Coetzee: I don't select based on skin colour

Cape Town - Springbok coach Allister Coetzee insists he will never pick a player solely because of the colour of his skin.

Coetzee’s transformation target is to have 50% of his squad made up of players of colour at the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

When probed on the matter by the English media, Coetzee stressed that transformation was not about just having a specific quota in the national team.

“You never hear the good things about transformation... if it’s managed correctly, and properly and it’s not just a matter of numbers, it’s changing mindsets and perceptions. That is what transformation is about,” Coetzee was quoted as saying by The Telegraph.

Coetzee insisted he will not pick a player just because he is black.

“No player wants to play because of his skin colour, and I’ll never do that, that’s the biggest injustice that you can do to a player to select him based on his skin colour. Never, ever will I allow that. But I am a firm believer in opportunity, giving all players opportunity that might not have been the case in the past.”

The Boks, who started their year-end tour with a 31-all draw against the Barbarians at Wembley Stadium, this past weekend, next tackle England at Twickenham on Saturday.