It appears that Heyneke Meyer is hanging on to a political raft that he hopes will save his job amid a tsunami of criticism from rugby fans and critics he fears could sink him.
It’s ironic that the Springboks coach is relying on support from a political body that at one time accused him of racism over his selection policies.
Meyer may have noted that ANC government officials who have flopped in the past have often kept their jobs or at worst been given a fat golden handshake.
I can understand why Meyer wants to keep his US$360,000-a-year job. The money’s great but according to a newspaper report at the weekend, he wants to stay in the job because he believes he is still the right man for it.
“People who question my ability as coach, should look in the mirror and ask themselves if what they are doing and saying are for the right reasons. I feel the team did well and is transformed. I sleep well at night, and those guys (who criticise) have hidden agendas,” he told Sunday newspaper Rapport.
Hidden agendas? He’s got to be kidding. I haven’t been able to find a single fan who doesn’t want him sacked. That’s not because they have any hidden agendas but because they can see his recent results.
The fans have not been sleeping well at night since Japan beat the Springboks at the World Cup after a campaign leading up to it in which we came last in the Rugby Championship.
The 34-32 defeat by coach Eddie Jones’s Japan should have been a wake-up call for Meyer. ‘Japan sub sinks the Boks’ was one canny headline about the match in which substitute Karne Hesketh, a New Zealand-born player to add insult to injury, scored a last-gasp try to win the match.
In the Championship, winners Australia won all three Tests, New Zealand won two and lost one, Argentina won one and lost two and South Africa lost all three. The South African defeats included a 37-25 hiding at home by Argentina. The Springboks did bounce back to beat Argentina in a non-Championship Test after that, but the record by Meyer’s Springboks was worrying.
In addition, the All Blacks had beaten us in six of the previous seven Tests. The results tell a sad story.
September 15, 2012: New Zealand won 21-11 in Dunedin
October 6, 2012: New Zealand won 32-16 in Johannesburg
September 14, 2013: New Zealand won 29-15 in Auckland
October 5, 2013: New Zealand won 38-27 in Johannesburg
September 13, 2014: New Zealand won 14-10 in Wellington
October 4, 2014: New Zealand lost 27-25 in Johannesburg
July 25, 2015: New Zealand won 27-20 in Johannesburg.
This was not the sort of record that augured well for the World Cup and Meyer should have realised that his game plan was not paying off. I remember his reaction at the time.
Meyer said his performance as coach should not be based on the recent past and that he was involved in a build-up for the World Cup. Fans would see the results of his efforts then.
Well, the showpiece has come and gone and he is still making excuses. He blamed the rain after the Springboks lost in the semi-final and unsurprising refused to admit his tactics were wrong.
Despite this, Meyer still believes that he is on the right track to glory when the World Cup comes around again in four years time.
The majority of fans and South African critics don’t have faith in the way the Springboks play. It’s all about power for Meyer. Brawn not brain. We can beat up the opposition and rely on a strong defence to keep out their invaders.
Well, that plan, the only one he has, has not worked. The All Blacks and the Australians have better all-round games and tactics they can vary at will. They have simply looked at the predictable way the Springboks play and devised tactics to beat them time and again.
The 20-18 defeat by New Zealand in the semi-final clash is a good example.
After the Springboks led 12-7 at the break, the All Blacks kept them in their half of the field for much of the second stanza. South Africa did kick two penalties in the second half, one by Handre Pollard and the other by substitute Pat Lambie, but for most of the time the New Zealanders kept the potent Pollard boot too far from their posts.
In all, two tries from the All Blacks, by Jerome Kaino and Beauden Barrett, plus the superb kicking by Dan Carter, who slotted a drop-goal, kicked two conversions and one penalty, sealed victory. All of the South African points came from the boot, 15 of them from Pollard, the other from Lambie, a youngster some fans joke has had about many minutes of game time under Meyer as his more than 40 Test caps.
Meyer was criticised, too, for selecting 38-year-old Victor Matfield as captain for the third-place play-off match against Argentina. Why didn’t he give other younger players game time? He also dropped the far younger Lood de Jager, one of the star locks of the World Cup, to accommodate Matfield. What this decision a going-away present for his good friend Big Vic?
The All Blacks went on to beat the Wallabies in a pulsating final to retain the Webb Ellis trophy. The fact that they beat us by only two points in the semi-finals doesn’t tell the real story. The All Blacks have a far better team than the Springboks. Our kicking might be as good, but when it comes to tactics, passing skills and slick moves, they live on another planet.
Some South African apologists for Meyer among the media should get into the real world. For some time, they have defended his tactics, predilection for selecting older players, such as Matfield who has been clearly been past his best days this year, and his insistence that experience trumps current form.
It’s not a good idea to get too close to your contacts and worry that people like Meyer might not take your calls or share a beer with you if you criticise him or his tactics.
In the mid-1980s, when I was a sports writer on South Africa’s largest selling newspaper, the Sunday Times, the then sports editor Barry Glasspool warned me about getting too close to my contacts.
Be careful, he said, don’t get too close to your contacts. If they shake their bums, they could break your neck!
Meyer should stop making excuses and accusing his critics of having a hidden agenda. They like most South African fans want to see the Springboks win the World Cup again. They don’t see this happening under Meyer, who has clearly been a flop.
The see an obstinate coach who will not admit his mistakes and looks like he has five million reasons (that’s what US$36,000 amounts to in South African rands) to want to keep his job.
When will Meyer see the light and change his way? I doubt it. Even Helen Keller, the deaf-blind American heroine who died 47 years ago, could have seen the error of his ways.
