The springboks won 2 World Cups since the end of Apartheid .
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True -but can it be used as reference as they werent part of earlier tournaments?
Fact is that 1995 team had only a few token contributes from the townships
that tournament will be best known for the barefoot lads with sweeping brushes sweeping the rain from the pitch before the French semi final… apartheid was alive and well
I was watching a bit of the Super Rugby over the weekend. I saw games involving South African sides, the Bulls, the Stormers and the Lions. I was impressed by the number of black fellows playing for these sides. I came to the view that while in the short term the imposition of racial quotas has been detrimental to the performance of the national side, long term it should prove beneficial by opening up the game to the wider black community.
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Wealth apartheid is still there . It is a horrible place .
One thing never looked at is why their soccer team is so poor and produces so few good players .
Because its harder to be a good soccer player than a good rugby player and of course the lack of wealth of the general public doesn’t help
There are 50 million approx black South Africans and the game of soccer is huge there . However compared to say Egypt , Ivory Coast , Cameroon , Etc. they haven’t really achieved . This isn’t a soccer v rugby argument rather a curiousity why SA have underachieved at soccer .
id imagine there is just no investment whatsoever in football over there
The “quota” allright @Fagan_ODowd is interesting
a similar thing is at play in israel with the football team and it even spreads as far as industry - tech companies for example receive serious incentives for hiring arab women in the sector
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very few of their players make it in Europe also
say for example where in Ligue Une you would have a huge north and west african contingent - in Belgium players from Zaire and the congo would be popular - very few south african players (that i can think of ) are playing at a decent level in europe
A process which can possibly trace its origins back to the Slatts and the British Lions in 1974 going into the townships, spreading the gospel of rugby and the blow that was struck against the Broderbond and the inner sanctum of Afrinkanerdom with the ground breaking match against Erroll Tobias and the Proteas.
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15 - L.B. Williams (Waunarlwydd, Saracens & Wales)
14 - J.H. Adams (Worcester & Wales)
13 - J.J.V. Davies (Llanelli, Scarlets & Wales)
12 - S.M. Johnson (Glasgow & Scotland)
11 - J.J. May (Leicester & England)
10 - F.A. Russell (Racing & Scotland)
9 - D.G. Davies (Carmarthen, Scarlets & Wales)
1 - M.W.I.W.N.A. Vunipola (Saracens & England)
2 - K.J. Owens (Llanelli, Scarlets & Wales)
3 - K.N.J.S. Sinckler (Harlequins & England)
4 - A.W. Jones (Bonymaen, Ospreys & Wales)
5 - J. J. Ryan (Lansdowne, Leinster & Ireland)
6 - J.R. Navidi (Cardiff, Blues & Wales)
7 - T.M. Curry (Sale & England)
8 - C.R. Moriarty (Gorseinon, Dragons & Wales)
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Crap should be disbanded, ruining Irish players.
The British Lions is the pinnacle of rugby.
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That’s a fascinating selection.
It’s amazing what difference a championship can make.
Great to see some quality Scotch representation. They’re playing some fantastic ball at the moment. Hamish Watson would make a terrific impact sub.
We’re now into the real thick of the sorting out process, with two championships down since the last tour and two still left.
At this point, the peerless Alun Wyn Jones is an automatic choice as captain.
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He must be the best northern hemisphere second row since Martin Johnson.
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The great Alun Wyn Jones unquestionably the captain. The big issue is will he play on until 2021? He’ll be pushing 36 at that stage. Don’t forget Wales have had to make do in the Championship without the best Number 8 in the world, Taulupe Faletau as well. What an embarrassment of back row riches.
Darcy Graham very close to getting selected on the left wing, but you couldn’t leave out the tournaments top try scorer Jonny May. Stuart Hogg missed most of the Championship after his collision with Peter O’Mahony so didn’t really get out of the blocks at all. Stuart McInally is a top drawer hooker, but you couldn’t leave out the Sheriff. Hamish Watson, a top class player. Only played one and a half matches so didn’t have anything like the game time of the excellent Tom Curry.
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“collision” with Peter o mahony 
If a French lad did it to sexton, Gerry Thornley would be calling for bertie aherne to lead a diplomatic mission to Brussels
Simon Shaw was outstanding at second row on the 2009 tour at 37 years of age, so there’s precedent there if the Welsh warrior decides to continue on.
Alun Wyn has already won a series as Loins captain when he deputised in magnificent fashion for the injured Sam Warburton in the famous deciding test victory at Stadium Australia in 2013, but to be named as tour captain would be a fitting way for one of the true greats of the game to bow out.
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Surely you mean Paris. Brussels is in Belgium.
The European courts would need to hear the case