This conspiracy theory may have held more weight had the Springboks not defeated Ireland last Saturday.
Sporting controversy has reigned in South Africa ever since the Rainbow Nation was reintegrated into the sporting world, post-Apartheid.
There is a division between those that want to see more black players in regional and national sides, those that want white players remaining in a position of prominence and others that would prefer to see the best team selected in the fairest manner.
The current South Africa rugby squad must meet quota requirements for black players or face sanctions from the country’s Sports Ministry. With Allister Coetzee’s side losing the opening Test to Ireland and facing a series loss, this Saturday, there have been grumblings that the Boks are being hamstrung by policy.
The Congress of South African Trade Unions went further than this standpoint. Much further.
COSATU has gone so far as to suggest a group of white players within the current Springbok squad are actively seeking to sabotage the team in protest against integration efforts. A COSATU press release, in part, reads:
‘Members of the Springboks who had previously approached Cosatu to look into the lack of transformation, have signalled that there is a group of white players who want to see this integrated team and coach fail.
‘This may be behind the bad performance of some of the players in the last two Tests. We should never underestimate the attitude of some rugby players and supporters, who are not supportive of this Springbok team and this transformation agenda.
‘These players who sabotage the performance of the Springboks must be investigated and removed from the Springbok set-up.’
The trade union group has urged Coetzee to stand up to internal pressures this week and further into his tenure. The statement continues:
‘The days of reserving some positions for some white players must be gone forever and we must also not include foreign players any longer. We have enough talent in the country to put together great teams that can win our country the matches…
‘We want a team that includes all the players in South Africa, both black and white, with no more guarantees for old white players.’
A massive cat among the pigeons.
It will be interesting to hear COSATU’s take on the Third Test, next week, whether the Boks win or lose.
