De Villiers is actually the model rugby coach
Roar Pro
By Greg Smith, 2 Jul 2009 The Crowd is a Roar Pro
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The game of rugby is built around a variety of controlled violence and aggression which, some may argue, is essentially designed to stir up emotions.
In certain instances, emotional extremes are tested, especially where rugby forms part of the national psyche. It’s not just a game, some would insist, in a red mist of fanaticism reminiscent of ‘tribal’ football hooligans of the 1980s.
Then Peter De Villiers enters the stage.
Most rugby union fans around the world recognise De Villiers, the South African coach with the Tom Selleck moustache, but not because he is the first black national coach (not only for South Africa, but for many of the top Test playing nations).
His recognition is linked to his ability to make controversial statements.
Many hate him. I love him. I think he’s media gold and a great coach.
Here’s why:
1. De Villiers is a colorful character, he adds to the show. Goodbye Grumpy Henry. Who wants to look at the sour faces of stooges like Graham Henry, Robbie Deans or Warren Gatland ?
2. De Villiers takes the focus and pressure off of his players. He has stolen the spotlight. Everyone can’t wait to hear what he’ll come up with next.
3. De Villiers has a licence to design the team like no-one before.
4. De Villiers creates the impression that his team win IN SPITE OF HIM, rather than due to him.
5. De Villiers, through his very existence, reminds us that all that these superheroes in rugby are human and often are idiots like the rest of us.
6. De Villiers is the coach of a World Champion team that wins. This puts into perspective the claims of genius lauded upon various other coaches. How smart do you have to be?
7. De Villiers runs a professional ‘backroom’ and deceptively so. He is surprisingly well respected by players. His team of technical advisers feel he gives plenty of space for their input.
8. De Villiers reminds me that it IS just a game. Attaching your national psyche or self-worth to rugby is a joke.
9. De Villiers makes mistakes and says sorry (normally). He carries blame very well as a scapegoat when failure comes to visit.
10. De Villiers is unpredictable and transfers that perception to his team.
Basically, the man people love to ridicule and hate is a model coach. His greatest deception is that he’s not.
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Viscount Crouchback said | July 2nd 2009 @ 2:23am | Report comment
“8. De Villiers reminds me that it IS just a game. Attaching your national psyche or self-worth to rugby is a joke”.
Someone ought to tell the South Africans this…
Taniwha said | July 2nd 2009 @ 4:40am | Report comment
Tom Selleck??? Nice work.
USRugbyFan said | July 2nd 2009 @ 5:53am | Report comment
I think he looks like Billy Dee Williams from Star Wars.
matty p said | July 2nd 2009 @ 6:48am | Report comment
This is an ironic piece, right?
He has watched his predecessor, “Sideshow Bob”, then ditched the rugby knowledge – and we are just left with the clown.
Without the true quality leadership in the side, and the mental toughness those guys have – Matfield, Smit, Smith, Du Preez, De Villiers – the Boks would have completely imploded. Those guys lead and run the team, it’s obvious.
My theory is that the ARU and the NZRU are paying to keep him in place. At least I hope so. I would hate to see the Boks with a real coach this year.
ShakaZulu said | July 2nd 2009 @ 10:24am | Report comment
Viscount – Over 50m South Africans care littel for Rugby Union so there is no danger of them attaching their ‘national pysche’ to it. Liek Spiro you seem hung up on this Afrikaner psyche thing. Prejudice wears many disguises.
pothale said | July 2nd 2009 @ 10:25am | Report comment
I read this and nearly believed that Greg Smith believes it. But I don’t think so.
Here’s why:
1. “De Villiers is a colorful character, he adds to the show.”
Colourful? – because he’s black and speaks funny English, do you mean?
2. “De Villiers takes the focus and pressure off of his players. He has stolen the spotlight. Everyone can’t wait to hear what he’ll come up with next.”
Eh no, he has placed the focus very clearly on Burger and Botha – who will be policed and reffed within an inch of the rest of their playing careers. If I were Burger, I wouldn’t be thanking him. And if I were PdV, I wouldn’t be backing Burger.
3. “De Villiers has a licence to design the team like no-one before.”
He does? He picked a squad for the Test series. He left out the prodigous talent of Brussouw, and then belatedly calls him up when Burger’s injury doesn’t appear to clearing up alledgely. The irony is delicious. His choice of a number of players for the Test team was lamentable, his substitutions were inept, and but for his captain, and two or three others could very easily have come unstuck. The Bok team saved his ass.
4. “De Villiers creates the impression that his team win IN SPITE OF HIM, rather than due to him.”
This is not an impression. It’s absolutely accurate. And if the coaching advice he’s handing out to them mirrors what he said on Monday last, they would do well to buy earplugs.
5. “De Villiers, through his very existence, reminds us that all that these superheroes in rugby are human and often are idiots like the rest of us.”
Eh quite. Talk about flattering to deceive.
6. “De Villiers is the coach of a World Champion team that wins. This puts into perspective the claims of genius lauded upon various other coaches. How smart do you have to be? ”
Ditto on the deceiving flattery in point 5. He’s the coach of an inherited World Cup winning team. PdV has won nothing of note – as yet. Unless he counts the Lions series as a feather in his cap. He sure wants congratulations for it. Shaking hands twice with the losing coach obviously doesn’t cut it with him.
7. “De Villiers runs a professional ‘backroom’ and deceptively so. He is surprisingly well respected by players. His team of technical advisers feel he gives plenty of space for their input.”
I would question the veracity of this statement. He certainly seems to have the backing of John Smit. What about the other players? The impression I get is more one of tolerating him – by all and sundry.
8. “De Villiers reminds me that it IS just a game. Attaching your national psyche or self-worth to rugby is a joke.”
As VC points out reasonably – go tell the Sth Africans. Rugby seems to mean more than life itself going by what I’ve observed and read so far.
9. “De Villiers makes mistakes and says sorry (normally). He carries blame very well as a scapegoat when failure comes to visit.”
Eh no he doesn’t. This is a stubborn man who does not recognise his mistakes (selection/playing/behaviour/racism) and refuses to acknowledge publicly when they come back to haunt him. This will be his undoing ultimately.
10. “De Villiers is unpredictable and transfers that perception to his team.”
The Boks are unpredictable? They said they would play a hard, forward-oriented game against the Lions. They did. Stop the presses.
“Basically, the man people love to ridicule and hate is a model coach. His greatest deception is that he’s not.”
You’re right, he’s not. Except he hasn’t deceived anyone. Even you, Greg.
True Tah said | July 2nd 2009 @ 10:46am | Report comment
ShakaZulu – what do you mean that over 50m south africans care little for rugby – the population of the country is 50m. Whilst futbol is the most popular sport there, rugby is very popular too, having been there a few times and played footy with heaps of South Africans.
Rickety Knees said | July 2nd 2009 @ 12:04pm | Report comment
Sorry Smithy – I am not taking your bait. De Villiers has been watching too much WWF.
Bay35Pablo said | July 2nd 2009 @ 1:00pm | Report comment
He’s a peanut. he draws the judgement of the SAFRU into question everytime he opens his mouth, because everyone wonders how they appointed him, or why.
Most of those “pros” apply to Eddie Jones, who had the Wallabies playing woefully and we were glad to see the back of (only to be replaced by Knuckles).
How supportive would you be if he wasn’t winning … ?
van der Merwe said | July 2nd 2009 @ 1:06pm | Report comment
“1. De Villiers is a colorful character…”
Slur in the form of a pun?!
Apologize.