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Quotas in effect Black players to get more chances
Posted: Tuesday December 07, 1999 12:01 PM
CAPE TOWN, South Africa (Reuters) -- More non-white players will be guaranteed provincial rugby next year following a decision by the South African Rugby Football Union (SARFU) to significantly increase quotas in one of their competitions. For the 2000 Vodacom Cup, five of South Africa's 14 provincial teams will be required to field a minimum of five black players at all times. The remaining nine have been instructed to play three black players. The reason for the distinction is that in the five Cape provinces of Boland, Border, Eastern Province, South Western Districts and Western Province there is a strong, century-old tradition of non-white rugby. The quotas have been increased from three players for the Cape provinces and two for the remainder. The increases come in the wake of an earlier decision to introduce regulations on black representation in South Africa's premier domestic competition, the Currie Cup. The SARFU executive voted in August to impose a quota requiring all the provinces to have at least two black players on the field at all times in the 2000 Currie Cup. Only at Super 12 and Springbok level are quotas not officially in place in South African rugby. However, Super 12 coaches were urged in 1999 to give chances to black players and 11 appeared in the competition. At test level coach Nick Mallett has fielded at least one non-white player in the last 10 Springbok tests and named three black players in his starting XV in his side's rugby World Cup Pool A match against Spain in October.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
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