Transformation a factor
9 Jan 2008
The decision to appoint Peter de Villiers as Springbok coach was made not only in terms of his rugby credentials.
De Villiers became the first black head coach of the Boks in a dramatic afternoon at Saru headquarters. It was widely expected former Bulls coach Heyneke Meyer would get the job but the decision to give it to De Villiers must be seen as a strong move towards transformation. Saru president Regan Hoskins confirmed as much.
“I want to be honest with South Africa and say that the appointment was not entirely made for rugby reasons,” he said. “We as an organisation have made the appointment and taken into account the issue of transformation very very seriously when we made it. I don’t think that tarnishes Peter – I’m just being honest with our country.”
SA Rugby MD Johan Prinsloo said the final race was between De Villiers and Bulls mentor Heyneke Meyer and that it went down to a vote. Prinsloo could not divulge the exact number of presidents for and against the ultimate appointment but maintained the final call was aligned with that of the technical committee.
“The technical committee was assembled to advise the presidents council on the selection of the Springbok coach,” he said. “I can confirm that the recommendation from the committee was the same as the final decision.
“Peter has created history today. He has a proven track record and we trust he will have the support of the rugby fraternity as Springbok rugby enters a new phase. Saru is confident he will build on the momentum created by the World Cup win and it is a very important appointment for SA rugby.”
De Villiers will now begin contract talks with Saru and join the technical committee in appointing his support staff. Saru will advertise for these positions in the coming week and candidates will be subject to a similar selection process to that of the top job.
De Villiers is also scheduled to meet with the five South African Super 14 coaches on 14 January.
By Jon Cardinelli at Newlands
180 Comments
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9 Jan 2008, 14:28 pm
Now what happens to Meyer – his now without a job!!!!
There goes our rugby as we know it.. f-king plonkers!!!!
I will not pay my good earned money to go and whatch this circus – plonkers!!!
9 Jan 2008, 14:29 pm
Good luck Pieter – you are going to need it!
9 Jan 2008, 14:29 pm
Oi vey
This is not a good thing to admit straight up is it?
This is the fellow that said he would start with 10 players of colour?
9 Jan 2008, 14:36 pm
I knew it! I hoped I was wrong, but unfortunately not.
This is the start of SARU’s placing transformation ahead of merit so we can guess what’s gonna happen to the world champs.
Pieter, I hope you do us proud. If not, bugger off as soon as possible.
9 Jan 2008, 14:36 pm
This guy is just as qualified as jake white was when he took over. give him a chance, lets see how he does. what has been said has been said, lets see what actually happens.
9 Jan 2008, 14:39 pm
Lets give the guy a chance, half the country thought Jake was useless 4 years ago!
9 Jan 2008, 14:39 pm
Oh – I was no. 1 for a change and our current world ranking is also 1 does it matter no, I see in my cristal ball we will drop to no. 6 in less than two years!!! – plonkers!!!
9 Jan 2008, 14:39 pm
This is the year that Africa shows that it becoming just another African country on the road to chaos.
Jacob Zuma and PD. The downhill is starting
9 Jan 2008, 14:41 pm
knersus
JW had experience with the boks under Mallet and Harry, and stints with provincial sides.
I hope to hell he does well. I couldnt be bothered who got the job as long as they do well.
If HM was appointed and did badly we could tell him where to get off no problem. Wanna take any bets what the response is gonna be if/when we tell PdV he must p1ssoff ?
9 Jan 2008, 14:52 pm
has keo.co.za been down???
9 Jan 2008, 15:00 pm
This is a complete and utter disaster – a travesty of natural justice!
Jakes’ wonderful Springbok player legacy will be destroyed.
Luke Watson will be the new Bok captain and maybe his daddy (who is on the Council) will now support the Boks.
Boks to come last in the tri-nations and by the end of next WC, Zimbabwe will be giving us a run for our money.
All our good players are now as I write this calling their agents and booking one-way tickets to Aus and Europe.
