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Andrew "Tank" Lanning
Springbok forwards coach Gary Gold almost fell off his chair when reading the Cape Times this morning. A normal All Bran and 2% milk day-starter was rudely interrupted by the front page report suggesting that Springbok coach Peter de Villiers may be preparing to get rid of him.
De Villiers is quoted in the paper saying that some of his support staff have not been supporting him, and that he had taken the matter up with his bosses at the South African Rugby Union. They have, in turn, according to De Villiers, told him that he “Must just give him the names and it will be sorted out”.
With Dick Muir seemingly in the clear given De Villiers’ comment in the report that he “Has a lot of respect for Dick” for going to SARU and asking that his contract not be linked to that of De Villiers because “I am here to support him”, Gold seems the man likely to face the chop, and it was suggested that there had been tensions between the pair during their two years together.
However Gold said that he and De Villiers have been getting on well. “The last time I spoke to Peter was before he went to the United States and it was as if we were best friends. I have no idea what it might be about,” said Gold.
De Villiers is unhappy with the media stories last year that the Springbok team was being run by the players and the assistant coaches.
“That kind of message that went out to the public indicates there is chaos in the Springbok team, which is not the case. So I must get rid of the kind of people that are sending out these messages,” said De Villiers.
I recently had the chance to chat informally to Gold at a monthly gathering of the Charles Glass Society, and specifically put to him this very question. His reply was the following: “Only in a very good way. Peter realised that he was moving into well oiled machine that was working well. So instead of trying to fix things that were not broken, he tapped into the senior players in the side to get a feel for what was working so well.”
Looking to get something more provocative out of the man, I then pointedly asked if he was proud to call Peter de Villiers his boss. Without thinking, Gold said “Yes”.
The Cape Times report, further fuelling the fire that it is indeed Gold who is in the firing line, then went on to quote De Villiers on the positive impact current Stormers forward coach, Matthew Proudfoot has had on the Cape franchise:
“Matthew Proudfoot has been impressing me with the Stormers pack. I want to know how he has pushed someone like Brok Harris to become a strong scrummager who makes a lot of tackles and carries the ball well,” said De Villiers.
Fairly ironic in two ways. First, that it was Gold himself who started putting this Stormers pack together as head coach of Western Province in 2007, and two, that SARU and De Villiers have been looking to contract former Springbok prop Os du Randt, rather than Proudfoot, as the Springbok front row coach.
De Villiers said he had made a “big mistake” in his management appointments.
“I am the boss of the Springbok team, and I have a support start around me who were appointed to support me. But I feel that some of them have not been supporting me,” De Villiers is reported to have said.
The management member or members that would no longer be part of the group would be informed at a meeting scheduled for 16 and 17 May.
Springbok forwards coach Gary Gold almost fell off his chair when reading the Cape Times this morning. A normal All Bran and 2% milk day-starter was rudely interrupted by the front page report suggesting that Springbok coach Peter de Villiers may be preparing to get rid of him.
De Villiers is quoted in the paper saying that some of his support staff have not been supporting him, and that he had taken the matter up with his bosses at the South African Rugby Union. They have, in turn, according to De Villiers, told him that he “Must just give him the names and it will be sorted out”.
With Dick Muir seemingly in the clear given De Villiers’ comment in the report that he “Has a lot of respect for Dick” for going to SARU and asking that his contract not be linked to that of De Villiers because “I am here to support him”, Gold seems the man likely to face the chop, and it was suggested that there had been tensions between the pair during their two years together.
However Gold said that he and De Villiers have been getting on well. “The last time I spoke to Peter was before he went to the United States and it was as if we were best friends. I have no idea what it might be about,” said Gold.
De Villiers is unhappy with the media stories last year that the Springbok team was being run by the players and the assistant coaches.
“That kind of message that went out to the public indicates there is chaos in the Springbok team, which is not the case. So I must get rid of the kind of people that are sending out these messages,” said De Villiers.
I recently had the chance to chat informally to Gold at a monthly gathering of the Charles Glass Society, and specifically put to him this very question. His reply was the following: “Only in a very good way. Peter realised that he was moving into well oiled machine that was working well. So instead of trying to fix things that were not broken, he tapped into the senior players in the side to get a feel for what was working so well.”
Looking to get something more provocative out of the man, I then pointedly asked if he was proud to call Peter de Villiers his boss. Without thinking, Gold said “Yes”.
The Cape Times report, further fuelling the fire that it is indeed Gold who is in the firing line, then went on to quote De Villiers on the positive impact current Stormers forward coach, Matthew Proudfoot has had on the Cape franchise:
“Matthew Proudfoot has been impressing me with the Stormers pack. I want to know how he has pushed someone like Brok Harris to become a strong scrummager who makes a lot of tackles and carries the ball well,” said De Villiers.
Fairly ironic in two ways. First, that it was Gold himself who started putting this Stormers pack together as head coach of Western Province in 2007, and two, that SARU and De Villiers have been looking to contract former Springbok prop Os du Randt, rather than Proudfoot, as the Springbok front row coach.
De Villiers said he had made a “big mistake” in his management appointments.
“I am the boss of the Springbok team, and I have a support start around me who were appointed to support me. But I feel that some of them have not been supporting me,” De Villiers is reported to have said.
The management member or members that would no longer be part of the group would be informed at a meeting scheduled for 16 and 17 May.
