Story Within A Story

I finished watching the 5 part series last night and has been one of the most interesting sporting documentaries I have ever watched. Nothing has been added for show and nothing has been sugar coated either. The bad language from the dressing rooms to the tactical rooms has not been edited so it remains the truth and depicts exactly what transpired.

I won't spoil it for everyone and all I can say is watch it when it is available on your screens. It shows what a group who are dedicated can achieve as there are no barriers if everyone has the same goals.

The one part I would like to highlight is how the press always look for the bad when there is nothing bad. There is one part where the no sayers were saying the team is still racist yet they were not part of the team and have no clue what they are talking about.

A photograph emerged showing Makazole Mapimpi not being allowed to join a huddle after a match. Little did the press know that the huddle comprised the replacements also nicknamed the "bomb squad". To be welcomed into that elite group you had to be a replacement and there were only 8 of you. If you played in the game as a first choice member it didn't matter who you were but you weren't welcome to join.

As a sports person I understand that ruling as every touring team has it's rules and many are made up along the way as things happen. The 8 players were all part of the main teams plans and were just as important yet they had their own code amongst themselves making them feel special.

Surely the first point of call should be to ask the coach or the player involved before goin to press. the players were pissed and rightfully so as outsiders were trying to undermine the team and create something that didn't exist. These days the press seem to be very good at making stuff up and glad that this was shown for what it was.

The clip didn't show Lood de Jager who tried to join the huddle and was also refused as he has been in the starting line up. Up until that game Lood had been part of the "bomb squad" and lost his membership due to playing in the starting 15.

The story was spun around saying Mpimpi is having to protect his violators by lying and covering up the truth. The sad thing is people always look for the negative even when there is none available. I think the racist badge will always appear and will never be fully eradicated. From my experience the ones who shout racist first are the racists themselves as everyone else is oblivious and not on that wave length. This is something I have grown up with and been called a racist many times and have learned to ignore it as it doesn't bug me one bit.