Hopefully someone like Mr Rupert comes to the rescue and establishes a rebel league in SA.
9 Jan 2008, 15:00 pm
When is the first game?
9 Jan 2008, 15:04 pm
10 players of colour in the starting line up for this year’s 3N.
9 Jan 2008, 15:07 pm
I suppose its only a matter of time before someone comes along and claims grazing rights on Loftus, Absa and Ellis park anyway.
With our country already spending most nights without Eskom this could be the year known as the:
The great bok “blackout” of 2008.
9 Jan 2008, 15:07 pm
Go Pieter Spiere! Sterkte ou bul jy gaan dit regtig nodig he – Ek het LANKAL hierdie move geroep…
AmaBokko-Bokko.
9 Jan 2008, 15:07 pm
I’m sure that the Meyer of Pretoria will now go overseas. Big Vic or someone there will organize a coaching position.
I’m not a racist so I won’t say that our rugby will go to hell just because our new coach is not White.
However, The Meyer of Pretoria should have got it on merit.
9 Jan 2008, 15:08 pm
has keo.co.za been down???
I think Ig has a device that allows him to switch Keo’s server on and off from a remote location – especially when juicy, newsworthy stories are breaking.
9 Jan 2008, 15:10 pm
This is how it is in the new SA. Two men apply for a job, one black one white. They have basicaly the same credentials or the white man has better credentials.
Who gets the job, the black man.
This will be the same with our rugby players. Two players play the same game, have the same talents and strenght, the white man is a bit faster. Who gets into the squad….the black guy.
As Mike H said, SA is turning into just another African country.
9 Jan 2008, 15:11 pm
no, really?
this SARU must be monitored very carefully. there were reports last year about 10/15, watson being elevated to PC, Stofile running for presidency and a sports bill that allows for policy creation by the minister.
I thought alot of these plans had been thankfully scuppered by JW’s succesful RWC and President Mbeki’s merit backing.
With the fall of Mbeki and the choice of the coach not being based solely on rugby criteria, which is rubbish in itself, SARU looks to back to their own ways.
Say what you want about Jake White, but he nearly succeeded in driving a wedge right through these guys, which IMO is long overdue. However, the forces appear to be regathering…
9 Jan 2008, 15:11 pm
It could have been worse. I think he is the best candidate out of the transformation candidates, which may actually improve the selection criteria to only include merit players, as the youth league will keep their mouths shut. I do feel sorry for Meyer. I am sure there are some clubs in the Heineken cup looking for quality experienced coaches.
9 Jan 2008, 15:11 pm
Patrick / Keo
Can you find out the details of the new coaches contract with SA Rugby…. How are they going to measure his performance – by transformation progress, or number of wins/results ????
What is the length of his contract?
9 Jan 2008, 15:16 pm
Why bother getting Meyer to resign from the Bulls position – thereby severely disrupting their S14 preperations – if they were always going for the transformation candidate?
What an utter joke. The most notable achievement IN ANY SPHERE for South Africa as a country in the last decade, was last years World cup victory.
It put us on the international map and said to the world “Hey, we aren’t just another sub-standard African country, we actually competed and outshone first world nations on a level playing field.”
But I guess that non-conforming area of excellence just made the rest of the country – or continent for that matter – look even worse.
So rather than take pride in the achievement of the traditional rugby playing part of society, they want to force it to conform to the low standards of the rest of the nation.
If all our white players leave now we will indeed struggle to do better than Bafana in a rugby context.
Utterly pathetic, but oh so fitting with the African way.
9 Jan 2008, 15:18 pm
so Keo report from the changing rooms following that RWC final was true. The players knew it was the end of the Springboks as we know them
9 Jan 2008, 15:22 pm
EXCELLENT News … For an England supporter .-) Well Done SARU!
9 Jan 2008, 15:22 pm
#21 It looks like he got a 2 year contract
9 Jan 2008, 15:23 pm
‘not on rugby credentials alone’
..in other words
‘we picked him because he was black’
9 Jan 2008, 15:28 pm
So it should have been white coach again?