RobC
Roar Guru
Gday Andrew. Thanks for your post. I am intrigued what HM will do in the next four years. btw R 5mil is $360K, as opposed to $36K in your article above?
Yes, I can imagine what a lot of coaches can do with our stock, and believe me it is frustrating and depressing to think about it
cuw
Guest
about an year ago i told u handre Pollard is not good becoz he has no tactical awareness and that ponit was rubbished. i did not say that just - i saw the guy play in not one but 2 U20 tournaments and fail to move a hige Baby Bok side forwards. if u check the stats of last baby boks , the word baby was misplaced - becoz they were huge men!!! there was a 100kg center, 120kg props and 110kg 2nd rows 6'6" tall!! still they could not use such physical advantage. one issue boks had is the obsession with size (and look what it did to england). there are lot of faster but smaller players who could make a difference like Brussow for example. another is the kick and chase game. and running sideways rather than forwards, despite all the big units in the line. i bet if eddie jones is given these players he will make them unbeatable. i mean his pack which was easily 40kgs lighter managed to hold their own at scrums and with the tallest player at 6'4" they managed to be competitive at lineouts. now imagine what he could do with 6'8" guys and a pack weighing 920kgs!!!
cuw
Guest
maybe get the coach who beat u :) why waste him in a super franchise when bigger things await ?
Marko, there is an rticle on Supersport anlysing the stats for SA during the World Cup, it strongly indicates that we defend too much and don't attack. The mere fact that we have the top four tacklers on the tournament confirms that. The fact that Burger has carried the ball more than any other Bok, mde the most gainline advances and made the most offloads for SA tells you how one dimensional our attack was. You only need to look at the territorial stats against NZ and the replay of that match to realise we have no tactical nous at 10 Overall this was a pathetic example of Springbok rugby. Add to that the results of the last 12 months and there is more than sufficient proof Meyer has become so predictable that a team like Japan can outsmart us, Just that one result alone is embarrasing enough that Meyer should pack his bags. I will predict now, and you can bookmark this article, in four years will will still complain about the same issues as we did the past 4 years. Too conservative No innovation Attack is predictable Too defense orientated Not positive enough Overseas players Geriatrics Not smrt anough. Mark my words. I have been complaining about this for 8 years now.
Marko
Guest
We all know we don't like Heyneke. But.... How about somebody who knows more than I do write an article based on the stats from the world cup and draw some honest conclusions from what we see. No subjectivity or emotion allowed. We might be a little surprised....or not.
taylorman
Roar Guru
I think whether he's replaced or not us a moot point. If he's not replaced for the right reasons then it makes no difference. SA are losing because of the style of rugby they choose to play, not because who has the title of coach. De Villiers did exactly the same things as Meyer. He Didn't examine the latest trends of the modern game, selected players that were past their best, and played to a limited style based on historical successes. The semi final was a perfect example of one side summing up the other completely. They adapted to the conditions and applied a simple tourniquet. Yes SA got three every time they sniffed the AB ten meter line but to not even have anything else as an option it became a simple process of staying at one end until the whistle went. If the powers that be demand change for change sake then the next in line will follow the same worn path. Innovation, risks, bucking the status quo is required. they should look overseas but ONLY if they're prepared to open up warts and all, clear the cobwebs, get rid of the baggage, and accept change. A half pie, lipstick on a pig approach will simply see them falling back to old habits.
Andrew Jardine
Roar Guru
I am not sure the fix is in. I have no problems with his personal behaviour. He appears to be a decent guy. However, my maid Mavis is also a decent person. Maybe she should put her name in the hat.
mielie
Guest
Ackermann for Springbok coach please.
Harry Jones
Expert
There is no conceivable way that a NZ coach who lost to Japan could keep his job. If we want to be the best, we shouldn't accept that level of coaching performance. But the fix is in; and we are stuck with a decent man, who is not a great tactician.
JT
Guest
Meyer should be tried for treason and thrown in jail. I can't deal with another stint of him as coach, it will break me
shrink
Roar Rookie
Damn good players in SA....almost keep me awake at night pre-game, but knowing Meyer is at the helm makes sleep very contented.
Andrew Jardine
Roar Guru
Hi Biltong, Yes I agree we have the players and we were outsmarted. Yet our talent has to be developed and you don't do that by relying on the old brigade. I believe that with the right coach, we could develop a team that could win the World Cup in 2019. Plumtree, Ackermann ... who knows? I too have tired of beating the same anti-Meyer drum. I am sure he is passionate about what he does and committed to the cause. But that is not enough. The jury is out on what SARU will decide. Remember this is South Africa where anything goes.
Yeah Andrew, I am actually tired of hearing his name. If you want to criticise Meyer for one thing only, what would it be? Lack of playing smart rugby. You can have the best players in the world, but if you don't coach them to be smart and your game plan is not smart you will lose. Why did Japan, Argentina, Ireland, Wales, Australia and New Zealand beat us? Do they have better players than us? They beat us because they outsmarted us, simple as that. As for better players, even New Zealand do not have more depth than us, but many countries have smarter players than us. Anyway, that's me on South African rugby for a while. I need a break from the infuriating, incredibly unintelligent and archaic manner in which we play rugby. If anyone have the power, get me a meeting with SARU so I can give them a piece of my mind.
kingplaymaker
Roar Guru
Meyer is an appalling coach. De Villiers remember beat the Lions, won the Tri-nations, and beat the All Blacks 3-0 one year-and yet he was pilloried as a disaster. But what does Meyer have to match those achievements? And yet there's talk of his surviving. I think De Villiers was a wrong chastised reasonable good coach, but not particularly good, far from excellent. However he was a genius compared to Meyer!