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Boks grapple with issue of race quotas

UNDER RADAR: Lwazi Mvovo is one of the black rugby players who many think should be a regular feature for the Springboks Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo
UNDER RADAR: Lwazi Mvovo is one of the black rugby players who many think should be a regular feature for the Springboks Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo

DISTRACTED from Die Swart Gevaar they are facing in the shape of the All Blacks, talk in the Springbok camp has turned to the burning issue of racial quotas ahead of Saturday's Rugby Championship clash.

With debate raging in South Africa over the proposed changes to selection policy that will compel the national coach to select seven players of colour in his match-day 23 from next year, it was just a question of time before the players started discussing the issue with a sense of unease.

In a team gathering earlier this week some senior players suggested that such sweeping changes would make it easy for players to seek contracts overseas.

That would seriously affect coach Heyneke Meyer's plans of winning next year's World Cup. Team management has been gagged and cannot discuss the matter, in public anyway, but it did not stop reporters from probing Meyer at yesterday's team announcement.

He was careful not to put his foot in it.

"I'm just here to coach," said Meyer, strikingly reminiscent of the under-siege Bok management's pronouncements here in 1981.

"It's always great to be among rugby people in New Zealand. You should probably ask that to SA Rugby. I'm just here to represent my country.

"I've got enough worries of my own."

Reporters were later again reminded to direct questions to SA Rugby Union headquarters but the controlling body has remained mum on the subject, but it is determined to go ahead with its transformation initiatives.

They make the argument that 84% of South Africans under 18 are black African but that only 4% of that number have access to rugby at school. They intend entering into a partnership with government that will redress that massive imbalance.

Saturday's match- day squad will fall significantly short of the minimum quota requirement set for next year.

Bryan Habana, Cornal Hendricks, Tendai Mtawarira and Trevor Nyakane are the non-white players in the match-day squad, while Lwazi Mvovo, Oupa Mohoje and Gurthro Steenkamp are the other members of the touring squad.

It remains to be seen if this week's distraction has any impact on the team's performance in a clash Meyer has described, albeit in a rugby sense, as the biggest challenge for every South African.

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