When the coach needs a coach
rugby365 columnist Steve Farrell tells us why it is important for Springbok coach Peter de Villiers to get a proper minder, especially in time when he is in the firing line, to ensure he does not make matters worse.
Controversy and Springbok rugby go hand-in-hand and this weekend didn’t disappoint as the never ending soap opera that is South African rugby reached fever pitch.
The Springboks returned to domestic duty and added spark to the Currie Cup as the Sharks and Western Province got the better of their Pretoria and Bloemfontein rivals. But if you thought the action on the field was hot, the allegations off it were even more spicy. The news that a ‘sex tape’ involving Springbok coach Peter de Villiers was doing the rounds was sensational to say the least. Former Bok communication manager, Chris Hewitt, is said to be the man who brought the allegations to light. The age old saying of ‘what goes on tour, stays on tour’ clearly doesn’t apply anymore!
De Villiers categorically denies being caught in any uncompromising positions in the back of a car and was fairly emotional when questioned by the media.
“That’s why I think I should walk away from this job and give it back to the whites,” De Villiers was quoted as saying in a Sunday newspaper. “I’m not being nasty but that’s the way I feel.” A fairly controversial statement to say the least in a country like South Africa. Clearly the coach is upset about these claims, and if they are proven to be false, he has every reason to be furious with the perpetrators. But as far as I’m concerned, there is a greater issue at stake here that needs to be rectified.
As a national coach of your country, you cannot let emotion take over. You need to be guarded in your response and not say the first thing that comes to your head – which De Villiers has a tendency to do. He needs to be taught about what to say, and more importantly, what not to say. Race related issues in South Africa is an extremely touchy subject, and you cannot make statements like the one De Villiers made, even if your name is being dragged through the mud, or in his case, the back seat of a car. The fact that De Villiers has made this out to be a racial issue once again is in poor taste. How will the white players in the team feel after their coach has made a statement like that? Not very good I’d imagine. He needs some sort of ‘communications coach’ if you like – someone who will educate him about how to treat the media. This will stand him in good stead moving forward. Jake White had an uncanny knack of manipulating the media to support him when times were tough. De Villiers needs to do the same.
His emotional outbursts this weekend have done him no favours and people are beginning to lose patience with his constant referrals to race. He should know better. When results aren’t going your way, as they haven’t for De Villiers and his team, you need all the support you can get. And being on the same side of the fence as the media is a good start. His constant ‘race rants’ are becoming tedious and are damaging to the image of South African rugby. The vast majority of South Africans want to see the Springboks win. They do not care about what colour Schalk Burger’s or the Beast’s skin is. They want to see them doing well for South Africa. In fact, the public probably couldn’t care less if De Villiers was indeed having an affair. As long as his team is winning, the public will be happy. What is worrying though, is that this ‘tape’ was allegedly being used to blackmail the coach in selected a certain individual. Then it becomes a public problem! Whatever the outcome, it needs to be resolved…soon.
If this whole ‘sex tape’ saga proves to be a one big lie, which by all accounts it seems to be, then the guilty parties need to be brought to justice. It is a futile and pathetic attempt to unsettle De Villiers and get him to resign. It is indeed a sad state of affairs when people will go to these lengths to get what they want. South African rugby needs to be put first. Petty personal agendas have no place in Springbok rugby and De Villiers needs to settle this as soon as possible. If a tape does exist, well then I fear it could spell the beginning of the end for Mr de Villiers.
This sex scandal has nothing to do with De Villiers’ rugby coaching ability and shouldn’t result in him resigning. South Africa have an end of year tour on the horizon where they play Wales, Scotland and England. Three wins will be expected – anything less and De Villiers will again be in the firing line.
And 2009 is also a big year for Springbok rugby. The British and Irish Lions return to South Africa’s shores hoping for a repeat of their series victory in 1997. If De Villiers hasn’t began planning for this mammoth series, he better get cracking soon! You can be assured that the Lions will not leave any stone unturned in their quest to beat the World Cup Champions.
Shifting the focus somewhat to Saturday’s Tri-Nations showdown between the Wallabies and the All Blacks, it really is shaping up to be a classic. The winner will be crowned Tri-Nations champs and after the Australia’s Springbok catastrophe, you have to fancy the All Blacks. Yes, the Aussies are at home, but no matter what they say, their record defeat to the Boks is not ideal preparation heading into Saturday. Disregarding the horror show, I’m sure Robbie Deans has something up his sleeve to ambush his countrymen, but the All Blacks should sneak it. Either way, it’ll be entertaining!
Do you agree/disagree with Steve? Email us all your views!
