Shades of grey
11 Aug 2010
There are enough quality young players of colour in South Africa to ensure quotas are no longer necessary at schools level, writes GRANT BALL in SA Rugby magazine.
The U18 Craven Week is meant to be the pinnacle of the South African schoolboy rugby season, but since its inception in 1964, its selection system has been flawed. In the early days, during apartheid, the best black schoolboys weren’t allowed to play, and in post-1994 South Africa, some of the best white players have missed out, in many cases because of the quota system.
For this year’s Craven Week held in Welkom, nine of the players in each 22-man squad had to be players of colour, with five on the field for the entire match on day one, four on day two, and five again on the Saturday.
However, the 50-50 racial quota for the SA Schools side was scrapped this year. Fourteen white players were named in the match 22 and the general consensus was that all eight players of colour had been selected on merit.
Saru’s high-performance manager Herman Masimla acknowledges that Craven Week is the envy of the rest of the rugby-playing world. But if the tournament doesn’t help to produce good results for age-group national teams, it’s not reaching its objective.
The SA U18 team’s 45-13 defeat to their English counterparts last year was a wake-up call, as was the SA U20 side’s third successive bronze medal at the Junior World Championship.
‘This is an elite programme, so we want the best,’ says Masimla. ‘This year there was a synergy between rewarding players who performed at Craven Week, and the requirements of producing a squad capable of winning at U20 level.’
But if SA Schools sides are to be selected on merit in future, shouldn’t the provincial teams do the same?
Western Province U18 coach Chris October, who fulfilled the same role with last year’s SA Schools outfit, believes quota selections have played a valuable role in a unique country like South Africa, but that there’s no longer a need for them.
‘At schools level, we’re able to pick on merit,’ he says. ‘You just have to look at the composition of the SA U20 side to see that we don’t require quotas anymore.’
October notes that certain players of colour are immediately labelled as quota selections, even in cases where they’re actually better than the white players in the same position. He says the only way this stereotyping will stop is if quotas are dropped.
‘Speaking as a previously disadvantaged person, if you talk to all black players, 99% of them will tell you they don’t want to be tagged as a quota player. They all want to be selected on merit alone.
‘We want a situation where we just regard the players as human beings and then select the side. If all 15 of the best players are black or all 15 are white in a particular year, then so be it. Those teams must just be selected.
‘It’s important that the work is done at grassroots level. If all South Africans are being given an equal opportunity, players will come through naturally and we can select teams on merit.’
Western Province, Eastern Province, Boland and Border regularly meet the transformation requirements at U18 level on merit, and at times exceed them. The problem is that inland unions, such as the Golden Lions, Blue Bulls and Free State, don’t have as many players of colour to select from.
This has led to many individuals from coastal areas being given bursaries to schools up north, but Lions U18 coach Gollie Gouws, who was October’s assistant with SA Schools last year, says it’s still tough finding enough quality players in those regions, and that the quota for each union should depend on the number of black players in their region.
‘At the Lions’ final trials, we only had 42 black players out of 112 schools to choose from. Twenty of those 42 have to be selected [nine for Craven Week and 11 for the 22-man Academy Week squad]. To put that into context, only one player of colour at our final trials had been playing rugby at one of our high schools for all five years. We had to bring the rest in from the Eastern Cape.’
Gouws says transformation is about picking a black player over a white one when they possess similar abilities, but in certain cases the players aren’t comparable.
‘The numbers are favoured heavily against white players coming through. It would be good to have a little bit of relief in terms of the numbers, because we don’t want to be unfair to white players, which is the case at the moment. We are losing white players to other unions and to rugby.’
Selecting the best squad of 22 always creates problems as it’s a subjective process, where coaches and selectors will favour certain individuals. However, in the past five years there have been some highly contentious omissions from Craven Week.
Four players who missed out on selection for their provinces are Bjorn Basson, Francois Hougaard, Mathew Turner and PW van Vuuren.
Springbok wing Basson’s ommission from Border’s Craven Week side was a case of talent not being identified as other black wingers were selected ahead of him.
Another current Bok, Francois Hougaard, missed out on Western Province Craven Week selection due to quotas, and he eventually moved to the Bulls.
Turner was the country’s leading try-scorer in schoolboy rugby in 2006 (28 in 17 matches) and he added another 146 points with the boot, but surprisingly he wasn’t deemed good enough to play for Western Province. Turner did play for WP U19 the following year, but when he wasn’t selected for the SA U20 or SA Sevens sides after being the Varsity Cup’s leading try-scorer in 2008, he turned his back on South Africa. He now plays for Bristol and the England Sevens side.
