|
The
demise of South African Rugby
What
a bizarre turn of events. When Hansie Cronje was found guilty of
match fixing I certainly did take it to heart. I removed cricket
as one of my choices of spectator sports and ignored any international
games that South Africa were involved in. I was so disappointed
that I found a website enabling users to vent their anger at Hansie
Cronje. I wrote in..... I went so hard at Hansie that I had to get
in touch with the owner of the website to remove it a week later.
Today I find myself watching the Proteas take on Pakistan. Whatever
the result is, I am enjoying the test although I would obviously
prefer a win, You see, I have switched back to cricket as I watch
South African rugby sink to an even lower depth than when Hansie
let the nation down.
Anti-SARFU
speak - It will no doubt be called unpatriotic and a few other words
that only the extreme righteous use but I'm afraid this is the attitude
that comes from our current state of affairs..
Thank
god for Currie Cup rugby. Screw the world cup.... if you want to
see the stars that were meant to be there then get involved - you'll
enjoy it more than the World Cup - trust me. Enjoy our ninth choice
centre (Fleck) and fifth choice fly half (James) play classier rugby
than you will see over in Oz. The skills shown by our non-tour boys
this weekend prompted this article.
Is
it treacherous to say I hope we lose every game in the World Cup?
Or is it worse to hope that we win the World Cup and keep South
African rugby (SARFU) exactly where it is and always has been -
the apartheid era? With two english speaking players in the entire
squad and a handful of players who can't even speak english (just
afrikaans - very cosmopolitan) I think it is clear to all that white
on black is not the only racism that exists at SARFU. When 1994
came around a lot of changes were made in this country. Did anyone
see ANY change at SARFU? Apart from throwing in the bare minimum
of black players and the odd Mnkanunu (spelling?!) the only thing
that changed was Louis Luyt handing down the crown to his son-in-law
(for God's sake), Rian Oberholzer. SARFU has a lot of work to do.
A lot of people have to go and it has to start at the top. To get
Rian out is as easy as parking your car without being helped by
a drunk vagrant. The fear that the man seems to drive into people
is quite something. The fact that people on the board of SARFU want
him out and can't do anything is frightening. The only way he and
his crew will be taken out is if the country revolts. The only way
the country will revolt is if we have the worst World Cup possible.
Welcome to the New Apartheid.
Let's
face it, we won't win. You can have a thousand farewell dinners
with a thousand IDOLS and a thousand Claire Johnsons (still there
can you believe it?), with a thousand cheesy presenters and a thousand
renditions of the anthem, with a thousand bullshit 'Bring back the
cup' faxes and a thousand presidents wearing the jersey on the covers
of a thousand magazines (why did Thabo have to steal Nelson's thunder
by copying him?)....... but at some stage you've got to be honest
with yourself. We won't win and the problem with people getting
behind the boks is they could do ok at the World Cup. If the boks
do ok at the World Cup then everyone is let off the hook and NOTHING
changes. In fact, if the boks do ok at the World Cup then they will
blame the pre-departure media onsluaght for not winning the thing.
Supporting the boks for a World Cup win to spite positive and urgent
change at SARFU is verging on being selfish. Supporting the boks
for a World Cup win will mean we will never be able to see the likes
of Mallet, Du plessis and Solly at the helm of South African rugby.
And let's face it - we all want that.
Quite
a tester isn't it? Support the boks in the World cup... for the
love of South africa and the love of rugby. Or don't support the
boks in the World cup... for the love of South Africa and the love
of rugby.....
But
don't be scared to be seen doing it....
It's
cool to be cruel to be kind.
Seth
Rotherham
Editor
|
