RUGBY QUOTAS

A sanitised version of this article was published in the Sunday Times two weeks back but the gist of the point always seems to get lost courtesy of the editing strokes of the media.

Sick to death of Quotas, Quotes and Quotients

Our Minister of Sport, Makhenkesi Stofile was heard to say, and I quote: “Merit selection cannot be achieved if the playing field of the participants is not level. To pretend otherwise is only to be over-hopeful or to be simply mischievous.”
This pearl of erudition was spewed forth to Reuters’ correspondents not so very long ago. This is, therefore, current news.
Sadly, however, the subject matter is not.

Is it a reflection of how things really are or is it an opinion being proffered loaded with anticipation, hope – perhaps even threat?
Me – I’m heartily sick of the element of threat when, no matter how well intended, it misses the point completely.

If we are to dissect our articulate sporting minister’s words in the first part (the second part doesn’t merit dissection in my view) – I have to wholeheartedly agree. But to drop the stompie and leave it to sputter and die in the gutter is as much use as forcing token players into a national team citing the reason as being a parallel for our statistical population demographic which some morons still put forward as a legitimate argument. First off – it makes the wild, pointless assumption that if the ratio between black people and white people is (for argument’s sake) 40, 000, 000 : 6, 000, 000, or 6.667 : 1, or there should eventually be 7 players of colour to every 1 white player in the national side. Which presupposes all sorts of things that do not belong in the calculation in the first place.

It is impossible to determine how many developing black players should have/could have been playing the game competitively and how many of them have been passed over on unfair grounds. It is a horrible reality, I admit, but attempting to force a quota-system into national rugby selection makes a complete nonsense of the problem, irks black and white supporters alike, exacerbating rather than helping the situation.

“The playing field of the participants” Mr Minister is most certainly not level but the solution is surely not projecting that imbalance, which resides in our junior and development programme shortcomings, into the national arena in the misguided hope that by placing a player of colour ahead of a more proficient white player is somehow going to make the sport grow healthily and ensure that the Springboks win. As much as I philosophically cherish the concept of sportsmanship and “how you play the game” rather than winning at all costs, it would be naïve, even foolish, to believe that that’s what the sporting public, the sponsors and the media networks want to see. They don’t – they want the most competitive side out on that field because that’s the team most likely to produce the goods and draw the bigger crowds. It’s a no-brainer really. But how do you measure that with the knowledge that the game’s development is not where it should be?
The answer, in my humble view, is quite simple - take the spotlight off the administrators who just love to see their names in print and channel those copious amounts of money through the levels where they are needed.

If SA rugby development had the appropriate focus and priority, there would be a troop of coaches (all with the same level and degree of training themselves) distributed throughout the school rugby programme thus ensuring a level playing field for kids intent on playing rugby whether black or white.

It is patently apparent that any levelling of the previous imbalances in rugby development is going to take time. That’s not a mantra of a rugby-supporting white man hanging on to the hope the sport will remain all-white – no. It’s a mathematical reality no matter how much we would all like it to be different.

But if we have the same level of coaching at all schools and varsities, clubs and provincial organisations and the money is spread according to real demand rather than elitist principles, we have a very good chance that the emerging black and coloured talent will eclipse the emerging white talent simply in a matter of time – the time it takes. At that point the numbers should take care of themselves because each keen youngster will have had the same grounding. If the black kid is better that the white one – by all means pick him but not ahead of the white kid if it isn’t the case. The pool from which the talent is being extracted will, at that stage, ensure that there is a majority of black players if that is how the popularity and enthusiasm for the sport develops.

If development is being hamstrung by racial overtones, no matter which form that takes, then knock it on the head there and then but for rugby’s sake don’t extrapolate the desired future scenario into the current situation for political gainsay and a cheap attempt at redressing the horrific injustices of apartheid. It is neither beneficial nor appropriate and it will surely lead to poorer rugby playing standards, disgruntled players, supporters, coaches and administrators. The only boost gained will be that of the egos of the fatcat politicos with their names emblazoned across banner headlines as we devolve into one rugby crisis after another.

Let Jake White and his team get on with the job at hand, sourcing players from our Currie Cup, Super 14 and similar competitions.
If players are good enough to play competitively in such tournaments then these are the guys who would have arrived there on merit regardless of their skin colour.
Let it be. Let it happen.

True rugby lovers have as much affection for Breyton Paulse, Bryan Habana or Akona Ndungane as they do for Jean de Villiers, Bobby Skinstad or Percy Montgomery – as long as they are there because they deserve to be, not as a result of political pressure and a racial motivation that belongs in the past with the unjust system that those very precepts helped depose.