Van Vuuren’s case is an extraordinary one. Emphasising how difficult it is for provinces such as Free State to fill their Craven Week quota, the Grey College 1st XV hooker wasn’t selected in his Grade 11 year, with his place being taken by a schoolmate who was in the 5th XV.
Van Vuuren, though, was selected for Craven Week the following year and went on to play for SA Schools and SA U20. He says his mental strength prevented him from becoming disillusioned like other players in similar situations.
‘It was an awful time. It really sucked because I’d worked hard to make it into the Grey 1st XV. To then not make Free State’s Craven Week side – which is a weakened Grey side – because of quotas, was a setback.
For me, the main thing was to not get upset, lose confidence and think that I wasn’t good enough to play at that level. I chose to look at the positives. I’ve always said, if you’re good enough, you’ll make it – it may just take a bit longer.
‘Quotas are not a bad thing, as they are helping to make the game more representative, and the guy who took my place wasn’t a bad guy. I wasn’t mad at him, because it wasn’t his choice. It was just an irritating situation.
‘At senior level we see that the best players always come through. There aren’t quotas at senior provincial level because unions have to pay their players, and they can’t afford to contract sub-standard guys. The Boks also select the best players possible, with the exception of one or two surprises.’
SA Rugby magazine has an extremely reliable source who says a similar situation to Van Vuuren’s occurred with this year’s Western Province Craven Week side.
A black player from a local school had been identified as a talent for the future due to his size and skill, but he was dropped from his school’s 1st XV after a poor season and his place was ironically filled by another black player. Yet he was still selected for WP, even though he couldn’t play trials because he was out for five weeks due to injury.
However, October denies this. ‘I help select the side, and I seriously don’t know anything about that.’
Gouws says there are many cases where the black player is the best in his position, but in the few instances when the player clearly isn’t good enough, it does him more harm than good to be selected. He adds that some players of colour drop their standards at trials because they realise there are certain spots in a squad earmarked for quota players.
‘Sometimes quota players measure themselves against the other quota players in their position at trials,’ says Gouws. ‘Instead of measuring themselves against the 12 best wings, they compete against the three best black wings.
‘We have good young black players who are coming through on merit. Monde Hadebe, who played hooker for SA Schools in 2008, is the perfect example; he came through on his own ability. If the guys are good enough, that’s wonderful and they must be selected. The problem is when you’re forced to pick them.
‘In the past, the SA Schools selectors were obliged to look at black players in certain positions, such as hooker, scrumhalf and the utility backs. They picked guys so they wouldn’t get fingers pointed at them.
‘But last year we had to pick a 56kg scrumhalf from Dale [Bongi Kobese], because the Paul Roos captain [Rick Schroeder] was injured after Craven Week. That meant we had the eighth or ninth best scrumhalf playing against England U18. I looked at all his stats after the physical testing, and his muscle percentage and tone were poor. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a good player, but in a match of that nature, he was found out.’
Considering all these factors, it’s no surprise that the SA Schools side was embarrassed 45-13 by their England counterparts.
Unfortunately, we’ve seen this story before. In 2005, diminutive Mandilakhe Tile from Dale was selected for SA Schools, and a year later he moved up to the Bulls. He hasn’t played for a single representative side since.
Tile is not alone and from the SA Schools side that lost 30-24 to SA Academy five years ago, similar stories exist for Charlton Prinsloo, Riacco Eilerd and Malungisa Nkosi, even though they’re only 23.
Dries van der Wal is considered an authority on schools rugby after coaching Grey Bloem for over 20 years from the mid-80s. He was involved with Free State Schools for 10 years and SA Schools for six until he stepped down in 2007, and as an educationalist he’s watched the game and country change.
Like October and Gouws, he’s emphatic that quotas have served their purpose, pointing to the large number of players coming through in various positions at top 20 schools such as Paul Roos, Paarl Gym, Glenwood, Selborne, Grey PE, and Maritzburg College.
‘South African schools are doing their utmost to transform the game,’ says Van der Wal. ‘The coastal regions don’t struggle with quota numbers, but the interior does because there are less people of colour who play rugby. There are positives and negatives to quotas, and some good rugby players have come through because of them. But we’ve reached a point where we can pick teams on merit. There are brilliant young players coming through – recent Craven Weeks have been filled with them.’
Van der Wal doesn’t believe coaches will start to ignore black players if quotas are done away with, because they will continue to select their best team.
