“Make a public apology or we won’t speak to you again.”
That is the ultimatum that the Springbok team have issued Australian TV company Fox Sports after coach Peter de Villiers was called a clown during the company’s rugby programme, The Rugby Club.
Former Wallaby hooker Brendan Cannon said in a discussion on Wednesday night about the upcoming Test between the Springboks and Wallabies that De Villiers is a clown.
“I can’t believe that senior players like John Smit and Victor Matfield allow themselves to be controlled by this guy. He is a clown. He surely does not coach the team,” said Cannon.
A number of De Villiers’s most controversial statements from the past were mentioned, with each panel member belittling him.
Springbok spokesperson Anthony Mackaiser said that it was decided then that enough is enough.
“I spoke to the executive producer of the programme and we are demanding an immediate apology. They have no right to talk about our coach that way and we view it in poor taste and a very negative light,” he said.
Mackaiser said they had informed the station that no Springbok player or member of management would speak to Fox until Cannon has apologised on air.
If Cannon does not do it, no interviews will be possible in the build-up programmes prior to Saturday’s Test.
Fox are the local affiliate of Newscorp, who owe the TV rights for the Tri-Nations and as such have certain preferential rights. One of them is interviews in the build-up to a Test.
As in New Zealand, De Villiers is a popular topic in the local media, who are painting the Boks as a bunch of undisciplined bullies.
A report in The Australian earlier in the week referred to De Villiers as an “extremely unpredictable man”.
The attack follows several similar attempts by TV stations and newspapers in New Zealand to belittle De Villiers.
His relationship with the international media on tours has never been good, but the comment by Cannon is the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Meanwhile, Rugby Heaven columnist Greg Growden has described the Bok coach as rugby’s own Richard Pryor. He described De Villiers as a “part-time Springbok coach and full-time comedian”.
The Peter de Villiers Quote Hall of Fame:
“If we want to eye-gouge any Lions we will go down to the bushveld like we do and eye- gouge them there.”
– In the wake of the Schalk Burger incident Peter reverts to bush analogies.
“If we are going on like this, why don’t we go to the nearest ballet shop, get some tutus and get a dancing shop going? There will be no eye-gouging, no tackling, no nothing and we will enjoy it.”
– And to think Saru had to send out a press release to clear up that they didn’t condone eye-gouging and statements were mis-interpreted!
“What we try to tell them is when you point your finger into the sky, don’t concentrate on the finger because you’ll miss all the heavenly glory out there. Concentrate on the heavenly glory you can bring and make yourselves so fulfilled.”
“There’s little difference between winning and losing, except you feel better after winning.”
– Simple really.
“The same people who threw their robes on the ground when Jesus rode on a donkey were the same people who crowned him and hit him with sticks, and were the same people who said afterwards how we shouldn’t have done that, he’s the son of God. So that’s exactly what we do. You have to look at history as repeating itself. And I’m not saying that I’m God.”
– Well we’re glad we cleared that one up.
“The small things like judicial hearing will not take away the fact that we won. Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk won the Nobel Peace Prize. No matter what they did wrong in their lives, no one can take away the fact that they won it.”
– All in a day really – comparing Schalk Burger & Bakkies Botha to FW & Madiba
“I’m a God-given talent, I’m the best I can ever be. So what you think doesn’t bother me. I know what I am and I don’t give a damn.”
– Peter has a little go at the media
“What I learned in South Africa is, if you take your car to a garage and the owner is black or a black man, and they mess it up, you never go back to that garage. If the owner is white, you say ag, sorry, they made a mistake and you go back again. This is how some people live their lives in this country.”
– Peter seems to be defending Ricky Januarie ahead of the second Lions Test, but then doesn’t pick him. Panic Mechanic?
“Ja, you know. Morgan Newman has been in form his whole life.”
– From Villian – “My favourite P Divvy quote, was when he was asked why Morgan Newman was picked for the SA XV against Namibia”.
“I won’t change my style, if I change my style I will change Peter de Villiers, and then I would have to tell God that he made a mistake when he made me,”
– Asked if he’ll change his style after week of criticism this is his response. Dazzling.
“We will give them a psychological advantage and we cannot allow that. We’ve read in the papers here that they believe South Africa are ripe for the picking. They’re comparing us with some fruit from a Welsh fruit farm but they need to know that when you pick fruit, it isn’t just apples and pears; there are prickly pears as well. We want to be a prickly pear for them this Saturday.”
– Div gets prickly with the Welsh
“The way things are going right now, in a few year’s time these guys won’t need a coach”
– De Villiers shortly after the Sprinboks’ second consecutive win over the All Blacks in the 2009 Tri Nations clash in Durban.
