Six black players in White’s new-look Springboks squad

SOUTH AFRICAN rugby boss Brian van Rooyen yesterday announced the first national squad under coach Jake White, including six black players, to play Ireland and Wales in tests next month.

Van Rooyen announced major changes to the game in February, including the grooming of black coaches and setting targets to get more black players into the team.

“There is this notion that if a team is selected, people will say very quickly ‘yes we have to transform the game, but we also have to win’,” said Van Rooyen at the time.

White said he wanted to send a message that it was not easy to become a Springbok player.

“It is important the message goes out that we don’t want to dish out Springbok colours.

“We want to make it difficult for a boy to become a Springbok,” he said.

White took over as national coach after Rudolf Straeuli resigned in December, dogged by a dismal World Cup performance in Australia, a military-style boot camp to train the Springboks before the event and allegations of racism within the l ranks.

Straeuli came under fire for choosing only one non-white player, winger Ashwin Willemse, for South Africa’s World Cup quarter-final 29-9 thrashing by New Zealand.

Apart from Willemse, the other black players included for the Ireland and Wales games are Eddie Andrews, Bolla Conradie, Quinton Davids, Wayne Julies and Hanyani Shimange.

Another surprise is the inclusion of mercurial full-back Percy Montgomery, who broke his hand in a club game for Newport Gwent Dragons on Friday night.

South Africa play Ireland in Bloemfontein on June 12.

South Africa squad: Eddie Andrews (Western Province); De Wet Barry (Western Province); Bakkies Botha (Blue Bulls); Schalk Burger (Western Province); Bolla Conradie (Western Province); Quinton Davids (Western Province); Fourie du Preez (Blue Bulls); Os du Randt (Free State); Jaque Fourie (Lions), Marius Joubert (Western Province); Wayne Julies (Free State); Victor Matfield (Blue Bulls); Percy Montgomery (Newport); Faan Rautenbach (Lions); Brent Russel (Sharks); Hanyani Shimange (Free State); John Smit (Sharks); Juan Smith (Free State); Jaco van der Westhuizen (Leicester); Joe van Niekerk (Western Province); Pedrie Wannenburg (Blue Bulls); Ashwin Willemse (Lions).