De Villiers given backing
South Africa rugby coach Peter de Villiers has been given the full backing of the South African Rugby Union.
The Springboks have had a miserable time in the Tri Nations so far and have failed to win a single match. They have lost consistently and badly to New Zealand and Australia and calls are starting to emerge for the coach's head.
De Villiers is in charge of the defending World Champions and this is always going to mean additional pressure at times when it's not necessarily needed. He often reacts well to bad criticism but he'll have to get the team playing well again to ease this latest bout of pressure.
The problem has been that South Africa are making far too many basic errors that can be cut out of their game with thorough and efficient tactics. They have also looked intimidated by external factors such as the crowd during games.
Basic Errors
Basic errors have been costing the side. The problem is that they have started to appear in defensive areas and when this happens it gives the opposition attack a chance to walk the ball over the line.
Unforced errors are the only way that South Africa have lost games since they won the last World Championship. The majority of the time they are not playing against teams who are stronger than they are, just teams who are good enough to pounce on mistakes.
The coaches in all areas of the team are going to have to work hard over the next few days to eradicate the problems that are currently in the side. They have to act quickly and de Villiers must play a big role in lifting the spirit of the team and raising morale.
SARU president Oregan Hoskins said: "There is a lot of wrong that needs to be made right after the bad start to the Tri-Nations. But that doesn’t mean that we don’t support the coach. We are meeting the coach to hear what went wrong and what needs to be done going forward."
Conditions
A few people have already said that the conditions South Africa are playing in could have something to do with their bad run of form. They have the least support out of the three countries at the Tri Nations and are often playing in front of some very hostile crowds.
This can often lead to players getting intimidated very quickly and although there are some experienced players in the Springbok camp they are still very human. This intimidation could be causing the errors in the side that are costing games.
Hoskins added: "The general council will meet on Friday where we will be presented with recommendations on who should be appointed (SARU CEO shake up). We have not been in contact with any of the company’s representatives, so the process will be very fair. Hopefully we will be able to finalise the process at the meeting."
Betting advice
South African rugby needs a lift and things have already started to happen in the higher ranks behind the scenes. South Africa are going to need a win very soon. They are not a side that likes long runs of losses and they will surely be more determined than ever to bounce back at the next opportunity.
De Villiers is not a bad coach by any means and he will work hard to cut out the errors that have cost the side. This will mean a more compact and organised Springbok unit, which will allow the team to play with more energy and confidence. Look for the Boks to come back strong in their home stand.
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