Mr Mbalula asked to remove the Bok emblem

OPINION / 19 January 2017, 9:29pm

Minister of Sport Fikile Mbalula has been asked to remove the Springbok emblem until South African rugby improves. Picture: Dumisani SibekoOpen letter to the Minister of Sport, Fikile Mbalula:As a passionate and now suffering Springbok fan, I implore you to order the removal of the Springbok badge from the current crop of players' and coaches' blazers and jerseys.This is not to make you a more popular minister in the eyes of your superiors, but because the current group of individuals simply do not deserve to wear an emblem which represents courage, commitment, well-placed confidence and, most importantly, patriotic honour.Incidentally, I must point out that patriotic motivation on the sports field can happen only when players truly feel secure and confident that they are part of a team which really is made up of the best of the best.My suggestion is that only winning teams and stand-out individuals be awarded the privilege to wear this symbol. The same way that only the countries who have actually won a World Cup can wear the Web Ellis badge on their jerseys.I feel for those who have that proud leaping Springbok embroidered on various “earned” blazers and jerseys, proudly displayed. People like Mannetjies Roux, Francois Pienaar, Joost van der Westhuizen, Danie Gerber, Percy Montgomery, Uli Schmidt and Frik du Preez, to name a few.The class of 2015/ 2016, I’m afraid, do not deserve to wear that logo. And legendary coaches like Kitch Christie, Nick Mallett, Jake White and Peter de Villiers (Yes, Peter, he did beat the British Lions), do not deserve to have their legitimacy cheapened by those who are clearly not of that standard.These players are there now for quick cash, social media fame and bragging rights (although they don’t have much to brag about). They know that as things stand, they will never win a World Cup, they know that the man next to them in the heart of the battle is not actually the best in the country, they know the coaches are limited in their experience and expertise and, last but not least, they know that by 2019 there is an above average chance that they will not be in the team as a result of politics and quota selections.In short, that is not the culture or legacy of how Springboks are made.Politics and poor coaching are playing a significant role in our rugby’s demiseand I do not see an end to that any time soon.So it makes perfect sense to stop the awarding of the Bok to any player or coach until such time as they are in a team that either wins a World Cup, achieves a grand slam over the Home Unions or secures victory over the British and Irish Lions.That, dear minister, is the mark of a Springbok.That is why you need to withhold that emblem from being further disgraced.Kyle CondonThe Star

 F air call.

'So it makes perfect sense to stop the awarding of the Bok to any player or coach until such time as they are in a team that either wins a World Cup, achieves a grand slam over the Home Unions or secures victory over the British and Irish Lions.' So the South African teams that played from 98 to 2007 shouldn't have worn Bok colours. Seems a little harsh.

 What an excellent piece.

Excellent men has this they make up stories to cover for their errings. Usually, their stories fail to be grounded in anything but thick lies.
It takes a submissive mind, a term of complicity to accept them. They are not meant to entertain, to teach etc but to divide people, to see who chokes on the lies and who swallows them.

The article is full of that stuff.

Here's an excellent bit
the current group of individuals simply do not deserve to wear an emblem which represents courage, commitment, well-placed confidence and, most importantly, patriotic honour.Incidentally, I must point out that patriotic motivation on the sports field can happen only when players truly feel secure and confident that they are part of a team which really is made up of the best of the best.Patriotism, patriotic feeling come in many different ways. Commonly, though, they exclude the definition given in the extract. Patriotism can be many things, except that.

 As long as they are the best that we have to offer then they are deserving of the jersey. 
@Traditionalist Shouldn't you be at an EFF rally right about now? 

 Plum buddy, you live in hope. It's a numbers game, mandated by the ANC, winning is irrelevant. SARU by their own admission know nothing about rugby. What are our chances?
Personally I would drop the logo so that the memory of a once great brand remains untarnished. Our expectations of the new brand would be lower if n ot zero.

I will support a team that is in the top 5- however, a team that is losing to Italy- is a waste of time. 

The Springboks need to turn things around this year- or they are going to be losing lots of fans. People like to identify with winners, not losers. 
If the quota target is 50%+ by 2018, then perhaps it will be 80% in 2022 to ensure further transformation. Coetzee made his quota targets, which is more important than resul ts.

 Funny how a "rebel" team starts to look more and more like an option Denny.

 Ag Jirre, don't go there. South Africa's democracy has never been tested, your option would put it to the sword.

 Coetze  made his quota targets in only three games he directed.

This piece is another cause rugby should be stopped in SA. Ending rugby puts an end to all kinds of disconnected views.

The article states that selecting the best of the best is required. Teams are rarely composed of the best of the best.
Teams are composed with players who make the best team. The performance of players as a team matters most. How they complement each other, how they get along matters the most.
NZ has long understood that point as they manufacture it in the training of their players.

SA is assemby of players with no collective idea, players cant play together without being intensively retrained, their personal skills are too low to allow establishing something else but a restrictive gameplan.

Instead of keeping to basics, the article prefers to take a view fitting fantasy team games, world best 15 teams articles etc

Beside, when a rugby wants to field the best, it enlarges the pool of trained people, in order to get any talent possible. Obviously, SA is lagging behind as it is no longer permitted.

  will support a team that is in the top 5- however, a team that is losing to Italy- is a waste of time.


In SA case, it is no longer enough. That kind of stuff is good for nations like ENG or FR

SA situation commands that the SA team must be a contender for the first spot. Nothing else. There is no other reason for playing professional 15 rugby in SA.

The article shows that with the delusional thoughts it expresses.

Shouldn't you be at an EFF rally right about now?

EFF? What is that? If this were EFR (Ending Fuc ing Rugby),why not but EFF? Makes no sense as usual.

