So why all the fuss about the Springbok team playing the All Blacks at Newlands on Saturday? Parliament's portfolio committee on sport has once again stuck it's nose in where it doesn't belong and critisised coach Peter de Villiers' selection.
The committee's deputy chairman, Cedric Frolick, says the team is once again "too white". This after only four players of colour were included in the starting fifteen. They are the wings Bryan Habana and JP Pietersen, centre Adrian Jacobs and prop Tendai "The Beast" Mtawarira. Frolick questions why the Boks are moving backwards from the first test of the season against Wales when seven players of colour were in the starting lineup. Frolick feels the Boks are moving back to the Jake White era where transformation was non-existent.
Besides the selection issues he has, Frolik is also attempting to take the shine away from Percy Montgomery who makes history on Saturday by being the first Springbok ever to play 100 t! est matches. Frolick suggests that de Villiers included the points machine on sentiment and not on form.
Here's the real reason why Montgomery has been put in the side. He's our leading points scorer and has a hefty left boot with a goalkicking accuracy rate in excess of 75 percent. Montgomery also adds calmness and composure to the backline which is what's needed in a big game like this. Shall I remind mister Frolick that he was the starting fullback when the Boks recorded that memorable first win in Dunedin just over a month ago. Conrad Jantjes has been in good form this year and has started in the majority of tests for the Bok! s this season. That's exactly why Jantjes should be given a br! eather j ust to recharge his batteries for the following two tests against the Wallabies. Frolick also couldn't fathom why Ricky Januarie was dropped for this game as it was his moment of brilliance that led to the win in Dunedin. The simple answer to that is also that the coach wants to give him a rest. The only test in which he didn't start this year was against Italy at Newlands and one could see against Argentina last week that fatigue was getting to him. Fourie du Preez, viewed by many as the world's top scrumhalf, is a more than capable replacement for Januarie.
So really, Frolick's comments are ungrounded and one-sided. Let the Springboks do what they get paid to do and that's play rugby and win. There's no greater nation building than through sport and a team who does well.
