{"schema":"hottub-news/story/v1","story":"st_dqrhzpx6xtyykvbwyqsa","title":"CENTRE OF THE STORM: Esterhuizen captaincy furore shows South Africa needs honesty about race and rugby’s past","title_en":null,"outlets":1,"brief":null,"page":"https://hottub.news/stories/centre-of-the-storm-esterhuizen-captaincy-furore-shows-south-africa-dqrhzpx6xt","count":1,"items":[{"id":"n_dqrhzpx6xtyykvbwyqsa","seq":774328,"kind":"article","title":"CENTRE OF THE STORM: Esterhuizen captaincy furore shows South Africa needs honesty about race and rugby’s past","url":"https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-09-29-esterhuizen-captaincy-furore-shows-south-africa-needs-honesty-about-race-and-rugbys-past","summary":"Some of the public backlash and outcry that surrounded Springbok centre André Esterhuizen becoming the team’s latest captain, after he was accused of using a racial slur 14 years ago, demonstrate that South Africa still has some work to do before it truly becomes a ‘rainbow nation’.","published":"2026-09-29T21:36:33Z","seen":"2026-09-29T21:55:59Z","lang":"en","country":"ZA","source":{"id":"kite-dailymaverick-co-za-cd6f62","name":"dailymaverick.co.za","domain":"dailymaverick.co.za","outlet":{"wikidata":"Q6794160","name":"Daily Maverick","type":"newspaper","country":"ZA","designations":["newspaper"]}},"via":"kite-dailymaverick-co-za-cd6f62","topics":["sport,maverick news"],"authors":["author"],"entities":[{"id":"Q36589577","name":"J.M. Esterhuizen","type":"person"},{"id":"Q258","name":"South Africa","type":"place"},{"id":"Q19601331","name":"Race","type":"other"},{"id":"Q623765","name":"Rugby","type":"other"}],"image":"https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/p3ed9xYemcZ-SQ7lRPPmQ6-uabM=/800x0/smart/filters:strip_exif()/file/attachments/orphans/Rugby-Esterhuizenfurore9_452208.jpg","story":"st_dqrhzpx6xtyykvbwyqsa","category":"sport","category_p":0.8700000047683716,"sentiment":"neutral","tone":-0.30000001192092896,"political":0.17000000178813934}]}