SA lacks quality black heavies
16 Sep 2009
There are a number of black players in the senior systems but unfortunately the majority are competing for positions in the back-three.
The Transformation and Anti-Racism Rugby Committee (TARC) recently called Peter de Villiers the “ultimate traitor” for what they believe to be a lack of transformation. The Springbok coach retaliated on Tuesday, blaming the slow rate of transformation on South Africa’s Super 14 coaches.
De Villiers reasoned the players are there but aren’t being granted opportunities. Whether a perennial underachiever like Earl Rose deserves any more chances is a debate for another day, but the point is black players are being granted chances. The real problem is there are too many players gunning for similar positions.
To illustrate, when Conrad Jantjes is fit next year, the Boks are likely to field a back-three combination of Jantjes, JP Pietersen and Bryan Habana. Now take a look at the other black players who will be pushing for those places in the five Super 14 franchises (Bare in mind there are also a number of other white players competing as well).
Also note the black players these franchises have in reserve. If I’ve missed a few, I beg your pardon, but there are sufficient numbers to emphasise the point.
Bulls – Possible starting combo: Zane Kirchner, Akona Ndungane and Bjorn Basson. Other black outside backs: Tiger Mangweni, John Mametsa.
Cheetahs – Possible starting combo: Hennie Daniller, Jongi Nokwe, Lionel Mapoe. Other black outside backs: Danwel Demas, Trompie Nontshinga, Egon Seconds, Fabian Juries, Wilton Pietersen.
Lions – Possible starting combo: Earl Rose, Louis Ludik and Dusty Noble. Other black outside backs: Earl Lewis, Shandre Frolick.
Sharks – Possible starting combo: Stefan Terblanche, JP Pietersen and Odwa Ndungane. Other black outside backs: Waylon Murray, Lwasi Mvovo, Luzuko Vulindlu.
Stormers – Possible starting combo: Jantjes, Habana and Sireli Naqelevuki. Other black outside backs: Tonderai Chavhanga, Gio Aplon.
De Villiers has made it clear that he will only pick players who feature in the Super 14. Unfortunately, there aren’t many players to compete for positions in other departments, and not many players who will feature on a regular basis.
In midfield, Adi Jacobs will get an extended run for the Sharks, but Stormers Morgan Newman and Juan de Jongh will battle to start. Wayne Julies hasn’t featured much for the Bulls in recent times.
At halfback, the Bulls have Heini Adams and Burton Francis who will play second fiddle to Fourie du Preez and Morne Steyn respectively. The Stormers have Ricky Januarie and Bolla Conradie, but the latter is unlikely to feature at all.
In the forwards, Gurthro Steenkamp and Beast Mtawarira are likely starters, but Chiliboy Ralepelle could share the hooking duties with Derick Kuun once again. There are a few others who will play at some stage but the likes of Fudge Mabeta, Bandise Maku (both Bulls), Jonathan Mokuena, Ashley Johnson, Kabamba Floors (all Cheetahs), Skoliwe Ndlovu, Nikolai Blignaut (both Sharks), Hanyani Shimange and Hilton Lobberts (both Stormers) will battle to make the match 22 more times than not.
The previous paragraphs seem to support De Villiers’s argument, but what they fail to mention is what these relatively inexperienced black players are up against. Is Kabamba Floors better than Heinrich Brussow or Juan Smith? Can Skoliwe Ndlovu compete against a Sharks loose-forward horde that includes Ryan Kankowski, Jacques Botes, Keegan Daniel and Jean Deysel? Fudge Mabeta is never going to make the Bulls cut ahead of the locking triumvirate of Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha and Danie Rossouw either. And is he better than a Wilhelm Steenkamp?
The question groups like the TARC will ask is why. Why are these players not good enough. It’s the wrong question. They should be asking why the pool of players competing for positions 1 to 13 is so small, and they should definitely be asking why there is such a dearth of quality black forwards in this country.
Before taking up the assistant coaching job with the Ireland Test side, former Bok forwards coach Gert Smal sent Saru a proposal detailing the development of black forwards in the Eastern Cape. Saru failed to respond to Smal’s proposal, and not only did he disappear, but so did the concept.
SA Rugby desperately needs somebody to head up a new project aimed at identifying and developing good black forwards in this country. In 2007, a High Performance Programme aimed at developing quality black players was abandoned. Saru needs to revisit the concept.
There have been black forwards to represent South Africa on merit, but they have been to few and far between. The only African in the incumbent Bok pack is a Zimbabwean native. There was another until recently, namely Brian Mujati, but he also hailed from north of the border.
The TARC cannot expect the current system to produce more black Springboks, and they cannot aim their frustration at the national coach. This should be directed Saru’s way, because until there is a bona fide plan to develop black forwards as well as backs, South Africa is going to face the same problem year after year.
