Ken Borland

The fact that the Springboks will be missing the defence of their Rugby Championship title – and any international rugby at all this year – is obviously terrible but it is a courageous and correct decision by SA Rugby.

The fact that, for once, the players were not thrown under the bus, sacrificed on the altar of financial gain, speaks volumes for the integrity and willingness to do the right thing for the game of the people who made that extremely tough decision.

Yes, not playing in the Rugby Championship is going to mean South African rugby, already bleeding due to the Covid-19 pandemic, is going to lose out on millions of rand. Fortunately some of the financial blow will be mitigated by some clever work in negotiation that has a clause written into the Sanzaar contract that if a country is unable to play due to circumstances beyond their control, then they still get a share of the revenue.

It is precisely that sort of integrity and willingness to act for the greater good of the game that is entirely missing from the Cricket South Africa Board.

What can we say about a person’s integrity and service to cricket when the forensic report they personally played a role in instituting implicates them in wrongdoing; and when both Sascoc, the controlling body for all high-performance sport in this country, and the Minister of Sport call for them to stand aside to allow for a proper investigation; but they stubbornly refuse to go, even at the risk of the ICC suspending the Proteas from international action?

As someone who has covered top-level cricket and rugby in this country for more than 25 years, I cannot escape the irony of where SA Rugby stands at the moment in terms of public credibility in comparison to Cricket South Africa.

CSA used to be leading the way in terms of transformation and good governance, and the Proteas, despite their miserable World Cup record, were consistently amongst the top three in global cricket. Rugby, slow to transform and with the tail (all the minor provinces) wagging the dog in terms of decision-making, delivered World Cups in 1995 and 2007, but there were many dark times on and off the field in between and after.

One of rugby’s lowest moments came when they tried to take on government, even forcing Nelson Mandela to testify in court. They took a long time to recover from that disgrace.

But with Rassie Erasmus and Jurie Roux leading the way, a third World Cup title was won last year with a marvellously transformed team that was loved by the public at large.

Rugby has learnt the lesson that you should never pick a fight with the sports minister: you might win a battle, but you will definitely ultimately lose the war. The arrogant CSA Board, judging by the awful letter acting president Beresford Williams sent to sports minister Nathi Mthethwa, clearly still need to learn this lesson.

The ICC may be the global governing body of the sport, but they are generally reluctant to get involved in the affairs of their individual members. In fact, they will only step in if a member complains to the ICC itself, which is why there have been numerous thoroughly dysfunctional administrations about which nothing has been done.

Haroon Lorgat, the former chief executive of both the ICC and CSA, has also drawn the important distinction between government interference and intervention. By forewarning CSA and the ICC – he gave them a very generous two weeks grace – Mthethwa has signalled that his stepping in is an intervention rather than interference. There are very few people other than the CSA Board who will not consider it a welcome intervention, so long and revolting this imbroglio has become.

Mthethwa issued his statement, which is one of the most dramatic in South African cricket history, on Wednesday. By Friday afternoon we were still waiting for any response from CSA to what amounts to a massive motion of no confidence in the organisation.

Perhaps they don’t know what to do, given the rank incompetence of so many of their directors. Well here’s a suggestion for the obstinate CSA Board: Do the right thing.

In my mind that involves anyone implicated in the Fundudzi Forensic Report immediately standing down, so Sascoc can do a thorough investigation of CSA’s affairs without these self-serving, power-hungry administrators  continually being in the picture.

That’s the sort of compromise that might just get Mthethwa off cricket’s back and stop him from doing something that could really lead to catastrophe for the sport.

For the sake of cricket, the game you have all professed to love so much, please just stand aside.

Cricket South Africa’s decision to postpone their AGM until they first have clarity on what exactly is contained in the forensic reports they have commissioned was generally received as a rare bit of good news for the embattled organisation on Tuesday.

CSA were meant to stage their AGM on Saturday with a new president and several other directors meant to be elected, but that has now been put off indefinitely with the organisation saying they needed to first undergo a governance and structural review based on the recommendations of both the Fundudzi forensic report commissioned when former CEO Thabang Moroe was suspended and also the Nicholson Commission of Inquiry that dates all the way back to 2012 and related to the Gerald Majola bonus scandal.

Moroe was fired last week, with Kugandrie Govender appointed acting CEO, Jacques Faul having stood down from that temporary position the week before.

Most importantly, the postponement means the Members Council have for the first time stood united and flexed their muscle in bringing the Board to order and, crucially, they will now get to see the forensic report into Moroe which is believed to also implicate several Board members in misgovernance. The CSA Board initially refused to release the report to the Members Council, comprising the 14 provincial affiliates, even though they had commissioned the inquiry, and then said they had to peruse it at the Bowman Gilfillan legal offices, only after signing a non-disclosure agreement.

“It’s a win, definitely. It means we can get our house 100% in order before the AGM, it gives us more time to make sure of that. And we are optimistic that we will get access to the forensic report with conditions that won’t hamper us. This has come about because of pressure from the Members Council, who have now shown they have teeth. The Board now seems to be seeking our advice on things like the Memorandum of Incorporation [which formalises the governance structure of CSA],”  a Members Council representative told The Citizen on Tuesday, under promise of anonymity because acting president Beresford Williams has decreed that only he is allowed to speak to the media.

