CAPE TOWN, 20 January 2005 — SA Rugby was given parliamentary backing for its 2011 World Cup bid yesterday but was told it needed to restore credibility to the sport first.

“The committee supports the bid but you are putting rugby into disrepute and it’s losing credibility,” said Butana Komphela, chairman of the parliamentary portfolio committee on sport said.

“Let us restore its credibility and then this sport must be used as a catalyst central to the union of the people of South Africa.”

Komphela’s comments came after fresh allegations of racial disharmony in the game.

SA Rugby’s black African vice-president Mike Stofile accused his president Brian van Rooyen, who is of mixed ancestry, of sidelining him and stalling the transformation of the game from its white-dominated past.

The union’s white deputy president Andre Markgraaff told a Sunday newspaper that rugby would “never be dictated to by either Mike Stofile or his brother, the Minister of Sport [Makenkesi Stofile]”.

Stofile’s claims are due to be discussed at today’s meeting of the provincial union presidents in Johannesburg.

“There are issues that we need to straighten out with the minister,” Van Rooyen told Reuters. The South African delegation, which includes Springbok World Cup-winning captain Francois Pienaar, meet sports minister Makenkesi Stofile today.

The bid has to be formally submitted to the International Rugby Board (IRB) at the end of January.

Australia Set to Host North vs. South Charity Match

In Melbourne, Sydney is set to host a northern versus southern hemisphere charity rugby match in June or July including players from the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand, Australia said yesterday.

“The Australian Rugby Union (ARU) has thrown its support behind a proposed North-South match that would feature the world’s best rugby players coming together to raise funds for the Asian Earthquake and Tsunami appeals,” the ARU said in a statement.

“While the details of the match, including the date and location are yet to be decided, a match during the inbound Test season (June-July) is seen by the ARU and the NZRU as the best option to secure the superstars of World Rugby.”

ARU chief executive Gary Flowers said he had spoken with his New Zealand counterpart Chris Moller and they agreed on Sydney’s Olympic Stadium as the proposed venue.

Flowers said the world cricket charity match in Melbourne earlier this month which raised more than US$11 million had inspired the ARU.

“We still need to discuss the options with the IRB (International Rugby Board), the British and Irish Lions and our SANZAR (South Africa, New Zealand and Australia Rugby) partners, but the idea of a match in June or July is seen as a better option than March to ensure we have the cream of Southern Hemisphere Rugby available,” he said.

Wallabies captain George Gregan said the charity match was a “great initiative”.

Tri-nations rivals Australia, New Zealand and South Africa would feature prominently in a southern team against a northern side including Six Nations teams France, Ireland, England, Wales, Italy and Scotland.

Coach Clive Woodward’s Lions squad will tour New Zealand in June and July, including tests on June 25, July 2 and 9.

Almost 80,000 fans packed Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia on Jan. 10 for a charity match featuring some of the world’s top players to raise money for victims of the Asian tsunami.