“It was a brilliant journey, something that none of you guys can take away from me,” De Villiers said.

“To work with people like this, people that are passionate about their country, people who always put their bodies on the line and try to bring hope to poor people back home who will never have the privilege that most of you guys have.

“It was really incredible for me to work with them.”

De Villiers, who was appointed in 2008, said he believed the Boks had a bright future, but he would no longer be involved.

“There is a time to come and a time to go and the journey I think for me is over,” he said.

“I enjoyed it. I’m privileged to be in a position where I could make a contribution to my county and I hope it was a positive one.

“South African rugby will move forward and will be much better next year.”

The first non-white Springbok coach, De Villiers was a controversial figure during his tenure, having made numerous, and sometimes bizarre, comments in the media.

He guided the team to a 2-1 series victory over the British and Irish Lions in 2009, and they lifted the Tri-Nations trophy the same year.

The Boks also secured a historic win over New Zealand in Dunedin during his reign, but De Villiers was always going to be judged by the team’s performance at the global showpiece as they went in search of their third World Cup title.

“I wanted to be the best me that I could be,” he said.

“The way I am is the way I want people to remember me.”

Springbok captain John Smit, who lifted the World Cup under Jake White in 2007, gave De Villiers credit for his efforts while in charge.

“As much as the pain flows through the heart right now because of the loss, I think the other thing that was said in the change room by many of the guys is that we have had a really good four years together,” Smit said, “and that has been pioneered by Peter.”

“He’s not the mould of coach that we are used to, but one that we have thoroughly enjoyed over the four years.”

Smit said De Villiers had lifted their spirits with his unique approach to the job.

“His saying, from the day he started, and I suppose when he wakes up tomorrow, was that even the bad days are good, and that is what he has done.

“He has made us enjoy every moment and he has given us leeway and space and then tightened up when we took advantage of that.

“He’s been a great man and he has helped us enjoy these last four years. It’s disappointing for it to end like this.”

2010 Fast approaching Tri Nations been released ahead of the tournament and the first match will see New Zealand taking on South Africa in Auckland on the 10th July. The defending Champions South Africa are playing their first three games away from South Africa and we wish them all the best

2010 Tri Nations Dates

Saturday 10 July - All Blacks v South Africa -Eden Park, Auckland

Saturday 17 July - All Blacks v South Africa -Westpac Stadium, Wellington

Saturday 24 July - Australia v South Africa -Brisbane

Saturday 31 July - Australia v All Blacks - Melbourne

Saturday 7 August - All Blacks v Australia - AMI Stadium, Christchurch

Saturday 21 August - South Africa v All Blacks - Johannesburg

Saturday 28 August - South Africa v Australia - Pretoria

Saturday 4 September - South Africa v Australia -Bloemfontein

Saturday 11 September -Australia v All Blacks -Sydney

Winger Ugo Monye scored a 3rd try for the Lions, also showing a re-jigged midfield and front-row thru injury, with Stephen Jones, who enjoyed a wonderful defensive game, saying 3 penalties and two conversions. Morne Steyn hit 3 penalties for the Springboks, who will without doubt still go into their Tri-Nations campaign with some confidence. An exciting start by the Lions, with the ball moving thru countless phases, saw a penalty chance fall to Jones in the 3rd minute but the Welshman dragged it wide of the posts. The Lions continued to make all the running, full back Rob Kearney scything thru the midfield defence on a mazy 40-metre run and then was hauled down. The 1st scrum in ninth minute saw a mental hurdle passed for Phil Vickery who was unceremoniously dumped after failing to deal with Tendai ‘Beast’ Mtawarira in the 1st Test. Up popped Bok hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle and Jones hit the penalty for Steyn to get the homes side’s first points on the board merely a minute later after a Jamie Heaslip transgression. Tackles in fast succession by Mike Phillips, Joe Worsley and Matthew Rees on Jacque Fourie, John Smit and Jongi Nokwe all saved a certain try as the Boks attacked in front of the 58 000-plus crowd. The Lions scored the 1st five-pointer a minute later, Heaslip riding the challenge of Wynand Olivier and offloading to the fleet-footed Shane Williams who went in under the posts. Jones scuffed the conversion when the wind blew the ball over in his run-up. Heaslip was available to provide a try-saving intercept as Odwa Ndungane skipped thru Worsley’s tackle down the touchline and attempted to find Fourie du Preez on the inside.

