
Share
22nd June 2016
06:56pm BST

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.

Explore more on these topics: