Candidates for Springbok coach need proven pedigree

One option a taciturn tactician, another hard but fair, writes Liam Del Carme

FOR too long, it seems, the trophy cabinet didn't have a leg to stand on when the wise men who run rugby in this country made their deliberations in appointing a Springbok coach.

When the South African Rugby Union (Saru) reveal the identity of the next Springbok coach on Friday, however, they will almost certainly break with the developing trend of elevating coaches who failed to win the Currie Cup.

Of the last seven Springbok coaches, only Harry Viljoen could include that distinction on his CV when he was appointed in 2000.

Currie Cup success following readmission understandably carried some weight but that gradually changed, as evidenced by the appointments of John Williams (three wins, including one shared), Gerrie Sonnekus (none), Ian McIntosh (two, at the time of his appointment), Kitch Christie (two and a Super10 crown), Andre Markgraaff (none), Carel du Plessis (none), Nick Mallett (none), Viljoen (one), Rudolf Straeuli (none), Jake White (none) and Peter de Villiers (none).

The two leading candidates, Heyneke Meyer and Gert Smal (if he hasn't declared himself unavailable), have both gulped champagne from the country's oldest and most revered trophy.

Meyer, quite frankly, is the most decorated coach on the domestic scene. Four Currie Cup wins (including one shared) with the Blue Bulls and a pioneering Super14 crown in 2007 portray a man who has a knack of getting players to make sense of, and then execute, what they observed on his drawing board.

Meyer was on the cusp of being named Springbok coach in 2008 when the numbskull half of Saru's executive ruled otherwise.

That Meyer possesses the technical expertise, powers of motivation and tactical acumen to be an international coach of the highest order, is beyond doubt.

What is, however, less apparent is how Meyer will deal with the demands of the job away from the playing surface. He isn't quite in the Scarlet Pimpernel league of a Rassie Erasmus, but Meyer is also known to fly under the radar, a predisposition frowned upon by the game's ever broadening church of stakeholders.

That should not be considered a big stumbling block as Smal doesn't succumb to bouts of megalomania either.

Bok legend Victor Matfield recently told the Sunday Times that it was imperative to appoint a Bok coach who had clutched silverware.

"I think they should appoint somebody who has a good track record ... who has achieved things. I think they should get the three top brains in South African rugby and then get a manager to drive the whole thing.

"I noticed in the last six months with the Springboks what a difference a guy like Rassie Erasmus can make ... the new ideas that he brings.

"Another guy you'd have to look at is Gert Smal. These guys understand the game and can get things done," stressed Matfield.

Whether Smal and Meyer quite have the appetite to serve under another Bok coach, having done so already under Du Plessis, White and Mallett respectively, is debatable.

Two Currie Cup wins have helped raise Smal's stock. The taciturn tactician is known for his attention to detail and ability to bring clarity to the murky underworld of forward play.

Smal is hard but fair and understands how to put a physical toll on the opposition without it warranting a second glance from citing commissioners.

Former Bok forwards coach Gary Gold underlined Smal's value: "He was a significant part of Jake's (White) management team because he had the most international experience. He's highly thought of. I know, taking over from him, how players enjoyed him."