Rugby took second place this week to the furore that erupted over Bok coach Peter de Villiers comments that seemed to condone foul play in the game. The coach was defending Schalk Burger, who has since been banned for eight weeks for eye-gouging.
De Villiers’s remarks followed hot on the heels of his swipe at detractors of a clearly out-of-form Ricky Januarie, where he used one of his bizarre analogies to suggest that Januarie’s critics were racist.
De Villiers and the South African Rugby Union (Saru) have since apologised for the comments relating to Burger, but the fact remains that the coach himself is increasingly becoming the focus, rather than the team. An historic series victory against the British and Irish Lions had to play second fiddle to a press conference; this is not the way it should be.
There have also been reports of media cringing at press briefings when De Villiers holds court, and unhappiness at the rude manner in which he has treated journalists. Planet Rugby described the Burger-related presser as a “string of sentences as nonsensical as they were disjointed, a stream of semi-consciousness far removed from the diplomatic graciousness required of a man who should be a role model for his country”.
Rugby players themselves have taken offence. “To hear the South African coach talk about gouging as being part of the game was semi-repulsive,” Ireland centre Brian O’Driscoll told Irish state radio this week. “We are trying to promote the game and yet you hear comments like that. I just find it appalling. I truly find it a disgrace.”
Bear in mind that a quiet comment by Nick Mallet over the exorbitant price of Test tickets (which many would agree with) helped send him out the door, yet De Villiers shoots his mouth off with alarming regularity, and little seems to change, even after reports of his employer taking him to task.
De Villiers seems bad at taking criticism, and seems to be very thin-skinned in a job that calls for the thickest of all skins.
Now reports have emerged contradicting De Villiers’s assertion that the Lions coach had not congratulated him after the series win.
Come on Peter, let’s get back to the game.
| FULL SPEED AHEAD |
NOT SO FAST |
Michael Jackson
Although a controversial figure for much of his life, there is no denying the impact that Jackson had on the world of music. He was gifted musically, and his work brought joy to and inspired many around the world. |
 Peter de Villiers
De Villiers came under heavy fire this week for comments that seemed to condone foul play in rugby. Although he has since apologised, it is not the first time that his comments have caused an outcry. |
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