Erstwhile Springbok coach Nick Mallett is the collective choice from an impromptu survey on Thursday morning to take over from the under-fire Rudolf Straeuli if he is ousted from the hot seat during a meeting at Newlands on Thursday afternoon.
Straeuli’s showdown meeting with SA Rugby bosses promises to be a heated affair as the Bok coach delivers his end-of-year report that will include details of the infamous ”Kamp Staaldraad”.
While many of the people milling around the Sport Science Institute on Thursday morning were not fully aware of the impending showdown, they all had an opinion about Straeuli and his time in charge.
”He must go!” was their collective call.
Of the 13 rugby supporters interviewed outside Newlands Rugby Stadium on Thursday morning, an overwhelming 100% voted for Straeuli to go.
And, surprisingly, 11 of them wanted former Bok coach Mallett to be brought back.
”Nick Mallett was the best coach this country has ever had. It was a huge mistake to get rid of him in the first place,” said Rob Heath, a 27-year-old auditor.
”His [Straeuli’s] lack of decision making and his inability to take responsibility for his actions has been atrocious. While the rest of the world is on intense fitness regimes and diets we are running around naked somewhere in northern Gauteng. No surprises that we failed at the World Cup,” he quipped.
The former World Cup winner’s tumultuous tenure as Springbok coach seems set to come to an acrimonious end on Thursday, with indications that the former Bok number eight will not resign from his post and instead fight all the way for his position.
Straeuli has never indicated that he would take the money and run, despite the mounting pressure from all quarters of the globe.
Advertising executive Kim Stephens (25) summed up Straeuli’s tenure: ”He’s shown a hideous lack of intellect. In terms of South Africa’s rugby image he has been a poor representative. He’s backward and he hasn’t moved with the times.
”I’d get Nick Mallett back, definitely,” she said.
Why?
”He’s much better-looking,” she grinned.
Magazine production manager Shirley McDiarmid (54) concurred: ”[Straeuli’s] lost the plot. He’s not focused on the end result and as for that camp — what an embarrassment for the players.”
Self-employed Richard Maxted (38) pulled no punches.
”I don’t think he was qualified to begin with. His results hardly speak for themselves,” he said. ”And as for Kamp Staaldraad — it didn’t work for the army so I honestly don’t know how you can expect it to work for a sports team.”
Maxted summed up the public’s attitude best.
”There needs to be a complete clean-out right from the top. Those guys [Rian Oberholzer and Silas Nkanunu] have nothing to show for their time there.
”If I was them, I’d be embarrassed to take home a salary at the end of every month,” he concluded.
For the record, Andre Markgraaf and Alan Solomons each got a vote to take over from Straeuli, while Naas Botha and Francois Pienaar were touted as possible managers. — Sapa
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