PDV lays the blame on his veterans
Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:49
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers has issued a warning of sorts to his older players, evidently feeling rattled by three Tri-Nations defeats in four outings.
The pressure is mounting for the outspoken head coach, as he targeted the more experienced players in his camp this week in the hope that they might effect the necessary turn-around, looking on to Saturday's Tri-Nations clash with the Wallabies in Durban.
"The guys who have played well so far are mainly the younger players and not the old hands," De Villiers told a Cape Town radio station earlier this week, according to The Times.
"I'm trying to get into the heads of the more experienced players. I'm going to make it clear that if I can't win matches with the experienced players in the team, I'd rather lose with inexperienced guys.
"If their sell-by dates have come and gone I'll have to act accordingly. We've had hard words and now we need to see if we can turn it around," he added.
De Villiers did not name the "experienced" players in his firing line, but two players that stand out are centurion Percy Montgomery as well as out-of-form flyhalf Butch James.
Montgomery's 100th Test match selection (against the All Blacks at Newlands) was of course made with much sentiment, though the 34-year-old failed to impress last Saturday, prompting De Villiers to select Conrad Jantjes to fill the No.15 position for this weekend's Wallaby encounter in Durban.
Butch James may also come under scrutiny, appearing physically and mentally worn this season and performing well below his usual capabilities. He remains however South Africa's best flyhalf.
It seems individual performances have not necessarily been calamitous, but the team may be struggling to come to grips with De Villiers' coaching philosophy.
The Bok coach is thus coming under increasing pressure because of poor results, and subsequently seems prepared to lay part of the blame on his players - who he feels have been lacking "passion".
"We can turn it around, but what concerns me is that the guys are not able to keep their performances at a high level," De Villiers said.
"I'm asking myself, 'How do they keep the passion of playing for their country?'" he added.
