SA Rugby on Tuesday confirmed media reports about an incident in which Springbok Sevens coach Paul Treu was racially abused by a group of South Africans during the Hong Kong Sevens tournament last weekend.
SA Rugby said it had contacted Treu to get a first-hand account of what took place. The coach had confirmed the incident and provided details of what happened.
SA Rugby said it was undertaking a thorough investigation with a view to sending out a clear message that racism has no place in the sport of rugby.
”We abhor racism of any kind,” said SA Rugby. ”This is especially so in the light of our efforts as South Africans to build a non-racial society that respects all the citizens of the country.
”We wish to make it clear that Paul Treu and his team are bona fide representatives of South Africa, and that they uphold the non-racial values of South Africa. They should, therefore, be protected from any form of abuse.
”We view the Hong Kong incident in a serious light and we will take appropriate action upon conclusion of the investigation.”
The two men threatened violence against Treu and then spat at him as he left the stadium. They also swore and spat at the TV interviewer, said veteran rugby commentator David van der Sandt.
”It was a despicable scene,” Van der Sandt was quoted as telling the South China Morning Post.
”Treu is a thoroughly decent guy and we didn’t deserve this abuse. It was one of the most nasty confrontations I have witnessed in all my years of covering international rugby.”
Treu played down the incident: ”These things happen, it’s the way of the world unfortunately,” he was quoted as saying.
”South African fans spend a lot of money travelling to these events and get very passionate about their rugby.”
Hong Kong’s Rugby Union hit out at the pair’s behaviour.
”We deplore any kind of racist abuse of this kind. It goes against the whole spirit of the Sevens,” a spokesperson was quoted as saying.
”We have no tolerance for that kind of behaviour and the pair would have been ejected immediately if we had known about it.”
Such incidents are rare at the Hong Kong Sevens, which prides itself on its friendly if boisterous atmosphere. Police said this year’s event went smoothly, without a single arrest and few complaints. – Sapa, AFP