The fool Monty
The phenomenon of a sporting hero who is alternately admired and reviled is nothing new.
Jannie Engelbrecht, one of the greatest wings in South African rugby, was routinely mocked as Die Aap van Koekenaap when he played for Maties all those years ago.
Even the incomparable Naas Botha was hated when he came to Newlands in light-blue, but adored when he changed into green and gold.
Percy Montgomery should therefore not feel unique. And anyway, being booed by a Loftus crowd does not necessarily mean you are a bad player.
But Montgomery now risks alienating even the goodwill he enjoys at Newlands where he has often inspired anxiety as much as admiration.
The Stormers fullback hopes to follow some of his former teammates heading for northern climes in the hope of making a fast buck.
Unlike them, Montgomery has not been a little disingenuous about why he is leaving. At first he claimed it was job security, then (through an "adviser") he blamed transformation.
Whatever, it was clear that Montgomery did not have enough faith in his own ability to get back into the Springbok team, and then expected our sympathy. Self-pity, he has hopefully discovered since, is as unattractive a quality in a man as vanity.
It is tempting to venture that the true reason why Montgomery wants out is that he got bad advice. For someone who can make a minimum of R60 000 a month, the job security argument smacks more of greed and the quotas excuse sounds close to bigotry.
The quota argument has lately been a favourite bogey-man of an assortment of "advisers", hacks and a few embittered old coaches. It no longer washes and perhaps someone should tell this to Craig Livingstone.
Livingstone, who is Montgomery's agent, now claims he was misquoted on the question of quotas and how it affected his client.
But the mystery remains: early on Thursday morning Livingstone was boldly reported on page one of a local public print saying Montgomery feared that quotas would (unfairly, it was assumed) cost him his place in the Bok team. His denial came only six hours later and only after Rudolf Straeuli had excoriated him.
As for the argument that Montgomery must achieve maximum benefit from a shortlived rugby talent to accumulate enough money for the rest of his life, does a SACS education mean he won't be able to work when his rugby career is over? Surely not?
The job market for retired rugby players is better today than it has ever been. There is public relations, marketing, journalism - and there still remains a vacancy for a rugby TV commentator in our country.