By David Dalling

There is absolutely no doubt. Sport is a great uniter. And a world beating sports team such as the 2007 South African Springboks is of solid platinum value to our nation, both in our standing in the rugby playing world, and in the sense of belonging, togetherness and mutual pride it has brought to every South African , Black, White, Coloured and Asian. There is a real excitement in the success of our team, which reflects on us all. We all bask in the afterglow.

And the brilliant success on the field of Brian Habana and J.P.Pietersen, the only two players of colour who made the squad for the semi final and final matches of the World Cup brought joy to every South African regardless of political affiliation or race. They deserve every ounce of praise they receive.

But the question is,.... Is that enough? Only two players of colour in the national side of fifteen players and one on the bench? Why so few? Given the population demographics of our country it is obvious to see that the numbers are out of kilter.

The answer lies in the following conundrum..... Virtually all South Africans would like to see more Black players in our South African Springbok rugby team.

The rub is that these same South African supporters like their team to win. In fact they demand that their team be winners. Losing national sides lose their supporters and their spectator base. No doubt about that. In order to be a winning side, we need at all times to select the strongest side possible and include in it only the very best players.

And players like Breyton Paulse, Akona Ndungane, Chilliboy Ralepele, Lawrence Sephaka, Errol Tobias, Chester Williams and the like do not emerge every day and are few and far between.In fact I am willing to wager that with very few exceptions , Black and Coloured Super 14 and Springbok players emerged from schools where rugby was played. Chilliboy Ralepeli, like our current Springbok captain John Smit, for instance is a product of Pretoria Boys High School.

And the problem will not be solved by the ignorant bleatings of Butana Komphela, the unfortunate chairman of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Sport who threatened to block the granting of passports to the Springbok team because it was too white. Anyway it was all just bluster, because in the end result he eagerly accepted a corporate freebee to attend the Cup Final in Paris.
Hypocrisy at its best!!

The truth is that really top players are not created overnight.They are nurtured, they are coached, they are trained, and in the final result they have access to up to date fitness equipment and technical support. And it takes years, not weeks nor months to produce a player of truly high class quality.

And as we all know,most schools in the Black townships hardly have playgrounds at all, let alone cared for rugby fields. The chances of a Super 14 or Springbok player emerging from a township school, given the paucity of facilities, the scarcity of rugby coaches, is remote to say the least.

Currently the pool from which black rugby players are drawn is relatively small, and is made up of boys who have been educated in rugby playing former Model C schools or private schools.

Exceptions to this are in the Western Cape where many so called coloured schools play rugby and also in the Eastern Cape where rugby is played in some black schools.

So even to Mr Komphela the way forward must be staring him in the face. His committee , instead of insulting the Springboks should use its influence to promote the playing of rugby and the training of rugby coaches in the township schools. And so should the Department of Sport.

And herein lies a huge opportunity for big business, Telkom,Sasol,Iscor, Rupert International, Anglo American, the Shoprite Checkers Group, Old Mutual, SA Breweries, Pick and Pay and the like to make a real and lasting contribution to the building of rugby teams in the township schools, as also to the improvement of the quality of life of thousands of kids, and ultimately to the selection of more skilled athletes to the Springbok team who are black.

Surely it is possible to establish black interschool competitions as well as non racial rugby contact and competitions within the next five years. This is not an impossible task.

Vodacom, for instance should stop telling us at great cost that they are the greatest supporters of SA rugby supporters and rather do their bit in making a difference in the black communities where their money can be much more productively spent.

As Sir Richard Branson wrote in one of his most recent books, "SCREW IT,... LETS DO IT !

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