Springbok Breyton Paulse criticised the South Africa coaching staff today for not giving enough opportunities to black players during the World Cup.
The Springboks were knocked out of the tournament at the quarter-final stage after a 29-9 defeat by New Zealand in which winger Ashwin Willemse was the only non-white South African on the pitch.
"I couldn't understand why we didn't get more opportunities," Paulse, also a winger, told the Starnewspaper. "It was strange to me. I think most of the guys in the squad deserved to be there. Whoever played on the day would not have let South Africa down.
"Unfortunately it came down again to black players losing out. It just seems like when it comes to the big set-ups, black players lose out. I think coaches will rather put their trust in a white player."
Paulse was also critical of "Kamp Staaldraad", or Camp Barbed-Wire, the squad's now notorious pre-World Cup training camp.
One of the trials the players were put through was to huddle together in a pit and be doused by freezing water while the English national anthem and New Zealand's Haka were played. "I nearly cracked when we were sitting naked in that pit," Paulse said. "Most of the other things were not that bad."