Jeff Probyn column: Quotas undermine teams rather than build them

Oil and water, vinegar and milk…there are certain things that just don’t mix and should always be kept separate.  Another is politics and sport, the news that South African rugby (along with cricket, athletics, netball and hockey) have been banned from bidding for any major tournaments by the South African government because they have so far failed to meet transformation
targets, seems to me counter-productive.
The transformation targets are numbers of each race (quotas) in each team, yet unlike those other sports, there is no quota system in soccer despite a fall in the number of schools offering football to children and the demise of the
amateur game, plus a fall in the number of young white players.
Whether because of apartheid or not, rugby in South Africa has remained a
virtually all-white game just as soccer has remained a predominately black game, despite the freedom of all to play whatever they like.
This, although abhorrent, should be no surprise as the apartheid system created institutions (schools, universities etc.) over decades where the sole purpose was to prepare young white sports men and women for international sporting competition.
Even though apartheid ended 20-odd years ago, the reality is that there has not been enough time for the wholesale change needed to allow for a natural development of young black players coming through the various youth playing structures in sufficient numbers to produce enough international quality players to fulfil the quota required.
Elite sport is not like a job, even though you are paid for it nowadays. You can teach anybody and everybody how to play the game but only a very few will be good enough to be professional sports men or women with even fewer capable of international sport.
While you can encourage children to learn a sport, you cannot guarantee how many will want, or be capable, of playing the sport at a reasonable standard, let alone international when they grow up.
Although it helps, if it were just simple matter of numbers, England with almost 40 per cent of the world’s youth rugby players should be producing world-class players by the barrow load and dominating the world game.
As a number of sports in South Africa have an ingrained culture and divisions along racial terms that are only breaking down slowly, any attempts to force dramatic change over a short term period won’t work and are only liable to damage each sport’s ability to compete on the world stage.
The knock-on of that will be fewer youngsters wanting to take part in those sports that are no longer seen as ‘fashionable’ or successful.
The politics that drive the transformation policy are, in many ways, just as divisive as apartheid because they are forcing coaches to choose players that aren’t experienced enough to reach the top of their chosen sport at the expense of other, better players, just because of race.
It is not only South Africa that does not have a broad canvas of their national demographic within their international elite sporting teams, particularly rugby.
Despite having a diverse population here in England, rugby is perceived to have remained an upper class white game with few working class or immigrant players, although thankfully now this is not true.
Many of the players that appear to have come through the wealthy public school system actually started their rugby journey in state schools and were offered places by public schools desperate to be seen as producing successful young rugby players.
A number of those schools also have close links with Premiership rugby academies re-enforcing the false belief that they were responsible for the discovery and development of young English talent.
Those of us old enough will remember a time when it seemed you had to go to Oxbridge to get an England cap with those universities offering places with the possibility of degrees in land economy to high-achieving young rugby players, so they could play in the Varsity match and then for England.
Even now there is a restriction imposed by PRL on the RFU, which insists that players can be picked only from within their ranks for England.
In fact, every country has a hieratical selection policy for their elite sports. Just because parts of society are not represented in that elite does not necessarily mean that quotas should, or need to, be enforced.
There should be freedom for all to take part in whatever sport, and the structures should be in place and funded properly. Then talent will be spotted and over time will reach the top of the game, quotas or not.
After all, sport is about winning and no country or team want to lose, but by enforcing quotas they probably will.
French side, Chamalieres, having won the 2eme Series, celebrated by adding the wooden trophy to their barbeque. That brought a smile to my face – despite their president’s apology.
A celebration that got slightly out of hand is the essence of rugby and I wish I had been there to share their joy.
If they need any contributions to help buy a replacement trophy,  I will gladly be the first to contribute.