Boks are SA's biggest transformation success story

23/05/2024 09:43

The Springboks should not be expected to play the numbers game when it comes to transformation, writes SIMON BORCHARDT.

It wasn't a surprise when the Proteas' 15-man squad for this year's T20 World Cup, which included just one black African, was criticised for being “too white”. But I certainly didn't expect that charge to be levelled against the Springboks a few weeks later.

Anyone who has watched Chasing the Sun can attest to the fact that the 2019 and 2023 World Cup-winning Bok squads were representative of South Africa, with a diverse group of players from all backgrounds.

That was the direct result of Rassie Erasmus tackling transformation head-on after being appointed director of rugby in 2018. Erasmus made it a way of life for the national team, giving players genuine opportunities and meaningful game time.

The days of a black player coming off the bench for the Boks with a minute or two of a Test remaining, just to tick a transformation box, are thankfully long gone, with every black player under Erasmus having an important role to play.

Unfortunately, though, the transformation numbers game is still being played in the boardroom.

According to a recent SA Rugby transformation report, the Springboks failed to meet their 2023 transformation target of 54% for “generic black players” – which includes coloured and black African players – of whom 27% had to be “ethnic black players”.

In the Rugby Championship, the Bok team consisted of 39% “generically black” players, of whom 13% were “ethnic black players”, and at the World Cup they fielded 38% “generically black” players, 16% of whom were “ethnic black players”.

My initial reaction to this finding was, “So what?” I later tweeted: “A diverse Springbok team, selected on merit, won the World Cup and was supported by South Africans of all races. Missed ‘targets’ shouldn't matter.”

Yet here we are still playing a numbers game to appease politicians.

Perhaps SA Rugby should remind them of these numbers:

The Springbok team that started the 2007 World Cup final in France included just two players of colour – both on the wing – and no black Africans. The bench was all-white.

For the 2019 decider in Japan, there were six players of colour, including four black Africans, in the starting XV, with another player of colour on the bench.

Four years later, in France, five players of colour, including two black Africans, were in the starting XV for the World Cup final, with another two black Africans on the bench.

And, of course, the Springbok captain who lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in both 2019 and 2013 is a black African.

I didn't even know the racial makeup of the Bok team for the 2023 World Cup final until writing this column, because it was never a talking point during the tournament. The Boks were selected on merit throughout, were naturally diverse (as you would expect after 30 years of democracy) and went on to defend their crown.

All South Africans (apart from the odd populist politician) supported the Springboks and fans of all races, ages and genders flocked to the streets for the trophy tour.

That showed more than anything how much progress the Springboks have made on the transformation front over the past six years.

They can rightly claim to be the biggest transformation success story in South Africa, and no report citing seemingly arbitrary targets can take that away from them.

Photo: Rodger Bosch/AFP

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