“We are very organised at the moment, we don’t want to become a fruit salad…”
De Villiers: Aug 2009
“Speaking to IRB referee’s boss Paddy O’ Brien is a complete wast of time…People don’t want to see other teams being successful. That is my biggest problem at the moment. We can’t go public about certain things because we don’t have all the evidence, but the body language of certain officials when things went against us in that game made us worry…. The officials were so happy when decisions went against us on the day. I am talking about the number one rugby team in the world. Shouldn’t they really get the other guys to that level?…. Or do they want to break things down so that the game can become mediocre and everyone has a chance to win it. We don’t want to dwell on that point, but if that is the case, then I feel I am wasting my time by talking to them. I will then have to reconsider talking to them.”
-Peter is taking his ball and he’s going home.
Reporter :”So Peter de Villiers did you find anything to do in hamilton?”
PdV: “Ja you know , we did find something to do. WE WON THE TRI-NATIONS IN HAMILTON.”
“Ja, you know, if you want to run with the big digs you have to lift your leg.” & “Ja, you know, these guys, they can play on the moon.”
– Two absolute pearlers
“If you look at the Bible and see how Joseph got out of the pit and ended up in the palace, but between the pit and the palace there was a moerse lot of k*k.”
— A de Villiers classic just before the Newlands Test against the All Blacks, which the Boks lost 19-0
What a sad situation the SARU have got themselves into with this issue. If a South African broadcaster pilloried Robbie Deans, for instance, for his current poor winning statistic, and referred to him as a clown, we would just take it on the chin – no big deal, but SARU demand an on air apology and threaten to take their players away from interviews until the apology is heard. To make such a demand of Cannon is a ridiculous and petty attitude to take. Let me say it here and now: PdV IS a clown! I understand he may say English is not his first language and that is fair comment, but he knows what he is saying is nonsense and yet he continues with this dopey discourse he engages in.
My displeasure is with SARU for the position they have taken, for I am aware that PdV has the right to say whatever he wishes and we won’t stop him.
How long will it take SARU to realise this man is a liability, and he is making SA rugby the laughing stock in the rugby community.
Why ask for an apology ?
Everyone are intitled to their opinion, however crooked it may be….
Sure Divvie could come up with another pearler to counter Cannon 😆
Fact remains…
If you throw peanuts out there, you’ll attract monkeys…
If you appoint a National coach not entirely on merit you’ll get………..
@ Old Griquas 14 in Sydney:
On principle the Springboks are right. Seems to me you have turned into a real ozie. If your best friend jumps in the fire, does it mean that you have to do the same?
@ Blouste:
I hear you Blouste. But if you belittle someone in with your utterings, then you need to be the man enough to apologize.
@ rugbybal:
Yes , I agree…
Would’ve just loved to hear Divvie’s response 😆
@ Old Griquas 14 in Sydney:
Oh and btw it wasn’t SARU that took a stand, it was the Springbok team
@ Blouste:
I just hope we win this game. Silence them on the field.
rugbybal, I doubt whether the Springboks will be focused enough. If PDV is talking this much nonsense in public, imagine the “kak” he is talking in the change rooms.
rugbybal wrote:
Can’t agree more…
I’ve got a funny feeling we will smash the Oz mob this weekend…
Don’t ask me why… just a funny feeling…
@ Blouste:
Blouste
I think one of the sides will get a hiding, but it could just go either way.
I hope the Boks haven’t got another shocker in the tank, because if they have the Wallabies may just have their number.
On the other hand (Darren) if the wallabies take the field thinking all they have to do is show up, it could well be Wallaby stert poitjie for Saturday lunch. Let’s hope so!
@ Blouste:
“got a funny feeling” now now Blouste hope that wasn’t an intetional play on this “clown” thing…
Jokes aside I like this show of solidarity, its been good to see de Villiers not lambasting his players in public and now the return from the players. But I’m afraid if Fox are paying the bills then they will probably get their interview regardless.
This is rediculous, didn’t Div just call Henry a bigmouth? PDV has a bigmouth, and deserves all the criticism he receives. PDV should concentrate on his team who is actually not performing at all and forget about all the other factors around him.
And hopefully Fox don’t appologise and Div don’t ever talk to the press again.
I have just picked on SuperBru…. picked Ozzies by 10.
Anyway, you guys won’t see much of me today.. going to Witbank (Mordor) now [120km away], then Pretoria where I see 3 clients [100km away from Witbank], then Midrand [25km away from Pta], then Edenvale [another 25km away], then Boksburg [yet another 25km away], then home…. and by 17:30 we have to leave back to Pretoria all dressed to kill for an evening of formal Food and Wine Tasting at Leriba Lodge…
Going to be rush jobbies today and the car’s going to fly…. chat later!
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hmmm, nog nie
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uhm, dink ek sal liewer môre weer trugkom!!
Snoek wrote:
Now wouldn’t that be a relevation, no “foot in mouth disease” in future.
hehehehe
@ Bullscot:
😆
@ Ashley:
Nee man Ash….
Druk net daai papsak bietjie harder !!! 😆
The sad reality is that nobody can escape public opinion, and the words that come out of your mouth tell all about you.
It is a very poor excuse to say that the man is not using his mother tongue.
