Cobus Claassen

Johannesburg – People who “want to shoot the Springbok” should do it and get it over with, says former Springbok captain Naas Botha.

However, two other former Springbok captains and a veteran of two World Cup triumphs have different ideas about the future of the national rugby team’s emblem.

”It is more about representing your country than about the emblem on your chest anyway,” Botha said in an interview on Wednesday.  

His comments, which could be seen as a message to SA rugby administrators, will certainly raise eyebrows.

Botha is not in favour of scrapping the Springbok. However, he feels “everyone is tired of hearing every year that the Springbok has to go. Shoot it now and get it over with,” he said.

Botha expressed his views after Sascoc president Moss Mashishi had confirmed that he had written to sports minister Makhenkesi Stofile, requesting him to “provide guidance" about the fate of the Springbok emblem.

It has been suggested that the Springbok be replaced by the King Protea.

Botha said little boys dreamt of playing for the Springboks one day, “but it’s really about representing one’s country.

'Absolute tragedy'

“Paul Roos’s team played in navy jerseys. Does it really matter whether the jersey is green, blue of yellow, and which emblem appears on it?”

However, another former Springbok captain, Wynand Claassen, does not agree with his former team-mate.

“The Springbok epitomises, since 1906, speed, grace and excellence. The Springbok is certainly about more than merely representing your country.”

Claassen will accept a proposal that the national team’s jersey should have a Springbok on one side of the chest and the King Protea on the other.

Corné Krige, who captained the SA team at the 2003 World Cup tournament, feels it will be “an absolute tragedy” if the Springbok emblem is scrapped.

“If I were still playing and the emblem was scrapped before next month’s tour (of Wales, Scotland and England) I would have seriously reconsidered whether I still wanted to play for South Africa,” Krige said.

“The emblem does not divide people. People divide people – in this case, ignorant political role players.”

Os du Randt, who played for the Springboks when South Africa won the World Cup in 1995 and in 2007, said it would be hard to separate the privilege of playing for one’s country and the Springbok emblem.

“Black supporters often arrive out of the blue on my farm to come and say hello. They are all avid Springbok supporters, so I don’t understand how the emblem divides people,” the famous prop forward said.