One would have thought that after South Africa had won the World Cup, there would be nothing but positives coming out of the victory but we are seeing a whole lot of cracks coming out now, something which we do not need at this moment in time when as a nation we are meant to be celebrating being World Champions. First it was the departure of coach Jake White and now there is the controversy of Brian Habana giving his Springbok blazer to Australian, Eddie Jones who was the Springboks technical director during the World Cup.

It all started during the World Cup when SA Rugby president, Oregan Hoskins, pleaded with the Presidents Council and his board to give Eddie Jones a Springbok blazer. They refused saying that Eddie Jones was a foreigner and did not deserve one. Okay fine, let us take the foreigner part, yes he is an Australian and thus he should not wear a South African blazer according to them. But how many foreigners have actually gone on to wear the actual South Africa Springbok jursey? Zimbabwean winger Tonderai Chavanga is an example that comes to mind. Now surely if a ‘foreigner’ can wear the Springbok jursey, one can wear the Springbok blazer.

For me, Eddie Jones played a very big part in South Africa winning the World Cup. Before Eddie’s arrival, the Springbok backline looked a very average proposition. Getting the backline to run was a problem. There was no class and creativity in the backline. We had gotten used to just seeing intercepts from either De Villiers or Habana resulting in tries from the backline. But Eddie Jones actually seemed to tell the guys that they could actually run with the ball in that backline and do some creative moves and actually score. I can even go the extra mile and say, without Eddie Jones, the Springboks may not have won the World Cup. Jones bought a new dimension to the Springbok backline which was a pleasure to see in France.

Now I think Habana has realised the huge contribution Jones made to them winning the World Cup and he has taken it upon himself to give his blazer to Eddie Jones. Now what are the repercussions of this going to be? Some SA Rugby officials have already come out and said they are reluctant to comment because of its sensitive nature. Now what can these officials do? I do not think they can punish Habana for this as it is his blazer and he can do whatever he wants to do with it. It is going to be interesting to see how SA Rugby react. For me, the forces that be in SA Rugby are not serious! If it’s not fighting with Jake White then it’s transformation and then today they have to deal with a blazer! Come on guys, let’s be serious and focus on other more important things than a blazer. Watch SA Rugby make a big fuss about this! Good on you Habana for doing what you clearly believe was the right thing and something that should have been done a while ago. Show SA Rugby chiefs that you guys who walk across those white lines and put your bodies on the line for 80 minutes are the ones that matter.