“It’s a positive, it gives us time to clear up our issues, although obviously the problem of the CEO [Moroe] won’t be amongst them because that’s probably going to be decided by a court case. But in terms of the Memorandum of Incorporation, the postponement gives the Members Council a clear opportunity to review that and they will also be able to see the forensic report, the Board is just crafting conditions around that,” another Members Council administrator said.

With South African cricket lurching through almost daily crises in recent times, both the Proteas men’s and women’s sides, through their players’ union SACA, issued a statement on Tuesday calling for CSA to put the good of the game as a whole first.

“As Proteas players, both men and women, we are concerned about the future of our game. At Board and operational level, CSA has lurched from crisis to crisis over the past year. Issues such as suspensions, dismissals, resignations, forensic audits, confidential leaks, litigation and financial mismanagement have dominated the cricket headlines. This is happening at a time when we are having challenging conversations about transformation, and in an environment where the financial viability of the game is under major threat.  
“High standards are expected of us as players. To succeed as Proteas teams, we know we have to put aside personal differences and work together. We require the same of our administrators. Politics and self-interest appear to trump cricket imperatives and good governance. Decisions must be made that are in the best interests of cricket, failing which the game we love may be irreparably damaged in this country. The Proteas teams must be strong, the domestic structure must be strong, and the transformation pipeline must be strong – we demand that this be the focus of the CSA Board and operational team.
“The CSA AGM scheduled for 5 September has now been postponed. This may be the last chance we have to change direction and save the game. As Proteas we demand that all stakeholders heed our sincere plea,” the statement read.

Bulls coach Jake White on Thursday said he is confident his decision to bring utility back Gio Aplon and tighthead prop Marcel van der Merwe back down south for SuperRugby will bear fruit for the new-look Pretoria franchise.

White has first-hand knowledge of the qualities of the two Springboks, having seen both shine in French rugby when he was in charge at Montpellier up until 2017. The World Cup winning coach then took Aplon, capped 17 times by South Africa, with him from Grenoble to Toyota Verblitz when he first moved to Japan for the 2017/18 season.

Van der Merwe, who played seven Tests in 2014-15, joined Toulon from the Bulls in mid-2016 and became a regular for the powerful outfit. The 29-year-old can only have benefited from the emphasis on set-piece play in the Northern Hemisphere.

“Gio is a very talented rugby player and I’m surprised he did not play more Test rugby for South Africa. People may question his age because he’s 37-years-old but I’ve worked with him for the last three years in Japan and he is still in very good shape and is as professional as anyone in looking after himself. Plus given the nature of rugby in Japan, those three years should allow him to play for longer.

“So that’s why I’ve brought him over for one more year of top rugby and it’s not as if we have to pay him something over the top either. I believe he can have the same effect as Schalk Brits and look at the impact he made at the Bulls last year. Gio has that sort of personality which I just feel can be very important to the group I’m getting together,” White told The Citizen on Thursday.

Van der Merwe may be coming from the trenches of French rugby but SuperRugby is arguably the toughest competition in the game, with a big attrition rate among the forwards and White is ensuring he has two top-class tighthead props now.

“The old saying that the most important position in a rugby team is tighthead prop and the second most important position is the reserve tighthead is true. So we now have a very good Springbok in Trevor Nyakane there and another Springbok in Marcel so we are in a comfortable position. Marcel was a massive force at Toulon and won all sorts of championships with them.

“At 29 years old he is still reasonably young as a frontrower and he has played all over the world, so he has had to adapt his game and he is older and wiser now, with a massive amount of experience. But the most important factor for me is that he has an unbelievable, burning desire to play for South Africa again, he is very driven to get back into the Springboks,” White said.

Watching the swashbuckling David Miller blazing away at the crease, it seems to be all about enjoying the game for the left-hander and the Proteas star said on Tuesday that the fun factor had been a major part of his decision to return to KwaZulu-Natal to play for the Dolphins.

Miller returns to the province of his birth after just two seasons with the Knights, the central franchise having also lost another key batsman in Theunis de Bruyn back to the Titans.

“I have played with a lot of the Dolphins guys from about 11 or 12 years old, and it makes the game even more special playing alongside your mates. Coming back is the next step in my career and I hope that I can help the Dolphins to more success in the future while enjoying the game a lot. They have a good team spirit going and I wanted to be part of that.

“My two seasons with the Knights were great and they were just what my career needed. My time there challenged me in different areas, but it was quite an easy decision for me to come back to Durban. I do a lot of travelling as it is and so the travel between Durban and Bloemfontein became an issue and I am happy to be back where it all started for me,” Miller said at Kingsmead on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old was the Knights’ top T20 batsman last season and, given that he is one of the world’s best white-ball cricketers, the return of Miller could just get the Dolphins one step further after they were beaten finalists in the RamSlam T20 Challenge and shared the Momentum One-Day Cup title.

“The Dolphins had a good season in white-ball cricket last year and they are building something special and I am looking forward to adding to that this season. I have heard a lot of good things about coach Grant Morgan and his passion for the game and his work ethic beyond training and matches, it is exciting,” Miller said.

“You can’t put a value on having a guy like Dave back in his home environment, what sits in his heart are his family and friends and it’s in his DNA to want to do well for the Dolphins. His international experience is also invaluable, he’s played around the world in pressure situations.

“And he’s a fantastic human being. We are on the up, we’ve laid the foundation and I’m sure he can give us that extra little push to take us to the next level,” Morgan said.

https://citizen.co.za/sport/south-africa-sport/sa-cricket-sport/1946165/david-miller-returns-to-his-fish-bowl/