Grey High head of rugby Robbi Kempson has criticised the quota system that denies deserving schoolboys the opportunity to represent their province.
The comments come after a controversial selection saga involving Eastern Province’s U16 Grant Khomo Week squad, where the coaching staff threatened to resign after highly-rated players were omitted from the squad they had selected.
EPRU president George Malgas later defended making changes to the squad, saying the original squad was not representative of the region’s demographics.
SA Rugby requires Grant Khomo teams to field a minimum of 12 players of colour in a match-day squad of 23.
MORE: EPRU defends quotas over merit selection
According to Rapport, one of the players brought into the EP U16 squad as part of the union’s changes did not travel to the festival at Kearsney College after it emerged he was too young to participate.
That resulted in star Grey High prop Carl Killian, who had initially been left out, being reinstated and representing EP.
“I’m absolutely delighted for Carl,” Kempson told Rapport. “However, it is extremely sad that so many other kids who work incredibly hard never get the recognition they deserve, simply for the sake of political pretexts.”
EP lost 56-15 to the Blue Bulls and 21-12 to Boland, before finishing with a 46-33 victory over the Blue Bulls XV.
Asked whether the selection saga had impacted the team’s performances, the former Springbok prop replied: “Yes, without a doubt.”
Photo: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images
The post Kempson: Kids paying the price for quotas appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Grey High head of rugby Robbi Kempson has criticised the quota system that denies deserving schoolboys the opportunity to represent their province.
The post Kempson: Kids paying the price for quotas appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