@traditionalist, should any other sports be abolished other than rugby? Or is it just rugby that you have a gripe with? 

 Idiot hangs around on rugby sites trying to antagonise fans of the game by calling for it to be stopped.
My guess is that he's a racist black tosser who think is that this is a good way to get whites angry.
Wanker

 I in fact am in favour of changing the Springbok emblem and not disgrace it any further by making it cheap and a political tool.   I think that the Springbok emblem disgrace started towards the end of 2014 and keep on going further and further down.  I do not think deserving previous players should be disgraced by what is going on at present. 

 @Traditionalist, should Bafana Bafana be abolished ?

 That question was answered multiple times already so a pass on it this time.

In connection to it, here's one question that keep looking for answers: reasons to continue practising rugby.
Reasons to be stopped rugby are numerous and were already stated. They are easy to find.

Reasons to keep rugby going are more difficult to find.

Once it is done, the question on what sports to stop will find its answer.

Taking your word I must have missed your multiple answers, as a special favour could you answer it one more time.
Thank you in anticipation.

 Instead, here's a way to proceed

-Remembering the thread the question was asked (the question was specifically about football)
-finding the thread back
-read the answer down there

Will save everybody time.

 Chicken 

If sports are going to be rationalised or even abolished, the best starting point is Bafana Bafana who could get beaten by a pub team.

 Lol Bafana. The guys who can't qualify for the ACN. Last I checked, they were ranked 90th in the world and falling. 

 Traditionalist,  let me put it to you that the national soccer team is a joke, that it is a typical of what the new South Africa stands for....mediocrity.....that long after the 99th reincarnation of Lazarus with a triple by-pass, the national soccer team will remain the benchmark for mediocrity just like all other South African national teams with the exception of the national cricket team.
And oh, thanks for your gutless response to my request which epitomizes the not so new South Africa....all talk but no action.
You need to know...you need to lead.....you need to achieve.....you need to excel...so that South Africans can once again be proud.
Stop stealing the nation's resources, get rid of the mediocre ANC and stop blaming the white man for the nation's failures.

 And oh, thanks for your gutless response to my request which epitomizes the not so new South Africa....all talk but no action.

Then there are fine specimens of the new South Africa on this board.

The answer was already provided. That was action.
People who asked the question did not bother reading the answer. That is talks.

Instead of acting to find the already provided answer (action), they prefer to lay blame on someone else than themselves for not reading the answer when it was provided. Talks.

That lets think there was no change in fact in SA.

Best, the answer to the question on causes to keep practising rugby in SA are still not provided.

Excellent men at work.

 Excellent men enjoy thinking in circle. This thread is another example.

The issue of football was answered and it is was not done in the way the thread suggests.

One point that was made many times already; the ANC are excellent men who set up the trick of the quota policy to keep rugby going in SA. Kick out the ANC and vote a government that terminates rugby.

Point was made multiple times. Yet people cant print it in their minds.

 "Excellent men enjoy thinking in circle. This thread is another example"
Lolz, you've taken circular reason to a new level dude.

 "That lets think there was no change in fact in SA."

Lol Joker. There was change and it was brought about by real men. Not psuedo intellectual weirdo racists who hang around on forums trying their best to get their stale message across.
You missed the bus moron. Call a cab.

 Real men, unreal men, excellent.

As to pseudo intellectualism, well, it will take a lot of work to rival that extinction level event story.

Still no answer to the simple question.

You need to know...you need to lead.....you need to achieve.....you need to excel...so that South Africans can once again be proud.

Proud of what? Quite the disconnection.

SA has been a country playing rugby while kids have been dying of starvation.

As if that was enough, each day brings its lot.

So the previous brand of government excellent men, while overpaying contracts by billions of dollars, forgot to build the infrastructure to support basic needs of 80 per cent of the population. Instead, they preferred to squander the SA wealth on stuff like stadiums.

This continues as today, the resources are declining, the current goverment excellent men  are stuck with the legacy, knowledge of building stadiums, no knowledge to build infrastructures. They are cornered, they keep building stadiums as on the world market, the contracts to build infrastructures will go to China.

There is a crisis over water looming in. Apart from that, as long as there is rugby... What a sense of priority.

SA: first rank stadium builders. Water infrastructure builder: bottom.
What a pride.

Here is one task to feel proud: piss against the wind, do not wet your shoes. If SA had kept their pride to that level, the situation would have bee different.

Two crap governments do not make one good one. 
However, surely there are other things than rugby or even sport for that matter which would much more impact on improvement to help prevent starvation.

 SA has been a corrupt country playing  rugby   soccer while kids have been dying of starvation.

 Two crap governments do not make one good one.

The record of the previous government seriously prevents a good government from following.

The depletion of resources was set on tracks by the consumption of 20% while 80% of the population was excluded.

The change in government happened when signs of depletion were concrete, everyday showing less to consume than the previous day.

Now on a declining environment, 100 pc of the population must be supported, with no exclusion possible. SA has no marketable capacities internationally apart from shipping away the SA environment.

As already mentioned, SAns remaining in SA were set as fall guys.

 SA has been a corrupt country playing rugby  soccer while kids have been dying of starvation.

The point about football is already answered.

For corruption, this is a pipe dream.
Corruption under the previous goverment are staggering, they are set in billions dollars.

The current government corruption figures are too small for anything. They are drops in the needed amount.

It is a sign of the times: there was a lot before in SA so the figures in corruption could be higher.

There is less and less in SA, the corruption figures go down.

Zero corruption these days will not help SA. This is a pipe dream sold to cover for the  depletion of resources coming to SA.