No more excuses for Kobus
30 May 2006
Having complained about interference from director of rugby Nick Mallett, WP coach Kobus van der Merwe is set to be given free rein with the team and will have the power to contract players.
Van der Merwe and his coaching team often felt undermined by Mallett during the Stormers’ Super 14 campaign. Apparently this was offered as an excuse to the WP board by the head coach.
According to the Cape Times, Mallett himself has drawn up a proposal for WP’s rugby task committee in which he suggests that the director of rugby should not be involved in a hands-on capacity with the senior team or contracting of players.
“After a year in the job, Nick has evaluated the role of the director and the directorate of rugby and put forward a proposal for its functioning. It will go to the rugby task committee and be worked through. It will be unethical of me to divulge the contents,” said WP Rugby (Pty) Ltd managing director Rob Wagner told Stephen Nell.
Mallett also recommended in the wake of scathing player feedback that the coaches be sacked, but the WP board felt that Van der Merwe deserved a reprieve.
42 Comments
30 May 2006, 09:21 am
Rather blame the dragons.
30 May 2006, 09:28 am
Give him more rope to hang himself. He will be sacked after the CC.
30 May 2006, 09:30 am
Lets just see how he does in the CC!!
30 May 2006, 09:31 am
So what is the use of having a director of rugby?
30 May 2006, 09:32 am
Seems to work for Naas. Maybe the players had it right?
30 May 2006, 09:39 am
Its a good decision – because no Kobus is accountable….
Its his melon on the line !
30 May 2006, 09:41 am
:kobushitsnickwithhandbag:
30 May 2006, 09:41 am
:nickhitskobuswithhandbag:
30 May 2006, 09:42 am
Ig
Why is the smilyes not working ?
30 May 2006, 09:42 am
Wonder which players he is gonna try sign.
30 May 2006, 09:46 am
Nick must be one of the most knowledgeable coaches in the world, but has a very “ hands-on “ outspoken temperament, which is not really suitable for a director of rugby. Being a young coach under his helm must be a little intimidating.
Personally think the Sharks have the right set-up, with a Muire implementing his own vision while Straulie plays the quite back-up role.
30 May 2006, 09:50 am
I understand now, Cats also had a director of rugby and now they’ll train the coach to be independent!
30 May 2006, 09:55 am
This is wonderful news for the Bulls!
and the Boland……
30 May 2006, 10:01 am
Rudebud
:nickandkobuscryafterhittingeachotherwithhandbags:
30 May 2006, 10:03 am
:rudebudlaughingatredcardssmiley:
30 May 2006, 10:11 am
Not much that can be done , lets see what happens during the CC. If Province don’t perform than they must get rid of all of them down there. Still can’t believe province played so bad with so much springboks in there side. So they can’t tell me it’s not the coaching stuff that fu&cked up.
30 May 2006, 10:15 am
What the hell is happening to my once beloved and respected Province….
Kobus van der Merwe ?
**** had Natal trials in which club players were invited. Do we do that here in CT ? No, we go and poach players elsewhere and expect them to perform.
Ever noticed how good players get to CT and then aren’t half the players they were elsewhere ? Joe van Niekerk was **** in his 1st season here. So to Luke Watson. Brits isn’t half the player we’ve come to know over the past few seasons.
Reason. I wish I knew. I just think there’s something wrong ( BIG TIME ) in the WP…
30 May 2006, 10:29 am
Luke Watson thought if he went to Province or the Stormers he would instantly become a Springbok. Not so!!! I think now that he knows where he stands with Jake White-never to become a BOK at all under White he should rather opt to play for Leicester Tigers, Saracens, Munster, Sale Sharks in England or Ireland-eventually qualifying for England or Irish national side. PLEASE LUKE WATSON GO OVERSEAS YOU WILL MAKE FOR ENGLAND DEFINETLY. JAKE WHITE DOESN’T WANT YOU AT ALL. GET OUT OF SOUTH AFRICA TO MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE!!!
30 May 2006, 10:30 am
any coach who selects gus theron for his team isnt a coach… or adri badenhorst? Or believes that greeff is a good fullback. Or who rates De ***** as the best scrummie in the WC. Or who ignores the talent of Paul Delport…
30 May 2006, 10:42 am
sounds like a very unhappy camp, more infighting and this time its from down south.
30 May 2006, 10:49 am
Unhappy that’s for sure , I don’t now Province like that. Sad Sad
30 May 2006, 10:55 am
Province…daar is geen hoop!
30 May 2006, 11:47 am
province … province die curriecup kom nie weer want blou bul weet nie van verloor af nie en die blou bul eet van die vloer nie.
Hulle kan ons sommer nou al crown as die curriecup champions
30 May 2006, 12:15 pm
Net soos laas seisoen ne, drunkmonkey?
30 May 2006, 12:19 pm
” en die blou bul eet van die vloer nie ”
Is this the team tha tplayed an entire super12 season without a win? Those Bulle?
30 May 2006, 12:20 pm
players feedback!!! isnt it clear enough? how effective as a manager and coach of a team of people is fester going to be if he doesnt even have their basic approval.
mallet, i cant believe you are not seeing the players side. what the …..? i cant even imagine how despondent these professional sportsmen will be, zero motivation to do anything above meeting min performance criteria.
when oh when is province rugby going to get serious again. its been near on a decade!
30 May 2006, 12:21 pm
Tomsta, re-read the last paragraph before suggesting that Mallett did not see the players’ side.
At the same time, give Kobus the rope to hang himself or change. Chopping and changing helps NO ONE.
