Div told he's not in Boks' plans

Peter de Villiers believes he has little chance of keeping his job as Springbok coach.

He met South African Rugby Union CEO Jurie Roux on Monday as part of the coach interviewing process - and the meeting left Div "disappointed" and in little doubt he would not be asked to stay.

De Villiers' contract will expire at the end of the month but he could be reinstated for a further two years if Saru decides to re-employ him.

However, that scenario is unlikely as Bulls director of rugby Heyneke Meyer and Ireland forwards coach Gert Smal have emerged as frontrunners.

After coaching the Boks for four seasons from 2008 to last year, and in the aftermath of a World Cup defeat by the Wallabies, De Villiers admitted that his time as Bok coach was up, but he later back-tracked.

Saru extended De Villiers' contract by a month when it decided to delay the naming of next Bok coach until January 27.

"I met Jurie on Monday but I wasn't really sure if it was a formal interview," said De Villiers.

"It was clear that it was a meeting-interview that he needed to go through as part of the legal procedure. It was fairly obvious that they were looking at other options.

"I'm not angry, but I'm disappointed because I expected to sit down with Saru after the World Cup and have a discussion about my future.

"That never happened and this was the first formal meeting we've had. The one-month extension of my contract has cut off my legs in a way because it gave me hope and also stopped me from pursuing some other options."

Sarusaid it would not discuss the issue of Bok coach and that its next comment on the matter would be the announcement of the man for the job at an extraordinary meeting of the general council.

A formal shortlist of candidates has never been made public although members of the executive council will know the names of the possible candidates at least 24 hours before the final candidate is presented to the general council.

"The skills and qualities required by a Springbok coach are confined to only a small number of potential candidates," Roux said.