Zeena Isaacs
19 December 2008
Johannesburg — SPRINGBOK coach Peter de Villiers and his assistants Gary Gold and Dick Muir can rest easy over the Christmas break after passing their year-end reviews with flying colours.
The three appeared before a South African Rugby Union (Saru) committee on Wednesday where their performances were rated following a successful international season in which the Springboks won nine of their 13 Tests.
For De Villiers in particular, the positive feedback about his first year in what is arguably the toughest job in the game will come as a huge relief after he took over the position under immense pressure to perform as the first black national coach.
With positives such as record victories against Australia and England and the team's first win in Dunedin, as well as superb team spirit, as the main achievements noted in the review, the coaching team will have a good foundation to build on.
Saru president Oregan Hoskins was delighted with the outcome of the coaching reviews yesterday and said he was excited about the season ahead.
"The coaching reviews were extremely positive and the vibe coming from all three coaches was good," said Hoskins.
"This is the same assessment Jake White (Rugby World Cup-winning Springbok coach) had to undergo and it was handled very professionally. So we are very pleased."
The panel responsible for reviewing the coaches' performances included national selector and former Springbok coach Ian McIntosh, Leopards Rugby Union president James Stoffberg and human resources expert Elna van Niekerk.
Hoskins admitted, however, that it was not all positive and that the coaches faced some constructive criticism.
"We sat down with Peter for a while and we spoke about some of the weaknesses and listened to his views about certain weaknesses and what he expected going forward," said Hoskins. "But all the coaches handled the criticism well and took it on the chin. They all did very well."
Hoskins said the coaches were optimistic about next season. "They are quietly confident that they can build on the resounding 42-6 victory against England at Twickenham and the 53-8 thumping of Australia at Ellis Park this past season."
The team spirit, which is believed to have been a major contributing factor to the team's success this season, is a factor Hoskins believes will assist in guiding the team to even greater success next season.
"All three coaches were very impressed with the vibe in the squad this year," said Hoskins.
"The senior players have said it is the best in years and by the looks of things the team can't wait to assemble again."
While De Villiers and Muir plan to work closely with the Super 14 coaches next season as part of their preparation for the British and Irish Lions tour, Gold will join up with the Stormers as an assistant coach.
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