Race storm hits Springboks

The future of De Villiers, the Springboks' first black coach, has been under the spotlight since allegations reported by local media last weekend that he had been videotaped having sex with a woman in a car.

The person who initially told De Villiers about the tape, Springbok media officer Chris Hewitt, has been suspended by SARU, which is conducting an investigation into allegations of blackmail surrounding the video.

De Villiers threatened to resign from his post, saying the blackmail rumour was part of a "racist plot" and that he would "give the Springbok coaching job back to the whites".

Hoskins, speaking to Reuters in Johannesburg, confirmed Hewitt's suspension and said he would meet De Villiers to discuss the issue, which comes hard on the heels of the world champion Springboks finishing last in the Tri-Nations.

Australia and New Zealand meet in Brisbane on Saturday to decide the winner of the tournament.

"We will talk at length about that statement, but he was probably under a lot of pressure when he said that and the comments should be taken in that context," Hoskins said.

Weekend newspaper reports alleged De Villiers was being blackmailed to choose a certain player for the Springboks because of the video, which SARU has denied.

"Peter de Villiers and the South African Rugby Union categorically deny that there have ever been any attempts to blackmail or coerce him over the selection of any player to the national squad," said a statement issued earlier this week.

"However, SARU can confirm that a company employee did approach De Villiers on August 15 in Cape Town. The employee made certain extraordinary claims which SARU has since looked into but has been unable to find any basis to support in fact."

The sex tape scandal is one of three racist controversies SARU is currently dealing with.

A black female spectator, Ziningi Shibambo, was the victim of a racist attack at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg during the Springboks' final Tri-Nations test against Australia on August 30.

All the players in this weekend's round of domestic Currie Cup matches will wear special jerseys with a "No To Racism" message on them. Her attackers have yet to be identified.

On Thursday, the Soweto Rugby Club, based in South Africa's largest black township, just outside Johannesburg, and a key site in SARU's efforts to transform the game, withdrew their affiliation from the Gauteng Lions Rugby Union due to continued racist abuse.