Springboks deny rift rumours
The national manager of the South African rugby team has denied reports emerging in the Australian press that the team is in complete chaos.
The rumours suggest that there is real friction and discontent in the South African camp after the poor performance of the side during the Tri Nations series so far.
South African rugby officials have already said they will question Peter de Villiers over what went wrong at the first available opportunity. The coach will have a lot to answer for as his side are yet to win a match while they have been in Australia and New Zealand.
If there is any truth in the rumours then it's going to be very damaging for South Africa's preparations in the build up to the World Cup next summer. However, they will say they have been through tougher times than this and it could be an example of the Aussie media trying to provoke reaction.
Threatened
A number of things are going to be threatened if there is any truth that there is friction between the coach and the leaders of South African rugby or any part of the squad.
The coach will not like being questioned in his role but he's already said that he does not have a problem with answering the questions that the South African Rugby Union are expected to put forward.
The bigger problem is within the playing squad. The only way a team can be successful on tour is if they all stick together and play as a unit throughout all matches. Friction between any two players or a player and another party will threaten this.
Team manager Andy Marinos said: "I've been with the Springboks for almost three weeks now and can categorically state there is no rift in the management team. In my various discussions with Bok coach Peter de Villiers, his assistant coaches d**k Muir and Gary Gold, as well as senior team members John Smit and Victor Matfield, it's never once come up that there are problems in the camp."
Experience
Anyone who gets a job within the South African playing or management set-up has to be made of very tough skin. It is likely that 99 per cent of the current set-up will not even have considered or read that there might be a problem.
They will not let this affect them and they will be used to touring countries and having the media on their back from the very first day. They could even use it as something positive and an excuse to fire up their players who really need a lift at this moment in time.
Marinos added: "For three weeks in a row we have not played well and made it harder for ourselves by playing with only 14 players on the field at crucial time during the games, away from home."
Betting advice
South Africa will be looking for a response and it is likely to come within their next one or two games. They do not go on huge losing streaks without a positive reaction that can lift the team and get them back to a high playing level.
The coach will not think anything of any media comments and he will be working hard on making South Africa a more compact unit. This will make them more difficult to break down and you should always be confident of backing them to win most games they play in. The problem has been unforced errors and if these can be eradicated then the Springboks still have enough at the other end of the field to score a lot of points.
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