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So, how does Div rate on this scale?

The clamour in the public domain to have Peter de Villiers removed as Springbok coach is growing at an alarming rate. As a tumultuous 2010 winds down, Jan de Koning looks at the merits of keeping the current coaching structure in place.

The reality is that Peter de Villiers will be the Bok coach through to the end of the 2011 World Cup.

Having spoken to a number of high-ranking officials at the South African Rugby Union, it is evident that De Villiers is their man… for various reasons.

Despite an indifferent 2010 – from the highs of the impressive win over England in November to the lows of the disaster that was the Boks’ Tri-Nations campaign – De Villiers has the backing of not just his employers, but also the political vultures that always seem to be circling the team.

However, there is no point getting into the political expediency of having De Villiers stay on. I am more interested in his merits as an international coach.

PLAYER POWER IS IMPORTANT

It is evident that De Villiers has the support of a substantial number of senior players within the team.

Not only has he created an environment where they have been empowered and can function with a substantial amount of freedom, but there are obviously also certain selection guarantees that have put the players at ease going into next year’s World Cup in New Zealand.

This is nothing new.

Many successful coaches have done this before – such as Kitch Christie’s well-documented choice of Francois Pienaar as captain, whilst leaving Tiaan Strauss out of the squad in SA’s successful 1995 World Cup campaign. Then, of course, there was Jake White’s preference for bigger players, leaving skilled and smaller players like Luke Watson and Schalk Brits out in the cold, in the run-up to his 2007 World Cup victory.

It is also a well-known fact that there have been efforts by De Villiers to remove some of his backroom staff – be that because their coaching philosophies collide with the chief ringmaster or is it because of other reasons?

But what are we to make of all these intriguing forces at play within the South African national team? How does this impact on De Villiers’s ability to function at optimum levels and how do we measure his merits?

In order to answer this, we have to look at the characteristics that can be found in successful coaches – those of whom have won the highest accolades.

Michael Marnewick, in his just released book, ‘Quest for Glory’, believes that a good coach is one who “knows how to bring out the best in a team and individual.

“He is a mentor, teacher, father, friend, critic and a guidance counselor all in one.”

This is not his own opinion. It is, rather, a statement based on numerous interviews with some of the most influential figures in the game of rugby in South Africa; some retired and some still active at the moment.

To get at the heart of this statement, it is worth looking at what some of the public figures interviewed by Marnewick – in ‘Quest for Glory’ – have to say about the exact role of a coach and just what makes a successful coach.

BELIEF PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE, TOO

“The role of the coach is so important,” said Professor Tim Noakes in the book. “The coach’s belief in the sportsperson sets that person up to achieve.”

Retired Springbok lock Mark Andrews explained that winning the 1995 World Cup might have been the culmination of lots of hard work but, again, it was the coach’s belief in the players’ ability to pull it off.

“[Coach] Kitch Christie and [team manager] Morné du Plessis had mentally prepared us, almost brainwashed us, into believing we could do it. Every time Kitch spoke, he was adamant that we were going to win. When your coach believes in you and your destiny completely, you start to get sucked up in it.”

It is ultimately up to the players to go and execute on the field of play, but the greater plan has to be put in place by management… In short, the coach and his backroom staff.

The point made throughout the book is that any fairly decent coach can take care of the physical side of preparations, but it takes a special coach to ensure the mental preparations is of such a standard that team members are playing to their best potential week in and week out.

Springbok Sevens coach Paul Treu believes that players need the freedom to “learn”… to fail even. (For argument’s sake, some critics will point to his team’s struggles in the 2009/10 season, after winning the IRB World Series the season before, but closer scrutiny will reveal genuine progress.)

Former Sharks ace Gary Teichmann, the Bok captain when Nick Mallett took South Africa to a world record-equalling 17 successive Test victories, believes that coaches must be passionate.

“A good coach has to have enthusiasm,” said Teichmann in ‘Quest for Glory’, adding: “That [enthusiasm] can’t diminish, even in the bad times, because negative emotion filters down to the team.

“Other qualities in good coaches include the ability top try to implement what they believe is right but, at the same time, listening to ideas from players.”

Bob Skinstad, who captained the Bok ‘dirt-trackers’ at the 2007 World Cup, believes that coaches need to be clear communicators and good organisers.

“The best coaches I played under were the ones who let you know where you stood,” Skinstad said.

HONESTY THE BEST POLICY?

Two-time Currie Cup-winning Sharks coach John Plumtree – who has won two Currie Cups in the last three seasons – said he preferred to be “closer” to his players. “I think you have to have a relationship where the players are comfortable coming to you.”

Bok hooker Bismarck du Plessis said every coach “brings something different”, but the most important aspect that separates a good coach from an average one is honesty.

Having taken this all into consideration, it is clear that Peter de Villiers can tick most of the boxes… with one glaring exception: consistency.

While he showed in 2009 – by beating the British & Irish Lions in a Test series and winning the Tri-Nations – that he can be a competent coach (a good organiser), there are also signs that all is not well.

His record against fellow SANZAR giants New Zealand and Australia is patchy at best – two wins in six matches in 2008, five wins in six starts in 2009 and then, again, just one win in six starts in 2010.

It is that inconsistency against top teams that remains a major concern ahead of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

But then again, as New Zealand have found out – in all World Cup tournaments since 1991 – all it takes is one hiccup and your race is run… no matter what kind of consistency has been displayed in recent months.

What do you think? Can De Villiers guide the Boks to a successful defence of their World Cup title? Leave a comment below…

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