SARU scramble to find Bok manager
Tue, 30 Sep 2008 09:58
The Springboks could be left stranded without a Team Manager on their end-of-year tour to the British Isles, with Tri-Nations Bok Manager Andy Marinos currently not available for the job.
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) has recently appointed Marinos to the position of acting Managing Director of SA Rugby, after the position was vacated by Jonathan Stones.
But that move has effectively left SARU racing against the clock to appoint a new Team Manager for the Springboks, who depart on their tour to Wales, Scotland and England in less than one month's time.
Furthermore, SARU have not yet identified the job specification, with the role and duties of the incumbent Team Manager yet to be clarified.
Golden Lions Rugby Union President Jannie Ferreira is the man tasked by SARU to find the next Bok Team Manager, but he admitted that he was yet to receive a clear directive about the type of candidate needed for the job.
"I'll grant you that we're rather pressured as far as time is concerned," Ferreira told Beeld newspaper.
"We first have to get a proper job description before we can continue the process. For example, there has to be a decision whether the post will be a purely ceremonial one," he elaborated.
"If it is not going to be a ceremonial appointment, the process must obviously be a more protracted one.
"Unfortunately it is a fact that we don't have a lot of time to make such an appointment.
"I need to get a few proposals. I will have to consult widely to find out exactly what the role has to encompass," said Ferreira.
This will mean that Ferreira will be spending more precious time talking to members of the Springboks' Team Management and members of the President's council to clarify the details and requirements of the position, before he can actually begin his search for suitable candidates.
That will not leave much time to actually interview and appoint a suitable candidate before the Springboks depart for the United Kingdom at the end of October.
It is unclear at this stage whether the role will be purely ceremonial, and whether there will be a directive to appoint an ethnic black manager.
It will not be the first time that the Springboks will tour without a Team Manager, should SARU fail to appoint a Team Manager in time.
Jake White's Springboks undertook their tour to the British Isles in 2006 without an official Manager in place.
The team lost two of their three Tests in the process, with defeats to Ireland at Lansdowne Road in Dublin, and to England at Twickenham.
