Planet Rugby Forum

Proteas to count cost of exodus

2015-03-25 07:18
Auckland - Kevin Pietersen may be South African cricket's most high-profile expatriate talent, but Grant Elliott's Cricket World Cup showstopper left the Proteas once again cursing another of their lost sons.

Elliott, born in Johannesburg and schooled at the same St Stithians College in the city which also nurtured England's Cape Town-raised Jonathan Trott, dealt the blow that killed off South Africa's latest attempt to win a World Cup in Tuesday's semi-final epic in Auckland.

The 36-year-old Elliott, known to teammates as "Shunt" and "Magic", left his home country in 2001 and seven years later made his Test debut for New Zealand.

His Test career has since stalled - the last of his five caps came back in 2009 - but he has thrived in one-day internationals even if his selection for the World Cup came as a surprise for those expecting the more flamboyant Jimmy Neesham to get the nod.

"I came for a lifestyle change and also for my cricket. As soon as I arrived in New Zealand and made it my home, I had aspirations of playing international cricket for New Zealand," Elliott told local media when he was first called into the squad.

"It's a really tough move because you always grow up thinking you're going to be a Springbok or a Protea."

Elliott's undefeated 84, topped with the match-winning six off the penultimate ball of the last over at Eden Park, gave the Black Caps a four-wicket win and a spot in Sunday's final against either Australia or defending champions India in Melbourne.

Whereas other South Africans have left to pursue international cricket under a different flag because of the quota system in operation, Elliott insists his move to New Zealand was purely contractual.

"I always wanted to play international cricket," Elliott told www.cricket365. "I wasn't enjoying my cricket that much there, and I just needed a lifestyle change.

"I played for Gauteng, I had a contractual dispute with them, so that triggered me to look elsewhere as well."

In recent years, Elliott has been one of a number of South Africans to play for New Zealand.

Wicketkeeper/batsman Kruger van Wyk, who played first-class cricket for Northerns, left for New Zealand after realising that he would never depose Mark Boucher as the Proteas' man behind the stumps.

Van Wyk figured in nine Tests for the Kiwis in 2012 but has not played at the international level since.

Left-arm fast bowler Neil Wagner, born in Pretoria, has appeared for the Black Caps in 16 Tests since making his debut in 2012, taking 58 wickets.

He did break into the South Africa set-up on two occasions but only on the margins - he was summoned to carry out 12th man duties in two Tests at Centurion.

BJ Watling, who was born in Durban but has lived in New Zealand since childhood, is New Zealand's first-choice Test wicket-keeper having played 29 matches since his 2009 debut.

New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum summed-up Elliott's sudden breakthrough to national hero status on Wednesday when he revealed that when 20 players were sent to the scout the Melbourne Cricket Ground in October last year, the all-rounder wasn't even included in the group.

McCullum said Elliott reminded him of the omission after Tuesday's cliffhanger.

"He did say when I saw him at the end 'does this mean I get to come to Melbourne?'," said the captain.

"There's a bit of irony there, I suppose. He's shown how he important he is to us so I'm sure he is looking forward to Melbourne."

Hoskins addresses Parliament

Cape Town - Race has become another sore point for the South African Rugby Union (SARU) when transformation in rugby was discussed in Parliament on Tuesday, according to reports.

According to Netwerk24 some MPs complained about the “white faces” in SARU’s delegation that presented to the portfolio committee on sport and recreation.

EFF MP Pebane Moteka asked: “If you do not even your leadership can transform, how are you transforming the sport?”

Solly Malatsi from the DA then tweeted that Saru’s presentation reminded him of "the unbearable whiteness of the state of South African rugby ".

SARU president Oregan Hoskins, who led the delegation, asked MPs to confirm that he was not white.

"Honourable members, look at us and say we are all white men.

"As someone who grew up under apartheid, I know it is politically correct to refer to myself as black. Sometimes I just do not understand," he said and shook his head.

He said if they were to play political games about who is black and who is not, it leaves them in a very different minefield.

“But I forgive people who think I'm white."

Netwerk24 reported that SARU’s delegation was made up of four black and four white members.

