The unresolved contract issue between newly- appointed Springbok rugby coach Peter de Villiers and the SA Rugby Union (Saru) has erupted again - and remains unresolved.

The unresolved contract issue between newly- appointed Springbok rugby coach Peter de Villiers and the SA Rugby Union (Saru) has erupted again - and remains unresolved.

This time a constitutional matter lies at the heart of the matter. Saru have, after two months of negotiations and when De Villiers was on the point of signing the contract, found it was unconstitutional to give the coach the final say in team selections.

With that goes the insistence by Saru that De Villiers will be bound by performance clauses, although he won't have the final say in the selection of the sides he has to coach. De Villiers was apparently ready to sign the contract on Monday.

However, an e-mail from Andy Marinos, general manager of national teams at Saru and the person designated to talk with De Villiers' agents, made him back off, according to former Saru chief executive and De Villiers' agent Riaan Oberholzer.

"Peter did not apply for the job because he wanted to be the Springbok coach.

"He did so to be a successful Springbok coach - and he wants to be accountable for his sides, not those selected by others," Oberholzer said yesterday. - Sapa