No wonder the politician are so involve in the sports, cause most rugby supporters believe that its a white man sports and world for that matter.
When will we just love the game for what it is and the moments we experience when watching it. But No, O’ No we have to debate and disagree. Even if we world champions we would still do what we best at,and that is to moan
Guess it should actually be considered as a sport. Imagine… “The moan champion of the world”, SA will dominate it like Kenya does the middle distance running.
Once we can think with our head and not with our heart the Boks will be able to challenge NZ year after year!!
9 Jan 2008, 15:33 pm
who was the last coach to be appointed with ‘rugby credentials’ the only factor?
9 Jan 2008, 15:33 pm
Craven be rolling in his grave
Keo, can you convey opinions from legends such
Naas, Danie, Morne etc?? Maybe article on reaction from various SA media??
I know most overseas media will focus on one thing; him being first black coach.
9 Jan 2008, 15:43 pm
I guess sometimes a change needs to be forced through. I don’t really agree with it, but i can understand why the decision was made.
Meyer was the more experienced coach of all the candidates. De Villiers has though shown himself to be a more than able coach at U21 level, just as a certain Mr White did before his accession to the Springbok hot seat.
I imagine there will be plenty who will bemoan this decision and call time on the Springboks. De Villiers has yet to select his first squad. Let’s hold fire on the doom and gloom until we have seen that at least.
Maybe the selection won’t turn out to be a transformation squad after all.
Maybe selecting a black coach will be sufficient to satisfy the appetite for transformation that the politicians desire, as the Springbok coach is after all the most revered coaching position in South Africa is it not due to rugby’s historical significance in the country?
9 Jan 2008, 15:50 pm
“first Black Coach”
Will anyone see pass this???
Last year, Pieter said something along the lines of..
“I know 60 players of color capable fo stepping up to test rugby”
9 Jan 2008, 15:52 pm
Jump Tacitus, Jump!
9 Jan 2008, 15:55 pm
Only problem is all 60 players play wing.
9 Jan 2008, 15:55 pm
I for one am glad that Meyer has not got the job.
Lets face facts here for a minute; The best place for him to be from a Springbok possition is to have him stay on at the Bulls and continue his work there. PD has the credentials having coached the U21′s for a good couple of years now & has the best feel for the up and coming players that will be making their mark on SA rugby in the next 2 years.
My major concern over the Bok coaching possition has and always will be provincial loyalty. My impresion of Meyer was that he would feed off the success of JW’s side for a year or two and then the provincial rot would have set in just like what happened with Malet.
For all those dommsday profits leaving comments like some of the above – julle can almal gaan ….! I must warn you that you are being incredibly insulting to the enormously tallented player base we have in SA. Players that now have greater skill and rugby knowledge than prior to the JW erra. Players that want to play for the green jersey and not the cash or for their provincial lacky coaches.
If PD was such a bad coach then why was he selected to coach the U21′s and on top of this did they not win it with him as coach?
This site is going to end up being the Blue Bulls bitching column for the next few years ha ha ha.
Tuff luck bulletjies.
9 Jan 2008, 15:55 pm
Why are you so slow today keo.co.za????
We will give Pieter a chance and now there is no excuse from SARU about colour. They got what they wanted and if Pieter fails in 2 years at least we might get someone in to defend our title in 2011. There arent enough players of colour coming through to justify selection to Springbok level and the people that should be blamed are school coaches, club coaches and provincial coaches. It can be done in time….
9 Jan 2008, 15:56 pm
my support now is as follows
1.NTvl/Bulls
2.Springboks(or whatever name they change it to)
Sad day for SA Rugby – The game.
9 Jan 2008, 16:05 pm
I still don’t know how I feel about this…
9 Jan 2008, 16:05 pm
Disgraceful decision!!
Chester Williams should have got the job!!
