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Dominic Valentine
Cape Town - Presenting a Gallery of the top 10 most humiliating defeats under Peter de Villiers since his reign began as coach of the Springboks in 2008.
Peter de Villiers took over a World Cup winning team, and took them to Tri-Nations and British and Irish Lions glory, but along the way he has at times plumbed new Springbok lows and earned unwanted records especially in recent times where the Springboks have seemingly gone from World Champions to Chumps.
Is he the man to take the Springboks to the next World Cup? The number of sceptics is growing...
Number 10)
23 August 2008 – Springboks 15 – Wallabies 27 (Durban)
The Springboks slumped to a 12-point loss against the Wallabies in Durban. It was the first time since 2000 that they had lost to Australia inside South Africa. (Gallo Images)
Number 9)
28 November 2009 – Ireland 15-10 Springboks (Dublin)
Loss to Ireland completed their third loss in a row to Ireland (admittedly the first two losses were under Jake White). This meant that South Africa hadn’t beaten Ireland for five years, and hadn’t beaten Ireland in Ireland for nine years, which is pathetic if you consider that prior to 2004, the Boks had lost to Ireland only once, in 1965. (Gallo Images)
Number 8)
4 September 2010 – Springboks 39-41 Wallabies (Bloemfontein)
The humiliation factor of this Test match was quite high given that the Wallabies hadn’t won on the Highveld for 47 years until this match. With 1 win out of 6 games this match completed the worst Tri-Nations in the history of the Springboks. (South Africa previous worst was 1 win in 4 games before an extra 2 fixtures were added to the Tri Nations calendar.) (Gallo Images)
Number 7)
10 July 2010 – All Blacks 32-12 Springboks (Eden Park)
The most comprehensive beating of the Springboks under Pieter de Villiers, the All Blacks outplayed, outmuscled and outsmarted the Springboks in a one-sided display. The Springbok’s armband protest also came back to bite them in the bum as Blue Bulls bully Bakkies Botha brutally head-butted little Jimmy Cowan from behind, earning a nine-week ban. (Gallo Images)
Number 6)
4 July 2009 – Springboks 9 – British and Irish Lions 28 (Johannesburg)
Peter de Villiers rested players for this dead rubber against the British and Irish Lions, although the manner of the defeat was not humiliating the Springbok series win was tainted by the infamous 'Justice 4Bakkies' white armband protest, in which the Springboks protested what they viewed as unfair treatment by the citing commission towards South African rugby. The protest got the Springboks into trouble with the IRB, who gave them a warning for 'bringing the game into disrepute'. The protest, orchestrated by John Smit and SAPA was given the green light by Peter de Villiers in a show of solidarity. The international press took a dim view of the Springbok antics. (Gallo Images)
Number 5)
6 December 2009 – Leceister 22-17 Springboks. (Leceister)
A hodge-podge Springbok outfit sinks to an historic humbling defeat to a club side, two weeks after having lost to another club side, Saracens. The scrum is utterly humiliated and the Springboks lose their third game in a row on tour and their fourth out of a total of five, thus completing perhaps the worst Tour in Springbok history. (Gallo Images)
Number 4)
17 November 2009 – Saracens 24-23 Springboks. (London)
The Springboks nightmare begins as they slump to a club side, made worse by the fact that the team is coached by a South African coach, and filled with South African players, many of whom had never played for the Springboks. (Gallo Images)
Number 3)
16 August 2008 – Springboks 0-16 All Blacks. (Newlands)
Percy Montgomery’s 100th Test cap and the last time he would ever play as a Springbok at his home ground, Newlands. The Springboks suffered the ignominy of not being able to score a single point against the All Blacks. (Gallo Images)
Number 2)
21 August 2010 – Springboks 22-29 All Blacks. (Soweto)
Not only did inspirational captain John Smit’s 100th cap go down like a damp squib, but our new 90 000-seater World Cup Stadium’s christening result in Tests was a sickening defeat to the All Blacks. (Gallo Images)
And the number 1 most humiliating defeat of all with Peter de Villiers as coach...
20 November 2010 - Scotland 21-17 Springboks. (Edinburgh)
The Springboks had only lost to the Scottish four times before in their history, the most recent being the loss at Murrayfield under the ill-fated reign of Rudolf Straeuli. The loss denied the Springboks the chance of an historic Grand Slam. It was not only the defeat itself which was embarrassing but the way in which the Springboks capitulated, kicking all possession away and playing a dour, predictable game. (Gallo Images)
Cape Town - Presenting a Gallery of the top 10 most humiliating defeats under Peter de Villiers since his reign began as coach of the Springboks in 2008.
