Paul Adams's omission from the XII meant that for the first time in a year, a South African Test XI was all-white. In March Bacher, managing director of the South African Board, announced that ``there should always be players of colour in the side, but there are sometimes reasons why the team will be all-white in certain matches.''

But Bacher felt obliged to backtrack yesterday, after a verbal attack by the chief executive of the National Sports Council, Mvuso Mbebe, who complained: ``After Ali Bacher's comments in March, we expected to see a drastic transformation, but we are back where we started. The announcement suggested everything is going fine, but all of a sudden, it isn't.''

Having consulted with Ray White, president of the board, Bacher revealed that the issue of non-white players will be debated at the board's next meeting on Dec 5. ``I am confident that a clear selection policy will emerge with parameters that the national selection panel must adhere to.'' That is hardly likely to please the selectors.

But for Bacher's comments in March, the whole rumpus may not have arisen. Interestingly, there has been little or no pressure on South Africa's rugby selectors to pick players of colour.