Andrea and Stacy's Visit

I cannot believe how quickly the last 10 days have past! Andrea and Stacy left today back to the States.

Their visit included wine tasting (imagine that), hiking both Lion's Head and Table Mountain, a quick

(we're talking real quick) trip down a flight of stairs, drum lessons, the parade welcoming the Springboks and the Webb Ellis Cup to Cape Town, as well as plenty of Cape Town attractions they visited while I worked...

The winning of the World Cup initiated conversations regarding South African unity and the post-apartheid culture and progress since '94. The Springboks actually won the Rugby World Cup in '95 as well, when the finals were played in South Africa (closely following the end of many international sanctions).
(the parade was in front of city hall, where Nelson Mandela first spoke following his release in '90.)

Specifically, the media brought to light the irony that the '07 team is just as 'white' as the '95 team. In April, the head of the sports committee in the South African parliament even threatened to withhold the passports of the Springbok team because the squad did not reflect transformation sufficiently. He obviously gave in and was seen in Paris in a Springbok Jersey.

One morning, the public radio had people calling in to share their opinion on requirements to have a team that's racially representative of South Africa and whether a multiracial and a winning team were exclusive. The Afrikaans people (of Dutch descent), in general, are built big and thick and usually take the positions in the scrum. There are less positions on the team for smaller, faster players (if any, these are the positions here played by non-whites).

Another challenge the Springboks (and the country) face is that while schools were (and still are in many areas) so recently segregated, few non-Afrikaans play rugby growing up causing a limit to both talent and interest at the college. It's all fascinating to me here; the good news is that the competitive teams that feed the Springbok roster have improved beyond the all-white teams of the past.