Outgoing Springbok captain Adriaan Strauss says he will be ‘ruthless with the truth’ when the time comes to speak out about the issues facing South African rugby.
Strauss featured in his 66th and final Test in last Saturday’s defeat to Wales, having led the team throughout a tumultuous year that has seen them finish with a shocking 33% win record.
The veteran hooker is well placed to provide insights into where things have gone wrong for the Boks, and according to the Times Media Group, Strauss reiterated that he would like to contribute to finding solutions despite the fact his international career has now come to an end.
‘I will reserve my opinions for a platform where they need to be heard‚ and when I get that chance I will do so honestly and openly and be ruthless with the truth. I’m not looking for controversy so I won’t throw out statements about what needs to change right now.
‘When I get my opportunity at the place and time I will make my contribution.’
Strauss said it was important that they continued to engage with officials from SA Rugby to begin striving towards workable solutions.
‘I’m a player and I respect my position as a player‚ but I’m also the captain. I was happy that some of the players and I were invited to a meeting with senior SA Rugby officials while on tour. And we have been invited to future meetings as well.
‘No fingers can be pointed at one person. We are all responsible for the situation Springbok rugby is in‚ from the bottom of the ladder to the top. We are now in an ideal situation for change and for accountability from all parties. We can start make productive and constructive changes and I would like to be a part of that.’
Meanwhile, according to SuperSport.com, coach Allister Coetzee has conceded that he should have picked more Lions players earlier on in the season, while also backing more youngsters.
‘I agree that I should probably have done it differently and gone for more young players and more Lions players, but I was worried that if I did do that, and back the youngsters, I might end up sitting in the same position that I am now and regret not opting for more experience.
‘It was a difficult thing to decide on, but if I could rewind the clock, I’d now go the other way. I had a lot of Lions players in the team for Wales, and if I really wanted to back the Lions game back in June, I could have selected Lionel Mapoe at centre too. That would have given us an almost complete Lions backline. But it is easy to be wise with the benefit of hindsight.’
Photo: Anne Laing/HM Images