Shane Williams then showed a clean pair of heels down his left wing but his clever cross-field kick was cleared by Steyn.

Williams scored his 2nd when Riki Flutey smoothly palmed off his very own chip into the the winger’s hands for a try Jones converted. With 3 mins of the half remaining, Simon Shaw was yellow carded for needlessly landing on Du Preez’ back with both knees. Kearney chopped a clearance kick and a Lions foul at an ensuing ruck saw Steyn hit his 2nd penalty to make it 15-6 at half-time. The second-half started with Ruan Pienaar on for Du Preez, and he brought an extra spark to the home attack, new cap Zane Kirchner just foiled in the corner by a good covering Tommy Bowe tackle. The Lions held firm and in the 55th minute Monye snatched on a hopeful pass from Olivier for an 85-metre intercept try converted by Jones.

Kearney saw a formidable 52-metre penalty attempt drift wide with twenty mins to play and Frans Steyn saw a similarly brazen drop-goal from well inside his very own half just miss. Morne Steyn hit his 3rd penalty to bring the score to 22-9 with twelve mins remaining. But Jones hit 2 fast penalties after ill-discipline from Heinrich Brussow and Bismarck du Plessis. Ndungane was denied a late consolation try after another great scrambling cover tackle by Bowe.

Not since 1968 have South Africa claimed a 3-0 series win, albeit with one draw, over the cream of the four home nations of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

For the Lions, the series is already lost having been defeated in the opening two Tests, 26-21 and 28-25, meaning that they have yet to claim a tour series win since they last visited South Africa in 1997, when they won 2-1.

Despite the series already being in the bag, assistant Bok coach Dick Muir said there was no problem with motivating his players, stressing that a front-line team would be selected with the gruelling Tri-Nations competition against Australia and New Zealand to follow.

“We will put out as strong a team as possible, taking into consideration that it has been a long year already, that we have the Tri-Nations ahead of us, and then the Currie Cup and end-of-year tour ahead,” Muir said Tuesday.

“It’s not been for the faint-hearted,” the former Bok centre said of the past 10 days of rugby.

The Springboks let the Lions back into the first Test in Durban and then had to claw back a 19-8 deficit for victory in the second in Pretoria.

Muir also coached the Emerging Springboks side that battled to a last-second 13-all draw with a largely second-string Lions team in wind-swept Cape Town.

“Winning one out of three Tests is very important for them and winning all three games is extremely important for us,” he said of Saturday’s game in Ellis Park here.

“The Lions are not jaded. They have showed that they are enjoying touring, it’s been a spirited affair and they’ll be desperate to get a result.”

Muir tried to downplay the ongoing debate over Schalk Burger and Bakkies Botha, who picked up bans of two and eight weeks respectively for eye-gouging and a dangerous charge during the second Test.

Botha will appeal his ban, with the Bok management hoping the hearing will come before Saturday, but the Burger issue has been shelved, according to Muir.

“The eye gouging incident has been dealt with. It’s done and dusted. Schalk’s been banned and he’s gone back to Cape Town, he’s no longer part of the team,” he said.

“We’re in the process of preparing to win a very important Test match this weekend, important to us as a group of players and coaches, that’s all our focus is on at the moment.

“We realise it’s a tough game,” he added. “We want it physical but we know where the line is.

“There’s still a lot of sportsmanship out there. It’s still a very special game.

“As coaches and players we’re mates, incidents like this obviously cause a little bit of a rift but at the end of the day if you can sit down over a beer and be mates, that makes for a much better game.”

That said, coach Peter de Villiers, whose erratic comments have had SA Rugby officials scrabbling around in panic, admitted that he had not shaken hands with Lions head coach Ian McGeechan after the brutal second Test that saw five visiting players end up in hospital.

De Villiers, who has called up Sharks skipper Johann Muller to cover locks Danie Rossouw (head) and Andries Bekker (knee), said: “I have a good relationship with Ian McGeechan. I respect him as a coach. He has achieved a lot in his life.

“I didn’t see him after the Test (in Pretoria) and didn’t go looking for him because we were celebrating.”

“We have checked with the Register of Trademarks, and Saru is the current owner of the trademark,” said Owen Dean, partner at Spoor & Fisher.

Sports Minister Makhenkesi Stofile earlier told parliament’s sports portfolio committee that SA Rugby owed the government royalties for the use of the Springbok emblem.

He contended that his department owned the emblem.

