The Rugby World Cup has started, and Bok Friday is part of our support every week. The Springboks looked awesome against Scotland recently, but can we believe that this is what we will see during the World Cup?
The New Zealand pundits on “The Breakdown” show (Sky Sports New Zealand) were critical of the Springboks. I couldn’t believe that former players on the show could talk such rubbish about the Springboks.
My concern is the smaller nations at the World Cup, such as our neighbours, Namibia and Romania. We all know from a rugby perspective that they are there to make up the numbers (I say this with respect). When will World Rugby ever do something about improving rugby in those nations?
The big Tier 1 nations look after themselves. Years ago, when Namibia was part of South African rugby, they were good. Players like Andre Stoop come to mind, and they had an attacking full-back. Where is their talent of yesteryear? When will they become a respected force in world rugby?
Coming back home, our proud rugby schools produce awesome players, but do the scouts know about the township schools that never feature on the big stage? There is also untapped raw talent there.
Like World Rugby and the Tier 1 nations that look after themselves, the same scenario exists in our elite rugby schools. We look after ourselves.
On television, the commentators will mention where some of our Springboks come from, the schools they attended and so on. This is one of the reasons why the old legends of the South African Council on Sport era never support the Springboks and always have something negative to say about Springbok rugby.
The Springboks, being representative of different racial colours nowadays, don’t attract enough people of colour. Let the Springboks play in Cape Town and everyone will be against our team, and that is enough evidence to prove a point.
The Rugby World Cup is seen on TV for only paying subscribers of SuperSport, and millions across the globe. The SABC will televise only 16 of the 48 matches. What a big farce this is! This is the World Cup, which means it is for everyone, not a section of the population. How wrong and uneven is our modern society?
I hope the Springboks can win the cup and bridge those divides and let South African populations smile again. And I hope South African rugby will go into the townships and identify more talent.
* PN Hendricks, Hanover Park.
* The views expressed are not necessarily the views of IOL or Independent Media.
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