ONE-ON-ONE: Heyneke Meyer on his 'project Eagles'

The name Heyneke Meyer always elicits strong emotions.

Most of the bellicose revulsions centre around a two-point (18-20) loss by South Africa against New Zealand in the semifinal of the 2015 World Cup and the opening pool match loss to an unfancied Japan (32-34) at the same tournament.

The carpers would gladly ignore his 67 percent win rate, in 48 Tests between 2012 and 2015, or any success he achieved at the domestic and franchise level.

However, for the grounded, affable 58-year-old, life has come a full circle after almost three decades of first-class coaching.

Meyer, who played for the University of Pretoria, started as a player-coach and, upon graduating in 1988, took on a full-time role with the university team.

He then coached various high school and Under-21 teams in Pretoria, before joining the South Western Districts (now Eagles) in 1997.

Now, 29 years later, he is back in the Southern Cape, George, with Outeniqua Park’s scenic mountainous backdrop setting the scene for another epic journey.

The ‘project’ (or dream) is that the Eagles qualify for South Africa’s premier domestic competition, the Currie Cup, for the first time in 22 years.

They are on track, sitting pretty in third place of the SA Cup qualifying tournament, which has just gone past the halfway mark.

The top four teams from the SA Cup will join the United Rugby Championship teams (Stormers, Lions, Bulls and Sharks) in the 2026 Currie Cup, while the bottom six will be playing in the First Division – where the Eagles have been stuck for two decades.

Meyer’s Eagles face a stern test when they host Frans Steyn’s Cheetahs in a crucial Round Six SA Cup match in George on Saturday.

The Eagles have won four matches and are on 22 points, the same as the second-placed and defending-champion Pumas.

The Cheetahs, with three wins and 18 points, are in fourth place.

Meyer, as always, was underplaying the team’s run of good fortune.

“We are hanging in there, by our fingertips,” he told @JanDKrugby, of a potential top-four finish and qualifying for the Currie Cup.

Maybe playing in the Currie Cup no longer carries the same prestige for the outside world, but after 22 years of dwelling in the second tier of the domestic game, for the Eagles, it will be a special achievement.

Silverware in George is rare, and the trophy cabinet includes First Division titles in 2002, 2007 and 2018.

The current squad includes no ‘big-name’ stars, with some of the more recognisable names those of Keanu Vers, Abner van Reenen, Dylan de Leeuw, Fred Zeilinga and Tiaan Pretorius.

Yet, this ‘no-name’ brand team has already caused a few upsets, a recurring theme for Meyer-coached teams.

“I always enjoy taking the underdog [teams],” he told @JanDKrugby about a journey that started three decades ago in George and included stints with the Bulls (after a period when they finished last or second to last for five consecutive seasons in Super Rugby), then on to the Springboks, followed by stints with Stade Français and the Houston Sabercats.

“My strength [as a coach] is to build teams and put systems in place to create something special,” he added.

However, it was in Paris where he experienced his biggest learning curve, during his stint with French and European giants Stade Français in 2018 and 2019.

“It was an incredible journey,” he said, adding: “I learned a lot by working with players from different nationalities.”

After the success of the Bulls, the heartache of the 2015 World Cup and the French adventure, he returned to South Africa, thinking he was done with the game.

However, the late Springbok Pedrie Wannenburg lured Meyer to America, where he coached the now-defunct Houston Sabercats in the MLR.

They went from a bottom-of-the-log team to winning their conference.

Back in SA, it seems to be a similar pattern with the Eagles.

“I wanted to come back and make a difference in South Africa,” he said of his return to George.

“I have a soft spot for the community here.

“It started here, and you should not go back where you started, because it doesn’t always work out.

“I felt this community deserved a strong team. There are some really strong schools, good talent in the clubs and in the region.

“When I saw last year, they were sitting at the bottom of the standings, and it wasn’t going so well, I had two choices.

“I could sit on TV and do commentary, or I could roll up my sleeves and get stuck in.”

While Meyer wanted a break from the game, he decided to get involved and take on the challenge of coaching a union where there is no money and no sponsors to speak of.

“We are still a long way from where we want to be, and our budget is negligible,” he said of a financial model that doesn’t even compete with some of the clubs in Cape Town.

Having been close to accepting a coaching gig with the Fiji national team, he will focus on making a difference in George before considering international offers again.

“I’m a proud South African, so it would be tough to coach against the Springboks,” he told @JanDKrugby.

“I see this as a long-term project, which could become a real fairy-tale.

“It will be tough, because we don’t have enough depth, yet.

“It is an amazing journey, and it is also important that I enjoy it.

“At this stage of my life, I know what I want, I am happy here in George and would like to be here long-term.

“I have learned that you must be grounded and humble when any success comes your way.”

Meyer believes South Africa needs 10 or 12 strong teams, franchises or provinces, to cater for the enormous stream of talent coming through the system.

Finances remain a challenge, but he is not about to stop dreaming.

“The area [the Garden Route on the south-eastern coast of South Africa] sells itself,” Meyer said, adding: “That is also why it is important to have a strong team in the region.

“What I have succeeded in is creating an amazing team culture.”

Playing for a Heyneke Meyer-coached team is another attraction for ambitious, young players.

Players like Anton Leonard and Paul Treu took their first tentative ‘professional’ steps in a Meyer-coached team.

The local government has already come on board, and ‘upgrades’ to Outeniqua Park are on the cards.

@JanDKrugby
@rugby365com