Willemse, Mallett and Botha pulled off air at SuperSport

SuperSport confirmed on Friday that rugby analysts and former Springboks Ashwin Willemse, Naas Botha and Nick Mallett will not be in studio this weekend doing Super Rugby analysis.

The week was dominated by headlines speculating why Willemse stormed out of the studio on Saturday night, accusing the other two of patronising him.

SuperSport later said its investigations suggested the conflict was due to a technical misunderstanding, and was not racism, though Willemse had said on Saturday he’d felt undermined by allegedly being referred to as a quota player.

He was, however, not called a quota player in the studio on Saturday, according to reports, leaving many to conclude that the issues between the men have been brewing for some time and are more deep-seated and therefore harder to resolve.

The incident has sparked a nationwide debate about subtle racism, perceived racism and transformation in sport, more generally.

The men met on Monday to discuss the problem, but it apparently remains unresolved.

SuperSport said in a statement that they had appointed Advocate Vincent Maleka SC to chair an independent review of the incident and make recommendations.

“Pending the outcome of the review, the three presenters involved will not appear on air. None of the presenters have been suspended and they will continue to be remunerated in terms of their contracts.

“We are committed to getting to the bottom of this serious issue. Advocate Maleka SC has been asked to make findings and recommendations by Monday, June 11, 2018,” added the statement.