According to our local South African press, the shenanigans of words in New Zealand has blown up into a racial row.  This is covered in some of our front page papers.  Bok coach, Pieter de Villiers has questioned whether racism has played a part in Dowd’s comments which labelled our esteemed coach a “puppet”.

De Villiers is reported to have lost his cool, SA rugby is demanding that Dowd apologize.  De Villiers response was “I don’t know him (Dowd), The closest  I have got to him was on the TV in my sitting room.  I don’t know if he ever saw me, if he knows me…its quite a stupid call to make. I don’t know what his agenda is, if it’s racism or not”.

Lets stop right there. Whether you agree with Dowd’s comment or not…enter the race card.  First off, it was SA Rugby boss, Oregan Hoskin who admitted that de Villiers appointment was based on transformation issues.

Secondly, Dowd’s comment that if de Villiers knew anything about rugby, he has yet to see it… is fair comment and he is entitled to his view. Past Bok coaches have copped worse then that.  It was a rugby comment, based on I assume, what Dowd himself has so far seen in New Zealand.  This tour so far has been a PR disaster, with gaffe’s and whingeing, accusations and bitching.

So far de Villiers has not handled things very well. In his first major test, he has got everything wrong both, on and off the field.  The Boks under his leadership have gone from one media gaffe to the other.

I feel sorry for Pieter de Villiers.  He seems a decent enough bloke… but a bloke thrust into a job way beyond his capabilities.  In one week, he is already  learning it takes a unique character of steel to handle the poisoned chalice job of Bok coach.

But why cry racism.  The Bok coach is a merciless job for anyone.  Why cry racism when your very bosses admitted your appointment was due to your race over merit.  Welcome to the unforgiving world of Bok coach where there is only way to silence your critics…and that is success.  No other coach before de Villiers has had the luxury to cry racism.  On the contrary, they have been accused of racism.

SA Rugby’s demand that Craig Dowd should apologize is laughable.  His opinion are his and he is entitled to them.  He has said publicly what the whole world knows anyway and that merit was not the criteria behind the coaches appointment.  In fact SA Rugby themselves were the first one’s to publicly make that statement when Hoskin’s admitted the coaches appointment was based on satisfying transformation requirements, not on merit alone.

Early in his tenure, de Villiers response to each curve ball that comes his way shows more and more evidence that he is not up to this job anymore than I am.

I feel very sorry for this guy.  He is showing strain.  He is not taking criticism too well. I wish he could do his talking on the field, and if he wanted to make a statement to disprove his sceptics and critics, then to do so today with a victory over the All Blacks.  That would be the best way to make Dowd and anyone else who doubts him, eat their words.

I include myself.

Lose today then the heat will really be turned up as his attention turns to the Ozzie’s in Perth. The more the road show continues, the bigger a circus it becomes.

Read more on this on the forum.