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Compiled by Dominic Valentine
Cape Town - Presenting a gallery of the top 10 greatest moments under Peter de Villiers since his reign began as coach of the Springboks in 2008.
GALLERY: Top 10 Bok Lows under Div
Peter de Villiers has taken the Springboks to Tri-Nations and British and Irish Lions glory, and along the way he has achieved many records and accolades which are definitely worth remembering.
Is he the man to take the Springboks to the next World Cup? Although the embattled Springbok coach is currently under a lot of pressure, he has given Springbok supporters great joy in the past. Who knows, perhaps he can still add a World Cup trophy to his trophy cabinet also...
Number 10)
7 June 2008 - Wales 17-43 Springboks (Bloemfontein Park)
Peter de Villiers' first Test in charge was a very promising start as his new-look team crushed Wales in Bloemfontein. He showed faith in many players who had been successful during Jake White's reign and gave them reassurance that he had their well-being at heart, bringing back players like Victor Matfield and John Smit from overseas. (Gallo Images)
Number 9)
28 August 2010 - Springboks 44-31 Wallabies (Loftus Versfeld)
In a display of enterprising rugby the Springboks managed to avoid a Tri-Nations whitewash and ensured that Victor Matfield would complete his 100th Test in a triumphant manner. (Gallo Images)
Number 8)
6 November 2010 - Ireland 21-23 Springboks (Lansdowne Rd)
Peter de Villiers managed to banish the ghost of not having beaten the Irish in Ireland for 10 years, and do something that Jake White was never able to achieve: victory over Ireland in Ireland, he also made sure that the Springboks christened the new Aviva Stadium with an historic victory over the Irish, thus adding to the storied legend of the Springboks. (Gallo Images)
Number 7)
22 November 2008 - England 6-42 Springboks (Twickenham)
Peter de Villiers' new-look team crushes the English in mind, body and spirit, thus maintaining the stranglehold and the period of dominance that began in the Jake White era. (Gallo Images)
Number 6)
12 September 2009 - All Blacks 29-32 Springboks (Waikato)
Peter de Villiers completed a hattrick of wins over New Zealand and completing a period of dominance over them, thus coaching only the second ever Springbok team after Nick Mallet's legendary Boks of '98 to whitewash New Zealand in the Tri Nations. (Gallo Images)
Number 5)
30 August 2008 - Springboks 53-8 Wallabies (Coca Cola Park)
Peter de Villiers' Boks deliver a masterclass over the Wallabies, dominating them in every facet of the game and breaking the scoring record for a Springbok team over the Wallabies at Coca Cola Park and ensuring that legendary fullback Percy Montgomery's last Test as a Springbok would go down in the annals of Bok history. (Gallo Images)
Number 4)
12 July 2008 - All Blacks 28-32 Springboks (Carisbrook Stadium)
Peter de Villiers' Springboks' last-gasp try achieved their first victory at Carisbrook since the first Test between rugby’s greatest rivals was played in Dunedin in 1921. South Africa also broke a run of 30 consecutive Test victories in Internationals at home by the All Blacks. Peter de Villiers was thus able to achieve something else that Jake White was never able to: victory over the All Blacks in New Zealand. (Gallo Images)
Number 3)
20 June 2009 - Springboks 26-21 British and Irish Lions (Durban)
The Springboks managed to hang on to a victory after a late surge from the British and Irish Lions, but dominated most of the game destroying the much vaunted Lions scrum and lineout and claiming an important win in the first game of the series. (Gallo Images)
Number 2)
1 August 2009 - Springboks 31-19 All Blacks (Durban)
Peter de Villiers' side completes the most dominant and commanding display against the All Blacks in recent history, humbling them with a defeat that South Africans were more familiar with being on the receiving end of in recent years, as records fell left, right and centre. (Gallo Images)
And the number 1 greatest moment under Div's leadership...
27 June 2009 - Springboks 28-25 British and Irish Lions
The Springboks squeaked home against the Lions, thus ensuring that the final Test in the series would be a mere dead rubber affair, as the Springboks put to bed the ghost of their series loss against the Lions in 1997, and restored the pride of the Springboks, ensuring that the 2009 Boks would be a Springbok team of legend in the years to come. (Gallo Images)
Cape Town - Presenting a gallery of the top 10 greatest moments under Peter de Villiers since his reign began as coach of the Springboks in 2008.