‘I listen to the coaches and the way they speak, and there has been a mind shift,’ he says. ‘They give credit to all the players – no matter what colour. There are very few coaches who see race at our school. We know we must go for the best players because we have to produce results. We are very positive about developing players of colour.
‘We must also remember that the country has changed since 1994, and some of those coaches’ best friends are black. Of course you get exceptions – from both whites and blacks – but young people have forgotten about the past and they want to move on and forget about the black-white, quota thing.’
Van der Wal wants quotas at Craven Week to be phased out over the next few years.
‘Many of us coaches go out and develop players of colour because we know we need them and they add value. We can’t do away with quotas immediately, but they should be reduced from year to year. For example, next year they should drop it from nine to seven. There are more than enough black players for the SA Schools selectors.’
– This article first appeared in the August issue of SA Rugby magazine.
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337 Comments
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11 Aug 2010, 16:55 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-249: Total income R1.52
11 Aug 2010, 16:56 pm
@goyougoodthing2(goyougoodthing2)-250: I think you misunderstand my comment. But I agree – truly a fark up with the payments it seems…
11 Aug 2010, 16:56 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-248:
on top of that, we won’t win next year’s Tri Nations either considering our rest routine as opposed to the ABs and Wallabies.
Thus PdV is shaping up to have a worse record than Jake White.
11 Aug 2010, 16:57 pm
This is great news for the eastern Cape.
My happiness is tinged with melancholy though.
Now that Lilith is going to be up close and personal with dan and ritchie….
Does that mean that the writing is on the wall for Transie?
I hope not. They are my favorite keo couple.
Apart from grantie and jr.
Obviously.
Oh and skop and his split personality.
Ok they are my third fave keo couple.
11 Aug 2010, 16:57 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-249: 36000 is capacity…????
11 Aug 2010, 16:58 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-253: And I maintain that the WC is what really counts…
as the saying goes:
“Judge him on the WC” – fark the rest… (He has a bonus of a series win against the BI Lions anyway)
11 Aug 2010, 16:59 pm
Were any of the Lions matches sell outs?
11 Aug 2010, 16:59 pm
@gunther(gunther)-254: LOL tidal wave….TSUNAMI LOL
11 Aug 2010, 17:00 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-252: So they make it cheaper and yet SARU needs the cash to bring the game and the workshops/clinics etc to the kids, which I am 100% behind.
So where do they get the money from for all this? The 95 000 yearly test at the National Stadium at R600 and raping the other Unions to host a test. To foster a Union in an area with 3.5 people and R2.75 in change and chappies.
Excellent
11 Aug 2010, 17:01 pm
@racheltjiedebeer(racheltjiedebeer)-257: Lions Matches LOL ha ha ha get it
11 Aug 2010, 17:02 pm
@goyougoodthing2(goyougoodthing2)-259: My first comment about this – “a shy.te commercial decision by SARU”… It is just stupid.
11 Aug 2010, 17:03 pm
South Africa’s two world cup winning coaches Kristie and White, and Mallet being the most successful in terms of winning consecutive games, Macintosh also did ok !!
Common denominator ……..all English !!!!! , so by some narrow minded bloggers reasoning I can determine that English speaking SA’s must be more intelligent than Afrikaans speaking SA’s ????? Genetic’s ???
Afrikaans coaches had very little success !!!
What a load of c rap !!!!!!!
Contrary to the belief and hope of some bloggers on here, there are plenty of black players out there with the passion and physical ability to play the game at the highest level…………….the process is just really starting to kick in !!!!
11 Aug 2010, 17:03 pm
lets just face facts all those clinging to white supremacy in rugby are farked, its a melodramatic hope in hell going out the window at a rate of knots, hang on as tight as your quota bashing principles can but you going down in a heap of twisted ideology into the same dust as you rode in on on the Esmeralda.
White pure blood lines are a thing of the past, I give you maximum another 3 – 4 generations and its all a shade of gray or brown, but pure white hereditary supremacy in this sport (read religion) of the colonialist super races is basically already consigned to the history books as we speak.
11 Aug 2010, 17:05 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-261: SARU is known for genius decisions…
The smaller Unions holding the larger ones to ransom… The SANZAR agreement. The S14 schedule agreements, the EOYT schedule. The mid year away test. (WTF)
The appointment of the coach, the ability for the sports’ minister to poke his nose in etc etc
11 Aug 2010, 17:06 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-256:
Those players wanted the BIL, they waited their entire career for that- it basically had nothing to do with PdV except that he was fortunate enough to be gifted the job and that he almost lost it for us. Imagine Heyneke Meyer with 3 Tri Nations titles and a BIL.
