Coach Peter de Villiers may have initially denied it, but the word out of South Africa is that the Springboks’ “injured” stars have been training in a secret Rustenburg camp. However, instead of practicing their line-outs, rucks and mauls, reports from the camp suggest they’ve been honing their duck liver parfait, pork belly terrine and ‘crockenbush’ skills.
UK MasterChef founder Franc Roddam conceded last night that South African television station Mnet had secured rights to produce a local version of the reality franchise.
ThePublicApology understands that the production crew had insisted upon having at least two top-tier Boks on the show. And according to reports, competition was so fierce between players that a secret training session and cook off had to take place.
Meanwhile, it is understood that Victor Matfield and Fourie Du Preeze emerged as the two successful players-turned-chefs, edging out Bryan Habana. Habana was left disappointed when judges described his truffle risotto with braised chanterelles as “unpredictable and laced with errors, just like his rugby.”
One judge later referred to Habana’s inclusion in the MasterChef cook off as “the product of an outdated system.”
“He was only there because, in post-apartheid South Africa, all competitions require a certain quota of non-white players; it’s a bloody disgrace,” he said.
“Chefs, like footy players and cricketers, should be picked on merit and not on the colour of their skin.”
Matfield and Du Preeze are reportedly looking forward to facing more complicated culinary challenges with other prominent South Africans, including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, author J.M. Coetzee and actor Arnold Volsoo – better known as the ‘bad guy in the Mummy movies’ – when the MasterChef series premieres later this year.
By Luke Meredith