Cricket or Rugby - which is more representative?
“Go out there and represent South Africa with dignity. We believe in you and we will be behind you as you stand toe-to-toe with Australia next week.” - Minister of Sport, Makhenkesi Stofile, talking about the Proteas in the Cricket world Cup.
Number of black players in the starting XI - 0
Springbok Rugby World Cup Team - 1 Black, 5 Coloureds
Despite these stats Stofile still insists that the squad does not represent South Africa as a new country. What the hell has he got against rugby?
Cricket has always been full of window dressing. Which players have actually had much playing time? Ntini only. telemachus never got to play, Bosman played one game and ‘first choice’ Peterson bowled less than part time Smith.
Certain questions have come up regarding this situation. Is rugby being attacked because it was traditionally an ‘Afrikaans’ game, whereas cricket was essentially a ‘English’ game? Is it because the rugby establishment has traditionally been conservative and cricket has been liberal?
Don’t get me wrong - I love both cricket and rugby. What I don’t like is the disparity between the two made worse by interfering politicians. they should be working on transforming both rugby and cricket on the grassroots level first, before attacking the national team.
Whatever Stofile’s reason for his unbalanced opinion, he is stuck in the past, just like our sports.
Feel free to comment below.
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