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Meyer flawed, but not racist

Cape Town - Following Gwede Mantashe's comments regarding Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer, the majority of Sport24 readers have said that Meyer's selection policy is not racist, just flawed - and that the coach makes bad selections at the expense of both white and black players.

Many Sport24 readers found it upsetting that Francois Hougaard made it into the Springbok team ahead of Lwazi Mvovo, that Patrick Lambie cracked the nod ahead of Elton Jantjies, that Juan de Jongh lost out to Jaco Taute and that Schalk Brits was chosen ahead of Chiliboy Ralepelle.

Gio Aplon is another player some Sport24 readers felt should've made the squad.

However, these were not the only players that were considered unlucky: Keegan Daniel of the Sharks won the Super Rugby Player of the Year Award at the SARU awards, but did not do enough to impress Meyer.

Deon Fourie won the Currie Cup Player of the Year award, but failed to earn a call-up to the Springbok squad.

Heinrich Brussow is another player who could've been useful in a team short of world-class fetchers.

Here's what Sport24 readers had to say about Meyer's selections:

"I also don't agree with Heyneke Meyer's choice of players but please don't play the race card!" - ronaldo.vantoorn.9

"HM in my opinion has been a too blind to underlying racial issues that will forever complicate our rugby. Not selecting Mvovo as run-on 11 over the talented, but currently off-kilter, Hougaard, and inserting an out of position Taute at 13, where JdJ would have been the obvious choice, is in my opinion amazingly self-destructive acts."
- rocco.dewet.13

"Why is it still about black and white? As a white supporter of Elton never once did the thought that he was left out of the team because of the colour of his skin come to mind. Meyer prefers bulls players maybe, but not the race of the player."
- darrin.boucher.1

"There you have gone and done it HM you fool, from the announcement of your first squad you selected by ommitting in form players such as De Jong, Aplon, Jantjies and Kolisi, you have given the transformation fatcat politicans something to shout about, when you didn't have too because these players inclusion were justified."
- donovan.henrickse.7

"Meyer does indeed pick players on colour, the colour blue!" - Ollie

"Just imagine if Keegan Daniels or Brussow where Black, point being Meyer makes questionable decisions regardless." - O

"Um what about Zane?...definitely not the first choice in my opinion, but he is playing." - janfrans.engelbrecht

"Heyneke Meyer is a conservative coach. The problem is that most players of colour lean towards playing exciting, expansive rugby and that is not Meyer's style." - HTF

"Nevertheless, when you are playing a fullback (Taute) at centre instead of a perfectly brilliant natural centre (De Jongh) and you are playing a scrumhalf (Hougaard) in the place of a perfectly capable natural wing (Mvovo), something is seriously wrong."
- HQ

"The best player must play regardless of whether or not they are white or black. The problem is that under Heyneke Meyer the best player doesn't play. It's not a race thing."
- PF

"Siya and Mvovo are excellent players and do deserve to be in the teams starting line-up. But then again; so does Daniel and he's white." - Kyle.White.39750

"The team is so under-performing at this stage. Transformation will take place whether you like it or not. Unless you are winning you haven't earned the right to play a team on merit. If you are losing, at least you might as well lose with a team representative of South Africa."
- NR

"Maybe Gwede, like all of us Springbok fans, are just outing his frustration, which I share, of picking players to play out of position. Forget about the black/white thing, Hougaard, out of position, Taute, out of position, de Villiers on outside centre, out of position."
- Steytts

"Heyneke set himself up. He only has himself to blame. Lwazi Mvovo and Juan de Jong's careers are being ruined by that blue-eyed mampara." - dean.greeves

"The sad thing about all this is that if Meyer picked on merit there would be more blacks in the team. Meyer walked into this mess!"
- moses.govender.7

"Meyer doesn't show enough faith in black players. The thing that broke it for me was in the one match substituting Beast in the 54th minute for Dean Greyling (who subsequently got a yellow card and cost us the game effectively)."
- Mzwandile Riba

"The coach makes bad selections at the expense of both white and black players." - Thabo.Langa.77

"Meyer has chosen just as many players of colour as PDivvy did... so what's this gripe about now...eg. Meyer tried to get Brian Mujati, but was unable."
- bretton.eveleigh


Has Heyneke Meyer opened himself up to criticism by playing players out of form, and out of position? (Gallo Images)
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