A really interesting article on Peter de Villiers

http://www.keo.co.za/2011/08/26/end-of-an-error/

Biltong you got me onto this site mate so thanks for that. I really enjoy reading what these blokes have to say. They call a spade a spade, are staunch SA supporters but also are pretty neutral. Recommended reading.

A very interesting article that, the conclusion at the end possibly saying what most people think about de Villiers.

I enjoy readying that website, normally some good comment on there, as you say disney, no beating around the bush!

Wow there wasn't a punch pulled there. Interesting read though I can't help but feel the later part of the article lacks substance compared to the first half as the writer starts to have less direct contact with PDV and the others.

agree with Sam. Astonishing story though. Hope no other international coaches have to deal with that level of interference (though I don't mean that as a defence of PDV)

In some ways I dislike the article.... its almost like he is washing his hands of his involvement... saying how he initially warmed to PDV as he had all the answers.... i.e. Habana would no longer be misued...

You mean during Jake White's tenure when he scored 30 tries in 35 games?

Is there a player in world tier 1 rugby with a better initial record? Please, if I heard that excuse I would have laughed yet this guy was impressed!

By all accounts it has been assumed and in some way confirmed by this article that he was just a puppet being lead by voices in the shadows.. yet he was one of those voices.

He didn't mention any ethical issues in having Luke Watson being made Captain... when there were about 6 players ahead of him for his own test jersey let alone the captain's armband.
We all know that Cheeky Watson whilst highly respected & principled he is a very dark and devisive character in SA rugby and involving him in anything tends to get a little dirty and tied to the political powers in the country.. yet he was perfectly fine with this.

One thing I want to know is given that ACI (African, Coloured & Indian) players tend to play in a few selected positions where did he think transformation was going to come from?
Coloured players are well represented in the backs already especially 3/4s.

So perhaps this guy or others thought centres & Outside halfs?

Well other than Jacobs there were at the time zero players of real test potential calibre... and JW had used Jacobs a number of times before deciding he wasn't up to the job.
Outside half... Januarie had his moments but other than him it was Earl Rose & Heini Adams. Jantjies has now emerged but it will be a number of years before he's ready.

Then we go to the forwards... Mujati & Chillboy were already being used, Beast & Johnson were too young. Maku, Floors.... thats it... and Floors wouldn't get into a Championship team in England either in 07 or anytime during his career.

If the potential was there I believe White would have used it... afterall he gave debuts to more ACI players than PDV has done (16 against 10) and the only position he hadn't capped an ACI was at Lock & Flyhalf.

Any realistic critic would have said....

Ok, which players have been kept down due to being ACI (alleged) .... is Adi Jacobs the best he could muster... a player given multiple chances by White to perform?

The reality is (or at least in my not so humble opinion) currently there was and still isn't the players available for the so called transformation to occur without SA being humiliated by all tier 1 nations including Scotland & Italy.

The last thing ACI people need is to be told they are there only for being non-white, to be the token guy. Players like Habana fought for their shirt and shouldn't have to be asked... do you think you got your chance because you're coloured?
The fact that Jake White is revered by all his players shows that black or white they believed in him and he believed in them... there was & is mutual affection between the 2 camps. Everyone earned their position, everyone was equal.

The problem is that because of SA rugby utopians like this guy, SARU will probably think twice about hiring another ACI guy for a while... whether or not he is good enough or not.

If people want transformation in terms of widening the sport to all, putting all kids on a level playing field then fine... but everyone and I mean everyone in SA knew in 07 as much as we know now that at the moment... that the pool of quality players of ACI backgrounds is small (given player numbers its probably of equal proportion to White players but Whites make up a large majority of players and those in structured involvement).

In all honesty it sounds like this guy is just jumping off the ship saying he had honourable reasons for his backing and trying to get the first word in what will be a firefight once PDV leaves his post.

Keo loves to be controversial, I am sure some of what he says is true, but some of it is just Blah.Blah, blah

As much as i hate PDV , keo really needs to quit the coach and team bashing until after the world cup ! Theres not one week we've ever gone without him writing some article bout how crap the Boks are. And the next week will be praising the Boks.Very much two faced individual. I only visit the website to read the comments and Vrede ,Cardinelli articles

This guy sounds like he is in the know or has the ear of a few in camp.

He's probably just preparing himself for the firestorm which will happen post RWC in all probabilty.

Totally right though... no matter what people should back the team and should keep these articles to after the RWC.... its not like it was a new story... he could have published it post the disasterous NH tour in 10.

One thing I think people should worry about is that if SA do ok and at worst get beaten in the SF by NZ by a respectable margin then PDV may keep his job.

For SA Rugby if SA are not going to win the RWC11, in the long run it would probably be better for SA to crash and burn rather than keep on PDV for another 2 years.

PDV gets a lot of personal attcks for being an incompetent coach, but isn't it his employers who are really to blame. They should be the ones getting ridiculed in the media.