De Villiers upbeat about young Springboks

That's like saying that Andy Robinson inherited the best team in the world. He did, but everybody knew they were on a downward curve. Players retired and there was no way that Australia were going to maintain that consistency of previous years. A pot of crap is harsh though.

Agree Ben S, not a fan of Morne, why not give a Lambie and Jantjies a shot. Both are better players in my books.

I wouldn't describe the team Jones inherited as a pot of crap. It turned into one on his watch, but when he started the Wallabies were probably the best team in the world.

I think you're a bit off the mark re: Blackadder. He inherited a team which had won the title but which had lost (and continued to lose) a lot of key players. He's had to do a fair bit of rebuilding to get the Crusaders to where they are now. Greg Sommerville, Caleb Ralph, Reuben Thorne, Mose Tuiali'i and Ali Williams all left the Crusaders prior to his first season. Leon MacDonald, Ross Filipo, Casey Laulala, Thomas Waldrom, Steven Brett and Colin Slade have left since. Most of the Crusaders current 'stars' developed on his watch.

Im 100% behind pdv, as suzy posion said the man has a good record. Let him have have his try at the world cup. Even in 2009 when the boks swept all infront of them ppl could not give pdv credit. Its become a fashion to hate the man. I hope he wins the world cup and shuts every 1 up!

P Divvy has more wins in NZ than every other SA coach since 92 combined!

The first pack that Deans ever selected included Robinson, Moore, Horwill, Sharpe, Elsom and Palu. Pretty sure his current first choice pack would include those 6 players. Is that player development? Jones picked countless young players, and was very quick to give young players a go, as was Connolly. Jones had to make do with a pot of crap, and yet he took that crap to a WC final, and no amount of manipulation will ever confirm otherwise.

steddie eddie inherited a world champion team and ran it downwards ever since. Deans inherited a team with no stars left and very few talented young up and comers since devleopment had been ignored. If Deans had inherited steddie eddies lineup he would be far ahead IMO. How many titles has todd blackadder have with the same star studded lineups, in fact people were saying this crusaders team was the best ever, they probably would of won with Deans in charge plus others.

Mate, the AB's are deserved favorites for both tournaments this year. The Wannabies are not close. The Boks may get lucky, and they will be better than what everyone thinks. As will the Wannabies be worse.

Poison, you have managed to bypass all I said by focusing on the wrong point. I'm not saying pdv is the worst. I am not saying white was the best. I am saying us fans deserve better. I dont give a toss about race or politics. I live snug the good live in Aus. I support the rebels and if the Boks arnt playing I go for the wobbelies. Don't you feel it's time me stop accepting mediocre things when the potential for the Boks are limitless? I am not saying this to put up a argument, I am saying this is how I feel. Take the rains off the Boks, set them free and be proud. Not choosing between better of a bad lot.

You forget about Rudulf Straueli, (Kamp Staaldraad, now that was embarrassing) Harry Viljoen, Carel Du Plessis, Andre Markgraaf, they were all plonkers. South Africa has been embarrassing themselves on the international stage for quite some time, this is nothing new. P Divvy is a better coach than all of those idiots, and and has better results ratio too. Whoever took the job from Jake White was always going to compared against him. P Divvy has actually been coaching for longer than White and Strauli put together, it's just that not so very long ago, the colour of your skin counted against you. I am not using the race card, I am just saying it was tougher for these guys. Deans has a worse ration than Eddy Jones, but he has inherited some young bucks thanks to Ewen McKenzie's coaching. There was not a lot between South Africa and Australia last year, basically one Kurley Beale kick on full time, I don't think Deans is that great either. He had a bloody great Crusaders team to make him look good. Also the Wallabies have only beaten the All Blacks once in ten attempts (or more) do they really think they can beat New Zealand in NZ? Anyway talk is cheap, but I think the Wallaby's scrum will be exposed this year. Let's just see how this B team does?

Just imagine where South African rugby would be if John Oneil was in charge of SARU and Deans as coach.

