Eye of the Tiger Rugby Academy Manager, Bertus Petzer with his boys during happeir times

Bertus Petzer, (Erasmus Albertus Petzer) one of the founding members of the Eye of the Tiger Rugby Academy died on Saturday evening 18 April 2013 of a heart failure. He was both an Executive member and Team Manager of the Academy.

Before joining the Eye of the Tiger Rugby Academy, he played rugby throughout his life, from an early age having played for various clubs. From 1978- 1994 Bertus played for the Blue Bulls, as well as and the now called South Western District Rugby Unions.  

During 2000 to 2001 after his Rugby career he got involved in coaching and developing previously disadvantaged boys in the rural areas of Limpopo. This is where the Eye of the Tiger discovered his love for rugby and growth for the sport in the country. He also coached the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), Limpopo Team as well the Limpopo Airforce Team that were participating in the National SANDF Rugby week and National Airforce week. In 2010 he joined the consultation process for the formation of the Eye of the Tiger Rugby Academy. In August 9, 2011 at the first  sitting of the Eye of the Tiger Rugby Academy he was  nominated as the Executive member as well as the Team Manager of the National senior team of the Academy which was then under 18 now under 21.

The Eye of the Tiger Rugby Academy attributes its success to his tireless hard work and commitment to the growth of the academy and rugby in South Africa. The death of this committed rugby giant is such a loss to the Eye of the Tiger and to the growth of rugby in South Africa said Viwe Qegu the President of the Eye of the Tiger Rugby Academy. “We will miss him, and we always celebrate his attempts to the Eye of the Tiger African songs and dance, he was a true rugby coach, displinarian, manager and a pleasure to work with.  Our deepest sympathy to his family and the Afrikaans community, he was a true change agent”.

He will be buried on Thursday 23 May 2013. The church service will be held at the Reformed Church Rietvallei, No 359 Umgeni Street, Erasmuskloof, Pretoria near Waterkloof High School.l

May his soul rest in peace

Eye of the Tiger Academy players celebrating one of their tries

Eye of The Tiger Rugby Academy, the 2012 Lion’s Soweto  Rugby Tournament champions successfully defended  their title from 26 to 29 April 2013 at Braamfisherville Soweto Rugby sports ground. Their first game was against the Maccabi Jewish Rugby Team.  The Maccabis came very prepared, confident and sure to win against the young guys of the Eye of the Tiger.

 The Tigers in their own suave style looking like underdogs mesmerized the audience and came victorious with 36-12.The Eye of the Tiger’s second game was against the Blue Bulls Mamelodi team which the Tigers made meat out of. By the end of the game the most branded Blue Bulls boys had given up losing, with 52-0 . It was not over for the Tigers to be tested for their finals against the Lions Soweto Rugby Club. The two teams also took each other up last year at the final. This was repeated once more, when it was clear that the Lion’s Soweto Rugby Club had polished their Haka to take on the Tigers. The talented and radical Tigers were just as calm to wait for the real action.

What a remarkable performance, the Academy boys walked away with the title brilliantly and without any doubt they have cemented their place in the game of rugby with 30-15. It was evident that by the end of the game there was no comeback for the Lions Club team.  Once more the Tigers had proven their skill and pace to all

The “Champions” were welcomed in a glam and glitter function on the 25 May 2013  at Wonderes Golf Club , in Illovo Sandton in Johannesburg , which was attended by  sponsors, partners and former Springboks  to honour the best players  of the Eye of the Tiger and also to  wish them well for the Tournament . Oliver Zono the Fyhalf of the Eye of the Tiger   was named the Top Player of the Eye of the Tiger for 2013 which is the most prestigious presidential award of the academy.  Best Players were also awarded which included Mandilakhe Zaze , Danwill Cupido and Nathaniel Manuel amongst others.

Oliver Zono was again named the best player of the Soweto Rugby Tournament for 2013.  Oliver Zono the Flyhalf of the Eye of the Tiger not only was awarded these accolades but also received a four year bursary from the Eye of the Tiger to further his studies at any institution of his choice for IT and Information Technology.  The President of the Eye of the Tiger Ms Viwe Qegu, has this to say about Oliver “He is a natural, his talents are close to the top players of rugby in the world such as Dan Carter and Quad Coopers’.  He belongs to the big screens of the rugby World and we will not hold him back”. Oliver is earmarked by the Eye of the Tiger to further his career of Rugby overseas.

The Eye of the Tiger Rugby academy whose sole purpose is to develop previously disadvantaged players in the country in the sport of rugby is excited at this opportunity to showcase its talent and the commitment of its players to excellence.

