Meyer does not see colour

With the team on a four-match winless streak and one more match left before the World Cup, Meyer's transformation credentials have been called into question this week with COSATU alleging that some black players had approached them due to a lack of opportunities under Meyer's watch.

In his time at the helm Meyer has picked 17 players of colour, but there have been concerns that he has not been sensitive enough to the need to make the team truly representative, with certain players picked in the squad without getting regular opportunities to play.

The Bok coach said that while he supports transformation, the most important thing to him is keeping his integrity.

"I don't want to get caught up in politics and I want to keep my integrity, I know what my agenda is.

"My integrity is that I don't look at colour I look at the best players and what is best for the players.

"Yes I am totally committed to transformation and I have got a great relationship with my players," he said.

Meyer revealed that some players have approached him to deny the allegations made by Western Cape COSATU provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich earlier in the week.

"I don't want to mention their names but a lot of the players have come to me and said 'coach, it is not true what was in the paper, we stand by you and we know exactly where we stand'.

"For me it is all about the players, we are all South Africans and want the team to do the best for our country. For me that is all about integrity and we have to back each other in this country," he said.

Although he is under serious pressure with the Boks having dropped down to fifth in the world rankings following the defeat to Argentina, reports have surfaced that Meyer has signed a four-year contract extension.

He admitted that he would love to stay on in the position, as he is passionate about serving his country.

"I have said I want to serve and I want to make a difference. Obviously that is what I want to do, if you ask every single guy on the street they will say I make a difference but in a negative way.

"The only thing you know as a Bok coach is that every single guy has gone through it. What I worry about is not the next four years but the next four minutes, so I am just going to go out there and do whatever it takes to win.

"I have always been proud to coach the Boks, it is the biggest achievement of my life and I just want to go there and serve, what must happen must happen.

"I really love this country and I think sport can unite and I really want to unite the country. I am a proud South African so I want to serve and make a difference," he said.

He feels that he will be able to make a difference in the long-term if he is given the chance to continue in the position beyond the World Cup.

"I truly believe this team can go places, where we have made a huge difference although it doesn't show on the field is that a lot of our players have signed for longer.

"I believe that if we put the systems in place we can be invincible if we work together as a team.

"The Springbok team has never been about me or the position, but I am willing to fight until the end," he said.

While the team's disappointing results have clearly been a factor in the timing of these issues, it is certainly not something that should be ignored either.

Those who claim that sports should be separate from politics are not being realistic as international sport exists because of politics and there will always be political influence in South African sport for better or worse.

Every Springbok coach has to confront these issues which are part of the job as much as they are a part of life in South Africa, and although it would probably not be such a big focus if the team was winning it should always be something that the coach is seen to be aware of.

By Michael de Vries, in Durban