summed up where transformation in rugby is currently at. 

‘Heyneke Meyer's starting XV will, actually, only have 1 player of colour in Bryan Habana when they take the field against Australia.
A lot of people disagree with my belief that Tendai Mtawarira should not count as a player of colour in the Springbok team. I'm happy for Tendai and long may his Bok career continue, but I'm happy for Tendai the way I'm happy for Vermuelen or Le Roux - they are all exceptional players who are the best in their position and deserve to be selected for the Springboks.

Tendai is not a product of our system so SA Rugby and Heyneke Meyer should not use him as a pawn to bolster their transformation stats. Only players who have risen through the South African system since their earliest playing days should be considered as contributing to transformation. This is why I would feel differently about Raymond Rhule even though he is Ghanaian, as he is a player of colour that has been produced locally.

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Meyer's preference for talented youngster Jessie Kriel at centre ahead of the in form Lionel Mapoe.

This fire has been further stoked with his making space for Jean De Villiers by shifting Kriel to the wing, again overlooking Mapoe and other specialist wingers like Lwazi Mvovo and Cornel Hendricks who have acquitted themselves well in the Super Rugby season and should be preferred to Kriel in the position for pure Rugby reasons, aside from transformation imperatives.

The brazeness of Meyer's stance against transformation such that he'd completely select contrary to merit goes beyond Rugby and is an insult to every Black person in South Africa as he gives the finger to all the compromises that were made in order to integrate the sport - including keeping the Springbok alive.

1 Black South African player for the Springboks in a test match 20 years since Chester Williams was the only Black player in the exact same position in the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Just let that sink in for a second.’

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