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, 17:41 pm
@King Shaka(zulu shark)-291:
I wouldn’t say zero contribution…negative maybe.
11 Aug 2010, 17:43 pm
@skopskiet(yliad)-270: Legendary prose.
11 Aug 2010, 17:44 pm
@goyougoodthing2(goyougoodthing2)-277: since when did you start following Ricky January’s career?
11 Aug 2010, 17:45 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-276: Nah Rangerman and Black Panther. That’s why he’s called Rangerman.
11 Aug 2010, 17:46 pm
@gunther(gunther)-286: haha i think I just threw up a little in my mouth….
11 Aug 2010, 18:14 pm
@goyougoodthing2(goyougoodthing2)-294: @Agile T*t-Tyrant(Anairetes agilis)-298:
Reminds me of:
…..
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.
.
.
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one…
….
Richard Muir LOL
11 Aug 2010, 18:15 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-303:
11 Aug 2010, 18:24 pm
@goyougoodthing2(goyougoodthing2)-306:
teeheehee
11 Aug 2010, 18:36 pm
@SodaJoe(SodaJoe)-296:
no problem soda…
a **** is out of the question though….
11 Aug 2010, 18:36 pm
Soccer City will continue to be called the FNB
Stadium, the High Court in Johannesburg
ruled on Wednesday.
The court upheld the bank’s naming rights,
First National Bank spokesman Derek
Carstens said in a statement.
“The bank is pleased with this outcome and
will continue with its promotional and other
programmes bearing the name FNB
Stadium.”
The financial institution had taken National
Stadiums, which manages Soccer City, to
court to prevent it from changing the name
of the stadium, outside Soweto in
Johannesburg.
Wednesday’s judgment meant promotional
materials and tickets would now refer to the
stadium as “FNB Stadium” and not Soccer
City.
FNB’s lawyer PF Louw argued in court last
week that FNB had the right to the name of
the stadium until 2014.
The stadium was completed in 1988 and
owned by FNB. As part of preparations for
the 2010 World Cup, the institution gave up
its ownership of the stadium and
transferred it to the City of Johannesburg.
Carstens said the bank, in compliance with
Fifa requirements, agreed that the name
and/or logo of the stadium be changed for
a period starting three months before the
soccer world cup opening match, and
ending a week after the last match.
11 Aug 2010, 21:23 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-192:
As amply manifested in this session of yours, you have ingloriously, with your perculiar version thereof, contributed to that body of utter garbage.
The irony is that once in a blue moon you come up with a gem of an exposure as aptly demonstrated by this exposure of PA wrt the questionable IQ notion.
Note the total lie of an answer by PA to your question which obviously stumped him and in the process revealed his ignorance.
11 Aug 2010, 21:30 pm
@ET(ET)-311: ET tu, ET.
Your issues are not mine, plainly…
Please highlight any deviation of HG’s comments from the ET version of the truth…
11 Aug 2010, 21:41 pm
@ET(ET)-311: Echoes…
11 Aug 2010, 21:46 pm
How to clear the room…
11 Aug 2010, 22:33 pm
” The general consensus was that all eight players of colour had been selected on merit.”
Grant, let me tell you this:
You are either kidding yourself
Or
The Keos are under a decree to write that outragous nonsense!
Do you truly believe in what you write? I bet you don’t
11 Aug 2010, 22:56 pm
@Hondo(Hondo)-315: lol Ed Zachery….
11 Aug 2010, 23:58 pm
@grant10(grant10)-46: Only non-whites can be quotas.
The likes of Khompela et al are not auditing the number of white men in the team, so the only way any and every white player makes the team is on merit alone.
You and I may dispute a white player’s merit as deemed by the selectors, but they decided he has the merit to make the team, and their judgement is all that matters.
All non-white players are counted as contributing to the minimum race quota. It really doesn’t matter if they are good enough to be there purely on merit or not, or if they’re only there because they’re needed to fill the race quota. ALL of them are “quotas”.
If that hurts their feelings — it’s too bad, isn’t it? They just aren’t going to be told “you’re in the team on merit” or “you’re here to help fill the quota”. Tact and team motivation sees to that.
But whites are never quotas; non-whites are always quotas.
Until the day breaks when ALL race-quotas are scrapped, that sorry state of affairs will remain.
12 Aug 2010, 00:07 am
Grant … You and Simon should get together and have a chat sometime. He doesn’t seem to think there are black players in the Eastern Cape.
But then again, he believes they should just miraculously appear at EP senior level for Currie Cup and Super 15 inclusion.
12 Aug 2010, 00:34 am
@Tacitus(Tacitus)-124: this is incorrect tacitus, if 1 billion chinese people played the game and took it seriously there’s little doubt in my mind they’d be world champions. Japan aren’t even bad and there’s a fraction of those player numbers.
12 Aug 2010, 00:49 am
@Big Hit(Big Hit)-319: Japan are rubbish, and get beaten 100-0 regularly.
12 Aug 2010, 01:00 am
@Big Hit(Big Hit)-319:
even the worst student in math.stats 101 would have to agree.