11 Aug 2010, 17:06 pm
@justrugby(justrugby)-262: Good point JR.
Jeez there must be something wrong in CT water supply today… Unless you are hammered from some Paarl plonk.
Nevertheless I find myself agreeing with your post.
Except the maoist tendency at the end: “the process is just really starting to kick in “…
A spoiler but no-one is perfect
11 Aug 2010, 17:08 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-265: Heynecke Meyer does not have the genetic makeup to be successful Bok coach
11 Aug 2010, 17:10 pm
@goyougoodthing2(goyougoodthing2)-264: Yup, the committee men. Those “professional” heads of Unions…
11 Aug 2010, 17:10 pm
@Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-225: I have said in my own words that Ricky is currently ****,like Smit and Spies,there are probably better club scrumhalves than “The Ricster” at the moment, like Smit and Spies, there are better club players than them, I must add that, “currently” being the operative word.
Now I ask you,again,
1. When did Ricky become a “quota” ?
2. Was he always a “quota”?, here refer to all his test caps
3. Will you also call Habana a quota if/when he loses his form like the three guys.?
I’m sure other people would be interested in your response.
11 Aug 2010, 17:10 pm
Its true JR, English speaking coaches are way a cut above their Afrikaans counterparts, just check the intelligence levels of White vs Streauli, and then White couldn’t coach for toffee apples till he got a half bred Japanese crossed with a sheep shagging convict to come teach him the ropes.
So bottom line facts are that the more intermingled your blood lines are the better coach and higher level of intelligence you got.
Equation goes like this, pure bred Caucasian of Dutch/German descent rugby intelligence < mixed bred Anglo Saxon cross < multi breed of Asian/Convict/Irish/Japanese
So when we get to the eventual strains of cross bred society the Baster will obviously have best of all worlds flowing through his veins.
11 Aug 2010, 17:10 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-267:
LOL:)
11 Aug 2010, 17:12 pm
@skopskiet(yliad)-270:
Makes sense to me !!!! LOL
11 Aug 2010, 17:14 pm
@skopskiet(yliad)-270: With canines they say that mongrels are a hardy type… I tend to think their phenotype is buttugly and many are downright dof…
So much for the brak…
11 Aug 2010, 17:14 pm
@skopskiet(yliad)-263: It’s never been about colour dear Skop, it’s always been about class, didn’t they tell you that?
Class and money to a lesser extent are the real separators. You see whilst people like Rooney and Oprah etc have money, they have little class. They are rich, their kids can go to the right schools, but they are not from the same stock you see. One will always hide the silverware from that kind.
It’s like being American, I mean, an American is human I guess, but one doesn’t really want them to dinner does one?
11 Aug 2010, 17:15 pm
@goyougoodthing2(goyougoodthing2)-274: LOL. Teeheehee
11 Aug 2010, 17:18 pm
@gunther(gunther)-254: I kinda had Grant10 paired with Rangerman. Kind of like Archie and Edith Bunker. Or My Roper and his nutcase wife in 3′s company.
11 Aug 2010, 17:19 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-269: The quota thing is silly IMHO:
Ricky is and always has been a quota, one of very few proper quota players. He had one lucky bounce in one game. Chiliboy also hasn’t shown, at Open Age Group level, the kind of consistency that guarantees his place in the team.
Habana was a great player as have been most Bok players all the way through. The few ‘quota’ players have a negative impact on all the others there on merit.
The only other obvious quota player is Rose, 99% can agree with that.
11 Aug 2010, 17:19 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-276: LOL… Kissing cousins???
11 Aug 2010, 17:20 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-269: The Boks are a unique team with one place always kept spare for… the warthog.
11 Aug 2010, 17:21 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-269:
No, everyone loses form, why do you think they retire?
Ricky was always not good enough considering his competion for the spot, as I mentioned. I won’t go attaching the meaningless (in this “discussion”) quota tag to him.
Habs? What of him? He’s just good enough for the squad. What’s the problem?
I don’t throw him into an eventual category as he ages due to his skin colour.
11 Aug 2010, 17:21 pm
if its world cup success stories you after then who actually carries the crown?
Dwyer
Christie
McQueen
Woodward
White
???
so there you have the pickings of the successful coaches in WC rugby intelligence
Who got the intelligence to coach, not a Kiwi or a boerseun in sight.
