Hoskins must man up
2 Sep 2010
GRANT BALL says that Regan Hoskins’ failure to discipline Peter de Villiers has led to the situation where South Africa is the joke of the rugby world.
When contacted by keo.co.za for his reaction to De Villiers’ latest media embarrassment, Hoskins said he wasn’t available for comment and wouldn’t be in future. This from the president of Saru.
Reports suggest Hoskins has been told by the government – who are already upset with De Villiers for not picking more black players during his tenure as originally promised - to deal with the Bok coach. The official line is that the pending meeting between Hoskins and De Villiers won’t be a disciplinary hearing, but a less formal ‘heart to heart’.
It’s a similar scenario to what happened after last year’s British & Irish Lions series, where the pair had a discussion over De Villiers’s embarrassing media utterances including the racist analogy about Ricky Januarie and the ‘black mechanic/white mechanic’. After that ‘heart to heart’, Hoskins assured Saru’s stakeholders that De Villiers would refrain from this kind of discourse.
However, De Villiers’ first press conference of the 2009 Tri-Nations suggested not much had changed. De Villiers said he wouldn’t be muzzled, he said he was the boss, an outburst that showed what he thought of Hoskins and their previous discussion.
De Villiers must take responsibility for his own actions, but the Saru president is also culpable for the current situation. It should never have got to this point. A strong leader would have set De Villiers straight.
Throughout the 2009 Lions series, De Villiers was out of control. After just one success in the 2010 Tri-Nations, and De Villiers is his own worst enemy again. No other coach would still have a job, yet Saru has allowed De Villiers to continue.
There have been double standards in the handling of De Villiers when it comes to results as well. In 2006, four consecutive Tri-Nations defeats saw Jake White summoned to a meeting in Johannesburg from the Bok camp in Rustenburg, where they were preparing for an All Blacks Test.
White had to listen to all the Bok coaches since Ian McIntosh, with the exception of Kitch Christie (who had passed away) and Andre Markgraaff. The plan was to ‘plot the way forward’ for the Boks. Conversely, De Villiers wasn’t summoned to any meeting with former Bok coaches after the Soccer City fixture, which was also his side’s fourth Tri-Nations loss in a row.
Before the final Test of the 2006 European tour, White was brought home for an emergency meeting with his employers. This is the kind of treatment White had to endure, while De Villiers hasn’t been as controlled.
On his reappointment, Hoskins boasted how his tenure as president produced little controversy. Has no one in the passages of Saru been listening to De Villiers’s rants over the past three years? What must the new sponsors Absa think? Are they happy to be associated with such a loose cannon?
Hoskins has had the chance before, but this is a defining moment. He needs to show some proper leadership and actually make a decision. He cannot condone De Villiers’s public backing of a man up for murder, and after repeated offences, the disciplinary action for De Villiers should be dismissal. If Hoskins decides on any other course of action, then he’s failed South African rugby again.
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1,161 Comments
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3 Sep 2010, 17:58 pm
Nokwe and Johnson scored tries for Cheetahs
3 Sep 2010, 17:59 pm
@goyougoodthing2(goyougoodthing2)-1148: thanks, doesn’t help me though. will have to wait for the Lions / WP game – could be good
3 Sep 2010, 18:00 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-1152: the poppie must be bloody funny though…
3 Sep 2010, 18:01 pm
20 – 9 . Penalty. Poppie is hysterical
3 Sep 2010, 18:05 pm
another penalty to Cheetahs…. and…
23 – 9
3 Sep 2010, 18:06 pm
cheers, outtahere, till tomorrow
3 Sep 2010, 18:07 pm
@Heavens Game(Heavens Game)-1156: cheers
3 Sep 2010, 18:15 pm
@grant10(grant10)-1136:
Luke Watson!!!
Is he your son?
3 Sep 2010, 19:05 pm
@Slartibartfast(Slartibartfast)-1057:
Yeah, Bill Beaumont’s side.
The guy we were staying with landed in hospital – challenged a guy R10 to tackle him – we were all stupid once.
Well, Rob Louw was in the casualty as well. So we spent the next hour talking to him, p issed as f arts of course and left our mate alone to the nurses.
3 Sep 2010, 19:07 pm
@grant10(grant10)-1136:
What John said, he said in his name, openly to the public, without fear or favour.
The comparison between yourself and the Springbok captain, a man who has proved his courage and leadership too many times to mention, is quite ludicrous.
You know very well that your excuse to not apologise is fake. You may have been angry but not enough to express yourself in the manner you did. You probably overreacted to repeated Bok defeats.
John Smit is gentleman. Do the right thing Grant, be a man and apologise.
3 Sep 2010, 23:05 pm
@Inevitable(Inevitable)-1128:
Actually G10 and I discussed, and agreed, over 12mths ago that Smit – whilst a Champion – was near the end of his tether physically and should have chosen the TriN in Hamilton as a GREAT time to hang up his boots. Which it was. It was also good for the Boks, would give them 2 years under a new leader prior to the RWC. And Smit preserves and cements his legacy as 1 of the Legends of the game. Which it would.
But
instead.
He chose to play on. And G10 is hardly the only 1 criticising Smits form this season, and the results have turned to custard since Hamilton; 2 losses on EOYT (incl 3 consecutive to Irel), 0-3 to ABs and 1-1 with Aus.
So G10 was right and he was also glowing about Smit at the time. But, then, youre allowed nay encouraged to disagree around here. Thats why we blog.
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