Whatever Happened to Uli Schmidt?
Jim Nicholson
remember a lot of people claiming that he was the world's best hooker,
but he wasn't (to my knowledge) included in the NZ touring party. Has
his skill level really dropped off significantly (he did well in the
'93 Super 10 if I recall), or is it an attitude problem? Given that he
plays for Transvaal, I thought that he would be a shoe-in :)
Cheers,
Jim Nicholson
F. Jacot Guillarmod
He made himself unavailable for the Argentina and NZ tour so that his
medical practice wouldn't suffer. There were also apparently family
problems, aka as a wife who was unhappy to see hubby away for so long.
This puts him on a par with Garth Wright (E.P. scrum-half) who also
made himself unavailable for national selection for similar reasons -
even though he's probably playing better than any of the incumbents.
But according to a passing comment during this afternoons Natal vs Tvl
Currie Cup match Schmidt may have had a change of heart and could play
in the next two test series - against Argentina in SA, and on the UK
tour.
--
F.F. Jacot Guillarmod PO Box 94 \ | cc...@hippo.ru.ac.za
Computing Centre Grahamstown 6140 \ / Fax: +27 461 25049
Rhodes University South Africa ;___*/ Phone: +27 461 318284
The views expressed above are not necessarily those of Rhodes University
Rex Cooper
>From: cc...@hippo.ru.ac.za (F. Jacot Guillarmod)
>Subject: Re: Whatever Happened to Uli Schmidt?
>Date: 20 Aug 1994 17:40:55 +0200
>In <Cuu4z...@Newbridge.COM> jam...@newbridge.com (Jim Nicholson) writes:
>>Why has Uli Schmidt been left out of the Boks lineup? I seem to
>>remember a lot of people claiming that he was the world's best hooker,
>>but he wasn't (to my knowledge) included in the NZ touring party. Has
>>his skill level really dropped off significantly (he did well in the
>>'93 Super 10 if I recall), or is it an attitude problem? Given that he
>>plays for Transvaal, I thought that he would be a shoe-in :)
>He made himself unavailable for the Argentina and NZ tour so that his
>medical practice wouldn't suffer. There were also apparently family
>problems, aka as a wife who was unhappy to see hubby away for so long.
>This puts him on a par with Garth Wright (E.P. scrum-half) who also
>made himself unavailable for national selection for similar reasons -
>even though he's probably playing better than any of the incumbents.
>But according to a passing comment during this afternoons Natal vs Tvl
>Currie Cup match Schmidt may have had a change of heart and could play
>in the next two test series - against Argentina in SA, and on the UK
>tour.
In addition, Schmidt seems to be struggling with the political changes
in SA. He complained bitterly when it was decided not to play the national
anthem, when (i think) France was here for a series. The reason for
not playing Die Stem was because it was sensitive at that time.
Schmidt has also been quoted on his opinions of the development program.
(ie bringing rugby to people who have not had facilities\exposure.
he said something to the effect that "The development program is a waste
of time since Blacks do not have the ability or interest to play rugby.
They prefer soccer"
I remember Errol Tobias. I also remember cricketers saying the same thing
about Black people. They have since changed their minds (Masemola, Malao
being products of development)
It is my contention that racists like Uli should be left out on principle.
Many of us are trying to change the White image of Rugby. Schmidt isn't
helping
F. Jacot Guillarmod
>In article <ccfj.77...@hippo.ru.ac.za> cc...@hippo.ru.ac.za (F. Jacot Guillarmod) writes:
>>In <Cuu4z...@Newbridge.COM> jam...@newbridge.com (Jim Nicholson) writes:
>Schmidt has also been quoted on his opinions of the development program.
>(ie bringing rugby to people who have not had facilities\exposure.
>he said something to the effect that "The development program is a waste
>of time since Blacks do not have the ability or interest to play rugby.
>They prefer soccer"
Do you have a reference for this quotation? Maybe I'm naive, but I have
difficulty in believing that anyone with a bit of intelligence could go
round spouting this sort of stuff, let alone in an interview.