11 Aug 2010, 17:23 pm
Rugby V Soccer:
Not sure I quite understand here BUT from an average kids’ perspective
1. All my friends play soccer.
2. My family is soccer mental.
3. The SABC which I watch shows soccer.
4. It’s quite rare to break your neck playing soccer.
5. There is a shed load more money in soccer.
6. I love soccer.
7. I understand soccer.
8. I like to play soccer.
9. I can play soccer anywhere.
WTF would I want to play rugby, earn less and break my neck?
11 Aug 2010, 17:23 pm
@skopskiet(yliad)-281: “Who got the intelligence to coach, not a Kiwi or a boerseun in sight.”
LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL – choking to death
11 Aug 2010, 17:24 pm
@skopskiet(yliad)-281: I am nearly dead…. LOL
11 Aug 2010, 17:25 pm
@skopskiet(yliad)-281: They all seem English, which makes sense, I am of English descent and boy am I clever.
11 Aug 2010, 17:27 pm
Stormersboy
Kind of like ted danson and whoopi?
11 Aug 2010, 17:27 pm
@gunther(gunther)-254:
don’t worry about me Gunman!
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-255: no 48 459 is the capacity of the NMBS
Lions limp past Kings
The Lions produced an ordinary showing in
downing the Southern Kings 20-8 in Port
Elizabeth.
The expectant crowd of over 35 000 – the
largest on tour to date – were left
disappointed as the Kings dominated large
periods of the first half and entered the
break with the scores level at 3-3. The gulf
in class eventually showed, but Ian
McGeechan will be far from pleased.
11 Aug 2010, 17:28 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-287: So it wasn’t a sell-out then.
11 Aug 2010, 17:30 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-287: See goyougoodthings interesting insights – gives a bit of a different slant on things…
11 Aug 2010, 17:30 pm
Should say White/Jones cos it was a tweeling affair that did the deed, White alone would have crumbled against Tonga and/or Fiji, was actually that half bred Irish/Convict/Japanese that pulled him though.
***** Disdain – the world is going baster brakish old boy, the upper crust Pom is a dead breed, so too is the pure bred European colonialist, and its true, you in the genetics business should know already the more you mix the blood lines the hardier and more resilient they become, the purer you try keep them the more insipid and putrefied they degenerate.
So answer to the riddle is mix n match breeds as fast as you can, that way you stand a better chance to sustain human survival against the odds of nature, the pure breeds of nature are on the extinct list, its the basters that are lining up for the crown.
11 Aug 2010, 17:32 pm
The overall impression from the comments here that I’m getting is that P0C’s have added zero contribution to bok rugby. And that the geneticists out there would rather see a team chosen only from white Afrikaans stock. Enough with the innuendos already.
11 Aug 2010, 17:32 pm
I thought jake’s real name was Jacobus Westerluin?
11 Aug 2010, 17:34 pm
@skopskiet(yliad)-290: But if we go by genetic theory then you should know heterosis only works for progeny if the two parents are so genetically pure as to be inbred…
So, Kickshot, not enough inbreds involved for your “theory” to be valid
11 Aug 2010, 17:34 pm
Sometimes mixing breeds can be good, sometimes bad. Haemophilia comes from interbreeding, so does brain damage.
But you can also breed a donkey and horse and end up with a mule…
Now I’m not saying what makes what but imagine a race that was:
1. Arrogant
2. Aggressive
3. Lazy
4. Stupid
5. Can’t handle their alcohol
11 Aug 2010, 17:34 pm
@gunther(gunther)-292: An inconvenient truth…
11 Aug 2010, 17:35 pm
@gunther(gunther)-254: “Oh and skop and his split personality.
Ok they are my third fave keo couple”.
I think Skops is more promiscuous than you think, my sense is he sleeps with all his multiple personalities and does not mate for life.
You are my favorite lady on Keo. By the way. I would take you on a date to La Perla any night.
11 Aug 2010, 17:36 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-293: It is possible for Dwyer though…?
11 Aug 2010, 17:39 pm
@goyougoodthing2(goyougoodthing2)-294:
Yes…yes…go on, I’m picturing it…
11 Aug 2010, 17:40 pm
Ja Jakey is in actual fact a Rocky with Anglo Saxon wannabee genes, thats why he been clambering for Her Majesty’s RFU job since even before he got the Bokkie one. He always thought a Sir Jake would be a fitting tribute to his immense rugby acumen.
Only problem that before the mixed bred Jones came along old Jakey was up the creek with only half a paddle, and he knew it oh only too well. Hence moral of the story, when in doubt, reach out for a half breed (long as they got ome high class education) they gonna save your plucky highfalutin low bred @ss every time.
11 Aug 2010, 17:41 pm
@goyougoodthing2(goyougoodthing2)-274:
Quite apt!
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