Anglican Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu says South Africa deserves to have a Springbok team representative of its rainbow nation, The Star reported on Friday.
“Now, nearly 20 years later, I lament the tortoise pace at which transformation at the highest level is being effected,” he said in a letter to The Star’s sister paper, The Cape Times.
Tutu criticised the SA Rugby Union (SARU) for the pace of transformation in the team, and said it was “particularly hurtful” to see the selection of black players as “peripheral squad members never given the chance to settle down and earn their spurs.”
Sport24
He said the country deserved a team that represented the “full spectrum of the rainbow that defines us”.
“Surely, by the 20th anniversary of our freedom from enforced separateness, there are a couple of dark horses out there to run with the browns and the chestnuts in feature races?”
On Saturday, the Springboks take on Argentina in Salta in the Rugby Championship.
Their starting 15 will include four coloured players (Cornal Hendricks, Damian de Allende, Bryan Habana and Gurthrö Steenkamp), and the remaining 11 are white. Two (Tendai Mtawarira and Lwazi Mvovo) of the eight players on the bench are black.
***************************************
With the eye on next year’s Rugby World Cup, former Springbok captain John Smit says it is important for the Boks to beat the All Blacks in this year’s Rugby Championship.
Under the guidance of Heyneke Meyer, the Springboks have lost four Tests on the trot against the All Blacks.
Their last win came in Port Elizabeth in 2011, when Peter de Villiers was still the coach.
The Boks are scheduled to meet the All Blacks at the semi-final stage at next year’s World Cup in England, and Smit feels they must beat them now in order to go into the event confident.
“You don’t want to enter a World Cup tournament without beating New Zealand. Now is the time,” Smit said.
Before the semi-finals of next year’s showpiece event, South Africa could face either Australia, Wales or England in the quarter-finals.
In this year’s Rugby Championship, the Boks tackle the Kiwis on 13 September (Wellington) and 4 October (Johannesburg).
@ Sazito:
Yip, the townships, but politicians seem to avoid those places. Rugby development is a big with me personally, and a few others here….talk to Scrumdown about the situation around Egoli, some gruesome tales about so-called development. Tutu should go have a look…lots of material there of substance for his next sermon.
Pietman wrote:
therein lies the difference, the ABs have the ref in their back pocket, so how dare we consider the fact we may have got a raw deal..
when Saffa fans say they were hard done by, then we kiwis have no recompense, because as sure as night is day, the Saffa fans speak the truth.
just look at Eden park last year, we kiwis are still blamed for something a non-kiwi happened to call in the heat of the moment.
I do wonder if Rye thought all the comments directed at Messams baby son were indeed vindicated, I know hed take offense if it was a SA player and his family threatened, but us kiwis should not take note of stuff like that because we are always favoured by the IRB. and threats against a AB players son should just be shaken off as banter… shame when its reversed you all get so fcken precious…
double standards that really highlight the hurt of many SA fans..
@ nga puhi:
Messam’ s son threatened Where did that come from?
Blahblalblahblahblahblahblah
Blahblahbara Ann
You got me rockin’ and a rollin’
Rockin’ and a reelin’ Barbara Ann.
With apologies to the Beach Boys.
Pietman wrote:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/all-blacks/9181153/Liam-Messam-hits-back-at-Boks-fans-after-abuse
@ Pietman:
Indeed.
Ask for proof of that unsubstantiated allegation.
@ gunther:
heres an idea, hit refresh before you post
theres a good chap
It doesn’t say that his son was threatened.
Typical one eyed kiwi trolling.
@ nga puhi:
Here’s an idea.
Pull your head out of your arse and read the links you put up before you post them
Thanks.
😆
@ gunther:
second paragraph
“”I can take all the s+*| coming my way, but there’s no need to bring my son into this no need for that #haveagoodday” Messam tweeted late last night. ”
but of course grunter, keep deflecting
Im used to it from you by now
I’ve got some meetings hopefully I’ll be back before poops passes out.
Kia Kia
@ nga puhi:
How do you know what they said about his kid?
And that there were threats?
Are you really that thick?
😆
@ gunther:
again grunter, second paragraph. capiche?
continue to display your ignorance, its to be expected of someone of your little stature. you really are a sad man grunter
but continue, i sure laugh at you.
@ gunther:
good counter argument bro, you da man.
@ nga puhi:
Faark bru, this was August 2013, reported in Fairfex News, whatever that is…unsubstantiated report on top of it
Ehst has yhat hsve to do with our refs? Or am I missing domething? Must admit, I wasn’t on the site all week.
”I can take all the s+*| coming my way, but there’s no need to bring my son into this no need for that #haveagoodday” Messam tweeted late last night.
Where is the THREAT????
@ gunther:
“there’s no need to bring my son into this”
so you insinuate that Messam made this part up just to validate his claims? ok then
I understand you think others children is open slather, doesnt surprise to be honest..
@ Pietman:
Pardon typos on phone, looking for parking…
@ nga puhi:
There is no mention of a threat.
A threat implies some sort of harm.
Are you really so pig thick informant?
Don’t answer that.
😆
@ gunther:
keep deflecting, you know his son was threatened
but thanks for highlighting the type of person you are..
not that it surprises me, Ive always known what type of person you are.
keep cracking the jokes funny guy, maybe someone will laugh some day huh?
this ref baloney (from all quarters) = Y-A-W-N
From Tutu to Messam’s son?…..we can just as well throw in those fat women in parliament as well, I am sure if we dig far enough we will find some sexual misdemeanor in their past, as unlikely as it may seem by looking at them now…
Pietman wrote:
Haha…. Eben (Boomslang) was no angel either…. i remember him once walked up to a opposition player at halftime with a mouth full of water and gave him a free “facewash”
If he was not so lazy and “naughty” he would have not only played for WP and Natal but maybe even for the Boks.
Angostura wrote:
Did you see your nice yellow cap?
Again, congrats and well done on picking the draw
gunther wrote:
Yeah, I miss them too.
Grant is just about the most passionate rugby supporter I ever met.
He was nearly killed by playing the game though…. it was a tackle by Gert Smal 🙂
@ robzim:
Ja, bietjie slapgat gewees…sy naam vergeet, maar gawe klong, altyd vol grappies met sy Tarzan maanhaar. Goeie speler, hy en Piet Geldenhuys(met die moerse wit snor) was kookwater saam.
Eben dink ek?
@ robzim:
Getting Smal is a monster.
He got hands the size of dinner plates.
One flattie and you are history.
No wonder Fleckie has started wearing a tie.
😆
@ robzim:
Grant was a bit like De Wet Ras, moerse boot, no speed, but the man who set the benchmark before them all (late 70s),was Robbie Blair, of course. You know all that, I am sure. And Sean McCully.
@ robzim:
Same build and same speed as De Wet Ras…and the boot
@ nortierd:
I know it’s a rugby site but just referring back to our soccer chats during the WC..
Did you see Liverpool FC is in the process of finalising a deal to sign Italian striker Mario Balotelli to replace Suarez.
Not sure if I must laugh or cry as Super Mario is a great player but also as mad as a hatter and even more controversial than Suarez. He does not bite but he burns houses down, race Ferrari’s on go cart tracks, throw darts at players, manhandle coaches etc… Jose Mourinho described him as “unmanageable”.
Makes James Small and Dalton look like choir boys 🙂
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