Quotas in South African rugby : Just do it already

“The national rugby team of South Africa, commonly named the Springboks, is predominantly Caucasian, which is the minority of the country’s population.”

“This indicates that the powers that be in the South African Rugby Union (SARU) show a blatant disregard for the racial demographics of the country by continuously selecting Caucasian players ahead of players of color, noting the reason for this as being that the quality of ‘colored’ players in South Africa are far and few in between.”

“In reality, SARU is still a front for racial discrimination against people of African ethnic groups. It is still ruled by the remnants of the white Apartheid era and refuses to share this great sport with the majority. It is for this reason that the quota system is not only fair and just, but also necessary.”

“If they do not want to submit to the truly just notion of transformation, then we will take what is ours, by right, with force.”

This is a colorful little quote that I encountered a few months ago while I was busy doing some research on what’s hot and what’s not in South African rugby.

This was said in the comments section of an article dealing on transformation in the country back in 2007 before that year’s World Cup. As you can see, the writer of this comment is full of conviction, high on confidence and loyal to the cause to a fault. Suffice to say, if this is the true mentality of those fighting for the complete implementation of the quota system, then I really only have one response.

Great, just do it already.

Everyone has to stop nagging and threatening about doing it and just pull up their socks and do it. There is an old saying, and by old I mean during the early 1900s, where American farm folk in Omaha would say “A little money coming in is worse than none.”

This saying ties in perfectly with the ongoing situation regarding the racial issues within South African sport. For far too long has this dilemma transfigured itself into an array of threats and promises. As most South Africans will tell you, threats and promises are pretty much what our Rainbow Nation is about, only now it’s become stale and infuriatingly annoying.

A little background on myself as I feel it is necessary in order to put my point across. I was born on the 17th of June in 1994, the very same year that South Africa entered into the realms of democracy. As the dragon was dispatched by the cold steel of King Arthur’s legendary blade, Apartheid was well and truly slain.

As such, I, along with millions of others were born into this country as children of the new age, of a new, brighter South Africa. I cannot presume to know the struggles of my forefathers during the time of Apartheid and luckily I don’t need to.

The beauty of the time of my birth and upbringing is the fact that I have lived with people of all races and cultures my entire life. From being schooled alongside those who hail from other ethnic backgrounds to currently working with them in my day job every single day of every single year, my generation has been blessed with the enlightenment that comes from the bliss of peaceful co-existence.

Because of this we do not necessarily share the views of our fathers or their fathers or the fathers before theirs. While it is an undeniable truth that certain innate aspects of heritage is passed down from generation to generation and some take these teachings as truth and follow them – after all, the words of your own blood have the tendency to engrave themselves deep into your own soul – and yet, some of us decide our own personal views and carve out our own paths filled with principle and morality.

An honest self-assessment puts me onto the latter category.

This article is not about who is right and about who is wrong regarding the ageless dispute surrounding our rugby. This is not a judgement between the notions of black and white. I am not here to try and convince anyone about who’s right and who’s wrong. The matter of our racial issues in South African rugby is a grey area with many truths going both ways, multiple good points of factual and perceptive reasoning sitting on either side of the fence.

In a game of rugby there are always points for and against for both teams participating on the field. We can (and already do) have endless discussions about who’s fault it is that we sit with this problem in all of our sports in South Africa today. There is nothing more to say that hasn’t been said.

So, with all that in mind, we look back to the 31-man Springbok Rugby World Cup 2015 squad wherein nine players of colour were selected, assembling a grand total of 29 per cent of the squad in its entirety and setting the record for the World Cup squad with the most players of colour selected in our history in the sport.

No doubt many of you have heard or read of the outrage that certain political parties have displayed at the shortcoming of the intended 30 per cent quota requirement. One party has even gone as far as to threaten to take the SARU to court and suspend the Boks from participating in this year’s global event. Make of this whatever you will.

My issue is that this problem has become insidiously poisonous instead of being harmlessly disturbing to a degree. Most rugby-loving South Africans, of which there are many, have embraced the fact that transformation is necessary and inevitable. We are at peace with the reality that the quota system will be enforced and soon.

The annoying thing is that it seems that it isn’t going anywhere and hasn’t been for quite some time. It is rather akin to a mischievous eight year old boy who broke his father’s sporting trophy, waiting for the penance of a well worked spanking on its way, only to find himself waiting for hours in his room while shivering at the prospect of imminent hand to buttocks retribution.

For twenty long years we have awaited this moment and for twenty long years we have even started to forget about it. But then just when things reach a climax, the World Cup being a prime example, we are simultaneously bombarded with threats and promises of the upcoming clean sweep by every politician and his brother with a microphone.

I speak now from personal experience, nothing pisses South Africans off more than things not getting done when such a big song and dance was given about it. This underlines my true point of frustration.

Should transformation be implemented from the lowest level upwards? Or should transformation be implemented as a quick fix for quick results via the coveted quota system?

It doesn’t matter, the course of action has already been decided and no one can change that other than World Rugby themselves, which I can assure you, they will never do.

What’s done is done and, if everything goes according to SARU’s plans, half of the Springbok match day squad will be represented by 50 per cent of players of colour by the 2019 Rugby World Cup. I reiterate, if things go according to plan.

My view on this is rather simple, if something’s broken then don’t continue breaking it and the quota system will do just that. Then again, continuing down the road we’ve tread in the last two decades will have the exact same effect.

The truth is that SARU is responsible for the fact that black players are not where they should be. They haven’t done enough to ensure that the disadvantaged, poverty-struck masses have legitimate opportunities to make something out of their rugby aspirations. They haven’t done enough to promote the game of rugby in the poor and rural areas of the country.

Perhaps they haven’t done enough to identify and evolve the enormous pool coloured talent currently plying their trade in school and club teams. These are things we all know. SARU hasn’t taken its own responsibilities seriously and are now suffering from the consequences.

In the same vain, the quota system will not fix the problem at all. Why? Because it is a quick, easy solution involving no hard work and the lack of proper planning. If those in favour of the quota system had their way, they would send 16 players of colour to the World Cup next month regardless of all the questions they must answer first. Are they ready for a tournament with stakes as high as this one? Are the players selected the best in their position? Or will they even feel merited in the green and gold?

What should be done is the pressure currently applied to SARU to come up with enough quota players to satisfy the masses should be applied to SARU’s duties to the grassroots level in the country, the bottom of the pyramid so to speak. Supervise their efforts in the rural rugby communities with an iron first. Take the long term solution for a long term result.

Instead what they’re doing is throwing fuel to the proverbial flames, goading honest, rugby-loving people to participating in their self-serving protests. It is a slow poison that bitters even the most loyal of rugby men and women, in turn causing them to be jittery, ready to pounce on any wrong word spoken. The slow poison is annoying and it cultivates an edge we really could live without.

Still, despite all of our dreams and ideals, the bed has been made and we are meant to sleep in it whether we want to or not. My personal views on this matter carry no real relevance and neither does anyone else’s. The plan has been set in motion and so it shall be.

My only request is that if the quota system is truly the path we have chosen, get on with it. Having a bark and no bite is stirring up more trouble than the idea itself. So, please, for the love of all that is pure and decent in this world, get on with it.

We’ll handle the outcome when the time comes. It can either work or it won’t. Sometimes, to build something new you must destroy the old and lay the foundations.