9 Jan 2008, 16:07 pm
Shimmie
Lawrence
Solly
Eddie
Bobo
are all celebrating right now!
9 Jan 2008, 16:09 pm
I better ring my old man, he be having a heart attack over this
9 Jan 2008, 16:11 pm
Good luck Pieter….this isnt an easy job and if you are true to yourself and to the game, then your road is going to be rocky….unfortunately. The politicians WILL interfere.
9 Jan 2008, 16:13 pm
Heng, kom ek nou eers op keo.
Geluk Pieter, en alles van die beste.
Pasop net vir Stofile en Cheeky, en kyk eers vir Luke mooi uit voordat jy hom kaptein maak.
Verder is jy reg.
9 Jan 2008, 16:13 pm
Pieter, Pieter jy het dit gedoen ou maat. Die snoek loop nie verniet dik innie Kaap in nie. Glo nie hy kan so vrot doen soos Jake in sy 2 middelste jare van bokafrigting. Hy was n kans gegee en het ons almal vekeerd bewys. So shut the *** up. Ek se almal se moere behalwe Pieter s,n totdat hy ons wys hoe lyk sy eerste spankeuse.
9 Jan 2008, 16:13 pm
#34 No they did not win the IRB u21 championship, he coached them to the final where the lost against NZ. We will not win 50% of our games this year. Sorry but your post has no facts as you stated. The facts is Heineke is the better candidate and he didn’t get the job because of political reasons.
9 Jan 2008, 16:13 pm
I dont understand why this is a surprise to anyone.
No top positions in SA are awarded on merit anymore, from surgeons to nuclear engineers at Koeberg Nuclear power plant.
I understand the need to address the imbalances of the past, but it is not a simple matter and is being abused to all our detriment.
Rugby should be the least of your worries, because in fact here PdV is at least qualified with some experience for the role, and I say good luck to him.
I’m sorry for Meyer, but his not the first whitey in the past 12 years to get shafted although he is the better candidate.
But think of this, is PdV black enough? For the time being – maybe, I dont think so for the long term.
Remember Tsume’s and yeye’s comments a while ago while trying to force Tibilika into the squad because he is ETHNIC black.
9 Jan 2008, 16:15 pm
i guess results will determine whether PDV was the correct choice. Should form slip and losses be the norm then SARFU willfeel it where it hurts. The treasure chest will soon empty. Empty grounds , no sponsors etc.
Lets give the bloke a chance but losing is not an option in this day and age where big cash is involved
9 Jan 2008, 16:18 pm
Hiro #35
That, in a nustshell, is the story.
Not the coach’s problem thatthere is no ‘black development’, but Stofile &Co must get off their fat buds and go into the townships.
Go to Komphela’s constituency first, where there is nothing.
9 Jan 2008, 16:18 pm
reverse apatheid
9 Jan 2008, 16:27 pm
Gee whiz , some of teh comments here are so off , Personally would have loved to see Meyer as coach but PDV has been appointed and I have no problem with that. So what if he has never coached a senior team , Neither did Jake but Straulli , Fester and Ludeke did. Would that make them solid choices ? Come to think of it Did’nt Chester coach the Cats a while back ? PDV have a solid record and at one stage Jake was his assistant , why could Jake get the job ahead of him ? At that time we backed Jake and rightfully so , now is the time to back PDV. Time to take off the blinkers and started believing that a non white person can also coach the Boks , why must it always be a case of him needing more time ?
FFS the man has coach for many years and have loads of experience , at one stage Jake was his assistant !!! I wish him luck and will give him my 100% support , pity about meyer but hey he is hopefully not lost to SA , is he is then it will be sad but we cannot afford to be held ransom but anyone.
9 Jan 2008, 16:28 pm
Ok let’s look at the mans credentials. I don’t think he is a technically sound coach. He stated that he doesn’t tell the players what they should do on the field. Does this mean he doesn’t play with a gameplan? Does he analyze the oppo before hand, how’s his technical knowledge? I just don’t know if he is the best man for the job.
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