Rassie Erasmus was right to make André Esterhuizen Springbok captain against Australia, but wrong to shut down questions about an incident from his schoolboy years, writes MARK KEOHANE.
Writing for the Sunday Times, Keohane argues that Esterhuizen earned the honour through his performances and leadership, but that the Springbok management should have anticipated questions about the racial slur he directed at a coach as an 18-year-old in 2012.
“Do not sanitise it. Do not minimise it as teenage banter. It was wrong and he was found guilty and punished.
“Equally, do not pretend an 18-year-old must forever be imprisoned by the worst words he spoke as a schoolboy.”
Keohane believes the Boks should have confronted the issue when Esterhuizen was appointed captain rather than preventing journalists from asking questions about it before and after the Test in Perth.
He argues that the approach ultimately did Esterhuizen a disservice because it denied him the opportunity to explain what he had learned and how he had changed during the 14 years since the incident.
“Silence did not protect Esterhuizen. It left him exposed to the conclusion that nothing had changed because nobody was permitted to explain how much had changed.”
Keohane points to Esterhuizen’s subsequent career, including four seasons at Harlequins and his appointment as Sharks captain, as well as the trust Erasmus showed in selecting him to lead a culturally and racially diverse Springbok team.
For Keohane, Esterhuizen’s story could therefore have demonstrated the value of consequences, education and personal growth without excusing or minimising his actions as a teenager.
“Accountability and redemption must live together,” he writes. “Remove accountability and redemption becomes public relations. Remove redemption and punishment becomes vengeance.”
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Instead, Keohane believes the Boks missed an opportunity to reinforce the values embodied by a diverse Springbok team and show that people can learn from serious mistakes.
“This should have been the story of a sinner becoming a better person, not a saintly refusal to own the sin,” he concludes.
Photo: Antony Dickson/Gallo Images
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Rassie Erasmus was right to make André Esterhuizen Springbok captain against Australia, but wrong to shut down questions about an incident from his schoolboy years, writes @mark_keohane
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