This is why the current world champs the springboks are sponsored by Vaseline.... and the All Blacks by Adidas. International sponsors and major sports brands do not want to be associated with the Sprinboks... Its embarrassing to me and I am tired of hiding behind the "we don't care we are south african" saying. SA is suppose to be top of the log setting the standard, with the amount of money and talent available the boks should be the benchmark in world rugby. Yet! The politics and arrogance hold us back from achieving what should be and easy task. Fire SARU, all of them, privatise the brand, use shareholders money. Not controlled by politics the best coaches in the world will be in charge and a truly professional apporach will be applied to the talent pool in SA. Not a bunch of self serving political backwards right from the top down stopping just in front of the players. Surely every supporter is tired of it holding the boks back? Thats its my rant is over. :)

No one is saying being a national coach is an easy job, hell you are in charge of the hopes of millions of people. The job has an extremely high responsibility. Things like growth and having a plan B, C and D is often not enough. People who lack vision and forward thinking are not required. Win or lose the RWC, come next year PDV or not the Springboks have a problem, they will lose more then 80% of the caps they have now. The next coach will have the massive task of rebuilding a completely new team from almost zero experience. Something PDV never had to deal with because his predecessor had what it took to do the job. Being a good coach is not beating the AB’s in a couple of games, Its upholding and growing a brand that belongs to the supporters that pay the salary… PDV has failed to do his job and its obvious to most who understand rugby past just “beating the All Blacks” The effects of PDV will hamper South African rugby for a very long time. Internationally the brand is damaged, part what comes out of his mouth and part because he has let the team slip back into the days of zero discipline (something White worked hard to remove). There is very little respect left for South African rugby outside the borders of SA and it should simply not be so. It’s a new era of professional international sports, there is no place for joking around. PDV would not stay in that job for 30 days in any other country in the world. If any white coach said something similar in SA they would be fired. Mallet got fired for saying ticket prices are too high. Sorry but I just wont buy into the PDV talk ups, I am too patriotic for that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLXkln_lkKo This is what the rest of the world thinks, no you tell me you are not embarrassed by PDV?

OK Suzy poison ill admit, let say that PDV did blood the obvious choice in Brusso... Wow, 4 years as national coach and he has one player to show for it. Brusso who has shown promise from a young age was an obvious choice the first year he was selected for national duty. White on the other hand nursed almost all of the "inured" boks that were left behind to get ready for the world cup. He nursed them from under 21 days right to the top. Instead of blooding new players over time, PDV continued to select over the hill players like AD and January when bad time and injuries befell the boks. Why are we even discussing that fact the the national coach of one of the richest rugby nations is doing "not so bad"? The boks deserve the best coach the world has to offer, not some 2nd choice political buffoon who is doing "not so bad".

In response to what players did P Divvy introduce. The answer is: Heinrich Brussouw. Jake White stubbonly refused to pick a fetcher, all thru his coaching career. A decision, he has since stated was a mistake. One could argue, that Heinrich Brussouw is one of the most important players for thsi WC. The World Cup could very well be lost, if he is injured. For too long the Boks have struggled against Richie, and now the new kid on the block David Pocock, who I believe is the best in the world. But don't worry TembaVJ, you will probably say it was Gary Gold's idea, because you can't give P Divvy any credit.

Lee compared to previous coaches PDV inherited a number one ranking rugby world cup winning at the peak team. In 09 when they won the 3N the Springboks were bolstered by a formidable Bulls team that had the perfect game plan for the law interpretation of the time. The All blacks of that year was hampered by some serious injury problems. Again same with the Lions tour, that Lions team was not a powerful as the one that toured NZ before that and the AB's tore them a new one. The boks scraped to victory with a single kick. So I ask you, seeing as everyone likes to compare Jake White and PDV, what as part of his job has PDV done for the future of the boks. What new players has he groomed, new stars uncovered, new value capped? What new strategies has he unveiled? The fact is PDV has been hanging on by his nails since he took over. Relying heavily on the experience of the senior playing group. PDV has done nothing for the Boks except make a mockery of South Africa in the international media. He has done no forward thinking or planning, just riding the old guard till it fails, hoping that it has one more go left in it.

I remember who won the 2007 Tri-Nations. First we came from behind in dramatic fashion in Durban to force John Smit to make the Smit face, then we lost to the Wallabies in Melbourne and had to hear all about how the Wallabies had caught up with the All Blacks (sounds familiar), then we beat them in the rain in Auckland and were accused of cheating (again.) We didn't play very well during the competition or in the June tests for that matter and a lot of people were concerned about our patchy form. So there you go. Some of us have long rugby memories.

It depends how SA want to play. The selection of Steyn hints at a conservative game plan, and there isn't a lineout option in the forwards capable of running a lineout like Matfield, so if they try to play their normal brand then I would bet all the whisky in Ireland that they get spanked silly. However, the side also contains a number of very good ball carriers, but then what is the point in having these handlers if you have a 10 like Steyn who stands so deep he might as well lace his boots up in China? Personally I think the squad is unbalanced, and there are far too many journeymen. There is no way this side will compete with the All Blacks in NZ, nor, IMO, against a rejuvenated Wallaby side.