Ross Finlayson
...
>I remember Errol Tobias. I also remember cricketers saying the same thing
>about Black people. They have since changed their minds (Masemola, Malao
>being products of development)
I'm curious - are there many Black (or Coloured etc.) players at
the top level of South African rugby at present? (For instance, were
there any at all in the recent Springbok touring squad to New Zealand?
What about current provincial sides (Currie Cup, etc.)?
It appears that non-Whites are still significantly under-represented at the
top levels of South African rugby. (There may be several reasons for this;
in particular, previous posters have noted the huge popularity of soccer
amongst the Black population.) Do the South African readers feel that this
is likely to change significantly in the next few years (e.g., by the time
World Cup '99 rolls around)?
Ross.
F. Jacot Guillarmod
>I'm curious - are there many Black (or Coloured etc.) players at
>the top level of South African rugby at present? (For instance, were
>there any at all in the recent Springbok touring squad to New Zealand?
>What about current provincial sides (Currie Cup, etc.)?
Chester Williams is "coloured", and he played wing in the three tests
against the AB's. In last years tour to Australia, Thinus Linee played
centre in the midweek team. Both these players regularly turn out for
Western Province. As regards other provincial first teams, they're
lily white to a man, although there is black representation in the second
and lower teams.
>It appears that non-Whites are still significantly under-represented at the
>top levels of South African rugby. (There may be several reasons for this;
>in particular, previous posters have noted the huge popularity of soccer
>amongst the Black population.) Do the South African readers feel that this
>is likely to change significantly in the next few years (e.g., by the time
>World Cup '99 rolls around)?
"The popularity of soccer" is, in my opinion, a convenient cop-out that
avoids looking at the real issues.
It's a complex question, and is not confined to rugby alone. The
answer gives the lie to the idea that apartheid was supposed to mean
"separate but equal". Given that there was a lot of resistance to
window dressing efforts in the dim past - e.g. bang up a multi-million
rand sports complex in Soweto and point to it with pride only to have
the resentful and politically quite shrewd inhabitants trash it -
another possible reason for the under-representation was that until
very recently it was politically incorrect for a black player to
participate in predominantly white teams or clubs - players doing so
were considered "sell outs" and came under intense peer pressure to
keep out of things... the old political cry of "no normal sport in an
abnormal society". So, even though there were no legal problems as
regards mixed clubs or teams, there was active resistance to lending
credibility to what was preceived as a "white" system, even though over
the past ten years or so most sporting codes were desperately trying to
attract black players as a ticket back into re-acceptance by the rest
of the sporting world.
Presumably with the recent election, this issue will tend to fall away
and we'll start seeing many more black people taking part in these
types of team sports. Sure, the system is still skewed, but at last
it's got a chance of working on an equal opportunity basis and with the
support, rather than deliberate obstruction, of blacks. It'll take
time, and the visible presence of black people in national teams will
be a good indicator of how our society is re-structuring itself. Note
that the SA Rugby Board has a high proportion of black executives and
administrators, and the current Minister of Sport, Steve Tshwete, is a
cricket and rugby fanatic... but that's starting at the wrong end of the
power pyramid. We need to look at the bottom, and, surprise, it's
looking pretty good.
The most interesting indicator of the future is to watch school
rugby... schools have been de-segregated for about three or four years
now, and all previously "white" schools have a sizable proportion
(about 25 to 35%) of black scholars. The school first teams I've seen
play here in Grahamstown seem to have a mainly black back line - for
school boys, these guys are impressive... tough and fast, with plenty
of ball skills and a real tactical feel for the game. The forwards
I've seen are mainly props, and seem chosen for their size rather than
any real flair. Considering these guys are 16 or 17 and in their final
year at school, it'll probably take another couple of years for them to
start showing up in the top levels of provincial rugby. But from what
I've seen, these players are really very very good indeed, and it's
just a matter of time before we start seeing more of them at
representative level.