Peter De Villiers was named yesterday as the first black coach of the South African rugby side, succeeding Jake White at the helm of the World Cup champions.
De Villiers, currently the coach of the Springboks' under-21 side, was "a strong leader, a coach with proven track record," South African Rugby Union (SARU) chief executive Johan Prinsloo told a press conference.
"Peter has created history today by becoming the first black person to coach the Springboks," Prinsloo said.
His appointment is a surprise with most commentators predicting the job would go to Heyneke Meyer, a former coach of the Pretoria-based Bulls Super 14 franchise.
Former South Africa assistant coach Allister Coetzee and former Super 12 Cats coach Chester Williams were also on the four-man shortlist.
Asked why the board had eventually opted for De Villiers over Meyer, the president of SARU, Oregan Hoskins, acknowledged that the desire to broaden the racial base of rugby was a factor.
"I want to be honest with South Africa and say the appointment did not take into account only rugby reasons ... We took into account the issue of transformation in rugby very, very seriously when we took the decision," Hoskins told reporters.
SARU has been heavily criticized by the South African government over the racial make-up of the Springboks.
Thirteen of the 15 players in the starting line-up in the Springboks' recent World Cup triumph over England were white in a country where around 85 percent of the population are black or colored.
De Villiers, who has been given an initial two-year contract, told reporters that color would be irrelevant when it came to selection.
"The fact that I am the first black coach must end now," he said.
"Players out there must understand they will all stand an equal chance ... If they are good enough, talented enough and work hard enough they will be part of the squad," De Villiers said.
White departed from the post at the turn of the year, angry that SARU wanted him to reapply for his position even though he had steered the Springboks to World Cup glory in France in October.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and