Ms Qegu was upbeat because the Tigers have shown nothing else but excellence and sportsmanship throughout during 2012. “Surely 2013 has also started well for our coaches and the boys” she said.  The learners have also completed a Sports Science programme and have all done well.

“I am very thankful to the Soweto Rugby Club and the Lions Rugby Union for the initiative and opportunity because without their vision and sensitivity to what the Eye of the Tiger is trying to achieve both the Eye of the Tiger and our sponsors would not be able to achieve what we have achieved so far.  I am truly grateful to their leadership as well humbled by their support” said Ms Qegu

“I strongly believe that for rugby to grow in this country we need thoughtful leadership that is embracive of the organic growth that is happening in rugby. Thank you to Mr Zola Ntlokoma of Soweto Rugby Club and his executive as well as Mr Kevin De Klerk of the Lions Rugby Union and his leadership for initiatives such as this one. For me this is not about a win or loses but a bigger agenda of assisting change and growth in South African Rugby.”   Qegu believes.

Bantwini Matika, Chairperson of newly formed Rugby Transformation Coalition (RTC)

This statement is in response to a recent article submitted to realsuperlog.com by Eastern Province Rugby Academy Manager and Vodacom Cup Forwards Coach Robbie Kempson under the title “Bring Them Home, Keep Them Home”.

We count ourselves among the many that are very happy to see Super Rugby in the Eastern Cape and agree that the people in the province have the right to participate and support Super Rugby.

However, we take strong exception to the claim that Transformation is the key part of a two-prong strategy to achieve success. We categorically reject this claim and charge that it is merely a public relations exercise on behalf of EPRU:

No Transformation Charter

Eastern Province Rugby Union does not have a transformation charter or any formal document outlining its commitment to and strategy to achieve development.

Transformation a Key Strategy?

In 2012, the South African Journal of Sports Medicine compared the playing time of senior rugby players of different ethnic groups across all levels of South African rugby from 2007 to 2011. Not surprisingly, it unveiled gross disparities. The key differentiating factor in this report was that it quantified playing time, and compared it to player rosters.  Across all levels of competition white players played disproportionately more than expected, followed by coloured players and black players.  Importantly, they concluded there was no progress between 2007 and 2011.

Applying the same formula to the Southern Kings up to May 12, 2013 shows that the franchise upholds the status quo and has achieved precisely no progress:

Bring Them Home, Keep Them Home?

The article, as well as EPRU’s presentation to the National Sports Portfolio Committee in February 2013 cites “Bring them Home, Keep Them Home” as the recruitment strategy, which is outright false.

Mzwandile Stick, Mpho Mbiyozo, Tiger Mangweni, Norman Nelson and Jongi Nokwe were all used as examples for parliament of players of colour “brought home” under the promise of Super Rugby.  Stick, Mbiyozo, Mangweni and Nelson were all available for Super Rugby, none have played. Of the 35 players on the Super Rugby squad, two are players of colour that were “brought home” under the pretence of Super Rugby. One of them, Mbiyozo, is the only player who has not been given the opportunity to play. Jongi Nokwe, black Springbok from the region, was released by the Union in 2012 following injury.

One player of colour, Bandise Maku, has been “brought home” and is playing Super Rugby, conversely 25 players have been brought in from other regions and countries.

 Development at Junior Levels

Kempson’s article claims that 65% of Academy Players are of colour and have access to a clear pathway into professional rugby. Time will tell if this comes to fruition, however we caution that this exact argument that has been made for 20 years across South Africa – ‘transformation takes time’.  The representation of black players at Academy and Junior levels is consistently significantly higher than at Senior levels. The relatively high number of young black players in the EPRU Academy merely demonstrates the outstanding black talent in the region.  Unless the union specifically addresses the systemic “bottle-neck” that prevents black players from reaching the highest level of play, it does not demonstrate EPRU’s commitment to their development.

Furthermore, according to EPRU’s own presentation to the Portfolio Committee 95% of players involved in the 117 EP rugby clubs are ‘players of colour.’  Accordingly, players of colour in the Academy are, in fact, under-represented.

Finally, it should be noted that Kempson himself acts as an agent for the majority of the Academy players. To have a coach/selector also be gaining financially from player selection and signing is a blatant conflict of interest.

