Peter de Villiers took some time out before the End of the Year tour to face some tough questions from Springbok rugby fans.
From: SA Rugby
Are there personal issues like you had with Frans Steyn or is Duane Vermeulen just not good enough for your team? I believe that if this team was chosen on 2010 form, he should not have been left out of the touring squad. Richard van Schalkwyk.
Hi Richard, the simple answer is we’ve got some great eighthmen in our country and the selectors thought long and hard about the options and the combinations for a tour with such a short preparation time. It was a rugby decision, as are all the selectors’ decisions.
The Bokke have obviously not had the best of seasons so far, what has been said and done to inspire them to turn it all around for the tour? Dorothy Fourie
Hi Dorothy, we’ve reviewed what we did and didn’t do well in the Vodacom Tri-Nations and have now refocused as a management and a team. What happened in our last six tests is behind us and we have learnt from our mistakes.
Good morning from a cold UK. I have a very good question, in fact 2 questions for Pieter de Villiers:
1. How can you leave out Francois Louw out of the Springbok tour ?
2. How can you consider Konkowsji above Duane Vermeulen ?
3. How can you consider Radepele abough WP no. 2 ?
Deric Bosch
Hi Deric, that’s three questions by counting but there is only one answer and that is that we have a lot of good players in the country and I’m sure there are supporters of other provinces who have similar questions about their players. The selectors have the luxury of being able to select from more provinces than just one. The players we have selected are outstanding players with international experience and have already earned their place. We also have to look at factors such as integrating new players into the squad with only a week to prepare for the first test.
My question is going forward especially with the RWC in mind will you be looking at bringing in an expert like Eddie Jones? Not Eddie per se, perhaps John Mitchell can be utilized as he has RWC experience as well as Carlos Spencer? Etienne Rossouw
Yes Etienne, we are thinking and looking at the idea of using consultants but you must understand that this is not because we feel we don’t already have the expertise – but much with Edie Jones in 2007 it is to tweak here and there or to say the same things in a different voice.
Hi Peter. What do you think the Boks have that other teams lack and will help us win the World Cup in 2011? Thanks for the great job. Tim Forssman
Thanks for the positive sentiments Tim. We are blessed in our country in the natural talent we possess and the wide areas that our talent comes from. We have big, fast forwards and very quick backs as well as great goalkickers. Our boys grow up with rugby in their blood and instinctively give 100% committed performances and we now have a great spine of experience in the team.
We have disappointed our supporters and ourselves at times this season but we have all the ingredients to win the World Cup once more.
Dear Peter, I come from your town and has the highest respect for what you have achieved so far. However, this has arguably been the toughest year for the BOKS under your care and it was mostly the “off the ball†incidents (or so it seemed) that has lead to some of our poor performances. Do you think that the players in your squad, senior as well as junior, has enough confidence in you and your assistants to lead them to a successful Grand Slam tour and subsequently a successful W.C in 2011? Jerome Simmery
That’s a question only the players could answer but this team is a family and we have grown together over the last three years through trials and tribulations and I believe we stand together like a family.
John Smit is a great leader and servant to SA rugby, but now he is to slow and unfit to keep up with the good modern game sides. Why doesn’t he retire and become a consultant and motivator for the WC instead of playing? Thys Pelser
Don’t write off John Smit, Thys. I have every confidence in him and just watch him go next season.
Dear Mr de Villiers, all rugby supporters want is the assurance or confidence that between you and the selectors a team is picked which can do us proud – please pick only the best inform and committed players regardless of colour. Dave Pratten
Dear Dave, that is exactly what I have been doing from day one with the selectors.
Not to be funny but could you please explain how Adi Jacobs can be in a Springbok squad when he is not good enough to make the sharks team? Ewald Loock
Dear Ewald, Adi has rugby vision and the skills to exploit it but has been hampered by injury since showing that once again in the opening rounds of Vodacom Super 14. He is also an experienced operator which is why he was called back into the Bok squad after the injury to Juan de Jongh.
Hi Mr. de Villiers, how come you don’t you just do the honourable thing and quit. We know our most experienced players need a breather, but to save your own skin you decide to take them with anyway. Are you hoping they will win some games for you so that the country loves you again? Mark Struwig
Hi Mark, I was appointed to do the best I can to help the Springboks win Test matches but it sounds like you want me to pick a team to lose. We have 13 senior players injured and not on tour and a 14th (Danie Rossouw) was not selected. A lot of players are getting rest. The few others on this tour will be managed as best we can in conjunction with their provincial employers.
Pieter, how can you select someone who can’t make match winning decisions on Currie Cup level as captain of a Springbok team? Did you also notice that he took only ONE lineout ball in the entire semi-final. If you ask me, we are heading for another disaster. Johan P Strauss
Hi Johan, I’ll pass on your opinion to Victor but I don’t share it. He has won more provincial titles as captain than anyone else in South African rugby in modern times.
Hi Div, I’m a passionate fan and I live in Australia. When will you and your two assistants wake up and realize that the best way forward for our rugby team is for all three of you to admit you are out of your league at this level and let someone else take over. Mark Berelowitz
Hi Mark, that’s a call for our employers. We know where we are and what we are trying to achieve.
Dear Pete, What pattern of play are you as National coach going to adopt for the WC? Are you hoping to play a defensive pattern or is it going to be a high tempo attacking pattern like we saw from the Stormers and AB’s this year? Denys
The only style that matters at a RWC is a winning style and as the game continues to evolve depending on the emphasis on Law interpretations it’s hard to predict just where it will be in 11 months time. But the old basics will always apply: good defence, commitment at the collision point and cutting down on mistakes.
Why are you not divulging enough of your plans to get fans to support you? No-one is asking for your secret schemes or tactics, but complete opacity about what you’re trying to do and how gives people nothing to hold on to other than results and their own idea of whether they are seeing progress. On that basis it is currently quite irrational for anyone to believe in what you are trying to do. Fans can believe in a building program, but not if they don’t know what it is. Steve M.
Hi Steve, don’t fans only care about winning? At the end of last year’s Vodacom Tri-Nations I don’t recall that people were calling for our gameplans. I think it is more about execution than anything else for us and if we execute as we can on our plans then we’ll do well.