Former Bok coach questions past and present
FORMER Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has asked if Johan “Rassie” Erasmus is really the Messiah he’s been made out to be.
Saru will announce the highly anticipated changes to their coaching staff at the end of the month. Erasmus came back from Irish provincial team Munster to take up the Director of Rugby position at the South African Rugby Union.
“I don’t know if Rassie is the solution‚” said De Villiers.
“I think the solution is to go back to what Rian Oberholzer and Louis Luyt and those guys put in place.
“That was a percentage of all sponsorship money must go to development.
“There are white boys who are missing out on Springbok colours because they’re not at a rugby school.
“I’m not talking about white and black here‚ I’m talking about development.”
De Villiers‚ who coached the Boks from 2008 until the end of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, where they lost to Australia in the quarterfinals‚ has recently been appointed as Zimbabwe’s national team coach on a twoyear contract.
The Springbok team is also officially coachless after recent incumbent Allister Coetzee parted ways with his now former employers on February 2.
De Villiers said he didn’t like the state of South African rugby but felt Saru needed to get their house in order before they can help other African rugby unions.
An example of this was how Rugby Africa voted against them in last year’s failed 2023 Rugby World Cup bid, yet they have an office at Saru’s premises in Cape Town.
“My principle in life is to get your own house in order‚” said De Villiers. “For Saru to go to any other country now‚ who will believe them? “Who will follow their structures? “They need to spend more money and time in terms of getting their own house in order if they want to make an impact and make people believe that they can follow them.
“They are definitely better than the other countries, but who wants to follow their lead?
“Even if they have the resources to help those African countries‚ would they believe in them or would they take what they can give and do their own thing?
“Charity begins at home,” he added. —