Time to set the Springbok free
Time to set the Springbok free
Richard Book, Sunday Star Times | October 20, 2008 - 12:27PM
All in all it hasn't been a great week for the Springbok. Luke Watson wants to vomit on it, Naas Botha wants it shot, a National Assembly politician has accused it of being divisive, and South Africa's governing African National Congress Party is preparing to consider its abolition.
All this over a herbivorous antelope that cavorts and leaps about like a Vaudeville dancer. I mean, it's hard to understand how it became the South African national emblem in the first place, given the wealth of options available. Can you imagine how pissed off the lions must have been?
But now all the talk is about the need for change, and especially after reports that Watson, son of anti-apartheid activist Cheeky, told Cape Town students last week that he felt like emptying the contents of his stomach on the jersey. Actually, what he said was that, while he felt like vomiting on the Springbok emblem, he understood his responsibilities; the fact that so many folk had made sacrifices to provide him with the opportunities of today. For thousands of South African rugby followers, however, it was just another provocation from the most recent of the Watson progeny.
It was Cheeky, remember, who confounded his peers and put himself at great personal risk during the apartheid years, not only refusing an invitation to trial for the 1976 Springboks, but also shocking............................
Full Story; Time to set the Springbok free - South Africa - rugbyheaven.com.au
