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First dust off the history books before making any decisions about the Springbok assistant coaches and management team.
That is the distress call of former head Bok selector and captain Wynand Claassen to the SA Rugby Union (Saru) before its general council meets on this issue on April 1 in the Cape.
“So much attention is given to the appointment of the Bok head coach that we overlook the importance of good assistant coaches. We simply have to go look at why we were so successful in 1995 and 2007; who were the assistant coaches then?” Claassen told City Press sister publication Rapport.
Saru was criticised in the Peter de Villiers and Heyneke Meyer eras precisely for the reason that the Bok head coaches were not supported by the strongest possible management teams, while Ian Foster and Wayne Smith received worldwide acclaim as Steve Hansen’s assistant coaches after the All Blacks won the World Cup last year.
De Villiers and Meyer themselves wanted other management members in certain instances, but due to these candidates’ contractual obligations elsewhere it was impossible to obtain their services for the Bok management team.
“Much of the Boks’ success in 1995 can be attributed to the contributions of Gysie Pienaar as backline coach. Pienaar wasn’t only a good player but became a coach of great calibre. The respected Morné du Plessis was also the team manager at the time.
“In 2007, Allister Coetzee and Gert Smal were the assistant coaches, both of whom had known the ropes for a long time. They had a lot to do with the team’s success and, later on [successful Australian coach now coaching England], Eddie Jones was also included.”
Claassen admits Saru is facing a difficult task in attending to the assistant coaches after the union makes its final decision about who, between Rassie Erasmus or Coetzee, will be the next head coach. The delay in appointing Meyer’s successor is also creating increasing uncertainty among the players.
“I think there are enough strong candidates to appoint as assistant coaches. Look, for example, at the good work [backline coach] Swys de Bruin is doing at the Lions. Before that, he fared very well with the Sharks juniors and should get the necessary acknowledgment.
“We should also not overlook [Cheetahs coach] Franco Smith’s CV. He has an excellent record and understands the Springbok ethos. I hold him in high regard as a coach. He and Swys are both very good backline coaches.”
Meyer’s World Cup management team consisted of 20 members and it’s unlikely that Saru will be able to appoint a head coach as well as his entire management team before June’s tests against Ireland. The strongest contenders for the assistant coach positions are already contracted elsewhere and these appointments can’t happen overnight.
Therefore it makes sense that Erasmus and his mobile Saru coaching team be appointed as, at least, interim coaches for the Irish tests and the Rugby Championship.
Such a move would give Saru more time to feel assured about the head coach, his assistant coaches and the rest of the management team, and not try to correct one mistake with another.
Saru has already confirmed that Johann van Graan, who was one of Meyer’s assistant coaches, will again be part of the new Bok management team. It is, however, still unclear in which capacity he will serve. – Rapport
