why did he take so much offense to Former Wallabies hooker Brendan Cannon’s comment that he is a clown?
De Villiers, who has just returned to widespread criticism from all quarters after the Springboks lost three games on the trot in this year’s Tri-Nations tournament, was answering fans questions in the latest newsletter when he was asked how he handles the criticism.
The Bok coach was frank in his answers, even though he will have to face a SANZAR tribunal in the next few days after the body laid a charge of “alleged misconduct” against him for comments he made on Australian television.
“I was always saying the greeting “even the bad days are good” and there have been some bad days just now, that we can’t deny,” De Villiers answered.
“But I keep myself motivated because I believe in this team and what we are doing and know that we have the answers within ourselves to the problems that we had overseas. It’s not like other years where we were bad and had no solutions in sight – we definitely know we can beat anyone in the world when we fix the small things that add up to a bad defeat.
“As for the criticism, I have had it since before day one! But it goes with the territory – a winning Bok coach is a superman; a losing Bok coach is a ‘clown’, I’ve learnt to take both with a inch of salt. But thanks for your support.”
De Villiers also explained his reasoning behind breaking up the successful midfield partnership of Jean de Villiers and Jaque Fourie, opting rather for the Super 14 form of Wynand Olivier.
“Jean and Wynand are both very good inside centres, but when Jean moved overseas it was time to move on as it is difficult to assess form and fitness when players are playing in a different environment overseas,” De Villiers said.
“Wynand was again outstanding in the Vodacom Super 14, while Juan de Jongh put up his hand – they performed well and as we knew they were performing at the top level, earned their selection.
“In addition we were expecting New Zealand to use the cross field bomb and Jean’s height is an asset in that regard, while his try scoring record as a Springbok wing is outstanding – it wasn’t about breaking up partnerships, it was about making decisions in the interests of the team.”
