Oregan Hoskins
Encyclopedia
Overview of Policies
He was appointed to this position in 2006. Noted events that have occurred during his tenure as President include South Africa victory at the 2007 Rugby World Cup2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
. One of Hoskins' key policies has been an increase in the rate of racial integration of South African blacks into the South African National team and the Super 14 League
Super 14
Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...
.
Soon after being appointed as President of SARU, he commented that there was an anti-South African bias in rugby.
Hoskins was backed by the "Big Five" franchises to be President of SARU and to oppose Brian van Rooyen, with the express mandate to keep the Southern Spears out of the Super 14. Under Hoskins SA Rugby lost multiple High Court applications and were castigated by Judge Dennis Davis who ruled in favour of the Southern Spears, declaring SA Rugby behaved unethically and unlawfully and that the Spears had a legal and binding agreement to play Super 14 rugby. SA Rugby has subsequently spent R27.1m in excluding the Southern Spears franchise from the Eastern Cape from Super Rugby competition.
Hoskins specifically accused Australian and New Zealand referees saying "Australia and New Zealand need to look at their referees when it comes to games involving South Africa. There is a genuine bias against South African teams."
Among the policies that Hoskins has promoted and encouraged is the development of a South African Haka
Haka
Haka is a traditional ancestral war cry, dance or challenge from the Māori people of New Zealand. It is a posture dance performed by a group, with vigorous movements and stamping of the feet with rhythmically shouted accompaniment...
based on some kind of traditional Zulu or Xhosa war dance
War dance
A war dance is a dance involving mock combat, usually in reference to tribal warrior societies where such dances were performed as a ritual connected with endemic warfare....
. This, Hoskins noted, would help more of the South African population to identify directly with the sport.
Selection of Black Players
Hoskins has encouraged the South African Super 14 teams, and the national team, to involve a higher number of black players. This policy was encouraged after the ANC chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for sport, Butana Komphela, criticized SARU heavily. Hoskins had to return to Parliament ten days later to make an unreserved apology for lying to Parliament on three counts. The chairman blamed the administration, and Hoskins personally, calling for their resignations. Komphela stated that six black players in the World Cup squad was "not good enough".Conflict with Jake White
His period as president occurred over a period of continued clashes between the SARU administration and coach Jake WhiteJake White
Jake White is a rugby union coach and former coach of the South Africa national rugby union team, the Springboks. His most notable achievements as coach include leading the Springboks to victory in 2007 Rugby World Cup and the 2004 Tri Nations title...
. After having led South Africa to the country's second world cup victory, White was informed by the administration that he was expected to apply to retain his position. White was not considered to remain as coach, while he argued that he should have since it was stated in his contract that he need not reapply.
Hoskins commented on the dispute, saying that "Jake was seen as someone who was never prepared to give the whole story and relied on public sentiment after the World Cup to support his cause as a martyr... The unfortunate thing is that Jake is now portrayed as the victim and the council as a bunch of idiots who just did not like him after we won the World Cup."
2007 World Cup Controversies
Yet another controversy involving Hoskins was the forced selection of Luke WatsonLuke Watson
Luke Asher Watson is a South African rugby union footballer who can play at flank or eighthman. He has represented and captained the South African Schools rugby team , South Africa's under-19 and under-21 teams, as well as the Springbok Sevens team...
to the 2007 World Cup team. National Coach White and his selectors (Peter Jooste and former national coach Ian Macintosh), submitted a list of 45 players to the South African Rugby Union. Without Coach White's knowledge and behind his back, Watson was added to the list as a 46th player by SARU President Hoskins, fellow SARU executive council member Koos Basson, and Springbok team manager Zola Yeye. It was later revealed that Hoskins and other members of the SARU presidency (Deputy President Mike Stofile and Vice President Basson) had approached White and his selectors a week prior to the announcement to champion the inclusion of Watson and Odwa Ndungane.
Hoskins was also criticized for his failure to attend the homecoming of the World Cup winning team as it arrived home from the tournament, as well as his failure to appear on-field after the final. One member of the administration of the South African Rugby Supporters Union suggested that these two noted absences were due to Hoskins' rift with coach Jack White.
See also
- South African Rugby BoardSouth African Rugby BoardThe South African Rugby Board was the rugby union governing body of white South Africans between 1889 and 1992. The governing of white and coloured rugby union was handled separately during South Africa under Apartheid....
- South Africa national rugby union teamSouth Africa national rugby union teamThe South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
- Super 14Super 14Super Rugby is the largest and pre-eminent professional Rugby union competition in the Southern Hemisphere...