Now that Heyneke Meyer has had time to clear his desk at Loftus it is time for the new Springbok coach to appoint his assistants — and thereby hangs a tale. Rugby union players were paid over the counter for the first time shortly after the conclusion of the 1995 World Cup. Amateur players became professional overnight and it was not long before they began to complain that support structures had not done likewise.
Willie John McBride, who made his debut for Ireland in 1962, likes to say that in those days the coach was the thing that took you to the ground. He is being only slightly ironic, because back then the principal job of the union was to select the national side and someone to captain it. The captain was largely in charge of dictating tactics and, typically, he would have the team for two training sessions in the 48 hours before a Test match.
South Africa and New Zealand were in the vanguard of nations that sought to augment the captain. Danie Craven coached the Springboks in the 1950s and Fred Allen did likewise with the All Blacks. The northern hemisphere came slowly into line and, by the end of the 1960s, a touring team typically included a manager, a coach and a doctor.
It remained that way for most of the rest of the 20th century. In 1994, for instance, the Springboks visited Britain and Ireland with a manager (Jannie Engelbrecht), a coach (Kitch Christie) and an assistant coach (Gysie Pienaar). The team doctor was Frans Verster and there was a baggage master and a media liaison officer. The last named was a relatively new job in 1994.
Previously, the travelling press corps would elect one from their number as a go-between.
Two years after professionalism, the travelling support had already begun to mushroom. Carel du Plessis’s Tri-Nations campaign of 1997 added an assistant manager, a technical director, a physiotherapist and a biokineticist. By 2001 things had got out of hand and coach Harry Viljoen headed a complement (if that is the right word) of 15 support staff in France, Italy and the United States.
All 15 wore Springbok blazers, including the press officer, who, by this stage, had the grand title of communications manager. New on tour were a commercial manager, an operations manager and an IT manager. The players’ physical needs were now covered by a doctor, two physiotherapists, a masseur and a conditioning coach.
The tour was not a success. The Boks lost heavily to France and England and were poor in beating Italy and the US. One of the issues was that players who had lost form or confidence did not know who to turn to, because there were so many to choose from. At training, the support staff got bored and began to fill their time by playing touch rugby at the other end of the field. Viljoen resigned less than a month after the final test in Houston.
Meyer was one of Viljoen’s XV, having begun his Springbok career as Nick Mallett’s forwards coach two years previously. He did not survive the change in administration in which Rudolf Straeuli was appointed as Springbok coach in 2002 and instead focused on building the Bulls into the most successful South African side ever in Super Rugby.
One of the key factors in Meyer’s provincial success was the quality of the support team he built. He put the technical analyst of Viljoen’s XV, John McFarland, in charge of defence and the Bulls became feared for their cohesion as a direct result. It is likely that McFarland will be one of Meyer’s appointments to the new management team this month.
Also in line is fitness and conditioning expert Basil Carzis, another person who has been an integral part of the glorious Bulls era, in which they won four Currie Cups and three Super Rugby titles.
It goes without saying that the Bulls are not terribly happy about all this and, with the departure of a host of great players, it is likely to presage seven lean years for the union. But few beyond Pretoria will complain about that if Meyer’s appointment translates to positive results for the Springboks.
It is extremely gratifying to see the name of Paul Treu mentioned in dispatches as a possible member of Meyer’s staff. The Springbok Sevens coach has made a silk purse out of a sow’s ear consistently in eight years at the helm and deserves the chance to show what he can do at 15 a side.
Meyer will appreciate Treu’s attention to detail and his ability to take the long view. Last year, for instance, Treu persuaded the South African Rugby Union (Saru) to contract a group of schoolboys who had been identified by the coach as potential Olympians. Rugby Sevens will be part of the 2016 Games and Treu’s strategy looks that far ahead.
What Meyer must be wary of is putting too many eggs in the pudding. As Viljoen discovered, more does not necessarily mean better. He has a few political egg shells to dance on and he will need Saru to follow through on the commitment they made by appointing him in the first place. Good luck, Mr Coach.