12 Aug 2010, 01:12 am
not sure why everyone is taking the micky of of the ec?
it has some good areas on the coast.
ok, the locals are a little odd and appear inbred (and perhaps they are given the lack of migration into the area) but generally they act towards visitors in a friendly manner.
except, of course, those degenerates from a peculiar area near the airport called forest something or other (mind you there is no sign of a forest within 100kms).
the other strange part of pe is “north end” – the last outpost of eugene’s progeny living outside of oranje.
apparently it is the same area where the new super stadium is located.
should be an interesting crowd at the first 3n game in a million years
12 Aug 2010, 02:11 am
@ET(ET)-311:
You could learn a lot from PA’s postings… then maybe not!
12 Aug 2010, 02:12 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-317:
Some just don’t get it… it’s not rocket science…
12 Aug 2010, 04:15 am
@charo(charo)-321: A billion Indians and how many Olympic golds do they ever produce?
12 Aug 2010, 04:27 am
The cream will rise to the top. An excellent player who loses out to be picked for the Craven Week because of quotas must not lose heart. Keep on playing and come through the club system like many did before. If you`re good enough you will play. If not in SA then overseas. The poor results at recent junior world cups show that once prestigeous tournaments like the Craven Week has lost it`s glamour and that the best players were not selected.
12 Aug 2010, 05:27 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-320:
By North Harbour nogal…………
12 Aug 2010, 15:43 pm
Quotas are the least of the problem.
A more pernicious problem is that there is no system to do due diligence on selections that are made. How do we know if the Qriquas Craven week side is the best available and that the selections were fair and reasonable. Were the selectors influenced in any way?
This is fundamental in that we lose a lot of talented youngsters by not identifying them early enough and developing them or because they become despondant and quit.
There need to be checks and balances in place to ensure that our most precious resource is optimally managed. For instance, at Craven week level, the selectors have to provide detailed feedback about the top 8 or 10 players in each position and provide good explanations why they selected who they did. They need to justify their selections objectively.
Consider that if there are 20 teams at Craven week of 22 players and detailed data is kept on 10 in each spot, each year detailed information on 3000 players will be collected. this will grow into a fantastic database which we can exploit in numerous ways, such as establishing good base lines for comparison etc. if done well, this would be our biggest asset in a few years.
Obviously then, corruption in selection will be mercilessly rooted out!
12 Aug 2010, 15:51 pm
@charo(charo)-322: hahaha you can talk kak ‘forest hill’ and the plek that is the last outpost for eugene’s progeny is ‘algoa park’! yessus, there you see all sorts of home engineered cars!
13 Aug 2010, 06:07 am
@TheTackler(TheTackler)-317: I dont agree with you much, but in this I do.
While you have focus on sub issues, and less focus on the best performance, you will not get the best performance.
13 Aug 2010, 06:21 am
@skopskiet(yliad)-299: SO I guess that, since Jake was up the creek without a paddle on attack, and because he needed additional input from Eddie, that makes him a bad coach. Kind of like Snor needs a defence coach like Nienaber?
Hell, maybe Snor is more Afrikaner than you think Skop?
14 Aug 2010, 14:52 pm
You can chop down a 100 year old tree in less than a day. This doesn’t mean it can grow back in the same time you took to destroy it.
To understand this one needs to look at the 30 years of Apartheid law as the chopping down process….
14 Aug 2010, 14:56 pm
@Bell(Bell)-332: Really, that is all there is to it…
So when the chaps arrived in 1600 what did they find? Locals in big cities with lights, water, rugby and cars? No, they found guys sitting around doing very little. Since then not much has changed. Apartheid only lasted 30 years, the chaps have been here for 100 000 years.
14 Aug 2010, 15:11 pm
@goyougoodthing2(goyougoodthing2)-333: you missing the point, the rugby talent that were excluded were not only of the natives of south africa, they included everyone that was non-white.
After the dutch landed, like any nation, people developed seperate communities – some with strong rugby clutures. People settled in different places. E.G: Why is there a moslem cemetry and mosques in Constantia, Claremont main road etc? Easy – quite alot of the land was non-white owned. Before Apartheid law, there were newspapers printed in african languages with african editors. There were non-white lawyers, doctors etc etc
In any event, the apartheid laws starting being introduced from 1948 already to obviously stop the influence of “inferior” people on their country.
Besides – the people who landed here in the 1600′s were dutch, they don’t caremuch for Rugby as a priority sport. They did well in the FIFA world cup though. The British brought rugby when they arrived, a little while later.
14 Aug 2010, 15:16 pm
…and when they brought rugby… the ducth received at the same time as the malay slaves and coloured inhabitants of SA… makes one think…
14 Aug 2010, 15:17 pm
and of course… the black and french inhabitants as well…
14 Aug 2010, 15:26 pm
@Bell(Bell)-334: The irony of Apartheid…
They introduced it I guess to keep control for their children etc. To oppress people, just normal everyday people who, at the time were fairly rural still. Like many areas of the world, nothing wrong with that.
Fast forward and the rest of the world developed, SA citizens didn’t due to laws and they act and behave in a way the regime feels is not appropriate. No infrastructure occurred, not much education.
Come election time the people don’t understand what democracy really means, and 16 years later still don’t. The country going to ruin because of the legacy of a system designed to keep the very people they call ignorant, ignorant.
Certainly not one of Africa’s proudest moments. Mind you, there haven’t been many.
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