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Huge suspension handed out as another racism storm rocks South African rugby

By Online Editors

While the spotlight was on Springbok Ashwin Willemse’s infamous walk-out of a TV studio at the weekend, another incident almost slipped under the radar.

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Western Province Rugby Union vice-president Gerald Njengele has been suspended for four years, for his alleged racial outburst at the Cape Town leg of the Sevens World Series last year.

WPRU President Thelo Wakefield confirmed the news to Rugby365.com that Njengele was slapped with the ban for breaking the union’s code of ethics.

Wakefield declined to elaborate, saying they regard the matter as ‘sub judice’, because Njengele is appealing the decision.

Reports of the incident first surfaced after the Cape Town Sevens on the weekend of December 9 and 10 last year.

According to media reports at the time, Njengele launched a scathing verbal and racial attack on Jessie Claassen, who is the national manager of the Vuka Rugby Programme – a South African Rugby Union-affiliated initiative that aims to cater for development in the poorer areas of the country.

Claassen said that the attack stemmed from his decision not to shake Njengele’s hand due to a previous altercation between the pair last August.

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When this happened, Njengele allegedly responded: “F**k you white people, f**k the coloureds. I’m a clever darkie. I don’t need your f*****g money.”

Njengele denied he made the comments, but was still found guilty and banned.

Njengele’s sanction comes just days after Ashwin Willemse, dramatically removed his microphone and walked off, live on air, while having been afforded an opportunity to air his opinion after the Super Rugby encounter between the Lions and Brumbies in Johannesburg at the weekend.

The dramatic scenes, caught on camera, show Willemse storm out of their studio, despite being live on air.

Willemse – who won 19 caps for the Springboks – spoke to camera regarding how he was perceived as a “quota player” during his playing days and that he refused to be ‘patronised’ – before dramatically walking off the set.

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His grievance appeared to be directed at fellow pundits Nick Mallett and Naas Botha – who he referred to as “apartheid era” players. The incident has elicited strong reactions, with heavy racial undertones.

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A media release issued by SuperSport on Tuesday said the trio were locked in “robust discussions” for most of the day, with SuperSport CEO Gideon Khobane and MultiChoice CEO Calvo Mawela.

According to Khobane and Mawela, there was “no racism” at play when Willemse walked out of the studio at the weekend.

“What is encouraging with the discussions, we’ve had, is that Nick [Mallet], Naas [Botha], and also Ashwin [Willemse], were part of the discussions,” Mawela told a media briefing.

“They were all in the same room; they were courteous to each other; they shook hands; they openly [chatted].

“There is no animosity that exists between the three of them from what we could see today,” Mawela added.

The SuperSport CEO, Khobane, said they did not intend sweeping anything under the carpet and would instead deal with the issue fairly.

“This has become a national issue. We at SuperSport and MultiChoice treat this issue with all the seriousness it deserves,” he said. “We’ve had very robust discussions today from 7 o’clock this morning with all the role players involved. We recognise that we need further engagements,” he added.

“We are positive that this was not a racially motivated issue because all parties were very courteous during our discussions that started this morning‚” Khobane said.

In a media release, it was revealed that the trio will all three resume duties. It is basically ‘business as usual’.

“There was a significant move in the parties finding common ground,” the statement said. “This is merely the first stage of the process to address the issues raised by the weekend’s events.”

This could make for some fantastic and incredibly awkward television.

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Jon 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 12 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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