Welcome to Springbok team-building - balls and all
Photos of Springbok players huddled naked up to their waists in a lake have rocked South African rugby, piling pressure on coach Rudolf Straeuli to quit after his team's World Cup exit.
The Star in Johannesburg gave over half its front page to a picture of at least 10 naked Springbok players packed tightly together, apparently exhausted and freezing, holding rugby balls or billy cans to preserve their modesty.
The paper said the picture was taken during the Springboks' pre-World Cup team-building camp in the bush two hours drive north of Pretoria, where players underwent gruelling ordeals intended to build mental strength.
After returning from their quarter-final defeat by New Zealand, the team faces a possible government inquiry into allegations of racism among players almost a decade after South Africa abandoned apartheid white rule.
Straeuli's methods have been heavily criticised and revelations of a program closer to a boot camp for elite military recruits than a sports training camp have increased the pressure on him.
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Welcome to Springbok team-building - balls and all
Sunday, November 23, 2003 Print this article
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Boot Camp: A revealing portrait of the Springboks.
Photos of Springbok players huddled naked up to their waists in a lake have rocked South African rugby, piling pressure on coach Rudolf Straeuli to quit after his team's World Cup exit.
The Star in Johannesburg gave over half its front page to a picture of at least 10 naked Springbok players packed tightly together, apparently exhausted and freezing, holding rugby balls or billy cans to preserve their modesty.
The paper said the picture was taken during the Springboks' pre-World Cup team-building camp in the bush two hours drive north of Pretoria, where players underwent gruelling ordeals intended to build mental strength.
After returning from their quarter-final defeat by New Zealand, the team faces a possible government inquiry into allegations of racism among players almost a decade after South Africa abandoned apartheid white rule.
Straeuli's methods have been heavily criticised and revelations of a program closer to a boot camp for elite military recruits than a sports training camp have increased the pressure on him.
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"We have no comment at this stage," a spokesman for SA Rugby said.
The Sunday Times reported last weekend the controversial camp was designed by the team's security consultant Adriaan Heijns, a former South African Police special services operative.
The report claimed naked players were crammed into foxholes and doused repeatedly with ice-cold water while the English national anthem and New Zealand's pre-match haka were played over and over again.
They were also forced into a freezing lake in the early morning to pump up rugby balls under water.
When some of the players tried to get out they were ordered back into the water at gunpoint, The Sunday Times said.
Team manager Gideon Sam denied on Thursday that any of the training had been carried out at gunpoint, or that players had been forced to crawl naked through the bush.
"Sure, the guys were pushed hard, but that is what preparing for battle is about," he said on the team's website.
http://rugbyheaven.smh.com.au/articl...027380784.html
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