"In SARU we try to do the right thing.

"I have to look at a white player and say we have to replace you with a black player because of transformation. It's part of the job, but we will try to maintain a balance between competitiveness and transformation.”

Hoskins added that transformation would take time.

He said they did not want to put a black person on the team because of the colour of his skin.

“We want to develop black players in order to compete on the same level as white players.”

ANC MP and committee chair, Beauty Dlulane, said more needed to be done for transformation in rugby, especially in rural areas.

How Cricket SA bosses forced De Villiers to play Philander

'AB didn‘t want to play in the semi because of this; it is a clear case of interference by the board'


Cricket SA‘s board hung Vernon Philander out to dry by demanding his selection for the World Cup semifinal, making captain AB de Villiers reluctant to play in the match, say sources close to the Proteas.

A selector said the panel “had to okay four players of colour” for last Tuesday‘s semifinal, in which Philander was thrust in from the cold after an injury lay-off to play alongside Hashim Amla, Imran Tahir and JP Duminy.

“AB didn‘t want to play in the semi because of this; it is a clear case of interference by the board — they ordered Philander‘s selection,” said a well-placed source who declined to be named.

“It was a purely political decision. The players are fuming about it but they won‘t say so.”

De Villiers could not be reached for comment.

Tony Irish, chief executive of the SA Cricketers‘ Association, refused to comment.

“I will be talking to the players [today] when they get back [from Australasia],” he said.

If the claims are true, a star bowler who has taken 121 wickets in only 29 Tests has been cynically undermined. Philander has earned every nugget of his success but being drafted into one of the most important matches in South Africa‘s one-day history in this way makes him look like a player who has benefited from being black.

The other factor is that Kyle Abbott was denied an opportunity he deserved — and which possibly cost South Africa a place in yesterday‘s final. Abbott was the Proteas‘ best bowler in the tournament in terms of average, economy rate and strike rate.

The Philander fandango was danced as Sport Minister Fikile Mbalula warned at the weekend that CSA and the SA Rugby Union faced expulsion from official South African sport if they failed to deliver on agreed transformation targets.

“We will ...withdraw national colours; we will ensure that we deregister those that are intransigent,” he warned.

The SA Cricketers‘ Association is also “considering our legal options” following a claim that CSA‘s board unilaterally raised the quota for players of colour in provincial franchise teams from five to six. CSA denied that Philander‘s inclusion in the semi-final was to fill a quota.

“Team management could perhaps be in a better position to respond to your query. I have not in the past interfered with the selection of the team and I do not intend to do so in the future. We have always emphasised that national team selection must be on merit,” said CSA president Chris Nenzani.

CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat said: “There was and is no political interference in our selections. We have a selection panel that includes the coach and independent members, and this panel selected all the teams at the World Cup in the same way that they did before the World Cup.”

Team doctor and manager Mohammed Moosajee said he was “not aware of political selection or interference”.

Moosajee explained that: “The selector on tour generally selects the team (the starting XI), obviously with the input of the coach and the captain. There is always a selector on tour,” said Moosajee.

Convenor of selectors Andrew Hudson failed to return The Times‘s call.

Despite CSA‘s insistence that it had not interfered in national team selections, there is a precedent.

In 2001, the then United Cricket Board president, Percy Sonn, personally overruled the selection of Northern Transvaal left-handed batsman Jacques Rudolph in the Test team to play Australia and demanded that he be replaced by Boland‘s Justin Ontong.

Reports from Australia claimed that South Africa‘s captain on that tour, Shaun Pollock, was still uncertain of the composition of his team 15 minutes before he walked out for the toss. — Additional reporting by Nivashni Nair and David Isaacson

Blake wrote:This is going to get messy...

Very sad if true...which it could very well be.

Lorgat ‘forced Philander selection with SMS’
March 31, 2015
Cricket South Africa CEO Haroon Lorgat allegedly told Proteas coach Russell Domingo, via an SMS, to drop a white player, just hours before South Africa were due to face New Zealand in the World Cup semi-final.

