South Africa has been a pioneer in many aspects of sports development - not only in Africa, but internationally.

Rugby is a sport with deep roots in British culture, having been developed at Rugby School by a non-conformist schoolboy called William Webb Ellis in 1823.

Now, in 2008, South Africa has taken a bold step towards a positive future for African rugby and appointed its first non-white coach, Peter De Villiers. Jack White, the highly-successful coach of the World Cup-winning Springboks, has made way for De Villiers to internally provide role-modelling for the huge number of potential black stars on the African continent.

'New Zealand, Australia and England have as yet never appointed a non-European national coach - and South Africa are claiming the first as an example of their pioneering spirit in transformation'

The appointment of De Villiers is revolutionary, and within international Rugby Union a breath of fresh air. The old-school mentality within the sport may be in for a shake-up as De Villiers represents a new generation of Africans in Rugby Union. I dare say South Africa has led the pack in this regard and none of the top ex-British colonies in the sport have taken such a bold step.

New Zealand, Australia and England have as yet, never appointed a non-European national coach and South Africa are claiming the first as an example of their pioneering spirit in transformation. At the same time, they are  hoping the growing popular support for the game in Africa will give them a jump start on the rest in the next evolution of the game.

Some doom-sayers predict a slouch in the performance levels of the Springboks, while those patriotic to the 'African cause' see the bold move as a re-tooling for higher performance which might have a teething stage to overcome.