By Jon Cardinelli
521 Comments
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16 Sep 2009, 23:16 pm
#496 charo: Sweet Dreams there Charo!!
16 Sep 2009, 23:17 pm
#495 Wezwp:ye is no @sshole, he says as he sees it! For some reason he seems to take pop culture seriously, this one year he gave away his moonman to outkast cos he thought the deserved it more than him…he is a tortured genius…i also think he is a little retarded…went to his concert @ the dome in ’07, he killed it…
#491 charo: you wish! yeh formative years in good old butter, then slummies…EC all the way!
16 Sep 2009, 23:32 pm
Hi Carol! Just so sad about Floyd and Swayze today. At least liverpool won this evening.
16 Sep 2009, 23:50 pm
#6 Nils: Thats only when they have played three testst in a row – strange that also, how other 3N teams hardly ever have to do that (and when they do, they ***** like hell).
#12 Predawn: All that we need is another grand slam to go wih it. Add england and Scotland to the EOYT and we have a potential “European grand slam”.
#16 Nils: Not really, by the time that they get out of the pythons grip, they are 29-12 behind, and dead in the water…
#19 Greenpoint-Gunner: I appreciate what you are saying about the large number of clubs in the EC region, but in the big scale of things, this is relatively small. And you canot look for similar representation to Sa demographically, because teh demographics of the REGISTERED RUGBY PLAYER POOL is pretty much what the Bok team is (give or take a statistically insignificant variation).
#31 Shakes34: Mpho Mvbiyozo is a forward star for the SA Sevens team. he has teh fitness, the skills , and the speed and power for a good flank. And he did bloody well against the Lions- he desereves a look in I reckon (I just dont want the SA sevens squad weakened).
#33 Ruggaluvva: the Namibian, Sharks, Southern Kings & Wallaby supporter: I reckon Habana should be a 13 anyway. Adi should be 12. That would be pretty exciting with Adi making space and Habana whizzing through it at a million miles an hour. Ruaan to 15 to make up for Frans going, Burton to backup Morne. Juan de Jongh to be introduced slowly into the Bok setup like Chilliboy- doing an apprenticeship.
#48 Hondo: You are so far off teh mark you are waaaaaay into racist territory. If black people dont have the “skills” then why is the Fijian sevens team so awesome? From a country that only has a few hundred thousand people? Dont be stupid man.
I will say this: History has resulted in “pockets ” of larger sized or faster people due to availability of nutriion, or other factors. “White” (hey, arent we all shades of grey?) people from a Scandinavian, German (Saxon) or Dutch background tend to be larger.
This is because they probably have the longest history of farming and agriculture on a large (even commercial) scale, and have been eating relatively well for centuries already. Their diet has also traditionally been large amounts of meat and dairy. The prolonged and violent wars in Europe in the middle ages probably also weeded out the non-combatant, skinny, small types as well (the Vikings, Saxons, Huns and Goths were not small or diplomatic people).
Also, US and Carribean blacks (who were rendered genetically stronger from having all the weak ones die from being hauled across the Atlantic in slave ships) tend to be big and fast (hence their demographic overrepresntation in NFL football and basketball).
Subsaharan blacks tend to be smaller- probably due to the lack of nutrition or type of food consumed during the colonial and apartheid years, as well as because these areas are relatively dry and cannot support as much productivity as European farms. Subsistence agriculture was the norm (for example in the 1700′s).
This is changing as they get richer and can afford to eat more meat and dairy products, and are nourished properly duringtheir formative years. But this is not a fast process – its takes at least a generations development.
I am just looking for reasons for the “genetic” characteristics. I dont think that any race cannot become big- they just need the opportunity. Its no coincidence that the white Americans are so big after how many centuries of prosperity. Even Japanese people are becoming much bigger now that eating red meat has become more normal. It just takes time.
17 Sep 2009, 00:02 am
#82 David:
Sorry for the belated answer, (I am abroad on business)
The Quantity issue comes to the fore
The Bulls have Steagman and Potgieter from Grey College, Brummer, Watermayer and that speedy wing Van der something are all local products from Tukky, Werner Kruger and Steenkamp (the lock) ditto
If ‘poaching’ is applicable to Francis Burton, then well, I am entitled for my opinion
The Sharks traditionally pick their plataland boys from the OFS, they aren’t much interested in the Cape Products although Luke Watson was originally poached from the Eastern Cape, Kockot and Deysel are from JHB, Daniel, Kanko, Cilliers, Burden, Skyke, Rohdes and Hargreave are all Banana Boys bona fides
No huge migration from Boland seemingly?
17 Sep 2009, 00:21 am
#502 Hondo:
Potgieter is from Daniel Pienaar in the Eastern Cape, Van Den Heever is from a high school in Benoni whose name I forget, Steenkamp is from Paarl Boys High.
