Proteas Captain Graeme Smith says he does not understand racism and will not tolerate it in any team he is part of.
Writing in his weekly column in the Cape Times on Friday, he said he wished Springbok rugby would heal itself ”and soon”.
”We were all deeply shocked when we read about the problems in the Bok camp, but that’s about all I can say because I simply don’t understand racism and it would never ever be tolerated in any team I was a part of,” he said.
He was commenting on the row over claims of racism in the Springbok Rugby World Cup squad, sparked by white lock Geo Cronje’s alleged refusal to sleep in the same bedroom as a black player, Quinton Davids.
He said the reason he did not understand racism was possibly that he was from ”a different generation”.
”I think I was nine years old when Madiba was released from prison.
”All I can remember is going to school and playing sport in a mixed South Africa.”
He said there were so many cultures and backgrounds in the Proteas — who arrived back in South Africa this week after a long English tour — that he thought it would be unnatural not to have clashes during three months on the road.
”Well, we must be unnatural because it simply never happened. We became like a family, albeit a fairly delinquent one at times, especially on the team bus,” he said. – Sapa