The future is All Black for the Boks

In spite of compelling evidence to the contrary, there's a tendency in South African rugby circles to take Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer with a pinch of salt.

It's a strange take on a man who built the Bulls dynasty of the last decade from the ashes, became the first SA coach to win a Super rugby title and is currently the second-most successful Bok coach of all time.

Maybe it's what a colleague calls his junior executive haircut; the evangelical zeal with which he approaches his work (picture him on SuperSport's Heyneke Meyer Cam), or the fact that he openly admits to having heard a voice telling him to keep the faith (in Afrikaans, nogal) when all seemed lost in that Super rugby final in 2007.

Whatever the reason, one gets a sense that mistrust will always be a constant that accompanies Meyer's tenure as Bok coach in the rugby public's eyes.

Given the strides he has made since taking on the job in 2012, it's an unfair outlook to have on a man who seems to live and breathe the green and gold.

At some level one can sense where the grudging part of the respect is coming from.

There was the over-reliance on Bulls players when he started, when his approach seemed to be maak die Bulle almal Bokke. There was the obsession with getting Victor Matfield and Fourie du Preez back from retirement.

Then there was the playing style, which was so stodgy that beer became an important ally to watching the games prettier.

Also, some local coaches aren't happy with how many foreign-based players can now play in the Bok team. And the fact that 11 of Jake White's World Cup-winning squad - who cheekily include Du Preez and Matfield - are still in the running for next year's tournament worries many.

But, in his defence, the rugby has improved, the habitually messy breakdown has become a strength, and more players have been given a chance in the Bok team despite the apparent reliance on old hands.

That said, Meyer probably needs to do one more thing to allay the many fears around his tenure, namely, beat the All Blacks for the first time since he took over the Bok coaching job.

Despite a glowing win record of around 75%, Meyer hasn't managed to do what White and the much maligned Peter de Villiers did with regularity.

During his stint, White always made sure he gave the All Blacks the hurry-up in New Zealand and beat them at home. De Villiers took things further by recording an unprecedented two wins away for a post-isolation coach.

Meyer has been denied similar results by near farcical circumstances. There was Dean Greyling's sin-binning and knock-on with the tryline at his mercy in a close match in Dunedin in 2012.

Then referee Romain Poite stepped in to spoil what could have been a decent match in Auckland with Bismarck du Plessis's erroneous sending off last year.

Consequently, Meyer's Boks have to beat the All Blacks this year if he harbours any hopes of having his team line up as one of the favourites at next year's World Cup.

Meyer's recent response to how urgent beating the All Blacks is before the World Cup was: "You can't just focus on one team because you go backwards."

It's a clever answer, but sport can work along simple lines sometimes: you have to have beaten a team before you can believe you can when you need to.

Beating the All Blacks just once this year won't only give Meyer the relief victory will bring, it will also give his public belief in him.