Heyneke Meyer quits as Springbok coach

Heyneke Meyer will not seek to renew his Springbok coaching contract beyond its current period‚ meaning he has effectively resigned as Bok coach.

Meyer’s contract ends on December 31 and he will no longer be the Springbok coach in 2016. After a difficult 12 months that saw the Boks lose to Argentina and Japan and also fail to win the World Cup‚ Meyer has decided to call it quits.

Meyer communicated his desire to stand aside to SARU following a recent meeting with Oregan Hoskins, SARU president, and the CEO, Jurie Roux.

Heyneke Meyer has advised SARU that he no longer wished to be considered as a candidate to coach the Springboks.

— South African Rugby (@Springboks) December 3, 2015

Meyer said he had decided to stand aside as coach, a decision he considers to be in the best interests of South African rugby, following recent developments.

Heyneke Meyer: “My integrity has always been very important and I feel I can leave with my head held high."

— South African Rugby (@Springboks) December 3, 2015

Meyer took over a Springbok team that was fourth in the world rankings at the conclusion of the 2011 Rugby World Cup and lifted them to second (to New Zealand) by the end of his first season in charge.

Heyneke Meyer: “Thank you to the countless faithful, positive and passionate supporters that have made my job as coach a joy."

— South African Rugby (@Springboks) December 3, 2015

That position was maintained in 2013 and 2014 with a combined winning ratio of 77% which included a record-breaking win over Australia in Brisbane (38-12), a Rugby Championship record victory over Argentina in Soweto (73-13) and the first away win over France in 16 years, as well as two unbeaten end-of-year tours.

Oregan Hoskins: “Heyneke gave his all for the Springboks and it was a great pleasure to work with such a passionate South African."

— South African Rugby (@Springboks) December 3, 2015

In all, Meyer coached the team to 34 victories and two draws in 50 matches. During his tenure, the Springboks recorded a 66.7% winning record in Tests and scored 143 Test tries - second only to New Zealand in that time.

Hoskins thanked Meyer for his services to South African rugby and said that SARU  the search for a successor would begin immediately.

The CEO will present the process of recruitment as per the recommendation of the High Performance Committee for approval to the Executive Council on Wednesday, after which it will be shared with the provincial unions at the General Council meeting two days later.

Media are advised that an announcement on any appointment would be made only once the process had been completed. SARU personnel would make no comment on the matter until that time.

SARU’s General Council was set to meet on December 11 to discuss Meyer’s future as coach, but that meeting will now be to find a suitable replacement for Meyer.

Former Stormers coach Allister Coetzee has been widely tipped as the man to take over.

Meyer coached the Boks between 2012 and 2015.

News24 contributed to the story