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Transformation more important than winning?

That was the message from SARU President Oregan Hoskins, who was addressing media in Cape Town in the wake of Heyneke Meyer's decision to step down as Springbok coach

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Hoskins said they would overlook any candidate for the Springboks' coaching position who does not intend making the team a more representative one.

"Transformation is a dynamic thing first of all, but I personally believe that whoever wants to apply for the job needs to know that transformation is going to be at the top of his agenda or else he should not apply," said Hoskins. 

"We as an organisation are just going to have to be much harder than we have ever been. We don't have another opportunity – we signed an agreement with the sports governing body in this country and the Ministry [of sport and recreation] and we believe in it. So as a sport, we need to go forward with that in mind.

"If anybody wants to be the coach of South Africa in 2016, then he or she needs to understand that it's going to involve transformation. It's not just rugby's agenda, it's society's agenda."

Transformation more important than winning?Hoskins also admitted that the issue of transformation was a talking point when discussions were held with former coach Meyer a few weeks ago about his future.

"It was a good two-way conversation – if I can put it that way. We discussed a number of issues, one of them being our transformation imperatives. We had an open and frank discussion on that issue and for me that was an important issue.

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"Where I am sitting, for the next four years in the build-up to the 2019 World Cup, transformation is going to be key for this organisation and that is something we are discussing all the time.

"It is an important issue, it was important when we signed that agreement with SASCOC [South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee] and government and we have a duty to stick to our side of the agreement.

"Heyneke knows what the transformation imperatives are for SARU, but I can't speak on behalf of Heyneke. I speak on behalf of SARU," he added.

Hoskins did lay some of the blame for the lack of transformation on the country's unions.

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"The unions are not doing enough. We are actually at a crisis point in terms of that. The franchise provinces need to play their part. 

"They need to come to the party and assist us. COSATU is going to ask for me to be fired, which is fine. But right behind me is going to have to be the presidents of the big unions. Jake [White], Peter [de Villiers] and Heyneke have said they don't have the players of colour playing at franchise level, which just makes the task impossible." 

By Warren Fortune

@FortuneWarren

@rugby365com

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