Meyer announces decision to step down as Springboks coach
Union president thanks the former boss for his efforts in growing South African rugby
Heyneke Meyer is to step down as Springboks coach, the South African Rugby Union (SARU) announced in a statement yesterday.
“Heyneke Meyer has advised SARU that he no longer wished to be considered as a candidate to coach the Springboks,” the union said.
“Meyer said he had decided to stand aside as coach, a decision he considers to be in the best interests of South African rugby, following recent developments.”
The announcement comes a day before a union meeting — where a top agenda item to be discussed by the executive council was the position of Springbok coach.
In a statement, SARU praised Meyer’s track record of 34 victories and two draws in 50 matches.
SARU president Oregan Hoskins said the coach “gave his all for the Springboks ... There were many highlights during his time as coach and those are the moments we will remember.”
“During his tenure, the Springboks recorded a 66.7 per cent winning record in Tests and scored 143 Test tries — second only to New Zealand in that time,” the union said.
But it was a tenure marred by continual criticism. In the last year, the national team lost five of 11 Tests, including a humiliating 34-32 World Cup group defeat to second-tier rugby nation Japan — the biggest shock in the 29-year history of the global showpiece.