Netwerk24 reports that Lorgat sent a text message to Domingo at 01:00 local time the morning of the game, telling him to pick an extra player of colour in the team.

Lorgat allegedly told Domingo to choose between dropping Rilee Rossouw and picking Farhaan Behardien, or dropping Kyle Abbott and picking Vernon Philander.

Domingo and De Villiers wanted Abbott to play, but Lorgat refused to sign off on the team if there were only three players of colour – Hashim Amla, JP Duminy and Imran Tahir – in the team.

After discussing the issue at length with captain AB de Villiers, they decided to keep Rossouw and drop Abbott.

De Villiers and Philander were furious and threatened not to play the game, but they were forced to. South Africa lost the semi-final by four wickets.

Lorgat denied the claims, saying there wasn’t and isn’t any political interference in the choosing of the team.

He previously said: ‘There was and is no political interference in our selections. I’ve never heard any nonsense like that in my entire tenure as team administrator. I was at the World Cup, I was in the vicinity of the team and there was absolutely no interference from the minister.’

CSA president Chris Nenzani has said on the issue: ‘I have not in the past interfered with the selection of the team and I do not intend to do so in the future. We have always emphasised that national team selection must be on merit.’

Minister of Sport and Recreation Fikile Mbalula was quick to respond himself. ‘The team selection has got nothing to do with the minister and the minister had no space to make such calls of who must and must not be selected. I support all the boys, those who were selected and not selected and those who were not given an opportunity,’ he said.

This scandal follows the news that Cricket South Africa (CSA) have decided that every franchise must increase the number of players of colour to six, and ensure that three are black African in the new season (2015-16), increasing the quota by one.

Every franchise in South Africa is to get a one-off payment of R350 000 to pay for the extra black players demanded by CSA in their new quotas directive.

Teams playing in all semi-professional matches will stay at the current requirement of least six players of colour and a minimum of three black African players.

Earlier, the South African Cricketers’ Association had considered legal action because, they said, there had been no consultation, and they were concerned about the financial effect of recruiting extra players at such a late stage, after contracts had been finalised.
- See more at: http://www.sacricketmag.com/2015/03/lor ... XJOzz.dpuf

Sards wrote:Top sportsmen and genuine up and comers would be absolutely insane not to leave to play their sport in another country that has no racist selection policy.

Eight_Eye wrote:

Sards wrote:Top sportsmen and genuine up and comers would be absolutely insane not to leave to play their sport in another country that has no racist selection policy.

And yet there are apologists who continue to argue that it is greed that motivates them to leave and not racial discrimination.

It amazes me what lies are told by those who defend the present dispensation.

There is no right-minded white South African who does not seriously consider leaving the country because of racial discrimination. If you don't, you are either corrupt or stupid.

Big Nipper wrote:

Eight_Eye wrote:

Sards wrote:Top sportsmen and genuine up and comers would be absolutely insane not to leave to play their sport in another country that has no racist selection policy.

And yet there are apologists who continue to argue that it is greed that motivates them to leave and not racial discrimination.

It amazes me what lies are told by those who defend the present dispensation.

There is no right-minded white South African who does not seriously consider leaving the country because of racial discrimination. If you don't, you are either corrupt or stupid.

Cool, so every white person who enjoys the SA lifestyle, and lives a great life here, is stupid.

Thanks for the headsup, bro!

OomPB wrote:The sad part is that they discriminate actually against a PoC. Vernon Philander have shown time and time again he is in the team on merit. No wonder he did not perform in this match. I know a lot of top coloured sportsmen that feel exactly the same and hate this discrimination against them. Why is the ANC and government that stupid? I know Nipper is stupid but why the ANC?

OomPB wrote:The sad part is that they discriminate actually against a PoC. Vernon Philander have shown time and time again he is in the team on merit. No wonder he did not perform in this match. I know a lot of top coloured sportsmen that feel exactly the same and hate this discrimination against them. Why is the ANC and government that stupid? I know Nipper is stupid but why the ANC?

