South Africa coach Peter de Villiers is facing a battle to keep his job after five losses in six Tri-Nations games and reports linking 2007 World Cup-winning coach Jake White with a return to leading the Springboks.
De Villiers has made controversial headlines off the pitch, having faced a Sanzar disciplinary hearing for questioning the honesty of referees and later claiming his team supports a rugby player accused of killing a policeman with his bare hands.
The South African Rugby Union (Saru) said on Sunday in a statement that it would hold its annual review of the Springboks’ performance in the Tri-Nations with De Villiers later this month. The defending champions lost 41-39 to Australia in Bloemfontein on Saturday in their last match of the season.
“The review will include all aspects of Springbok performance,” the statement said, alluding to De Villiers’s role being closely scrutinised after a disastrous tournament for the Boks.
De Villiers may also have more to answer for than just a poor run of results.
Although he was cleared of wrongdoing in the referee saga, comments from the 53-year-old coach that the Springboks support Bulls prop Bees Roux “100%” after the Super 14 player was accused of beating to death a traffic officer, may have more serious repercussions for De Villiers’s future.
Roux is currently out on bail and has said he intends to plead not guilty.
Saru president Oregan Hoskins said there would be “formal discussions” with De Villiers about his “reported comments”.
Hoskins also said he had written to the family of Johannes Mogale, the policeman Roux is accused of killing, to “express the union’s support and condolences at this time of mourning”.
South Africa’s defeat to Australia on Saturday, the first to the Wallabies at a Highveld venue since 1963, condemned the Springboks to last place in the Tri-Nations only 12 months after they had easily won the title.
‘Hospital job’
The Times reported that White has contacted Hoskins about leading the Springboks to next year’s World Cup in place of De Villiers.
“I’m ready to do a hospital job … if the South African Rugby Union wants me,” the Times quoted White as saying. “I’ve already made contact with Saru president Oregan Hoskins, but he keeps telling me he has to run the idea past the executive council.
“I’m saying I’m available because what we’ve seen with the Springboks in the past 10 months is worrying. I can’t bear to watch the Springboks playing like this anymore.”
In an interview with SuperSport, White said he would link up again with former Australia coach Eddie Jones, who was on White’s technical staff in 2007.
“Neither myself nor Eddie are under contract with anyone at the moment,” White said. “We can start next week if Saru want us to. We are available to work with the Boks again, and I have told Oregan Hoskins as much.
“To me, it’s hard to imagine how they can think they can carry on with the current setup.”
Saru communications manager Andy Colquhoun said his organisation wouldn’t comment on the reports.
“There could be half-a-dozen coaches wanting to take over from Peter, that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. We are not going to speculate,” Colquhoun said on Monday.
South Africa conceded a competition-record 22 tries in the 2010 Tri-Nations, letting in four alone to trail 31-6 to Australia inside 25 minutes to a jeering reception by the Bloemfontein crowd.
Last week, South Africa conceded four tries in 28 minutes to Australia in Pretoria before fighting back for their only win of the competition.
The world champions began the tournament with four successive losses to surrender the Tri-Nations title to New Zealand.
Asked if he was still the man to lead South Africa following Saturday’s loss, De Villiers said: “The structures we have in place, I think they can take us to the World Cup and beyond if they are executed properly.”
South Africa captain John Smit acknowledged his team has to improve if it is to retain the World Cup title in New Zealand.
“I think everyone here knows it’s been a disappointing Tri-Nations when you look at what we have got, the players we have got, the experience we have got,” he said. “We are below par. We are far off the pace and we have got a lot of work to do.” — Sapa-AP