Column: Did Heyneke finally buckle?

By Trevor Cramer

 

An article by a colleague and friend of mine in a daily newspaper today really got me thinking.

 

He did some head scratching and managed to come up with a Springbok starting XV comprising only so called 'players of colour' extracted from Super Rugby franchises and current Springbok 'passengers'.

 

At first glance, that team he picked -- including the reserve bench -- would be competitive at any level of the game, including international rugby.

 

On closer examination of the list, it strikes me immediately that Western Province and the Free State Cheetahs boast the highest number of potential Springboks.

 

Question is -- will they ever wear that green and gold jumper ?

 

Bryan Habana and our 'honourable' Zimbabwean import Beast Mtawarira were the only players of colour in the Springbok starting XV in their humiliating 37-25 defeat against Argentina in Durban last weekend.

 

Warming the bench were Trevor Nyakane, Siya Kolisi and Lwazi Mvovo, all desperately short on international game time.

 

Instead of giving the speedy Mvovo a well-earned start based on his Super Rugby form with the Sharks, the Bok management chose to shift Jesse Kriel out to an unfamiliar wing position to accommodate returning skipper Jean de Villiers.

 

These are just isolated examples of the short-sightedness of the selectors and insensitivity perhaps towards the transformation agenda/charter that SARU have been trumpeting for quite some time now and went to great lengths to sell to stakeholders across the board, including the media.

 

The controlling body for the second-biggest sport in the country even went so far as to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with Government and SASCOC on a strategic transformation plan for rugby.

 

But, does an MOU constitute an action plan or attainable date-based goals and targets ?

 

It was reported on Monday that five black players had approached trade union federation Cosatu voicing concerns that they were not satisfied that enough was being done to transform the national team.

 

Coach Heyneke Meyer reacted swiftly with a prepared statement at the team's training base in Durban.  "I don’t look at colour, I look at the best players. I’m totally committed to transformation and I have a great relationship with my players."

 

Meyer added that certain players within the squad had backed him since the Cosatu claims first emerged on Monday.

 

Credit where credit is due though -- In Heyneke Meyer's four year tenure as Bok coach, 18 black players have worn the green and gold.

 

While it does not reflect the population dynamics of our very ‘complicated’ country with its bleak past, one has to concede that of all our sporting codes, rugby has arguably been the sport which has served to unite a nation more than any other.

 

Now suddenly after a stinging 37-25 humbling by Los Pumas, the enlarged touring squad for the return match in Buenos Aires on Saturday features eight players of colour, of which three will be nothing more than tackle bag carriers and water boys.

 

Mvovo finally gets his start, out from the cold comes Zane Kirchner and Nyakane will scrum down in the front row.

 

Mvovo only gets a start due to Jesse Kriel moving back to outside centre to cover for injured skipper Jean de Villiers, who fractured his jaw in Durban, while Kirchner, who plies his trade at Leinster in Ireland, similarly, makes the run-on side due to Willie le Roux carrying a light inury.

 

SARU has closed ranks, refusing to confirm whether or not it was investigating claims that five black Springboks had approached Cosatu voicing concerns over team selections.

 

Yes, this is a World Cup year and it's about putting out the best possible team, or as coaches like to call it "Horses for Courses" and it's possibly an inopportune time for politicians to make noises about recurring transformation headache.

 

BUT the Boks' current form this season certainly doesn't suggest that the best possible team for the job has been on the park or instilled any measure of confidence in the success-hungry fans does it ?

 

So yes, it is time to unleash those hidden jewels who are seemingly waiting for an eternity to wear the green and gold.

 

I'm convinced they won't let us down

 

Twenty-one years since our democracy was born, should we still be highlighting these issues ? Surely it will disappear on to the back burner if the Boks bring back that coveted William Webb Ellis Trophy for a third time.

 

Putting aside the emotion of quotas and transformation, or past mistakes -- yes the Boks are winless this season -- one has to feel Heyneke Meyer has selected the best possible team available to him for the trip to Argentina.

 

Trevor Cramer is the Senior Sports Desk Editor at Jacaranda FM