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Bizarre selection policy harming SA Rugby
Tuesday, November 10
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The run-on Springbok side to face France on Friday night holds very few surprises and is relatively unremarkable. With the starting team remaining behind in South Africa to train it was evident from the moment the squad to travel to Leicester was announced who Peter de Villiers had selected for the first of the three Test matches on tour. The composition of the bench, however, has raised further questions about the integrity of the initial 37-man squad.
Zane Kirchner and Adrian Jacobs were the two players selected to take over from the departed duo of Frans Steyn and Jean de Villiers while JP Pietersen was always going to return from injury on the wing to replace Sharks team mate Odwa Ndungane. The bizarre omission of Heinrich Brussow in favour of a loose trio consisting of Schalk Burger, Ryan Kankowski and Pierre Spies was also unveiled, but then quickly rectified when Pierre Spies was ruled out of the tour with a finger injury. Once again Heinrich Brussow - one of, if not the, best Boks of '09 - was in the side due to injury.
A vastly experimental and racially representative side was selected to do duty for the Springboks against Leicester with another follow up game planned for later in the tour against Saracens. The official line was to test the depth of our rugby and to unearth the Test players of tomorrow in two relatively low-key midweek fixtures. As a public relations and forward thinking exercise the plan had some merit.
When the Springbok 22-man squad was announced earlier today the entire exercise was exposed for the farce and disaster that it undoubtedly has been. A poorly disguised attempt to appease the politicians and boost the number of players of colour in the Springbok touring squad was brutally exposed when Peter de Villiers named an all-white bench to take on the French.
If the goal was to unearth future Springbok stars and bring through and breed a host of the talented players of the colour in this country then that objective has failed miserably. At the first sign of adversity three new players have been leapfrogged into the Test team. What's worse is that none of 'tomorrow's' players were deemed good enough for today.
Now to some of you it might sound as if I'm coming on a bit strong with my criticism of what has taken place over the last 10 days. That's simply because we have grown accustomed to the fudging of the selections and the truth by SA Rugby. While we should be celebrating a world (and southern hemisphere) champion side we're again made to look like amateurs due to some shocking administrative cock ups.
The list of things that have gone wrong on this tour is already long and makes for grim reading. When the Boks were trounced by a second string Leicester team and mauled at the scrum time it wasn't a sign that our players are faulty. Rather that the selectors and coaches (the mechanics to mis-quote Peter de Villiers himself) are doing a faulty job. The players and the fans have been badly let down by the SA Rugby administration. Throw in some poorly timed questioning of Tendai Mtawarira's Springbok credentials by the government and you have a thoroughly embarrassing situation for rugby in this country.
A front row crisis might have forced the introduction of Strauss, du Preez and van der Linde but it doesn't excuse the fact that not one player of colour finds a place on the bench for Saturday's game. What message is being sent to the likes of Bandise Maku, Heini Adams, Jongi Nokwe and Odwa Ndungane? What value was attached to Friday's game if Ashley Johnson's stand-out performance doesn't warrant a place amongst a five forward bench?
The selection of a racially representative national team is something that most South Africans have come to understand and support. That it is done in such a crude and insensitive manner is highly disappointing.
While the Test team may be happy and ready to take on France there will be a number of players, both included and excluded in the 37-man squad, that will feel that they have been hard done by. What message are SA Rugby sending out to our future Springboks?
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The truth can hurt, but that doesn't change the fact that it is the truth.
One thing that I just cannot figure out is why they left Mapoe behind. He is the most deserving player of colour in the country, and they leave him at home for the likes of Rose, Maku and Chilliboy. I really just don't get it.
which means that the players who should "feel hard done by" are those who deserved to be reserves for the boks. some of whom now sit on the bench.
The schocking omision of Mapoe just shows that black players will never stand a chance with PDV and Hoskins incharge. We need coach and a SARU body that is serious about transformation.
I dont think there will be any transformation taking place until a private body of black players starts to boycot CC, S14 and TRi-N games. Unfortunately that is the only way things get sorted out in SA.
Your "B" side should be made up of players that would slot directly into the springbok squad when there is an injury etc. Not be leapfrogged by players who ar better and should have been there in the first place.
but... we already know this...
We want a winning team and if it happens to contain 22 white guys so be it. It won't be any less South African then.