GALLERY: Top 10 Bok Lows under Div
Peter de Villiers has taken the Springboks to Tri-Nations and British and Irish Lions glory, and along the way he has achieved many records and accolades which are definitely worth remembering.
Is he the man to take the Springboks to the next World Cup? Although the embattled Springbok coach is currently under a lot of pressure, he has given Springbok supporters great joy in the past. Who knows, perhaps he can still add a World Cup trophy to his trophy cabinet also...
Number 10)
7 June 2008 - Wales 17-43 Springboks (Bloemfontein Park)
Peter de Villiers' first Test in charge was a very promising start as his new-look team crushed Wales in Bloemfontein. He showed faith in many players who had been successful during Jake White's reign and gave them reassurance that he had their well-being at heart, bringing back players like Victor Matfield and John Smit from overseas. (Gallo Images)
Number 9)
28 August 2010 - Springboks 44-31 Wallabies (Loftus Versfeld)
In a display of enterprising rugby the Springboks managed to avoid a Tri-Nations whitewash and ensured that Victor Matfield would complete his 100th Test in a triumphant manner. (Gallo Images)
Number 8)
6 November 2010 - Ireland 21-23 Springboks (Lansdowne Rd)
Peter de Villiers managed to banish the ghost of not having beaten the Irish in Ireland for 10 years, and do something that Jake White was never able to achieve: victory over Ireland in Ireland, he also made sure that the Springboks christened the new Aviva Stadium with an historic victory over the Irish, thus adding to the storied legend of the Springboks. (Gallo Images)
Number 7)
22 November 2008 - England 6-42 Springboks (Twickenham)
Peter de Villiers' new-look team crushes the English in mind, body and spirit, thus maintaining the stranglehold and the period of dominance that began in the Jake White era. (Gallo Images)
Number 6)
12 September 2009 - All Blacks 29-32 Springboks (Waikato)
Peter de Villiers completed a hattrick of wins over New Zealand and completing a period of dominance over them, thus coaching only the second ever Springbok team after Nick Mallet's legendary Boks of '98 to whitewash New Zealand in the Tri Nations. (Gallo Images)
Number 5)
30 August 2008 - Springboks 53-8 Wallabies (Coca Cola Park)
Peter de Villiers' Boks deliver a masterclass over the Wallabies, dominating them in every facet of the game and breaking the scoring record for a Springbok team over the Wallabies at Coca Cola Park and ensuring that legendary fullback Percy Montgomery's last Test as a Springbok would go down in the annals of Bok history. (Gallo Images)
Number 4)
12 July 2008 - All Blacks 28-32 Springboks (Carisbrook Stadium)
Peter de Villiers' Springboks' last-gasp try achieved their first victory at Carisbrook since the first Test between rugby’s greatest rivals was played in Dunedin in 1921. South Africa also broke a run of 30 consecutive Test victories in Internationals at home by the All Blacks. Peter de Villiers was thus able to achieve something else that Jake White was never able to: victory over the All Blacks in New Zealand. (Gallo Images)
Number 3)
20 June 2009 - Springboks 26-21 British and Irish Lions (Durban)
The Springboks managed to hang on to a victory after a late surge from the British and Irish Lions, but dominated most of the game destroying the much vaunted Lions scrum and lineout and claiming an important win in the first game of the series. (Gallo Images)
Number 2)
1 August 2009 - Springboks 31-19 All Blacks (Durban)
Peter de Villiers' side completes the most dominant and commanding display against the All Blacks in recent history, humbling them with a defeat that South Africans were more familiar with being on the receiving end of in recent years, as records fell left, right and centre. (Gallo Images)
And the number 1 greatest moment under Div's leadership...
27 June 2009 - Springboks 28-25 British and Irish Lions
The Springboks squeaked home against the Lions, thus ensuring that the final Test in the series would be a mere dead rubber affair, as the Springboks put to bed the ghost of their series loss against the Lions in 1997, and restored the pride of the Springboks, ensuring that the 2009 Boks would be a Springbok team of legend in the years to come. (Gallo Images)
