Row erupts in EP rugby over selection of youth teams

A row has erupted among warring officials about how EP Rugby went about selecting its teams for upcoming national youth weeks, with coaches threatening to resign after allegations of interference.

Claims have surfaced that players were added to various EP squads after selectors had already submitted their final teams, resulting in official squads differing from those chosen.

The allegations of interference come just weeks before EP hosts the U18 Craven Week at Grey High from July 5 to 11.

In a letter to EPRU president George Malgas, a group calling itself “Grant Khomo Management”, who are responsible for the U16 squad, indicated they were prepared to step down if the changes remained in place and were not adequately explained.

Malgas hit back and said his union had done the right thing in ensuring teams were representative of all areas in the region, particularly previously disadvantaged areas.

He said the names had not been “thumb-sucked” by EP Rugby but had been proposed by selectors.

The group alleged pressure was placed on EP to increase the representation of players from underprivileged backgrounds.

The unhappiness extends to the EP U13 team, where questions regarding governance, transparency, selection procedures and potential conflicts of interest were raised.

The letter to Malgas said: “We write to formally express our serious concern regarding the decision to include players in the final Grant Khomo squad who were not selected by the appointed coaching staff and selectors following the completion of the trial process.

“As the management team responsible for evaluating players throughout the selection process, we are deeply troubled that several players who did not progress beyond the third round of trials have now been included in the final squad, while players who consistently demonstrated superior performance have been omitted.

“The coaching and selection panel invested considerable time and effort in conducting a fair, objective and transparent selection process.

“The amendments made to the squad have not been accompanied by any clear rationale and appear to disregard the outcomes of the trials.

“This raises significant concerns regarding both the integrity and credibility of the selection process.

“While we fully support the development of rugby talent across all communities and are committed to assisting promising players in reaching the required standard, we strongly believe that development should not come at the expense of player welfare, merit-based selection, or competitiveness of the team.

“As educators, coaches and custodians of the game, we have a responsibility to uphold principles of fairness, honesty and integrity.

“Unfortunately, we cannot confidently support or endorse a selection process that appears to have deviated from these principles.

“We therefore, respectfully, request that this matter be reviewed as a matter of urgency and that the final squad be reconsidered based on the performances and recommendations arising from the official trial process.

“Should the current selection remain unchanged without adequate justification, we will unfortunately find ourselves unable to associate our names with the process or its outcomes.”

In response, Malgas said: “As far as the disgruntled group regarding the Craven Week, Academy team, and Grant Khomo is concerned, I want to put the following on record.

“It became apparent to us that there were a lot of people who were in conflict with each other regarding the teams that were going to represent EP.

“We received a list of the proposed players from the selectors last Thursday, and we scrutinised the list, and we discovered the list is not representative of EP’s demographics.

“The team was largely made up of players from the NMB Metro, comprising three or four schools, and two schools from the Makhanda area.

“We were not happy to accept this list.

“It had not made any provision for players from the previously disadvantaged areas.

“We requested the selectors to go back and find players who came through the system at the trials and/or at the Mali tournament.

“The next morning, there were three names brought to us, and those named were not meant to be brought into the mix as intended by ourselves, but according to the selectors, had to be added into the group.

“That would make our group not be in line with SA Rugby’s regulations regarding the sizes of the groups.

“We then had an engagement with the selectors and asked them once again to wrap their heads around it.

“We came up with the name of one boy only from out of town that could be brought into the team.

“EP brought that boy in on the advice of the selectors and on merit as such.

“We also brought in a second boy whose name was put on the table from the townships and an extra one for the standby list.

“All these names were forwarded to us by the selectors.

“We had no issues with the EP U13 and EP girls’ teams, which were fine and were signed off.

“All the additional names were proposed by the selectors and discussed in a meeting.

“I want to reiterate those names were given to us and not thumb-sucked by us.

“I stand by what we did and how we came to it.”

EP Rugby’s general manager, Mzi Mpofu, said: “We have a responsibility to ensure that youth representative teams are a reflection of the whole community that falls under the auspices of EPRU.

“We cannot watch silently as children from disadvantaged and rural communities are systematically deprived of opportunities.”

The Herald