Category: Springboks

News and discussion about the Springboks

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…)

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.

‘I am angry,’ sports minister Makhenkesi Stofile said on Tuesday. ‘I did not hear him make the comments, but I received the message that he said we are wholeheartedly behind this chap who killed the policeman, 100%. That is disgraceful. It doesn’t matter what the circumstances were. I can’t believe he said this. (more…)

Victor Matfield

Victor Matfield
Birth: 11 May 1977, Pietersburg RSA
Height: 200cm
Weight: 115kg
Position: Lock
Provinces: Blue Bulls (1998, 2001 to present), Griquas (1999, 2000)
Primary school: Pietersburg-North
Secondary school: Pietersburg High
Tertiary education: University of Pretoria

Test stats
Springbok number: 705
Tests: 99
Results: P 99 | W 62 | L 35 | D 2
Points: 30 (6 tries)
Captain: 11 Tests (7 wins)
Tests started: 95 (4 as replacement)
First Test: 30 June 2001 (age 24) v Italy (Port Elizabeth)
Last Test: 21 August 2010 (age 33) v New Zealand (Soweto)

Honours
SA Rugby Player of the Year nominee (2001, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009)
Try of the Year (2004) (v Australia in Durban)
Most-capped Springbok lock
World record with Bakkies Botha for most Tests as a lock combination in the starting line-up (56)