A great day but ultimately just a sports result. I for one am not getting carried away with the political insinuation that this will further unify our country, what bollocks, we won the world cup, we didn’t eradicate crime or build a million houses etc. It may help to resurrect the sport of rugby as a national game, but without a commitment from the public, the rugby community and the government it will become merely a memory of a few days where the South African nation shared a common goal.
What did the World Cup mean to me? Well, I am South African and will always be, I love sport, all sport, and I really love rugby, so this was one of the greatest sporting occasions of my life.
I have feelings of slight guilt that I so vehemently supported South Africa and spent such a vast quantity of money being there. I haven’t lived in SA for almost 5 years and have contributed very little to the economy and well-being of my homeland, but neither do I withdraw anything from SA, on the contrary I relentlessly promote my home country globally.
I have never complained about quotas in sport, certainly not in rugby, and I realise that whilst away from SA I personally cannot help with rugby development, so I accept any measure that those in government seek to redress the racial imbalance in the team.
I think that instead of moaning about picking teams on merit etc. the rugby fraternity should get out there and capitalise on this momentous win and sponsor development, sponsor players, sponsor teams and sponsor infrastructure. . If you really care about rugby and the future of the sport in SA then give some precious time to coaching and nurturing youngsters in traditionally non rugby environments. Otherwise, like me, you must simply accept that it will continue to be a marginal sport in our great country and government spending on the sport will continue to fall aginast its primary competitor - soccer. And therein lies the crisis for rugby, not that politicians are involved, which I agree is ludicrous, but that government spending on rugby will all but dry up, and rightly so.
Understandably now, rugby and politics are inseparable, but I hope that finally, what the support shown by the entire nation for this win might also do, is provide proof to the politicians, rugby fraternity and general public that this is just a sports team, loved by all because they represent one country and not just one sector of our nation. That is all. I hope to see the same support for the Soccer Team in 2010!
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30 October, 2007 at 11:15 am
6000
So where now?
Do South Africans want the best players or the black players to represent them? Even Habana and Petersen are “not black enough”. So what happens now?
The Rugby fever sweeping the country is fantastic, and I have to agree with Cape Talk presenter John Maytham that yes, we SHOULD allow ourselves to forget about the problems SA faces for a while and enjoy the crest of the wave. Why must people interrupt the ecstasty in order to bring ugly reality back to the fore? That will happen soon enough anyway.
This victory is not good news for football here though. More ammunition for the (vocal and white) population claiming that 2010 is a waste of time and money, as the Boks hit the top spot in world rugby and the (COSAFA Cup Winning) Bafana Bafana slide to 74th. I can’t see it working out in their favour any time soon.
Sorry - I don’t have the answers, but here’s an interesting stat - with 8% of South Africa being white, even the soccer team, with 2 white players, is skewed in favour of the paler race.
30 October, 2007 at 11:20 am
6000
Oh - and - Andy Colquhoon (yeah - had to look up the spelling on that one!) - editor of Rugby World SA supports your view that rugby needs to transform, but he is suggesting by 2019, rather than 2011, which is what the Government wants. And which is just inviting disaster.
1 November, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Roger Gordon
“I think that instead of moaning about picking teams on merit etc. the rugby fraternity should get out there and capitalise on this momentous win and sponsor development, sponsor players, sponsor teams and sponsor infrastructure.”
I totally agree. Personally, I think there is space for both soccer and rugby, and was really touched to see green and gold jerseys for a couple of days on the most unlikely people.
It’s certainly true that winning the world cup won’t unite a whole society, and yes, the victory will soon be forgotten, but at the very least, the victory has shown me what a united society looks like, and I like it very much.
Thanks a stack for coming by my blog and commenting. What do you do in the UK?