Super Rugby coaches still in Bok contention
7 Dec 2011
Saru has confirmed that the delayed appointment of a new Bok coach does not mean Super Rugby coaches like Allister Coetzee are no longer in the running for the post.
Saru announced last week that the Bok coach appointment would be ratified on 27 January. The date is less than a month before the start of the 2012 Super Rugby competition, and so it seemed to follow that regional coaches weren’t being considered, because if a Super Rugby coach was to be picked, their franchise would have minimal time to organise a replacement.
Saru chief executive Jurie Roux told The Cape Times that this shouldn’t be a problem. While he didn’t mention Coetzee by name, he confirmed that current Super Rugby coaches may indeed be considered for the Bok post.
Incumbent Peter de Villiers has made it clear that he wants a second term in charge, and Saru has confirmed that De Villiers is on the list of top candidates. Roux, however, moved to quash rumours that Saru will be looking for an interim coach for the three Tests against England next June.
It has been suggested that because he is a man who has worked extensively with this group of players, De Villiers is the best coaching option for that South Africa vs England series. The team will have very little time to prepare given the hectic Super Rugby schedule, but Roux has denied that Saru are considering such a temporary arrangement.
Stormers chief Rassie Erasmus had previously been linked to a possible director of rugby post at Saru, but with the restructuring of the rugby’s governing body, the position has not been created. Instead the new position of high performance manager will be up for grabs, and Roux said this person would be more of an administrative figure. The Bok coach will not report to the high performance manager.
Roux also confirmed that the 2012 Currie Cup Premier Division will be contested by the six best teams of 2011, namely the Lions, Sharks, Cheetahs, Western Province, Bulls and Griquas.
38 Comments
7 Dec 2011, 10:34 am
Cool. Thanks Jon.
7 Dec 2011, 10:48 am
Interesting.
7 Dec 2011, 10:50 am
“Roux also confirmed that the 2012 Currie Cup Premier Division will be contested by the six best teams of 2011, namely the Lions, Sharks, Cheetahs, Western Province, Bulls and Griquas.” so Boland winning the Currie Cup first division means nothing for them
tl tl tl
this is SARU at its best. looking out for the big boys.
7 Dec 2011, 10:52 am
@Transformation(Transformation)-3: Sad timez. So the team ending last in 2012 gets relegated immediately? No play-off?
7 Dec 2011, 10:56 am
Well in these tough economic times people are shrinking budgets, staff.
Even CC divisions it seems.
I hope that Boland and EP didn’t spend large amounts of money attracting talent to their teams in the hope of getting promoted and therefore sharing in the riches of the Premier division…..
Oh. Wait. hang on…..
7 Dec 2011, 11:00 am
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-5: EP are waste. They cant even get out of the 1st Division Currie Cup! How are they going to perform in Superugby
7 Dec 2011, 11:00 am
Why on earth is Allistair Coetzee’s name being highlighted. This information relates to ALL Super Rugby coaches. Why did Cardinelli feel justified in giving Cupless Coetzee special mention?
7 Dec 2011, 11:02 am
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-7: Ignoring your personal opinions on Coetzee, it’s undeniable that he’s SARU’s first choice for Bok coach.
7 Dec 2011, 11:04 am
I was looking forward to a promotion/relegation match featuring the Bulls.
7 Dec 2011, 11:04 am
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-7: We all know why unfortunately.
7 Dec 2011, 11:05 am
@Caper(Caper)-8:
Really? Because I’ve heard informed sources talking about Gert Smal as the preferred choice.
So I think “undeniable” is maybe a bit of an overstatement, don’t you think?
7 Dec 2011, 11:06 am
@Caper(Caper)-9:
I’m sure you were. Life’s full of these little disappointments, isn’t it.
7 Dec 2011, 11:15 am
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-7: I believe it’s a close affair. The support of an “influential” website such as this could just be the tipping point for Coetzee.
Keo the Kingmaker.
7 Dec 2011, 11:17 am
@>^..^< katman(katman)-13: @>^..^< katman(katman)-13:
Oh yes. Like they wrote Butch into the World Cup starting line up.
And now that it clearly didn’t happen, it seems they are trying to rewrite history, by portraying it as if he actually played there in spirit, as proven by the “promise” that was made to him.
7 Dec 2011, 11:21 am
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-14: Maybe the chapter in Coetzee’s keo-published biography (perfect timing for Valentine’s Day) that deals with his Bok appointment has already been written.
7 Dec 2011, 11:32 am
I can’t believe they’re leaving such an important appointment for so late!!! They knew PDV was useless and that they would need to appoint a new coach, so why leave it until the Super 15 starts? Why not early January or even now in December?
Typical SARU!!!
7 Dec 2011, 11:46 am
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-7:
The article in the Cape Times to which Jon refers makes it clear the AC is still the favourite but that consensus on him taking over could not be reached as there are some opposition from officials who favour Gert Smal.
So, if the sources of the Cape Times are correct, there is no reason to believe that it will not be either of them who will get the job.
I refuse to believe that Piet Div is a serious contender- nobody in the world can be that stupid to let him have another go.
7 Dec 2011, 12:01 pm
the anc wont allow smal as coach.this is a man that stated that he will never work under a black coach.
7 Dec 2011, 12:03 pm
@StevieS(StevieS)-16: You don’t do it in the middile of a WC and they are following proper established procedures. SARU have got it right for once.
7 Dec 2011, 12:09 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-7: Cos Cupless Meyer was already mentioned yesterday…..lol
7 Dec 2011, 12:11 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-3: True , sad sad. Why not a 8 team comp ? or at least a playoff for the 6th spot , All Bolands hard work is not rewarded.
7 Dec 2011, 12:13 pm
@mvk(mvk)-18: seriously?
when did this happen?
flippen white mechanics!
7 Dec 2011, 12:15 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-3: yes.
it also means that the kings are not rewarded for coming second in the cc 1st div.
injustice!
phansi saru phansi!
7 Dec 2011, 12:20 pm
@Michael(mikeybrass)-19: Not saying during the middle of the WC, but that finished in the middle of October. We had the rest of that month, the whole of November and December and SARU could make the announcement in early January.
The NZRU are making their announcement in December, so surely we could do the same?
7 Dec 2011, 12:21 pm
Why don’t they just go the whole hog and make it a Franchise competition with the conference games being the first round. Griquas and Cheetahs can compete as a single team whilst the Kings could be included. Reducing the competition to 6 major provinces when it’s obvious that 4 of them are just the franchises under a different name doesn’t fool anyone.
7 Dec 2011, 12:36 pm
Who knows with this crowd.
They appointed White who was not on the short list, same with PDIVVY.
We cannot assume or read anything into what SARFU say or do. Its all total B.S.
7 Dec 2011, 12:49 pm
@StevieS(StevieS)-24: They knew Henry would not re-apply. Made their job easier. Plus they already have established procedures in place. The guy at SARU has had to do this from scratch.
7 Dec 2011, 13:02 pm
@BULLET(BULLET)-26: Yes PdV was on the shortlist.
7 Dec 2011, 13:19 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-22:
Strange that.
He is also the man who went with a plan to SARU to develop black rugby players in the Eastern Cape. SARU (Particularly Jonathan Stones) didn’t give it a second look.
7 Dec 2011, 16:32 pm
heyneke meyer will lead us to glory….
7 Dec 2011, 18:13 pm
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-30: Or appoint Spies as Bok captain. A bull on turbo-reverse in the tackle
7 Dec 2011, 18:42 pm
Alistair Coetzee, another 4 years of winning nothing, Heyneke Meyer is the best coach around, Gert Smal is an assistant nothing more, stupid SARU and their useless political correctness, they do not get appointing people, based on merit should be the only criteria with the Springboks, Alistair Coetzee has won nothing.
Springboks will be useless for another 4 years, England will appoint Mallett and Wayne Smith, why can’t SARU appoint a foreigner like Mitchell, Springboks need to build a new team, he can do it.
Alistair Coetzee and Gert Smal, not good enough.
7 Dec 2011, 19:24 pm
Pdv was screwed sideways by Keohane and Oberholzer who were the meddling instigators who insisted that he go cap in hand to Clermont and woo John Smit into his life as his f.ng carrythecan cappy marvelous, which was the single most dumb fak decision any coach could have made if he had wanted to retain some modicum of personal dignity and realisable success
7 Dec 2011, 23:08 pm
Alistair Coetzee – just another spineless muppet like PDivvy that will end up with the players selecting and coaching themselves as those in charge are as clueless as their predecessors.
7 Dec 2011, 23:18 pm
@ashampoopaloo(joel1yahoo)-33: Licking John Smit’s arse to come back to SA worked out well for PDivvy until 2010 when the wheels came off. In 2009 PDivvy was praised as a rugby messiah winning the TriNations and beating the Lions. Unfortunately the plonker did not have the balls to make the necessary changes in 2010 after he allowed the players to run the show since Jake’s departure. Like a useless father not disciplining his kids and allowing them to be spoiled brats PDivvy then realized in 2010 that he raised the biggest bunch of Bok brats who did whatever they wanted. PDivvy is the architect of his own demise.
8 Dec 2011, 18:37 pm
Hopefully this means that they are negotiating with Meyer….
9 Dec 2011, 06:19 am
@Michael(mikeybrass)-27: After the last fiascio in appointing the Bok coach, you have to ask WHY there is no set procedure fo r thsi thing. In fact you have to ask why they did not appoint the last bok coach and his assitants, together with his understudy to be appointed as successor, so that the successor could take over the reigns without reinventing the wheel. This is what the standard procedure should be. Four years of understudy, and finally being promoted. The understudy would know what the pressures are, what is expected, what the pitfalls are, have an existing relationship with the players and S15 coaches, etc
The way it works now, we just lose all our intellectual property every time a Bok coach gets appointed.
FFS SARU are just useless ********.
9 Dec 2011, 06:30 am
And whats more, the person taking over in four years time as an understudy should be appointed NOW as U20 Bok coach. That way, they would be nurturing their players into a team from the very beginning.
Alternately, if this sort of timing is too long, they should appioint a /Bok understudy two years before the current Bok coaches contract runs out. Ditto for the U20 coach. That way, at the very least, they have two good coaches (the understudy and the U20 coach) to choose from, with interenational experience at some level. If a Super coach is proving to be very good, and people think he is better, he can be appointed as an understudy (instead of head coach). That way their influence will still be there as a good coach, while they get experience of the rest of the pressures of being a Bok coach.
In fact if they had to appoint the Bok coach and their successor right now, who would it be? I would say, PdV retained as coach, with Heyneke Meyer as understudy, and Alistair Coetzee as U20 coach ( we need to see what he can do while not being in Rassies shadow).
Oh and when the Bok coach leaves, they must be available as part of a general mentoring and advice panel of old bok coaches.
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