Wian dp
CJ
Rossouw
Johnson (as secondary hooker cover)
Pienaar
Olivier
Nokwe or Ndungane
yeah sounds bad when you reverse the race card, its just proves that transformation and quotas and affirmative selection policies are in fact racist and counter productive !!!!!
i personally would have left danie rossouw out as div has bekker at lock, and danie covering loosie..johnson would not have let the boks down ..
danie is a lock..nowadays..he has the experience.
but i would still have picked johnson on the bench..
against italy he deserves a spot in the test team..
the rest of the players ..well they need to work on there game
juan de jongh should make the bench against italy..
give the boytie a shot..
as i said...nobody esle at this stage deserves a test spot
i think all the players of colour on this bok tour are good rugby players...
some like adams, johnson, and de jongh are stars for the future
players like odwa, rose, have shown they not up to the international standard..
chilliboy is being used as a pawn...which is turning into a polictical mess. he is being used as window dressing...he is simple not getting enuff game time to warrant his selection in any bok squad..and simple put he is not good enuff , at present..
bandise makuy now has shown more promise..
reubenhiemer i am afraid is nowhere..if sarugby was indentifiying future talent and they wanted to pick players of colour , then pick the correct players of colour..
players that would not have been token choices and players that actually are playing for there province as 1st choices...
to name a few guys like;
johnathan mokeuna inplace of devon reubenhiemer
lionel mapoe in place of odwa ndugane
chilliboy should have been replaced by andries strauss or liebenberg fromthe begining..he was injuried and out of form and like i said not good enufff at this point..
bandise maku..fit and ready to go..development this player, he is showing he has the potential..
guntro steenkamp , he is a seasoned campainer , not quota here..
earl rose, well he definetly is something...
they taken him with to see if he can stand up in the international areana..fair enuff, not my fave player..
coaches call on that one..
heini adams is sitting behind the best 9 in the world and in his own right is a good 9..but hougaard who is also a 9 and also with the bulls is better in my opinion..still nothing wrong with those 2 selection..trying them both out on tour..
nokwe is nokwe...bok material needs to work on a few short comings like most of the players in this squad..
they player sin the test squad are all there on merit..
so if you go throught this list of players (colour) who i feel should not really have been there i would have to say chilliboy and reubenhiemer...there better players at present to replace them
sarugby has the depth..just need to pick correctly..
They've actually picked an entire new tight five on the bench for this test, so it looks like we not taking them up front for granted. Im a bit worried about Adi at 12 but heres your chance brother.
This whole :let the team represent the nation thing is stupid it creates negative racist thoughts. Theres enough players of colour to play international rugby on merit, why force it? I honestly cant believe a player like Mapoe got left behind.why why why why. he was one of the stars of the currie cup.
Our country will never really be able to move forward when we bring colour issues into everything. But we also need to realise that we cant mistake the coach's selection for transformation. For instance people have called Jacobs a quota, but infact he is not, PDV just likes him same as Jake White liked Jaco"it was a drop mr ref" van der Westhuizen. If Jaco van der Westhuizen was black, people would have f..d out!
But anyway I would have liked to see this team on Friday.
15 Zane Kirchner
14 JP Pietersen
13 Jaque Fourie
12 Wynand Olivier
11 Bryan Habana
10 Morné Steyn
9 Fourie du Preez
8 Ryan Kankowski
7 Schalk Burger
6 Heinrich Brüssow
5 Victor Matfield
4 Bakkies Botha
3 John Smit
2 Bismarck du Plessis
1 Tendai Mtawarira
Reserves:
16 Adriaan Strauss
17 CJ van der Linde
18 Danie Rossouw
19 Jean Deysel
20 Ruan Pienaar
21 Juan De Jong
22 Lionel Mapoe
The only guy from last weeks game who deserves a call up is Johnson, since he had a blinder, but the rest was awful! Danie Rossouw was nowhere & Johnson should've been rewarded for his fine form & included on the bench!
As for Ruan Pienaar, uhm, how he's even able to make the bench is beyond me! He was terrible on the weekend and frankly played far worse than South Africa's Piñata (Earl Rose) on the day. It's shocking actually, that PDV said after the Tr-Nations that he still believes that Ruan Pienaar is better than Morne Steyn and that if he can get his kicking up to Morne's level he'll be the first choice nr 10. Firstly, Ruan will NEVER, EVER achieve that and secondly, Ruan might be all flashy on the training pitch but he hasn't delivered these Tiger Woods-ish skills on game-day & something has to be said for Morne's phenomenal B.M.T. which seems to be going unnoticed...something which any great coach will tell you is far more valuable than the odd side-step!
They should've left Ruan at 9 where he was damn good before PDV & Co tried to mold him into something different.
