Much has been written about the inclusion
of the PE based franchise in next year’s Super Rugby tournament and I have
spent weeks pondering what my position is on this matter, after all the “facts”
I have read in the media I would have to settle on being pro Kings inclusion
although I do not wholly agree with the method this was done. Looking at what has been said before regarding
this mess, created by the so called leaders of SA rugby, it would be foolish to
try and rehash arguments for and against their inclusion so I am not writing
this post to convince anyone that SARU was right or wrong on this decision.
As most will know, and others might need
reminding, the way the Kings gained entry to Super Rugby is not without
precedent in SA rugby, the Natal Rugby Union was elevated to the Currie Cup
Premier division in 1987, back then I’m sure there were heated arguments for
and against this decision just as is the case with the Kings today. Granted the
game had not gone professional back then and the gap between Currie Cup first
division and Super Rugby is much, much bigger than the one the Banana boys had
to jump back then, but the point remains it has been done before and it has
reaped great benefits for the Bok team and whether the Kings deserve this
promotion or not should be seen with this precedent in mind.
One of the major reasons for the Kings’
inclusion and major consternation within the rugby community is the need for
transformation in SA rugby, we all have our opinions, reservations or
optimistic views regarding the matter and it is a topic that will be around in
SA sports (barring Soccer) for a very long time. I have yet to come across a
white rugby fan who has a problem with any player of colour in their respective
team as long as he is there on merit, all they ask is for the players to be the
best in their positions regardless of the colour of their skin, thankfully this
is the view point of the broader rugby community as well. Today in the Springbok
squad we have players of colour who are great and in some cases legends, no one
can deny the pedigree of Bryan Habana, JP Pietersen or Beast who have served the Boks with
distinction, then there are those who are working their way into the side such
as Sia Kolisi, Lwazi Mvovo, Juan de Jongh and Bjorn Basson, to name a few, who
will one day be Springbok greats, these players are examples of the game not
only transforming but transforming in a meaningful and positive way despite, in
my opinion, the lack of adequate grass roots development structures for black
communities from SARU.
I truly believe that the only way to have
sustainable and effective transformation in SA rugby is to build it from the
bottom up, make sure you have strong structures in areas you want to develop,
ensure you provide assistance for those you want to help grow and make sure you
create opportunities for them to grab. This is where the Kings come in, their
goal and reason for wanting a franchise in Super Rugby is to promote and develop
what is often referred to as the breeding ground of black rugby in SA, the
Eastern Cape. In order to do this they need the resources being exposed to
Super Rugby would provide, from what I read they have an academy up and running
and have a few signings out of that academy.
The structures are being put in place, if what we read is to be believed,
and the increased revenue next year will go a long way to strengthen them.
Although the building blocks are there I do not believe that those structures are
the conveyer belt of black players the Kings’ detractors are screaming for at
this point in time, now I spend a lot of time on rugby news and blog sites
while also following a lot of rugby people on the various social media such as
Twitter and the underlying tone of derision towards the Kings is “well if you
are in Super Rugby for transformation where are all your black players?”, this is an argument which both confuses and
irritates me as some of those fans, posters and bloggers who demand merit based
selection of players in all rugby teams now want the Kings to select the first
15 black faces in their squad to compete in 2013, not one of those who are
shouting for this darker tone from the Kings’ team, in their first year of
Super Rugby, would accept it if that were forced on their team.
Whether you agree with the Kings method of
inclusion or not, no one can escape the fact that they will be playing in 2013,
any anger for this mess should be directed at the circus which is currently
running our rugby and not at a union who is only fighting for its best
interests. The inclusion of the Kings however does take a step in the right
direction, and in my opinion a step which is necessary for SA rugby, to help
resolve the long standing issue of transformation.
In the Springboks squad we now have those
players of colour mentioned before but it must not be forgotten it has taken us
20 years to reach this point. Some might say 20 years is too long, there are
many complicated reasons for this, too many in fact to argue in this short blog
posting, the point I am trying to make is that to transform rugby we need to
focus planning and development projects in the right areas and from the bottom
up, this will take time to do properly, whether this IS done will be seen through
the Kings.
The white portion of the SA rugby community
has always asked for patience with regards to transformation at the
traditionally white unions as they know this process takes time, the Kings now should
be afforded this same courtesy. There should be no double standards applied to
the Kings when assessing their transformation goals and no vitriol spewed their
way before they have even started trying, allow them time to build, to develop,
to fail and hopefully one day to succeed, using the Sharks elevation as an
example, the Springboks can only be better off if they do.
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