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Controversial former Springboks coach Peter de Villiers sacked by rugby minnows

By Online Editors
Former Springboks coach Peter de Villiers. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Former Springboks coach Peter de Villiers has been sacked by rugby minnows Zimbabwe due to unauthorised leave from work, according to documents from the Zimbabwe Rugby Union.

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De Villiers was fired last month, but has indicated that he will challenge his employer’s decision and appeal his dismissal in a labour court.

The ZRU documents detail how de Villiers, who coached the Springboks from between 2008 and 2011, failed to return to work from a vacation last year.

As a result, he was suspended and then later fired following a disciplinary hearing.

De Villiers was hired by the ZRU on a two-year contract in February 2018 with the intention of getting the tier three nation back into the World Cup for the first time since 1991 via the annual African Gold Cup competition.

The winner of last year’s edition of the tournament would qualify directly into Pool B of the World Cup, while the runner-up would qualify for the repechage round, with the winner of that also gaining entry into Pool B alongside tier one nations New Zealand, South Africa and Italy.

Not only did Zimbabwe fail to finish in the top two of the Gold Cup – Namibia won the tournament, while Kenya finished second but failed to progress from the repechage round – but they finished fifth of six teams, with their only win coming in their final match against Uganda.

A last-placed finish would have seen them relegated from Africa’s premier continental tournament, but a 23-all draw salvaged against sixth-placed Morocco prevented saved De Villiers’ and Zimbabwe’s blushes.

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The 61-year-old’s reign in charge of Zimbabwe was also troublesome off-field, as he fell out and then fired assistant coach and former Zimbabwe captain Brendan Dawson, accusing him of undermining his authority.

During his time with the Springboks, De Villiers was more successful, but experienced similar off-field issues.

After becoming the first-ever non-white coach of South Africa, he led them to a series win over the British and Irish Lions, a Tri-Nations title in 2009, which included a rare hat-trick of victories over the All Blacks, and the number one spot on the world rankings.

However, he attracted criticism for a number of provocative comments, which included accusing the All Blacks of cheating, and defending one of his players from eye-gouging during the Lions tour by saying rugby was “a contact sport”.

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After a tense 11-9 defeat to the Wallabies in the quarter-finals of the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand, De Villiers was not offered a new contract by the South African Rugby Union.

In other news:

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Jon 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 10 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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