Archbishop Desmond Tutu says South Africa deserves to have a Springbok team representative of its rainbow nation.

In a letter to the Cape Times, he said: 'Now, nearly 20 years later, I lament the tortoise pace at which transformation at the highest level is being effected.'

Tutu criticised Saru for the pace of transformation in the team, and said it was 'particularly hurtful' to see the selection of black players as 'peripheral squad members never given the chance to settle down and earn their spurs'.

He said the country deserved a team that represented the 'full spectrum of the rainbow that defines us'.

'Surely, by the 20th anniversary of our freedom from enforced separateness, there are a couple of dark horses out there to run with the browns and the chestnuts in feature races?' he asked.

The Springbok starting XV for Saturday's match against Argentina in Salta includes three coloured players (Cornal Hendricks, Bryan Habana and Gurthrö Steenkamp) with two black Africans (Tendai Mtawarira and Lwazi Mvovo) on the bench.

Photo: Anne Laing/HSM Images