SA Rugby has taken flak for its handling of the Tel Aviv Heat saga, but MARK KEOHANE has praised the sporting body for making the “right decision” in the interest of rugby and safety.
SARU came under fire from the likes of the South African Friends of Israel (SAFI) for withdrawing an invitation to the Israeli club for the upcoming Mzansi Challenge next month.
The SAFI is now considering a Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) application if the governing body doesn’t explain how it arrived at axing the Heat.
In his TimesLIVE column, Keohane argued that SARU “should be feted for putting rugby in this country first” after it explained the decision to withdraw the invite was based on player safety.
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“Whatever one’s stance on the political situation of Israel and Palestine, it must be divorced from SARU’s responsibility to its stakeholders, where it had no option but to endorse the decision to not put players at risk,” he writes.
“SARU acted with integrity and transparency, which is what one wants from any custodian of the sport.
“This week was an example of SARU and its leadership team not being afraid to make the right rugby decision, even if it made for a perceived unpopular decision.
“SARU gets hammered when getting it wrong, and I have been at the forefront of delivering many of the hammer blows over the years, but it would be disingenuous of me not to recognise and appreciate the nuances of when they get it right.”
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Keohane also lamented the Tel Aviv Heat off-field drama in a rugby week in SA when the focus should be on the north-versus-south derby between the Vodacom Bulls and DHL Stormers at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.
“The Bulls administration is another example of getting it right and the efforts of their president, Willem Strauss, are unmatched domestically in how effective he uses social media to positively influence the perception of the union,” he writes.
“Strauss has been at the forefront of promoting the big derby, and the result is that 35 000 tickets have already been sold and the probability is that come the 5:05pm kick-off that number will exceed 40 000.
“Rugby administrators globally get the most obvious things wrong so often, so it is refreshing when administrators within South African rugby get it right for the right reasons.”
#URC – @mark_keohane is backing the Stormers to make it five from five against @BlueBullsRugby, while Zels believes the side from Pretoria will extend their 12-game unbeaten run at home in the @Vodacom United Rugby Championship. pic.twitter.com/9slmjQdi3Z
— SA Rugby magazine (@SARugbymag) February 16, 2023
Photo: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix