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De Villiers seeks Dick's help
17/02/2008 22:08 - (SA)
John Bishop
Durban - A fresh challenge and a desire to help Springbok rugby - those were the factors which convinced Dick Muir to apply for the job as assistant to new national coach Peter de Villiers.
Muir confirmed an article in the Weekend Witness which reported that he had applied for the post as assistant Springbok coach.
"I'm not happy that this all surfaced just as the Super 14 was starting. It is a sensitive issue," he said from Cape Town where he and his Sharks assistant coach John Plumtree watched the Stormers lose to the Bulls on Saturday.
The Sharks play the Stormers and the Bulls over the next two weekends.
"All this coming out now is obviously disruptive and the timing is not great, but it is not easy to keep these things under wraps."
Muir has a Sharks contract to the end of 2008, involving the Super 14 and Currie Cup competitions.
If his application for the Bok job is successful - and he was asked by De Villiers to apply - he would only have to report for national duty after the completion of the Super 14 and before the new international season starts in June.
The Sharks gave their head coach permission to apply for the job which means that Plumtree - as he did last year - would take over for the Currie Cup if, as appears likely, Muir leaves King's Park to join De Villiers.
Muir emphasised that it was by no means certain that he had landed the post of Springbok assistant coach.
"There is nothing confirmed yet so I will have to wait and see. At the moment all I'm concerned about is the Super 14 and the Sharks."
Muir said that a change of jobs from head coach with the Sharks to assistant coach of the Springboks was "a sideways rather than upwards move."
"But it would offer fresh challenges. I would like to be involved with the Springboks and try and make a contribution there."
The Sharks coach said that he had "very impressed" with the approach of the recently-appointed Bok coach De Villiers.
"I admire his attitude to the Super 14 franchises and how he working with them. His attitude is that the Springboks belong to the franchises and are loaned to the Springboks. I think I would enjoy working with him."
Muir said that he and Plumtree were passionate about the Sharks.
"There was a succession plan in place and I was going to leave at the end of 2008 after three years in the job anyway. That was always the plan with John (Plumtree) taking over at the end of the cycle.
"That, I believe, would have been beneficial to the coaching careers of both of us while continuity would be maintained in the Sharks."
Muir also confirmed a report that Plumtree had been encouraged to apply for the post of forward coach with the Springboks.
"There was no question of that happening. The two of us would never ever leave the Sharks high and dry."
Brian van Zyl, the Sharks CEO, said that while Muir had been given permission to apply for the Springbok post, there was no question of Plumtree leaving.
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