By Country / South Africa

What I still want to achieve...

I don’t have too many things I want to achieve in rugby union. I’ve been very fortunate on many occasions - winning the junior and senior World Cups, Tri-Nations, coach of the year twice, team of year twice and the world team of the year at the Lareaus Sports Awards - so from a rugby point of view, I’ve been really lucky, It’s been really kind to me.

I don’t really get up in the morning and get up in the morning and think ‘geez what else is there to do’ but saying that rugby is such a special thing and such a special game to be involved in.

I’m sure there’ll be something that’ll come up that’ll really entice me to get me back involved, but when the final whistle went in the World Cup final, I felt a sense of relief, as being in a cauldron every single Saturday takes its toll on you.

How I would like to be remembered...

The most important thing for me is to get remembered as a rugby man. Any guy involved in rugby knows what that means - to encompass everything - and when people say, ‘you remember Jake White’, I hope they say ‘that guy was a rugby man.’

My greatest achievement...

The best day of life was when I became the Springbok coach. For an English-speaking non-Springbok to become coach of the national team is a hell of an achievement. Guys like Ken McIntosh and Keith Christie weren’t Springboks, and it was almost a bit of a closed shop then, so winning the World Cup was a real highlight for me.

My idea of perfect rugby happiness...

A couch, remote control, and rugby on every single channel.

To read part two click here

99% of South Africa would've been ready to give Pieter de Villiers his P45 following Saturday's humiliating defeat to Australia, but it appears SA Rugby has shot itself in the foot, with throwing the book at de Villiers simply not financially viable.

Four defeats in five games is hardly world champion form and disgruntled fans delivered a clear message of unrest during de Villiers' post-match television interview in Durban.

South Africa's first ever black coach earns a reported R1.4 million a year and although many are ready to push the panic button after a dismal TriNations, getting rid of him now could potentially cost up to R5 million given the performance-related clause doesn't come into effect until next year.

It's over. Australia ended their eight-year travel bug in South Africa with a clinical performance led from the fore by inspirational skipper Stirling Mortlock.

Mortlock's sensational solo score put the gloss on a polished Wallaby display with bodies bruised, battered and bloodied as the final whistle signalled mixed emotions of both elation and relief.

James Horwill has been the find of the Robbie Deans era with the 23-year-old putting in another mature shift alongside elder statesman Dan Vickerman in the Australian second-row.

South Africa had their chances - they coughed up several in the opening exchanges - but their structure, especially at the breakdown was a shambles.

Australia's first two visits to the Springboks twenty-two yielded 10 points.

While the Boks pushed the panic button, Australia's pragmatism and patience enabled Deans' men to watch in amazement as the Boks butchered possession and territory all too often - and when they conserved the ball they racked up the points.

Someone must remind Pieter de Villiers, sport is about results. Many a coach has endeavoured to play the beautiful game, even more have spoken about it, but very few have achieved it as well as picking up the points.

South Africa's first black coach is adamant about changing the face of Springbok rugby, but only 10 months ago, with 90% of the same personnel, the passionate talented bunch lifted the William Webb Ellis trophy for the second time in the country's history.

It speaks volumes when stubborn South Africans claim moral victories, especially in Durban where they at least registered some points, but again the pretty didn't pack any punch with missed opportunities giving the Wallabies hope and time to build up ahead of steam.

Any positives or excuses for de Villiers were drowned out by a showering of boos that poured over his and Victor Matfield's post-match summary.

Matfield hit the nail on the head - "It's our jobs, it's our work, it's our passion, it's our lives" - but such dismal standards in any circle of employment surely illustrates the love for both the job and the boss is working overtime.

10 months is barely enough time for a woman to give birth let alone a coach’s shelf life, but for South Africa and Pieter de Villiers Saturday could signal a full-cycle.

De Villiers has grasped the ELVs like a five-year-old attempting trigonometry. Furthermore, claims that senior players are picking the team and choosing tactics serves to illustrate just how sorely John Smit’s orientation has been missed.

The Boks coach has been taking aim at the IRB, but in reality, the missiles are locked and loaded on South Africa in Durban for another defeat against Australia is likely to force the board’s hand.

Rather than backs against the wall, the Springboks are cornered. Imagine carrying a pregnant walrus on your back and you get the gist.

Angry animals, Schalk Burger, Pierre Spies and Juan Smith have been marauding around the patch like toothless tigers and really struggled against the hungrier fetchers such as Richie McCaw and George Smith with their turnover count mirroring the rise in Oil prices.

The Springboks have attacked the ruck like a dingy approaching a giant waterfall - all too quickly and unexpectedly.

So for South Africa, Plan A must be the Wallaby scrum. Waiting for Australia to scrum-down carries that same painful inevitability of impending doom.

Arresting the early advantage and mixing it up should be the priority because they have been far too predictable and picked off like flies by more structured imagination - it’s not like working out the square root of 23716.

The aviophobic Australians haven’t won on their travels in their last 15 Test matches and you have to go as far back as 2000 to register their last win in South Africa.

Playing at sea level will help with the dizziness of foreign playing heights and Deans would’ve ensured the team doctor packed plenty of travel-sickness tablets in their allocation.

While de Villiers learns about team selection and the new laws, maybe, just maybe, the Springboks can start playing like world champions.

A win in Durban won’t come courtesy of mastering the variations, it’ll be about resurrecting the performance standards from Dunedin.

Not such trouble for Deans, for an improbable away victory would set up a winner takes all clash with the All-Blacks in Brisbane. For the sake of the tournament, let’s hope so

Pieter de Villiers has made two changes to for the visit of Australia following last weekend's unnerving defeat to New Zealand.

One is forced, with Jongi Nokwe replacing the injured Bryan Habana on the left-wing while Conrad Jantjes returns for Percy Montgomery, who unlike David Beckham, can think of other things now he's been given his 100th cap.

De Villiers has opened himself up to a barrage of criticism by not selecting any second-row cover on the bench. We're not saying the Wallabies will be out to injure anyone, but it wouldn't come as a suprise to see a stray boot or extra effort going into tackles on Messrs Matfield and Bekker.

Fourie du Preez and Butch James continue as half-backs for the Springboks, who can ill-avoid one more slip up if they are to harbour hopes of salvaging something from their TriNations campaign.

South Africa: 15. Conrad Jantjes 14. JP Pietersen 13. Adrian Jacobs 12. Jean de Villiers 11. Jongi Nokwe 10. Butch James 9. Fourie du Preez 8. Pierre Spies 7. Juan Smith 6. Schalk Burger 5. Victor Matfield (captain) 4. Andries Bekker 3. CJ van der Linde 2. Bismarck du Plessis 1. Tendai Mtawarira
Reserves: 16. Adriaan Strauss 17. Brian Mujati18. Joe van Niekerk 19. Luke Watson 20. Enrico Januarie 21. Francois Steyn 21. Percy Montgomery