Bokked down in problems

2008-09-05 07:24

Sydney - Australian rugby is not entirely in great shape. The Wallabies can't string two good Test wins together. Depth in certain playing positions is flimsy. The Sydney premiership club scene remains a hornet's nest.

At least at the top end it appears united.

That cannot be said of South Africa, with the brief thrill last weekend of the Springboks inflicting the Wallabies' biggest Test loss in Johannesburg unable to camouflage the deep-seated problems within that country's rugby structure.

Instead, that triumph highlighted the dramas within South African rugby, which beats all major nations in political intrigue and conflict.

The body language at the Springboks press conference at Ellis Park said it all.

A fair section of the South African media had been privately hoping the Springboks would lose because it would put further pressure on the administrators to sack head coach Peter de Villiers. But the victory made them realise they were stuck with de Villiers for a long time, and the consequences could be dire.

Coaching experience

Many of the leading South African rugby media identities don't rate the country's first black coach, believing he is a political appointment who will now hold on to the job for as long as he likes because it supposedly sends the message in the "rainbow nation" that rugby is becoming integrated.

Nonetheless, they openly question de Villiers's knowledge of the game and lack of major-level coaching experience, ponder whether he is a puppet, and are convinced senior Springboks players are running the show.

Even the Wallabies were hearing from their South African team spies that before the Johannesburg Test the "Springbok management were in a complete mess".

This general mood of discontent clouded the local press coverage. In the Sunday Tribune newspaper, next to the match report was a comment piece from rugby correspondent Gavin Rich, which was headlined: "De Villiers is out of his depth."

Rich, who questioned the coach's technical expertise, wrote that "the biggest mistake made by SA rugby in 2008 was appointing de Villiers".

"This has been obvious from an early stage of his tenure, when a senior member of the management team asked me to go easy on de Villiers and said: 'We are at a very sensitive stage, we know he is out of his depth, but he is a nice guy, and nice guys can learn.' This was before the Boks had played a Test."

Microphones and television cameras

The Sunday Times newspaper provided a backhander, starting its match report with: "The temptation to announce the world champions' return to the top is great, but the sobering thought is they produced this performance only when it no longer mattered."

De Villiers doesn't help himself with his behaviour when confronted by microphones and television cameras. He clearly thinks he is South Africa's Bob Hope.

One of his recent gems included his explanation of how he inspires his team: "I'll tell them talk is cheap and money buys the whisky."

Defending rugby's rough nature: "I know dancing is also a contact sport, but rugby is far from dancing. If you want to run with the big dogs then sometimes you have to lift your leg."

And he was at his best on Saturday, damning those who criticised him with: "The same people who threw their robes on the ground when Jesus was on the donkey are the same people who crowned him and hit him with sticks. But they're also the same people who said they shouldn't have done that afterwards because he really was the son of God - but I'm not saying I'm God."

If the endless de Villiers rants are not bewildering enough, in the background, almost every day there are stories of leading South African administrators about to be sacked or under investigation.

The reason the Wallabies and All Blacks persevere with this endless lunacy from the third Sanzar partner is that the dollars provided by the South African broadcasters are so lush. Ultimately, money talks stronger than any mangled language.

- Rugby Heaven