- Cheeky Watson
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Daniel "Cheeky" Watson (born 1955) was one of the first white South African rugby union players to participate in a mixed race rugby game, during the period when mixed-race activities were forbidden by apartheid legislation.
Contents
History
Watson grew up on a farm near Somerset East, in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. His father was a lay preacher who taught his sons Daniel, Valence, Ronald, and Gavin that all people are equal. Watson attended Graeme College boarding school in Grahamstown, where he began playing rugby union.[1] He later captained the Graeme College side.
After completing compulsory National Service, Watson returned to Port Elizabeth, where he played for the Crusaders Rugby Club.
As a 21-year old, Watson played for the Eastern Province team which lost by one point to the visiting All Blacks in 1976. Mona Badela, black journalist and president of the KwaZakhele Rugby Union (Kwaru), invited him to practise his Christian convictions by coaching a black side in the townships. When Watson took the black rugby team to practise at the Saint George's sports ground in Port Elizabeth, they met with strong opposition. [1]
Watson (2007 image [2]) was selected as a wing for the Junior Springboks in 1976. However he declined an invitation to participate in the trails for the 1976 senior Springbok team. He joined the Spring Rose Rugby Football Club in the black township of New Brighton, Port Elizabeth, which was affiliated with Kwaru.[3] His wing partner was Zola Yeye, later manager of the 2007 Springbok squad [4]
On 10 October 1976, Watson and Valance played with 13 black players for Kwaru against the South Eastern Districts Rugby Union (Sedru) in the Dan Qeqe stadium in KwaZakhele township. Local authorities and the Crusaders Rugby Club tried to dissuade him from participating [1] Non-racial sports meetings were at that time prohibited in terms of the apartheid-era Group Areas Act and the Separate Amenities Act.[5] Armored vehicles circled the stadium, and Watson and brother Valence had to lie flat on the floor of a taxi that transported black Africans.[6] The black rugby team regularly stayed in the Watson's home.
By 1978 the Watson family had been drawn into the anti-apartheid struggle, with dual membership in the then-banned African National Congress and South African Communist Party. Brother Ronnie reportedly gathered intelligence for such organizations [7][1]
The Watsons were subsequently threatened, ostracised, and shot at. Their home was burned down in 1986,[7]. Friends stopped visiting, either because they were being threatened by authorities, or because they disagreed with the Watsons' political stance.[1]
Today Daniel Watson is a business consultant residing in the Newlands suburb of Cape Town,[1] and has recently assumed the presidency of the Eastern Province Rugby Union based in Port Elizabeth, which operates the Mighty Elephants Currie Cup team and is also the co-owner of a rugby franchise to be launched in June 2009 with the aim of eventual membership in Super Rugby.[8]
Involvement in the career of his son, Luke Watson
Daniel Watson's son Luke Watson is also a rugby union footballer. Although he had many supporters in 2006, he was overlooked for selection by the 2007 World Cup winning Bok coach Jake White. Watson attributed his son's non-selectionand to be due to his political activities a generation earlier.
Luke Watson was imposed on the 2007 Springbok squad as a result of a direct order from SARU against the wishes of the Springbok selectors.
In 2007, Watson stated he would not be supporting the Springboks at the World Cup in Paris because he did not believe the team was representative of the country. He also refused to comment on whether he supported John Smit as the captain.[9]
Watson has since told South African newspapers that son Luke never wanted to play for the Springboks under White. Watson Snr also boycotted his son's capping ceremony, in protest against Coach White’s attitude towards his son. [10]
See also
Sources
- Fiona Forde, "The struggle continues for Watson sons", Independent Online, 19 May 2007[1]
- Vuyisa Qunta, Airbrushed out of rugby history. Mail & Guardian Online, 26 April 2007[4]
- Kristin Williamson, Brothers to Us: The Story of a Remarkable Family’s Fight Against Apartheid, Harmondsworth, Penguin 1997.
- www.keo.co.za, Cheeky Snubs Boks [11]
External links
- Clinton van der Berg and Lauren Cohen. "The gospel according to Luke", Sunday Times Online, 20 May 2007.[12]
- Fiona Forde, Jacques van der Westhuyzen and Ashfak Mohamed. " 'Third force is running SA rugby'", Independent Online, 16 May 2007. [13]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_Sport&set_id=6&click_id=4&art_id=vn20070519105939822C108310
- ^ http://www.iol.co.za/data/picdb/3/b/newspic464ef4b43ce27
- ^ http://www.sowetan.co.za/Sport/Article.aspx?id=482985
- ^ a b http://www.mg.co.za/articlePage.aspx?articleid=305922&area=/breaking_news/breaking_news__sport/
- ^ http://etd.uj.ac.za/theses/available/etd-08102005-121835/restricted/sacospart2.pdf
- ^ http://www.southafrican.co.uk/sport.aspx?ID=228
- ^ a b http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3460/features/6924/leanne_pooley.html;jsessionid=90DF6392F345E406B4F5FFA85BA8A86B
- ^ "Launch date set for SE Cape team" (Press release). South African Rugby Union. 2009-01-13. http://www.sarugby.co.za/default.asp?des=article&id=284026. Retrieved 2009-01-13.
- ^ http://www.keo.co.za/2007/08/24/cheeky-snubs-boks/
- ^ sport.iafrica.com | rugby | springboks | news Watson hits back
- ^ http://www.keo.co.za/2007/08/24/cheeky-snubs-boks/
- ^ http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/PrintEdition/Article.aspx?id=467374
- ^ http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=18&art_id=vn20070516022028844C948751
Categories:- 1955 births
- South African rugby union players
- People from the Eastern Cape
- Living people
- Alumni of Graeme College
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