First black coach for Springboks
10 January 2008
Peter de Villiers has been appointed as the first black coach of South Africa's rugby world champions, the Springboks.
The South African Rugby Union (Saru) confirmed the appointment on Wednesday after tests and interviews with four shortlisted candidates.
"South African rugby is on top of the world at the moment and Saru is confident that the new coach will build on this great momentum and move us into a new era," Saru president Oregan Hoskins said in a statement.
De Villiers was "a strong leader and a coach with a proven track record," Hoskins said, adding: "We trust that the rugby fraternity will support him and the team as we embark on an exciting new phase of rugby in South Africa."
The 50-year-old, currently the coach of SA's under-21 rugby side, has big boots to fill, after former coach Jake White guided the Springboks to victory in the World Cup final against England in Paris in October.
Interestingly, De Villiers' route to SA rugby's top job was similar to White's: both men led the country's under-21 side to the IRB under-21 world title, White in 2002, De Villiers in 2005.
De Villers' "Baby Boks" were beaten in the final of the 2006 tournament by hosts France, and by a powerful New Zealand team in the final of last year's competition. De Villiers also coached the Emerging Springboks in 2007, leading them to victory at an IRB tournament in Romania.
De Villiers' rivals for the job were Chester Williams, who played in South Africa's 1995 World Cup winning team, incumbent Springbok backline coach Allister Coetzee, and Heyneke Meyer, coach of Super 14 team the Bulls, who last year became South Africa's first Super 14 champions in over a decade.
Speaking at a press conference in Cape Town on Wednesday, De Villiers downplayed his colour, saying he would choose his Springbok players on merit.
"Players out there must understand they will all stand an equal chance ... If they are good enough, talented enough and work hard enough they will be part of the squad," he said.
The most prestigious position in South African rugby is also arguably the toughest in rugby anywhere. Kevin McCallum, chief sports writer for The Star newspaper, identified eight challenges De Villiers would face in his new job, including transformation and the pressure to select more black players to represent the country at the highest level.
"[H]e will probably experience the same problem that has dogged every Springbok coach in the professional era and will have to hope that provincial coaches pick more black players in the Vodacom Super 14 and Absa Currie Cup to give him a greater base to choose from," McCallum wrote.
SAinfo reporter
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