17 Sep 2009, 00:26 am
#502 Hondo:
Kanko is from St Andrews College in Grahamstown, Daniel is from Dale College in Kingwilliamstown, Kockott is from Selborne in East London. All Eastern Cape boys.
17 Sep 2009, 00:39 am
#143 waynes: Basson should come to the Sharks.
17 Sep 2009, 00:51 am
#503 Sghibha:
My mistake
To be certain: we aren’t talking about Guthro Steenkamp?
17 Sep 2009, 00:57 am
#504 Sghibha:
But I knew for a fact that Kockott is a golden Lions rejected? I must be misinformed then, thanks!
The Bulls young three are all registered at Pretoria U to my knowledge whatever it means?
17 Sep 2009, 01:00 am
#271 Dawn: You know what I got accussed of the same **** by Skop despite expressing my support for PdV! I don’t post that often because I hardly get time but I ain’t going anywhere!
17 Sep 2009, 01:06 am
“Subsaharan blacks tend to be smaller- probably due to the lack of nutrition or type of food consumed during the colonial and apartheid years…”
Ethiopians and Liberians therefore ought to be atypically large and powerful Africans as they had zero apartheid and less than a generation of colonialism. Liberia, in fact, had no colonisation at all, ever.
The awkward truth is that Africans in 20th century apartheid colonialist South Africa enjoyed the best overall nutrition of ALL black Africans and are therefore generally bigger and sturdier and much more rugby-worthy than their less-colonised, zero-apartheid brothers from north of the Limpopo.
17 Sep 2009, 01:25 am
#350 Transformation: Much like the majority of what comes out of your mouth every day!
17 Sep 2009, 01:46 am
Why does it matter?
17 Sep 2009, 03:30 am
So are the people leaving South Africa taller or shorter than average?
Maybe you could have a emigration height quota
17 Sep 2009, 03:31 am
Exciting game of rugby this weekend with all the daring GH team changes
yawn
17 Sep 2009, 04:46 am
#513 chch – welcome back Laulala: Its about time they introduced a decent 13 and tried another lock. Isiah gets so much flak in NZ, but I only see quality in his play. Not sure whats the Kiwi problem with him?
#509 TheTackler: get real, Ethiopia, Liberia? Ethiopia is a VERY arid country with sparse food resources, subsistence farming, and consequently very small thin peope (which is good for running – hence their success in that sphere). Liberia, Nigeria and many of the other Western African countries in fact have very large people – they were the source from which the US slaves came from. They just dont have much interests in rugby.
Kenya does have large people – the Masai are known for their height (but not really bulk, as food is also not very easy to grow there, it being semi arid) but not much interest in rugby, their sevens team has generated interest, and their players seem pretty robust.
Loo at the disproportionate amount of Zimbos in teh SA squad over thelast few years. There have been a couple of big boys coming out of Zimbabwe- known as the “bread basket of Africa” at one stage. Unfortunately the troubles thay are having right now mean that we probably wont see too many robust types coming out of the next geeration.
17 Sep 2009, 05:41 am
#510 Crouching Tiger Hidden Bokke: clearly i hit a nerve, it’s fine you can go around chasing my posts, that’s what insignificant tw@ts do…or you can take skop’s advice & register elsewhere where you’ll find like minded degenerates congregating and chomping on humble pie because pdv has done what they said he couldn’t do!
17 Sep 2009, 08:28 am
#477 Robzim:
Just in case you and Skoppie come back and read this…
Keith Floyd was the original irreverent TV cookie… No Floyd… most probably no Jamie Oliver…
BUT… Most importantly…
He was a rugby man… even played some on one of his shows once… (think in Wales but could’ve been somewhere else…)
17 Sep 2009, 12:57 pm
Pissant et al have said it all. Let the young black players mention go to province or super franchises but fekkin SARU should monitor, motivate, check up etc on these lads with particular care. Maybe have 2 or 3 full time “mentors” (Ashwin W, Shimmy?, Bobo) who travel around the country and encourage these youngsters and get any specific needs (coaching etc) addressed.
18 Sep 2009, 01:37 am
#514 Transformation: Wtf?! When have I ever said that I don’t support PdV?! You’re a goddamn freak…I hardly ever post on keo because I generally have v little time to so how do you know what I think about PdV?!
I’ve ever said give the man a chance, I’ve said that from the start. I did get a bit disillusioned with him during the Lions tour because his comments about Schalk made us a laughing stock and the 3rd test was a disaster but he really impressed me with the way he handled the Tri-Nations and I believe he’s come into his own as a coach. So all this **** about me eating humble pie is just same load of kak invented so you and skopshit can have someone to rail against!
If anything its you thats following my posts around because whenever I post anything you and Skopshit pop out of your cesspits and start insulting me for absolutely no reason.
Like fck am I leaving this blog! I’ve been posting on here for 2 years and you can go fck yourself if you think I’m going to leave because you two pathetic idiots!
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