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Peter de Villiers.
(Images by Lee Warren / Gallo)
- Former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has been named EP Elephants’ new head coach, the Eastern Province Rugby Union confirmed on Friday.
- It’s the 63-year-old’s first coaching job since he was fired by Zimbabwe last year.
- De Villiers coached the Springboks to triumph over the British and Irish Lions in 2009.
Former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has been named the new Elephants EP Head coach, after fighting stiff competition for the position, the Eastern Province Rugby Union (EPRU) confirmed on Friday.
It is De Villiers’ first head coaching job in the senior provincial ranks in South Africa since he was fired by SA Rugby when his four-year tenure at Bok expired in 2011, following his exit from the World Cup quarter-final. Rugby World against the Wallabies.
Although he was a coach at the University of the Western Cape between 2013 and 2015, “Div” has struggled to land coaching jobs nationally, at times accusing his former employers in Plattekloof of “blacklisting” him.
READ | Why Peter de Villiers would be a better fit on EP Elephants
His last full-time job was as the head coach of the Zimbabwe Sabers, a tenure that also ended in bitterness after the Zimbabwe Rugby Union accused him of taking unauthorized leave from work in May 2019.
However, De Villiers was caring for her ailing daughter, Odille Monk, who succumbed to the disease at the age of 28 late last year.
De Villiers fought for a short list that included former Varsity Cup winning coaches Jonathan Mokuena and Kevin Musikanth, as well as former assistant to former Bok coach Heyneke Meyer, Ricardo Laubscher and Deon Kayser.
READ | Thembelani Bholi talks about the collapse of the Kings of the South
De Villiers was grateful for the opportunity to get the Eastern Cape region, especially Port Elizabeth, to rally behind the EP Kings.
“Being the EP coach gives us the opportunity to unite a divided community into a support group that stands behind the team that is supposed to be one of the best in the country,” De Villiers said in an EPRU statement.
“It is going to be a challenge, but with input from all stakeholders, we can achieve our goal.
“My plan for the union is that I need a lot of support from all stakeholders to build bridges and bring the right staff together and make sure everyone understands what the collective goal is.”
“I will work hard to make sure we achieve our goals.”
Highlights and controversies of Peter de Villiers’ training
Highlight
- Springbok head coach between 2008 and 2011.
- He became the first black Springbok head coach in history.
- He led the Springboks to a series victory over the British and Irish Lions in 2009.
- He won the 2009 Tri-Nations with the Boks.
- Famous victories recorded over the All Blacks at Dunedin and Hamilton.
- He led the SA Under-21 team to the IRB World Championship in 2005.
Controversies
- EX SA Rugby President Oregan Hoskins said rugby’s reasons weren’t the only reason he was appointed in 2008; Affirmative action was also considered.
- De Villiers was obsessed with the label being a “political nominee” for Bok’s position in 2008.
- During his tenure at Bok, he was known for numerous controversial comments, including defending the Schalk Burger incident.
- Former Bok Beast Mtawarira wrote in his (edited) biography that De Villiers was “probably lucky to be handed a very good group of players.”
- His Boks were eliminated from the 2011 Rugby World Cup final by Australia, their worst joint performance since 2003 under Rudolf Straeuli.
The 63-year-old had one of the best records against the All Blacks of any Bok coach in history, winning five of six games in his time.
He is famous for leading the Boks to their first win at Dunedin (Carisbrook, 2008) in a century and also added a famous win at Hamilton in 2009.
Without a doubt, his greatest career achievement to date came when his Springboks defeated the British and Irish Lions 2-1 in 2009, something the Bok had not accomplished since 1980.
That same year, the Boks won the Tri-Nations for the third time in their history, securing a rare three-game winning streak over the All Blacks in a calendar year.
He also engineered South Africa’s biggest win over England at Twickenham (42-6 in 2008) and the highest margin win over the Wallabies, 53-8 at Ellis Park in 2008.
De Villiers’ tenure at the Bok was also plagued with controversy, from the first whistle when former SA Rugby president Oregan Hoskins said in his announcement as the first black coach that “affirmative action” played a role in the appointment.
A cloud that it was a “political appointment” hung over him during his four years in office.