Staff and Decision-Makers

Of the 23 professional staff working with the professional players at EPRU, 18 are white and 4 are black. Of note, 3 of the 4 black staff have been placed at the lowest available level and are under the direct management of white staff. The exception to this rule is Sydney Goba, Super Rugby Logistics Manager (10 of 11 Super Rugby staff are white). This indicates management is using black staff to fill quotas rather than investing in qualified black professional staff.

Furthermore, Kempson’s article and EPRU’s parliamentary presentation cite black players who have “come to the end of their rugby careers and are being developed into coaching”. There is one such example – Mzwandile Stick.  Stick’s retirement into coaching at age 28 was seen as a sad indicator of the reality for black players at EPRU as his potential as a player went un-met. He was “brought home” to play Super Rugby and made Captain for one year before being dropped from the team. More white players have retired (at more appropriate times) into more senior level coaching positions than Stick, including Barend Pieterse and De Wet Barry.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we take strong exception to Robbie Kempson or any EPRU representative claiming that the Union is committed to Transformation.

Articles and statements such as “Bring Them Home, Keep Them Home” indicate that EPRU is not committed to transformation and considers it merely a public relations and political exercise to gain entry into Super Rugby.  Transformation is a complex issue that has categorically failed across rugby in South Africa. Successfully achieving it requires a paradigm shift – we must see it as an opportunity not a mandate.  This includes (at the very least) robust consultation, comprehensive planning and changes in approach. Pretending that a group of white men with ulterior motives can achieve such results simply by claiming such upholds the status quo, undermines the effort required and insults those of us who actually consider it a strategic imperative.

Bantwini Matika, Chairperson of newly formed Rugby Transformation Coalition (RTC)

Transformation coalition says it wants to be part of the Varsity Cup setup, which it calls an ‘exclusively white’ tournament.

The Rugby Transformation Coalition (RTC) is demanding that the University of Fort Hare (UFH) and the University of the Western Cape (UWC) get a free pass into the main Varsity Cup.

These formerly black universities compete in the Varsity Shield – a second-tier tournament – which RTC spokesperson Bantwini Matika said was holding back black rugby development while letting white rugby prosper.

“No white players will want to come to these universities and the Varsity Cup is exclusively for white players, as all the tertiary institutions that take part are Afrikaans,” alleged Matika.

He added: “The Cup has been transformed into a professional setup and we want to be part of that setup. “If we don’t get this wish, we will take steps to ensure the Varsity Cup is boycotted. We have spoken to progressive SRCs to help us achieve that objective. We want 50-50 representation in all teams, which is not currently the case.”

Varsity Cup managing director Duitser Bosman dismissed Matika’s claim as a personal vendetta.

“I’m not sure what the man’s agenda is and where he is going with this. He is out of line and uninformed.

“He wrote to FNB and they gave him a proper answer. The whole UWC thing is a total lie. I’ve been in close contact with them, so I don’t know where he gets this from,” said Bosman.

He said the two universities were aided from baby steps to get to where they are.

“The Varsity Cup has had good answers. Transformation has always played a role in our rules and constitution. People must just ask. Varsity Cup has invested into Fort Hare and UWC for three years prior to bringing them into the Varsity Shield in 2010. At the time, UFH had no ‘residence’ rugby at all,” said Bosman.

“They now have four teams in their club and 12 residence teams (which are village teams) that form part of their club. Those players are eligible to be picked by the club and all their on-field clothing is sponsored by Varsity Cup.”

SA Rugby Union president Oregan Hoskins defended the tournament.

“It’s true we need more black players, but we can’t be criticised for having all-white teams, because we’ve never seen all-white teams there.

There is less transformation in the Vodacom Cup and in the Currie Cup than in the Varsity Cup.

“We have insisted that they don’t play all-white teams. No mention is being made of the all-black teams, a fact we are very proud of. The Varsity Cup has produced nonracial audiences,” Hoskins said:

Matika argued that:

» Of the 346 players in the eight Varsity Cup teams, 11% were African;

» Nelson Mandela Bay University and Wits University had the highest number, with nine and seven, respectively, and;

» Champions, the University of Pretoria had the lowest representation, with only one African player.

They were also fined for flouting competition registration by fielding ineligible players in their Varsity Cup and Young Guns team.

Former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers, who is now UWC director of rugby, said he was not aware of the RTC’s objectives, but the move was long overdue, though would perhaps not achieve much.

“They need you to judge them on the field by winning and losing against them. A boycott will play into their hands perfectly as that will not last for the whole tournament.

It will last for only two or three weeks, then the morass will continue,” he said.

“How do we grow something that is separated? There are two parallel structures running that are not feeding into each other. This is counterproductive.”

By: City Press