John Smit, the former captain of a World Cup-winning Springbok team, has always been one of the most erudite voices in the local game. And one could certainly hear the despair in his tweet about the match against Australia on Saturday.
Smit said that Aussie scrumhalf Nic White “just killed a little piece of rugby’s soul today”, after what will go down as some of the most shameless “diving” in the history of the oval ball game. As White gathered the ball from the scrum, his opposite number, Faf de Klerk, tried to swat the ball out of his hands and made a brushing contact with White’s face.
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The Australian clutched his cheek in exaggerated pain for the benefit of the referee and match officials and collapsed to his knees. It was a performance worthy of the worst professional football player – and had the desired effect.
De Klerk was given a yellow card, even though referee Paul Williams acknowledged the South African was going for the ball and got it wrong.
Rugby has always prided itself in being a game for tough people. People who take the hits. People who don’t complain and cry. Let’s hope White’s dishonest play-acting doesn’t become the norm.
