SPRINGBOK coach Peter de Villiers effectively quit after his team lost their World Cup quarterfinal against the Wallabies yesterday.
De Villiers, whose contract expires at the end of December, was asked if the defeat meant the end of his career (as Bok coach). He replied: "I think so.
"This has been a brilliant journey, something none of you guys can take away from me. There is a time to come and a time to go. The journey for me is over. I enjoyed it.
"I was privileged to get an opportunity to make a contribution to my country. I hope it was a positive one so that South African rugby will go forward and that we are much better next year," De Villiers said.
Inevitably, questions about his successor will intensify over the coming weeks. The woodwork will spawn an oversupply of interested parties but former Bulls coach Heyneke Meyer will have to be a serious candidate.
Though he is contracted to the Bulls in their high performance division, he recently did not entirely rule out the prospect of becoming Bok coach. He was the favourite to take the position when De Villiers took over from Jake White in early 2008.
Rassie Erasmus will no doubt also feature on the list of potential successors but whether a coach who performs best away from the glare of the media and public scrutiny will want such a high-profile job is debatable.
White's former assistant Allister Coetzee will also be a candidate and his credentials would only have been enhanced with the performance of the Stormers this year. Some have already put forward Lions coach John Mitchell as a candidate.
Asked how he would prefer to be remembered, De Villiers said: "I wanted to be the best I could be. The way I am is the way I want (to be remembered)."
Future coaches will look at the Springboks' record 836 test caps as a benchmark to best avoid. It was quite possibly the case that it was beyond De Villiers' expertise to build and mould a new team when he took over in 2008. Either way, the Springboks' exit yesterday drew comparisons with their worst performance at a World Cup when they were thumped in the quarterfinal by New Zealand in Melbourne in 2003.
One of the game's most respected coaches, Robbie Deans, said: "He's a good man. He's a quality man and I enjoyed my interactions with him. It's been a pleasure."
Div calls it a day
SPRINGBOK coach Peter de Villiers effectively quit after his team lost their World Cup quarterfinal against the Wallabies yesterday.
De Villiers, whose contract expires at the end of December, was asked if the defeat meant the end of his career (as Bok coach). He replied: "I think so.
"This has been a brilliant journey, something none of you guys can take away from me. There is a time to come and a time to go. The journey for me is over. I enjoyed it.
"I was privileged to get an opportunity to make a contribution to my country. I hope it was a positive one so that South African rugby will go forward and that we are much better next year," De Villiers said.
Inevitably, questions about his successor will intensify over the coming weeks. The woodwork will spawn an oversupply of interested parties but former Bulls coach Heyneke Meyer will have to be a serious candidate.
Though he is contracted to the Bulls in their high performance division, he recently did not entirely rule out the prospect of becoming Bok coach. He was the favourite to take the position when De Villiers took over from Jake White in early 2008.
Rassie Erasmus will no doubt also feature on the list of potential successors but whether a coach who performs best away from the glare of the media and public scrutiny will want such a high-profile job is debatable.
White's former assistant Allister Coetzee will also be a candidate and his credentials would only have been enhanced with the performance of the Stormers this year. Some have already put forward Lions coach John Mitchell as a candidate.
Asked how he would prefer to be remembered, De Villiers said: "I wanted to be the best I could be. The way I am is the way I want (to be remembered)."
Future coaches will look at the Springboks' record 836 test caps as a benchmark to best avoid. It was quite possibly the case that it was beyond De Villiers' expertise to build and mould a new team when he took over in 2008. Either way, the Springboks' exit yesterday drew comparisons with their worst performance at a World Cup when they were thumped in the quarterfinal by New Zealand in Melbourne in 2003.
One of the game's most respected coaches, Robbie Deans, said: "He's a good man. He's a quality man and I enjoyed my interactions with him. It's been a pleasure."
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