Critical juncture
HEYNEKE MEYER did the right thing by quitting as Springbok coach yesterday – even if he may have jumped before he was pushed. Based on bare statistics, Meyer did not have a bad record. He coached the Boks to 34 victories and two draws in 50 matches, with a 66.7 percent win record in Tests.
But those statistics will never be able to capture the widespread and deep sense of disappointment, frustration and anger among Springboks fans. Whatever the statistics, there can be no debate that Meyer failed dismally in two vital areas – transformation and taking the game plan of the Boks to a new level.
Throughout the year, there were a number of black players who were either shabbily treated by Meyer or simply ignored. The final slap in the face of our rich reservoir of black talent came in the third-place playoff at the World Cup, where scrumhalf Rudy Paige was given three minutes in a meaningless match against Argentina.
As for the game plan, it has to be acknowledged that there were times during Meyer’s spell that the Boks looked like embracing a fast-paced approach which involved all 15 players on the park. But once Japan had shocked the Boks at the World Cup, Meyer retreated to what the Afrikaans language so picturesquely describes as “stampkar” rugby. In other words, the Boks relied on a bash-kick-and-hope approach, in sharp contrast to the rugby produced by the likes of New Zealand and Australia, where the emphasis was on speed and skill.
In the last few months, the tide of public opinion turned against Meyer. Former Springbok captains Divan Serfontein and Wynand Claassen led a petition against him, WP president Thelo Wakefield said his union wanted a new Bok coach, and social media was flooded by an anti-Meyer sentiment.
The South African rugby bosses need to decide carefully on Meyer’s successor. It must be someone who believes in transformation from his heart, not someone who pays lip service to it. And a dynamic new game plan is essential. Then we can all be proud again of our team in green and gold.