Criticism aside, I really hope Zane & Kankowski each have a good game and that we bang the french on home soil! I don't know about you guys, but it's been far too long since a french team has been booed by their own supporters?!
transformation is racist....and it can make the black players in a squad feel as if they shouldn't be there!!
it's why you see that the really good white youth player are left on the bench in our development teams....and is also why we will see more youngsters like JP du plessis leaving for australia!!
and Praat ek luister are you on drugs bru?
you are saying de villiers is racist for not selecting mapoe!!!.....agreed mapoe should be there but what about:
raubenheuimer instead of deysel/vermeulen
heini adams instead of sarel pretorius
adi jacobs instead of la grange/grant
earl rose instead of joe pietersen
and the whole of the front row that started against leicester!!!!!
it is racist to leave ou these players!!!!
I think that Paul Treu is doing a great job with our sevens players and is doing much more to develope our young stars than any development program or ''quota''program for that matter.
My star find for the season is Fabien Juries. This guy is dangerous every time he touches the ball. At least make him a 7's BOK.
click on hyperlink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysmphxtBLLA
15 Zane Kirchner
14 JP Pietersen
13 Jaque Fourie
12 Wynand Olivier
11 Bryan Habana
10 Morné Steyn
9 Fourie du Preez
8 Ryan Kankowski (he has been waiting for his chance)
7 Schalk Burger
6 Heinrich Brüssow
5 Victor Matfield
4 Bakkies Botha
3 John Smit
2 Bismarck du Plessis
1 Tendai Mtawarira
Reserves:
16 Adriaan Strauss
17 CJ van der Linde
18 Ashley Johnson (Danie Rossouw does not deserve to be their; benching for the Bulls)
19 Jean Deysel
20 Ruan Pienaar (on scrum half; but he needs stability and reassurance of his role in the team!!!)
21 Juan De Jong (he has played better than adrian jacobs; particularly on defence)
22 Lionel Mapoe
its important as well that these guys on the bench gets time on the pitch otherwise they grow complacent and fat. the guys in the curry cup cant get more game time than the springboks on the bench. otherwise by the time, say, ricky january returns to his team, western province, there is an in form scrumhalf who has been playing for the whole season and a obvious choice at the time they get to the semi-final of the currie cup. makes no sense.
one ohter thing!
ACADEMIES AND STRUCTURES:
ashlay johnson was groomed in the traditional manner. he went to paarl gimnasium. his talent was groomed over a period of 20 years. from the ripe age of 6 he went through the stages we all did. and now he goes to the next level where he feels comfortable and belongs. we need to ensure this to all kids; every child must have a choice between say rugby and soccer, with all the structure and facilities that they need. in this way the springboks and bafana bafana can have good teams. it wont even matter what colour scheme the teams are made of.
it is shameful how stupid our leaders are.
but for now i am done moanig. i guess this is why we join this forum.
juries was a sevens bok for about 8 years.....he is one of the top point scorers!!!
he is about 30 odd so if we can select him then we can select terblanche as well.......and probably bring faan rautenbach back in the mix
great try tho!
They can also have like the haka that gumboot dance at the start of each match...!
People are putting their personal agenda's ahead of what's best for the country AND FOR THE PLAYERS OF COLOUR. IF I were a player of colour and I knew that my selection was based on "transformation" and not because they want me for my quality of play I would be completely unmotivated. The players of colour that truly deserve their spots, and their are many players, are undermined by this parasite of SA rugby called transformation since all their hard work and skill go out the window at times and focus moves to the colour of their skin. I am a supporter of giving EVERYONE a fair chance and if a player deserves a position in the bock sqaud on merit and they are all players of colour I would support them the same way I have been in the past. This transformation card is getting old in my opinion and doing much more harm than good - taking the focus completely away from rugby and onto inappropriate and unnecessary bs.
jacobs is a weakness and obvious target for the giant french backs.
The ALL BLACKS are proud of their name Pity is taken because it would make a good name for a politically correct South African team hahaha Jokes aside I really think the politicians should approve a non white only team to play internationally so they can get some experience. Maybe even in the super 15. Maybe put old Chilliboy as captain!! When they are up to standard they can take over as the national team. When I mean up to standard I mean at least beat the REAL ALL BLACKS of NZ.
None of the new kids picked really deserve a shot at this test squad...not even Ashley Johnson. Danie Rossouw is ideal for the Northern Hemisphere pitches. He proved it in 2007 World Cup and he will prove it Friday night if he gets on the pitch.
The reason the youngsters have to wait that little bit longer to get a shot is because we have such a strong test setup at the moment.
I would love to see Juan de Jong getting his shot against Italy. I am exited about him for the future.
Also, i have to disagree with this article. These guys were given a chance. They put in a shocking performance. Not one of them deserve a Springbok CAP. Only the Best 22 should be fielded and i believe the Best available 22 have been selected
played for the Boks again.