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Cannon apologises to Div

Adnaan Mohamed

Brisbane - Former Wallaby hooker Brendan Cannon has apologised to Springboks coach Peter de Villiers for calling him a clown.

VIDEO: Aussies mock Div

“I hereby wish to publicly apologise to Bok coach Peter de Villiers for comments I made about him on The Rugby Club TV programme on Wednesday evening. I am sorry if I offended him,” Cannon said on Fox Sports on Friday.

The Springbok team issued an ultimatum to TV company Fox Sports to make a public apology after Cannon called the Bok coach a clown during the company’s rugby programme, The Rugby Club, on Wednesday.

“I can’t believe that senior players like John Smit and Victor Matfield allow themselves to be controlled by this guy. He is a clown. He surely does not coach the team,”  Cannon said on the show.

A number of De Villiers’s most controversial statements from the past were mentioned, with each panel member belittling him. The other members of the panel were former Wallaby fullback Greg Martin and hooker, Jeremy Paul.

The Springbok team threatened not to grant Fox Sports interviews again unless Cannon apologised.

Cannon apologised live on Fox Sport on Friday and will apologise again when The Rugby Club is aired again on Wednesday night.

According to Springbok media manager Anthony Mackaiser, the management and the players were very unhappy with the derogatory statements made about the coach and demanded an apology.

“The producer of the programme confirmed in an email that the comments made were unacceptable. An apology and retraction was made by Cannon. The coach is happy with this and as far as we are concerned the matter is now done and dusted ,” Mackaiser said at the team hotel on Friday.
 
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