Month: September 2010

The disharmony between Springbok coach Peter de Villiers and his assistants Dick Muir and Gary Gold has reached a head, with De Villiers seemingly in a desperate search for new assistants before the Springboks embark on their end-of-year tour. This despite SARU having stated that the current Springbok management would stay intact. (more…)

Times Online writer Patrick Kidd, who compiled the list, said the All Blacks could have featured on the list more than twice.

“It may be cruel to include the All Blacks twice in this list, but has self-belief and potential ever exploded so often, so predictably? As well as 1999 and 2007, we could include the World Cups in 1995 (damn that food poisoning), 1991 (two moments of brilliance by David Campese) or 2003 (averaged 62 points per game until the semi-final then blew it against Australia). How will they self-destruct on home soil in 2011?”

The 10 greatest chokers in sport

01. New Zealand rugby team (1999)
02. South Africa cricket team (1999)
03. Greg Norman (1996)
04. Asafa Powell (2007)
05. Scott Hoch (1989)
06. Jean van der Velde (1999)
07. Somerset cricket team (2010)
08. Guillermo Coria (2004)
09. Doug Sanders (1970)
10. Houston Oilers (1993)

Australia and New Zealand must have breathed a collective sigh of relief as SARU decided to keep the Springbok coaching team intact. The decision emerged after today’s review of the shocking performance of the national side under Peter de Villiers, Dick Muir and Gary Gold.

“The committee’s focus was very much on examining areas where we can assist the Springbok team and coach in making sure they arrive at the field in the best possible state of preparation,” said James Stoffberg, chairman of the review committee. “We reviewed the season to date and have discussed options for assisting the team in those preparations. It was a frank meeting but a positive one. The results of the Springbok team are of paramount importance to our organisation and everyone in the room was committed to providing the team with the best conditions in which to succeed.”

Peter de Villiers said: “It was a very helpful process as we have thoroughly reviewed all our systems. We know there are areas in which we must improve and we will be focusing on those in the remainder of the season.”

Oregan Hoskins said: “We are almost finished with our review. It was really advantageous. But we will treat the issue in confidence as it related to an employee. We are asking people to give us a chance to digest what happened here today.” When asked whether the Springbok coaches’ jobs were safe Hoskins simply said: “I’m not going to answer that, sorry.”

One of the reasons held up by SARU for not being able to get rid of the underperforming Springbok coaching staff of Peter de Villiers, Gary Gold and Dick Muir was that they would not be able to afford to pay out the remainder of the coaches’ contracts. Now, in a situation of supreme irony, it appears that SARU does have the money to be able to fire them all. Where did it come from? The Springboks played so poorly in the Tri Nations that SARU was not required to pay out performance and win bonuses totalling R4 million. It turns out that this is more than enough to buy out the coaching team’s contracts – with change to spare.