SARU OFFICIALLY PUT RACISM IN WRITING

[leinster4life13]

Sorry, not racism, "transformation". The IRFU had better be keeping an eye on this, I know a lad not given an u20's spot and was explictly told by the coach it was out of his hands and he would be sacked if he did otherwise, this is ramping up to the next level, there are a whole load of potential boks being left by the wayside, ideal NIQs.

http://www.rugby365.com/article/66588-s ... ion-in-ink
.

The South African Rugby Union formalised its commitment to transformation by signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee at a ceremony in Johannesburg on Thursday.

Mr Oregan Hoskins, president of SARU, signed the MOU on behalf the organisation to add to the commitment already captured in the Union’s previously published Strategic Transformation Plan (STP).

Rugby was one of five sports – cricket, soccer, athletics and netball were the others – that took the step following the work done by the Eminent Persons’ Group on Transformation in Sport (EPG). The EPG produced a pilot report in 2014 – and annually audits the transformation programmes of national federations – on which findings the MOU is based.

"SARU welcomes the work of the EPG and the Department of Sports and Recreation,” said Mr Hoskins.

"As a sport we are fully aligned to the National Sports Plan and earlier this year publicised our own Strategic Transformation Plan (STP) which is now incorporated into the MOU.

"It is our duty as custodians of rugby in South Africa to ensure that we remain relevant and vibrant in our emerging democracy and we will fail to do that if we don’t consciously work towards our transformation targets – this is not a threat, it is an opportunity."

Mr Hoskins added that SARU had restructured its Development department to become the Strategic Performance Management department with its sole focus on delivery of the plan and compliance

"We look forward to continuing to work with the Department of Sports and Recreation and SASCOC on this critical work," he said.

[johng]

It was the other way round for long enough. Hard on the players that miss out, but........

[Logorrhea]

It was the other way round for long enough...

and we didn't support it then .........

[paddyor]

ARE THE CAPS REALLY NECESSARY?

You don't even live in that country FFS! How can you get so wound up about it? I don't agree with "positive" discrimination but I think exceptions can be made....like post apartheid South Africa.

[leinster4life13]

The caps lock was an error, was on phone , didnt mean for my post to come across as OUTRAGE. As for not living there, I have mates there, played a bit of ball there and know coaches and players who are in the system, so I hear how it is first hand and rugby is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the situation in SA. I do think its outrageoua and the IRB should step in, to not do so is to endorse racism in what should be a meritocratic game, if they dont the IRFU should be extending scholarships to Leinster SC schools to the numerous Afrikaners who are going to be disenfranchised by this.

[dropkick]

World rugby should boycott their matches if they're anyway consistent.

[simonokeeffe]

wonderful, wonderful conspiracy theory in a comment on planetrugby that when this comes in a load of players are going to switch their allegiance to Holland

[IanD]

wonderful, wonderful conspiracy theory in a comment on planetrugby that when this comes in a load of players are going to switch their allegiance to Holland

7 Nations anyone???

London Paris Amsterdam - has a nice ring to it for away trips.

[blockhead]

wonderful, wonderful conspiracy theory in a comment on planetrugby that when this comes in a load of players are going to switch their allegiance to Holland

7 Nations anyone???

London Paris Amsterdam - has a nice ring to it for away trips.

AMSTERDAM! Cool! Johng has a gaff there. That'll save a few euro's.

[simonokeeffe]

Im also wondering how theyll stretch the granny rule back to the 19th centruy, or how theyll get their 3 years residency for Holland playing for Saracens

[Golf Man]

Its practically impossible to find a way to deal with this issue which doesn't rile one side or the other (or interested third parties)

I have no issues with positive discrimination in the right place - and post apartheid South Africa couldn't be a "better" place for it. There is a need for positive discrimination, but getting the balance right is difficult. Its very easy to just look at the rugby side of things but the fact is that SA population is only 9% white. Its not racist -> its essentially trying to give equality a kick in the arse - think I read somewhere that it would take something like 150 years to get a reasonable balance in the squad if they just let nature take its course. Given th public profile of the Boks and the context of SA history, its hard to argue with the concept althouigh possibly going too far too quickly

[LeRouxIsPHat]

This is such a complicated subject. It's one thing I agree with George Hook on, that PD shouldn't apply to sport.

My own view is that providing access to sport from a young age is the key. Remove any obstacles for non white kids and make a big effort to get them mixed in with white kids and great things could happen. However, I understand the need for it and would just try to make the best of it. I think they should stagger the quotas so that they're higher for younger teams and get smaller and smaller as you reach senior level.

Maybe traditionally white schools could set aside a month where they play blitzes once a week with schools from the townships or whatever suits best. Mix the teams up and rotate between playing home and away.

[simonokeeffe]

This is such a complicated subject. It's one thing I agree with George Hook on, that PD shouldn't apply to sport.

My own view is that providing access to sport from a young age is the key. Remove any obstacles for non white kids and make a big effort to get them mixed in with white kids and great things could happen. However, I understand the need for it and would just try to make the best of it. I think they should stagger the quotas so that they're higher for younger teams and get smaller and smaller as you reach senior level.

Maybe traditionally white schools could set aside a month where they play blitzes once a week with schools from the townships or whatever suits best. Mix the teams up and rotate between playing home and away.

the participation rate is also important here, aside from poverty levels/access to resources if the black kids all want to play soccer that doesnt help

[Dave Cahill]

41% of male rugby players in South Africa are black

[simonokeeffe]

41% of male rugby players in South Africa are black

is that over 18s or all levels?

[Dave Cahill]

41% of male rugby players in South Africa are black

is that over 18s or all levels?

Over 18s, excluding professional and representative rugby

[Dave Cahill]

I should, for the sake of accuracy, point out that when I refer to black players, they are what SARU calls Players of Colour, i.e. those players that under the apartheid system would be identified as Coloured and Native/Black

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Google tells me that the percentage of white people in SA is less than 10%. Still, that figure of 41% seems relatively good to me and presumably it's growing.

It's quite interesting looking at the demographics, just under 20% of the population was white in 1960, how the hell did they keep apartheid going in those circumstances?

[LeRouxIsPHat]

To add to that point that I'm sure nobody else cares about...85% of the population in the US in 1960 was white. The civil rights movement ended there in 1968, yet apartheid didn't end until 1994 even though non whites had a similar majority to the whites in the US.

[Dave Cahill]

Google tells me that the percentage of white people in SA is less than 10%. Still, that figure of 41% seems relatively good to me and presumably it's growing.

Declining since 2007