30 May 2006, 12:24 pm
Maybe Kobus should come here to Bloem so that he also can learn from the Master ala Ludeke.
Saw ludeke at practise last week, was with the forwards 5m away from me with Jake. WIsh I had a handbag with me to klap him against the head a little
30 May 2006, 12:28 pm
If there is one thing that kobus is good at its making excuses , im sorry but if ur own played dont respect u then u shouldnt be coaching the side and to try to blame anybody else including mallet for the results i think is a bit pathetic for a head coach, wish he would take some responsibility for the teams performance.
30 May 2006, 12:31 pm
We don’t want him, we don’t like him, we don’t need him.
My poor hoop shirts.
A full season with this phuckwit. Screwed the Stormers, now he’ll screw WP.
30 May 2006, 12:34 pm
Sack him. He’s a lame coach with lame excuses. How did Province think Mallett would sit by and watch his beloved WP crumble around him under an inept coaching team!!? Guess we can kiss goodbye to this season, I hope WPRFU are ready to take the hit in the pocket because attendances at Newlands are going to drop under this clown!
30 May 2006, 12:37 pm
Stands around at Newlands in a farking suit.
Take a leaf from the Scotland coach who wears a tracksuit and gets results, you plonker.
(Put this in the next SA Rugby and I hope he reads it)
30 May 2006, 12:41 pm
It seems we’ve come a long long way since the days of the mighty “streeptruie”.Here’s hoping the Cape Cronies sort their issues out and we can once again see Province as a top side in SA rugby.These things are cyclical and the Sharks know how far you can fall,but have sorted things out and one hopes WP can do the same.It’s no use having a strength vs strength Currie Cup when the Big Unions are not competitive.
30 May 2006, 12:52 pm
Hmm, I wonder if Mallett will still be at Newlands:
England target overseas duo
By PETER JACKSON, Daily Mail 11:15am 30th May 2006
Nick Mallett and Warren Gatland are to be interviewed as the leading overseas candidates for the job of running England’s entire international operation.
The headhunters hired by the RFU are holding talks with former Springbok coach Mallett in Cape Town and ex-Wasps coach Gatland in Auckland before finalising their shortlist.
Mallett came close to joining the RFU as performance director five years ago, only for the deal to collapse at the 11th hour.
30 May 2006, 13:11 pm
Ai, Drunkmonkey,
You and your Bulls-mentality. It’s very sad, bru..
The Bulls have been performing well, agreed, but you overdoing it, my friend. Jy ruk die dam onder die eend uit……
Now go back to the farm and play with your cattle or whatever it is you do….
30 May 2006, 13:19 pm
Perhaps it is time for the return of Alan Solomons,he is a very good coach which vast experience and this is what SA rugby needs. Definitely not some second rate plonker who is still trying to find his feet.We have a woeful record in SA when it comes to coaching I think of Kevin Putt and Hugh-Reece Edwards at Natal. Frans Ludeke and Chester Williams at the Cats.
Rudolph Streauli was promoted to the Boks way too early as with Carel du Plessis.
We undoubtably have the players in this country,we have passion in abundance and some astute rugby brains.It is in the management and administration of this that we fall dramatically short.Why is that we are so quick to discard coaches and so eager to meddle in their affairs? The only answer that springs to my mind is ego. The relegation of the games interests behind personal agendas and we the public being cheated.
30 May 2006, 17:27 pm
Give Mallet a Springbok side that has beaten the Aussies two days earlier by 67-`13, or give him a French clubteam that has `13 current French internationals on there books and he can go for a while.
He is the reason the WP rugby is in the WORST state it’s EVER been in, I am glad it ALSO came out that he was coaching from the sidelines, thats why they went down, he has no idea.
I am glad the players spoke there minds too, he is disruptive and his ego is way to big, he must remember that the players are proffesionals and most of them behave like they are, so to treat them like he treated Gaffie when he was only twenty one years old will not work, it backfired then and so did it now. I am positive that any coach would have failed under Mallet this last year, can you imagine working under this guy?
30 May 2006, 17:43 pm
Nick Mallet has done f*ck all since he arrived.
30 May 2006, 17:49 pm
niel
I dont like the arrogant and smartass mallet either but u cant argue with his record he took boland to their best ever cc finish, u forget to mention that the boks finished last in the tri nations including a hammering 40 pt hammering from the all blacks and only won one game the 67-13 victory over the aussies the year before nick took over u also fail to mention that stade francais havent won a thing since his left so the current coach must be really ****
30 May 2006, 19:21 pm
Redox,
I don’t say he is useless, but he had good players to work with, and can you remember towards the end of his time as national coach how bad it was. Then also how he treated some of his players, ie. Gaffie and Garry Teichmann, not seen that before from any top coach, no class there.
I think what JW has done is remarkable, take a team with no real individual stars and make the TEAM a star.
We will differ on this one forever, but all I say is he is not the God of coaches, his record in some respects is very poor, and the latest is the STATE OF WP rugby now.
30 May 2006, 19:59 pm
Niel, the biggest recommendation comes from the players: they did not want him to be sacked as Bok coach.
He also got involved, to a degree, in the Stormers because Kobus et al. were not performing.
The players support Mallett, they do not currently support Kobus.
Get it? Simple really.
30 May 2006, 20:15 pm
Mikeybrass,
If that is true I rest my case, but I am not so sure about those facts.
The players always say they don’t want the coach to go, you now how it is when specualations start but he is still the coach then the few that support him sortoff will say so when asked by guys like Keo and others.
Read Gary T book. Anyway I hope you guys are correct maybe WP rugby that has become very ill under Mallet will be saved by Mallet.
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