Stofile maintained SA Rugby had been using the emblem illegally as they had neglected to renew its registration.

Spoor and Fisher disputed this.

“The SA Rugby Football Union (Sarfu) registered the trademark in 1996. Sarfu is now defunct, but one of the two bodies it spawned, Saru and SA Rugby (Pty) Ltd, owns the trademark. We cannot determine which one it is. This trademark was renewed in 2005, and is valid until 2016.”

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Accordingly, said Dean, he could not see what rights the government had to claim the Springbok emblem as its own.

“… prima facie evidence supports Saru’s contention that the Springbok emblem belongs to it.”

Saru CEO Johan Prinsloo has also disputed Stofile’s assertions.

“We look forward to engaging with the minister on this issue on a face-to-face basis at his earliest convenience,” Prinsloo said on Tuesday.

The Springbok emblem has made news headlines more than once in the past weeks.

In the first instance, sports committee chair Butana Komphela suggested the emblem should be abolished, saying it divided the nation.

The African National Congress, however, said it wanted the Springbok to stay.

Last week, Springbok player Luke Watson said he wanted to vomit on his Springbok jersey because he believed it represented a lack of transformation.

His statement sparked rumours of senior Springbok players planning to boycott their upcoming European tour if he was part of the team

JUNE 2008 7 South Africa vs Wales
South Africa won 43-17
14 South Africa vs Wales 3pm Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria Vodacom Incoming Tours
21 South Africa vs Italy 3pm Vodacom Incoming Tours

JULY 2008 5 New Zealand vs South Africa 9.35am Westpac Stadium, Wellington Vodacom Tri-Nations
12 New Zealand vs South Africa 9.35am Carisbrook Stadium, Dunedin Vodacom Tri-Nations
19 Australia vs South Africa Subiaco Oval, Perth Vodacom Tri-Nations

AUGUST 2008 16 South Africa vs New Zealand 3pm Newlands Rugby Stadium Vodacom Tri-Nations
23 South Africa vs Australia 3pm The Absa Stadium, Durban Vodacom Tri-Nations
30 South Africa vs Australia 3pm Ellis Park, Johannesburg Vodacom Tri-Nations

While Du Preez, who married on Saturday, will join up with the squad in Cardiff on Monday, Matfield was to have talks with Springbok coach Jake White late on Tuesday afternoon. Matfield is keen to spend time with his family and friends before finally making up his mind whether he will join Second Division Toulon in France.

If Matfield does not tour, the Springboks will be down to only three locks after the withdrawal from the tour of Danie Rossouw because of a neck injury (Bakkies Botha and second-stringers Johann Muller and Albert van den Berg). Rossouw played at No 8 in the World Cup final.

Flank Wikus van Heerden is also out of the tour with a neck injury and loosehead prop Gurthro Steenkamp has hurt a hand in a kitchen accident.

Wian du Preez of the Cheetahs replaces Steenkamp and uncapped Sharks No 8 Ryan Kankowski and Bulls flank Hilton Lobberts have been included to cover for the two injured loose forwards.

The Springboks will have their first training run on Wednesday at 10am at St John’s College since assembling in Johannesburg on Monday. The session will be open to the public.

The SA squad will leave for Cardiff on Friday, play Wales in a Test at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, November 24 and then run out against the Barbarians a week later at Twickenham.

Source:IOL

“Quotas are out,” Makhenkesi Stofile told a parliamentary sports committee.

“Let us put our resources into the development of talent.”

The presence of only two coloured players in the winning team’s starting line-up, 13 years after the end of white minority rule, has led to a new bout of soul-searching about how to ensure the progress of more black players.

Politicians, including President Thabo Mbeki, have reiterated the need for true racial transformation in South Africa, of which 80% of the population is black.

But Stofile said quotas were not the answer, as a failed experiment in South African rugby showed a few years ago.

“Quotas were used only for window dressing for international consumption,” he said.

“Those who have the money go and buy the players … instead of developing the boys where they are.”

Stofile said black children, mostly poor, needed proper nutrition and facilities to help them develop the bone structure and muscle tone required for sports participation from an early age.

“We must kill the myth that … black people cannot play certain sporting codes because they are black,” the minister told MPs.

“Let us put our resources into the development of talent.”

About R200-million would be needed for this purpose annually, said Stofile, who argued for the creation of a national developmental rugby squad.