Peter de Villiers took over a World Cup winning team, and took them to Tri-Nations and British and Irish Lions glory, but along the way he has at times plumbed new Springbok lows and earned unwanted records especially in recent times where the Springboks have seemingly gone from World Champions to Chumps.
Is he the man to take the Springboks to the next World Cup? The number of sceptics is growing...
Number 10)
23 August 2008 – Springboks 15 – Wallabies 27 (Durban)
The Springboks slumped to a 12-point loss against the Wallabies in Durban. It was the first time since 2000 that they had lost to Australia inside South Africa. (Gallo Images)
Number 9)
28 November 2009 – Ireland 15-10 Springboks (Dublin)
Loss to Ireland completed their third loss in a row to Ireland (admittedly the first two losses were under Jake White). This meant that South Africa hadn’t beaten Ireland for five years, and hadn’t beaten Ireland in Ireland for nine years, which is pathetic if you consider that prior to 2004, the Boks had lost to Ireland only once, in 1965. (Gallo Images)
Number 8)
4 September 2010 – Springboks 39-41 Wallabies (Bloemfontein)
The humiliation factor of this Test match was quite high given that the Wallabies hadn’t won on the Highveld for 47 years until this match. With 1 win out of 6 games this match completed the worst Tri-Nations in the history of the Springboks. (South Africa previous worst was 1 win in 4 games before an extra 2 fixtures were added to the Tri Nations calendar.) (Gallo Images)
Number 7)
10 July 2010 – All Blacks 32-12 Springboks (Eden Park)
The most comprehensive beating of the Springboks under Pieter de Villiers, the All Blacks outplayed, outmuscled and outsmarted the Springboks in a one-sided display. The Springbok’s armband protest also came back to bite them in the bum as Blue Bulls bully Bakkies Botha brutally head-butted little Jimmy Cowan from behind, earning a nine-week ban. (Gallo Images)
Number 6)
4 July 2009 – Springboks 9 – British and Irish Lions 28 (Johannesburg)
Peter de Villiers rested players for this dead rubber against the British and Irish Lions, although the manner of the defeat was not humiliating the Springbok series win was tainted by the infamous 'Justice 4Bakkies' white armband protest, in which the Springboks protested what they viewed as unfair treatment by the citing commission towards South African rugby. The protest got the Springboks into trouble with the IRB, who gave them a warning for 'bringing the game into disrepute'. The protest, orchestrated by John Smit and SAPA was given the green light by Peter de Villiers in a show of solidarity. The international press took a dim view of the Springbok antics. (Gallo Images)
Number 5)
6 December 2009 – Leceister 22-17 Springboks. (Leceister)
A hodge-podge Springbok outfit sinks to an historic humbling defeat to a club side, two weeks after having lost to another club side, Saracens. The scrum is utterly humiliated and the Springboks lose their third game in a row on tour and their fourth out of a total of five, thus completing perhaps the worst Tour in Springbok history. (Gallo Images)
Number 4)
17 November 2009 – Saracens 24-23 Springboks. (London)
The Springboks nightmare begins as they slump to a club side, made worse by the fact that the team is coached by a South African coach, and filled with South African players, many of whom had never played for the Springboks. (Gallo Images)
Number 3)
16 August 2008 – Springboks 0-16 All Blacks. (Newlands)
Percy Montgomery’s 100th Test cap and the last time he would ever play as a Springbok at his home ground, Newlands. The Springboks suffered the ignominy of not being able to score a single point against the All Blacks. (Gallo Images)
Number 2)
21 August 2010 – Springboks 22-29 All Blacks. (Soweto)
Not only did inspirational captain John Smit’s 100th cap go down like a damp squib, but our new 90 000-seater World Cup Stadium’s christening result in Tests was a sickening defeat to the All Blacks. (Gallo Images)
And the number 1 most humiliating defeat of all with Peter de Villiers as coach...
20 November 2010 - Scotland 21-17 Springboks. (Edinburgh)
The Springboks had only lost to the Scottish four times before in their history, the most recent being the loss at Murrayfield under the ill-fated reign of Rudolf Straeuli. The loss denied the Springboks the chance of an historic Grand Slam. It was not only the defeat itself which was embarrassing but the way in which the Springboks capitulated, kicking all possession away and playing a dour, predictable game. (Gallo Images)
