The Englishmen had barely landed when the ANN7 (Ashwin, Nick and Naas bar the seven) saga again highlighted just how divided the South African rugby fraternity really is.
Within seconds of Willemse’s historical live departure, social media responded with vigour and the lines were drawn.
Instead of worrying about positional changes, new caps and to a lesser extent the captaincy, your average armchair pundit was far more concerned about the generational fall-out that dominated headlines.
And as the curtains on what proved to be an otherwise entertaining series drew to a close, the rest of the non-white SuperSport presenters also voiced their concerns over certain inequalities – which was reportedly settled amicably.
Well then, if the emphasis on skin colour has to be highlighted, then this is for you.
“Quota”’ Kolisi makes dream debut a captain
Walking through my local shopping centre a day before the first Test, I noticed that a few locals had decided to wear England jerseys.
It was perhaps not that strange a sighting when considering the South African team’s current world ranking and their poor performances during 2017, it was not that big of a surprise.
Fast-forward to game day.
Siya Kolisi had just pulled the number six jersey over his head, he was probably still in the locker room when local hooligan, Joe Nobody, decided to place another wager on the game.
He gave his Capitec card to the chef at this old watering hole and, in the least polite manner, instructed the fella to withdraw R1000 and walk the four blocks to the betting lounge to place the bet on England.
As it turned out, the idea of a black man captaining the Springboks was not something Joe was overly excited about.
Joe is a fairly wealthy man, if only his earthly possession was complimented by an abundance grey matter
Once the team respective sheets appeared on screen, he branded all black players quotas and swore that he would never support the Springboks again.
In a rare occurrence in a typical white-dominant plattelandse pub, Sipho decided he would brave die boere and watch the Test a few metres away from Joe.
While Joe was ranting about quotas, how poor the team is, the absence of Nick and Naas; Sipho sipped his beer slowly and chatted to his girlfriend.
By the time the pre-match formalities were done, Sipho had enough. He refused to be told that the Springbok captain is a quota player.
Joe continued to taunt him. It was as if he was unable to express just how much he hated the Boks.
Eventually the two men were at each other’s throats, a fight loomed and then Joe insisted:
“Sipho, if you believe that Kolisi is not a quota, put your money where your mouth is,”
Joe’s words echoed through the pub. He wanted everyone to know that he is presenting a lowly bus driver with a challenge.
Sipho then surprised everyone as he again stood his ground and agreed to put a wager on the game, offering Joe a ride to the nearest ATM. They left in separate cars and returned with R2000 each.
The cash was placed in a tumbler behind the bar.
If you followed the match you would know that England could not have asked for a better start to the series. Obviously this pleased an already boisterous Joe who was getting more inebriated by the minute.
Sipho was a calmer figure, but remained confident in his team’s abilities.
England would go on to blow a 21-point lead and the Boks walked away 42-39 victors. The image of Joe when the full-time whistle blew…. he was beyond furious and to top it off, his wife who was supporting his crude behaviour was equally upset.
Without any lavish celebrations, Sipho and his girlfriend finished their drinks and cashed in their winnings. Joe tried his best to pick a fight, but Sipho would have none of it.
He stomached a few more insults and racial slurs, walked to the opposite side of the bar where he blew the minds of at least six boere when he paid Joe’s bartap – which would have been more than R1000-00 at that stage.
The small town people were stunned, but it was not the end of Joe’s date with destiny as later that evening he upset one of the patrons by using the ladies bathroom.
With his pants wrapped around his knees, the boyfriend of one of the ladies, who was also in the bathroom, klapped him so hard the sound overpowered the Bok van Blerk song that was playing in the background.
Normal sport unlikely to succeed in an abnormal society
This wager between two men from different walks of life highlighted that we have a long way to go before the injustices of the past (Apartheid) will not have an influence on the day-to-day behaviour of those who directly, or indirectly benefited from it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of blaming everything that is wrong with society on transgressions of the past, it is perhaps just time that we accept that these factors will be part of our lives for many years to come.
Sport can so easily unite us, but while poverty remains as rife as it is, in an abnormal society where the minority still lives in suburbia, sport will inevitably continue to divide us.
For those who live in fear of transformation – a natural fear by all accounts – do consider the successes of the Proteas and Blitzboks the next time you are tempted to be a Joe and use the word quota.
Also Read: Siya is the right man to captain the Boks
Michael Mentz is a former sports writer turned Digital Content Manager, the views expressed here are his own and do not necessarily reflect that of his employers.
