‘Bok coach shouldn’t pick overseas-based players’
Springbok coach Allister Coetzee should not pick South African players based overseas. That was the advice from Jake White.
|||Johannesburg - Springbok coach Allister Coetzee should not pick South African players based overseas. That was the advice from Jake White, who had Coetzee as his Bok assistant coach for four years.
Speaking to Ballz Radio this week, former World Cup-winning coach White believes that local players should be rewarded for staying in South Africa and that New Zealand's example should be followed, where the All Blacks don't pick players from overseas.
Coetzee said in media interviews recently that he has spoken to Duane Vermeulen ”who plays for French club Toulon” and Bath captain Francois Louw about the possibility of featuring for the Boks going forward.
Other overseas-based players who are likely to make Coetzee's squad include veteran wing Bryan Habana (Toulon) and young loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff (Bordeaux). But White, who is now in charge of Montpellier, doesn't agree with such a policy.
White has a number of South Africans at his club who could also make the Bok side, including Bismarck and Jannie du Plessis, Frans Steyn and Pierre Spies. “I've never changed my view” I don't think you should ever pick foreign-based players.
Foreign-based players have the luxury of earning whatever they are earning miles away. They can't have their cake and eat it, I think that's unfair,” White said.
“And secondly, Leicester City have proved something. It is about what your common goal is, how you endure hardships together. I don't believe in boys flying in and out, then going back to their team and earning money. Then the guys toiling away in the domestic competition don't get picked.
“That's the sacrifice you have to make. Now that I'm in Europe, I've seen Nick Evans and Carl Hayman playing well for their clubs, but they don't get picked by the All Blacks.
“If I was the national coach, I would bring that feeling back of wanting to play for South Africa. If you are allowed to do both, then why would encourage players to stay and earn rands instead of euros?”
White also weighed in on the hot topic of transformation, and he believes that it is important for Coetzee to embrace the concept.
Sports Minister Fikile Mbabula last week revoked the rights of SA Rugby, Cricket South Africa, Athletics South Africa and Netball South Africa to bid to host international events after they fell short of meeting their transformation targets.
“I have no doubt that it is very sensitive, I have no doubt that what's got to happen is that it has got to take place. I think the government is saying 'We can't continue with guys saying it will happen, it will happen' because they feel that we as South Africans haven't done as much as we could've done,” White said.
“But at the same time, if you look at guys like Bryan Habana, who have gone on to become, on his day, one of the best players in the world. If you look at JP Pietersen, who has played nearly a 100 Test matches, if you look at Beast, who is captaining a provincial side, if you look at Ricky Januarie ”who has gone on and played rugby overseas and still earning money.“
For me, it's not always, I suppose, about ticking the boxes. It's more about creating opportunities. As much as people say 'quota system, quota system', I have no doubt that if we had no quota system and we didn't enforce a quota system, we wouldn't have encouraged or pushed those players to be involved in the systems that they were involved in.
“In a lot of ways, those opportunities have created lifestyles and careers for a lot of players who may not necessarily have had those lifestyles or careers.”
African News Agency