Mallett: Bok job an easy task

2008-06-17 07:04

Cape Town - Italy coach Nick Mallett claims that coaching the Springboks nowadays is easier than it used be.

Mallett, who guided the Springboks to a 17-match unbeaten Test streak between August 1997 and December 1998, was airing his views at a media conference in Newlands, on Monday.

"The (Springbok) head coach has the support of good assistant coaches, and a manager," said Mallett. "The preparation is really good at Super 14 level for the players, and it is an easier job than it used to be, I think.

"Obviously you (the head coach) have to handle the media and player relations. In terms of coaching, the (Springbok) coach has lots of support structures through good performing Super 14 teams.

"He (Peter De Villiers) had the choices of his assistant coaches. I must congratulate him on his choices (Gary Gold and Dick Muir).

"They are both fantastic people and they are very good coaches."

The Springbok coaching staff have had strong links with Mallett in the past.

Head coach Peter de Villiers served as an assistant Bok coach in 1997 when Mallett was the Bok mentor and assistant coach Dick Muir played for the national side when Mallett was at the helm.

Mallett said he was not surprised that De Villiers had landed the Bok job after Jake White's departure.

"You can think of South Africa's history and the comments that came out around the appointment of the coach, at the time. You can think where the country is in terms of bringing people through, and giving them opportunities.

"Notwithstanding the fact that a guy like Heyneke (Meyer) was probably a very good candidate, Peter de Villiers was also a very good candidate. If you look at his performances with the SA Under-21, and you look at Jake White's performance with the SA Under-21, they were pretty similar." Italy's tour management also have other South African ties. Apart from Mallett, who is also former Springbok with two Test caps, the team manager Carlo Checchinato twice toured South Africa as a player in 1999 and 2001.

Checchinato knows all about heavy defeats at the hands of the Springboks and he played in the 1999 Test side that suffered a record 101-0 defeat in Durban, when Mallett was the national coach.

"That's why Nick (Mallett) became our (Italy's) coach," Checchinato said jokingly.

- SAPA