Bok coach Heyneke Meyer says he ‘does not look at colour’ and will not be drawn into a political debate over transformation, CRAIG LEWIS reports.

On Tuesday, trade union Cosatu sent out a statement expressing its concern over the lack of transformation in South African rugby, and called for Meyer to be removed from his post.

At the Springbok team announcement on Wednesday, Meyer said he would not get caught up in politics.

‘I want to keep my integrity, I know what’s my agenda. You are always going to get players who are going to be unhappy if they don’t get to play. A guy like Steven Kitshoff really wants to play and he deserves a chance, and yet he hasn’t had one yet this year. A guy like Jan Serfontein was our starting centre last year, and nobody writes about that, but he hasn’t had his chance this season. I don’t look at colour, I look at the best players and what’s best for them.’

A report also alleged that some black players had approached Cosatu about a lack of game time, but Meyer said he felt he had the full support of all his players.

‘I’m totally committed to transformation and I have a great relationship with my players. A lot of them came to me and said it’s not true what’s been in the papers, we stand by you and we know where we stand. It’s really all about them, and we’re all here to do the best for our country.’

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