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Springboks name De Villiers as coach

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.
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