South Africa - Desperate Times

Coaching Crisis

Only two of South Africa’s six Super Rugby teams know who their coaches will be in 2016, with the Stormers, Bulls, Sharks, and Kings all scurrying around in a desperate search for suitable candidates to entice to head up their coaching teams. With the SA cupboard of top-rated coaches close to empty, New Zealanders John Mitchell, John Plumtree, and Robbie Deans, and Australians Ewen McKenzie and Eddie Jones have all been mentioned as possibles, but they would want big money and long-term contracts. It’s an anxious time for SA’s Super teams.

Springbok Crisis

With underperforming Super teams, few first-choice Springboks playing anywhere near their best levels from February to June, a host of top players injured – not helped by a lack of cooperation on resting players by Super coaches – and some key players having played little rugby this year, Heyneke Meyer has some crisis management to get through in preparing the Springboks for the World Cup. Inviting 49 players to the Bok camp in indicative of the form and fitness and selection dilemmas Meyer faces.

Francois Hougaard

Amongst the multiple unfortunate legacies of the Bulls debacle season is the Test career of Francois Hougaard in apparent ruin, after his omission from the huge Springbok squad. Frans Ludeke’s refusal to allow his Springbok scrumhalf to play scrumhalf for the Bulls has cost Hougaard dearly. It was one of Ludeke’s many wayward decisions this year, but sadly for Hougaard, it has caused a severe personal setback to his career aspirations.

Jaco Kriel

What more could Lions flank Jaco Kriel have done to earn a place in Heyneke Meyer’s Springbok squad? Consistently outstanding performances in Super Rugby appear, in his case at least, to have counted for nothing.

Craig Joubert and Jaco Peyper

For all the distressing inaccuracy and wayward inconsistency of Super Rugby referees this year – at times infuriating for players, coaches, and supporters – it is gratifying that the most accurate, most consistent of the mediocre group have been South Africa’s top two referees, Craig Joubert and Jaco Peyper.