Naas: 'Keep Divvy on Bok panel'
Peter de Villiers’s experience is too valuable for him to be summarily discarded as a member of the Springbok coaching panel.
This is the view of legendary former Bok flyhalf Naas Botha, who told EWN that he saw no reason as to why De Villiers could not stay on in 2012.
The South African Rugby Union will announce the name of the new Bok coach on January 27 – with Bulls boss Heyneke Meyer and Ireland forwards coach Gert Smal the frontrunners at present.
In a statement issued late last year, SARU said they would approach a shortlist of “preferred candidates” in the process to appoint a new Bok coach.
Jurie Roux, the SARU Chief Executive Officer, said at the time that De Villiers would be on the shortlist as the incumbent Springbok coach.
And Botha felt that he deserves to remain there – even if Meyer or Smal is named head coach over him.
“I would keep Peter [de Villiers] as part of the team, because he must have learnt quite a number of things in the four years that he’s been there,” Botha told EWN.
“You can’t just discard all that experience.”
Botha believes that the next coach must learn from the mistakes of the past, adding: “I think we’ve made mistakes.
“Nick [Mallett] made a mistake when he fired Gary Teichmann before the [19999] World Cup. When you select a Springbok side, do yourself a favour, pick the guys who are in form and that’s the end of it.”
* Meanwhile, the Executive Mayor of Polokwane, Freddy Greaver, said they intended to host a Springbok Test in the near future.
Greaver told the Beeld newspaper at the announcement of the Bulls’ friendly match against the Cheetahs at the Peter Mokaba Stadium that the city intended to host a Test match in the next few years.
The Bulls play the Cheetahs in a Super Rugby warm-up match at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday, February 11.
“To achieve that we have to prove that we have the ability to host Super Rugby teams like the Bulls and the Cheetahs without any problems and to fill the stadium,” said Greaver.
“It could only strengthen our bid to also bring the Springboks to Polokwane in future.”
Greaver will invite SARU President Oregan Hoskins to attend the Bulls versus Cheetahs clash in the hope to impress the rugby boss.
