Race Issue Still a Problem in South African Rugby, Insists Springboks Coach
Guardian (Manchester), May 13, 2009
The South Africa rugby union coach Peter de Villiers feels that the country’s black rugby players are still not being given the chances they deserve and that the national team’s development is being hampered as a result.
“There are still too many coaches that are not prepared to give black players a fair opportunity,” De Villiers said. “As with black coaches, black rugby players have to work 10 times as hard before they are given a chance to show what they are worth.”
De Villiers, who is currently preparing for the imminent British and Irish Lions tour, insists talent, irrespective of skin colour, deserves recognition.
“It is my job to identify talent and to believe in it,” he added. “Players must have enough faith in their abilities and not be afraid to express themselves on a rugby field.
“If a coach is one-dimensional in his thinking, he will never be successful.”