“We [the government] are not going to decide who must be on the team. All we are saying is: expose everybody, give them an opportunity.”

Majority favour quotas
A slim majority of the population favoured racial quotas in national sports teams, a survey by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) has showed.

The results from the South African Social Attitudes Survey (Sasas), conducted annually by the HSRC — said while a slim majority favoured racial quotas, there were still strong racial disparities in the level of support for quotas.

The period 2003 to 2006 was analysed.

The survey found that black South Africans were more than four times as supportive of quotas compared to the white population. -

Source: MG

Fullback Percy Montgomery kicked four penalties and 20-year-old centre Francois Steyn one to hand the Springboks their second World Cup triumph after their victory on home soil in 1995.

Despite holding their own for most of the game, England could not avenge the humiliating 36-0 loss to South Africa in the pool stage barely five weeks ago.

They again showed the forward grit and determined defence that saw them record upset wins over Australia and France in the quarter and semifinals, but could only notch up two penalties from first five-eighths Jonny Wilkinson.

“It’s important for our country and everyone back home,” said South Africa coach Jake White.

“I’m sure everyone is rejoicing. Congratulations to the players, they’ve been incredible ambassadors for the country.”

Skipper John Smit said he was emotional with the win.

“I’m sitting here and trying not to cry. It’s a feeling you can’t put into words,” said the hooker.

“It’s a reward for four years of dedication and hard work. England gave us a good run.”

He dedicated the win to his country.

“This is for all of you. Thank you very much for all your support, even in the bad times.”

England coach Brian Ashton praised the Springboks.

“I’m very proud of my players but obviously we are disappointed with the defeat,” said Ashton.

“I’m disappointed for the players, not for myself. But South Africa deserved it. They were the best team.”

Montgomery opened the scoring with his first penalty in the seventh minute when England centre Mathew Tait slipped on the greasy pitch and held on when caught in possession directly in front of the posts.

England’s early aerial bombardment paid off when the ball was worked wide after Mark Cueto and Mike Catt combined to strip JP Pietersen of the ball after an Andy Gomarsall up-and-under.

Bryan Habana put in a bone-crunching tackle on Paul Sackey on the right wing but did not roll away, and Wilkinson nailed a tough penalty from close to the touchline.

But Montgomery restored the deficit after Lewis Moody, in an offside position, needlessy aimed a cynical kick at Butch James.

Jason Robinson, in his last-ever game, then produced a fine try-saving tackle on James after the first five-eighths had burst through to gather his own chip over England’s rush defence.

With both sides seemingly comfortable fielding endless successions of kicks, and physical blanket defences mopping up most darting forwards drives, the game needed a spark from one individual.

Steyn, the second-ever youngest player in a World Cup final, almost provided that with the first decent break of the game, side-stepping three England defenders with a swarm of green jerseys behind him before Wilkinson hauled the centre down.

Pietersen and Os du Randt, the sole survivor of the 1995 World Cup winning-team, both took it on before the ball was swung left, but captain John Smit was halted just two metres short of the line.

Fourie du Preez went close in the ensuing phase but a careless knock-on gave the advantage away with a try looking imminent and alarm bells ringing in the England camp despite some stirring defence.

But the Boks displayed their set-piece power by turning the scrum after it was set for the third time of asking.

On their put-in, Danie Rossouw drove impressively from the base of the scrum and Victor Matfield took it on. Hands in the ruck by prop Andy Sheridan gifted Montgomery a third penalty and South Africa a 9-3 halftime lead.

The second period started in dramatic fashion, Tait ducking a high Steyn tackle, and streaking 40 metres towards the line, rounding Montgomery before being brought down by a fantastic covering tackle by Matfield.

The ball was spun wide and found Cueto with five metres to go to the whitewash, but a desperate tackle by No 8 Rossouw was ruled to have taken the winger into touch although the video replays did not look convincing.

Wilkinson immediately claimed a consolation penalty after the Bok backs were ruled offside in the build-up.

English ill-discipline, this time by Martin Corry with hands in the ruck, was again punished by a fourth Montgomery penalty after another strong break by Steyn.

The youngster then made amends for a missed long-range penalty with a successful 47-metre shot at goal after obstruction in the England backs with just under 20 minutes to go.

South Africa were then content to play the percentage game, clearing their lines effectively and swarming over any English attack in the same manner that saw them progress through the seven-week, 20-nation World Cup unbeaten and deserved winners.

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