Eight_Eye wrote:

OomPB wrote:The sad part is that they discriminate actually against a PoC. Vernon Philander have shown time and time again he is in the team on merit. No wonder he did not perform in this match. I know a lot of top coloured sportsmen that feel exactly the same and hate this discrimination against them. Why is the ANC and government that stupid? I know Nipper is stupid but why the ANC?

Well, Philander wasn't actually being discriminated against (Abbot was) but he is certainly being devalued as a player. The problem with the quota system is that all POC's are classed as quota players irrespective of whether they are merit selections or not. This is an unavoidable consequence of a system that subordinates talent and ability to race.

The ANC, sadly, has that lethal combination of a highly developed sense of self-interest with an underdeveloped intelligence.

Sards wrote:

Eight_Eye wrote:

OomPB wrote:The sad part is that they discriminate actually against a PoC. Vernon Philander have shown time and time again he is in the team on merit. No wonder he did not perform in this match. I know a lot of top coloured sportsmen that feel exactly the same and hate this discrimination against them. Why is the ANC and government that stupid? I know Nipper is stupid but why the ANC?

Well, Philander wasn't actually being discriminated against (Abbot was) but he is certainly being devalued as a player. The problem with the quota system is that all POC's are classed as quota players irrespective of whether they are merit selections or not. This is an unavoidable consequence of a system that subordinates talent and ability to race.

The ANC, sadly, has that lethal combination of a highly developed sense of self-interest with an underdeveloped intelligence.

I bet that minister was pissed off that he couldn't extend his paid holiday with the early exit.

Cricket: School Cricket's Quota Conundrum

The quota question seems to be a permanent fixture in South African school sport and there seems little likelihood that it is going to disappear anytime soon.

Whether this is right or wrong depends on who you talk to with many saying that forcing selectors to implement quotas is diluting the strength of a team, whilst others are saying it is vital to address injustices of the past and get players of colour to achieve at the highest level.

Regardless of the position one takes, the quota question is not going away and it does raise several issues that we would like to hear your opinion on.

During the cricket season, quotas for the provincial U17 and U19 teams are going to be implemented strictly as can already be seen from the teams that have selected. For example the provincial and national U17 teams will include a maximum of five white players, with the U19 teams having a maximum of six white players, four black Africans of which three must be on the field at all times.

In addition there are other moves afoot which are going to affect players from other countries who happen to be schooling in South Africa. This includes a ban on selecting players for the IPT's who do not have a South African passport or SA ID's. That will mean players from Zimbabwe or Namibia for example who board at SA schools will in future have no chance of getting selected for the provincial school teams despite schooling in a SA province.

What effect will this have on the long term for school cricket and how will it be policed?

If two of the black African players happened to be injured during a match, how will a team ensure that three black African players are on the field at all time? What if the three black African players are all batsmen but for some reason are not available for a particular match, will the selectors now be forced to include black African bowlers or draft in players of a lower standard so ensure the numbers are kept which will affect the balance of the?

It also brings into question the quality of cricket that the IPT's will dish up as they endeavour to meet the quota.
Will the finest school cricket now be confined to the confines of Michaelmas/Oppenheimar Week or Cape Schools Week and not Kaya Majola and Coke Week?
How many promising cricketers will look at this situation and decide to ply their trade overseas or stop their involvement in the support all together?

As the majority of provincial school cricketers, regardless of colour, will come for the country's elite schools, with good facilities where players are coached from a very young age, is the quota criteria really addressing past injustices and providing all school players an equal shot at glory? Hardly.

Facilities are a massive problem across both primary and secondary school level. Cricket has just over 1044 high schools who offer cricket as a sport and although that sounds like a fair number the majority of these schools offer pitiful facilities and there is a dwindling number of teachers involved in promoting the game.

Would it not make more sense to ensure that all schools have adequate facilities which will not only engender a healthy interest in the sport by all, but also unearth every ounce of potential available instead of tweaking the numbers that are finally selected for the provinces?

Although it is a fact that the senior national team is able to sit as one of the leaders of world cricket one can only be left wondering how dominant South Africa could be in the world of cricket if all, regardless of their hue, had an equal chance to play at the highest level and teams no longer had to deal with the quota issue.