He has not learnt anything about how to conduct himself in public to the best interests of SA rugby.
Eventually these shortcomings are exposed and no amount of excuses and rallying around him seem to have any effect on his ability to continue making a fool of himself.
Whether you believe the press are unfair to him or not is irrelevant, as we don’t live in a fair world, especially when it comes to a high profile position like Bok coach.
SARU appointed him and know they have to live with that decision, and firing him would appear to be a difficult thing to do, given the sensitivity around him.
He is not a great ambassador for SA rugby and his ” I don’t care, I am my own man ” attitude is simply ignorant in this day and age.
So simply put, if you act like a fool then are you not a fool?
hey guys, hope all is well….
I am not a very big pdv fan BUT….. He is finally saying something ww have all been begging sarfu to say… the refs blow two sets of rules when the bokke plays.. even last year when we won it was the same thing…
WELL DONE SNORRE!!!!!!!!
tighthead @ 21
“The sad reality is that nobody can escape public opinion”
(true)
and the words that come out of your mouth tell all about you
(not true)
..
whats true is that what you see (also called your reality) is entirely made up of that which you WANT to see!! (two people can look at the same thing, and their experiences about it might be worlds apart!!)
durban bulle @ 22
spiderman se gat … djy’s nou officially my superhero (of djy nou wil wies of nie!!) 😀
fuckin bloody fuckin well fuckin said!! 😆
o, and tighthead …. this is the words that just came out of my mouth … does that make me an uneducated derelict?
Durbanbulle.
Think about this, if you want to address issues of unfairness or deemed unfairness it should be done at SANZAR lavel whereby the SA administration can approach these issues in a way seen more diplomatically and where these issues can be addressed and resolved with factual information. That is to say if SARU officials are actually capable of factual reason.
By having your coach go of like a little obstinate whatever, and this on the back of two embaressing losses to NZ will only be percieved as sour grapes and excuses.
Now PDV has given the media all around the world enough ammunition to ridicule SA rugby.
And who are the ones that suffer because of it?
The fans, players and the Springbok emblem.
biltongbek @ 25
“And who are the ones that suffer because of it?
.. The fans …” 😯 could i suggest that you actually do something with your life rather than wait to be “embaressed” by someone elses actions?
..
you know, human beings are funny things … eg. wherever i’ve worked, i found that people had issues (especially at work) that they were unhappy about .. so unhappy in fact that on most occassions most people would say that they couldnt continue working under such stresses (problems) and would rather leave the company/ies.
suggest to them however that such issues could be taken up with people who could actually solve it, and the “unhappy ones” gets less … they then find that they “werent as unhappy about it as they thought”
..
same with sarugby supporters .. for years we’ve been complaining about bias against our players/ teams … both on the field (referees) and off it (judiscial officers)
and
for years we’ve been asking that this should be resolved … remember us talking about joining the 5nations as soon as our contract with sanzar expires? that move was suggested because of the unhappiness with sanzar and the fact that we bring in most of the revenue, but get the harshest deals.
..
now, at last someone had the GUTS to say openly what has been discussed behind doors for years … that where springbok rugby is concerned most refs on the field and judiscial officers off it are biased against us and that harsher penalties will be given to a bok player than the lilly white souls in nz and aus ….
funny thing though is that now that its been said,
now
most of our supporters suddenly realise that they werent as unhappy about this inconsistency as they initially thought they were!! 😯
…
oh,
and
just one last thought … remember the “get the japies email” of a few years ago?
if anyone back then had suggested that the refs were biased against us WITHOUT THE EVIDENCE OF THAT MAIL, would anyone have believed us?
i dont think so. we only got to know that THEY were out to get US because WE HAD EVIDENCE.
now
this time, theres no mails we can produce to back our claims …
but
does that mean that theres really NO CONSPIRACY?
Ashley wrote:
Ashley, I am not “waiting about” be be embarressed by this. In fact if you read some of my other responses, I argued the fact that guys like Bakkies and Danie keep the attention on us, and due to that any biased actions by referees are human.
I am not bothered by the Bias referees, I am bothered by what I have seen is happening to Springbok rugby, and I am not talking about the last two tests.
Do you actually realise, out of our last 8 tests against top tier nations we have now lost 5?
where would you like to put the blame?
biltong @ 27
ALL THINGS CONSIDERED … the blame should still go back on the coaching team … and ive never suggested anything else
…
but
whats getting at me is that especially in that 2nd test against nz
it took one guy to rape 22 springboks
in broad daylight
in front of millions of viewers
and
no criminal charge has been laid!! 😆
Ashley, I assime you are talking about the referee.
But there was another “rapist” on that field, Danie Rossouw.
This is what gets to me, there are two issues here.
One, the referees and citing commissioners can to an extent be blamed by South African rugby fans.
Two, our “thuggish” behaviour are not doing us any favours. Until we realise we need to clean our act up, it is pointless to argue any facts when the media, Referees, and citing commissioners can throw as many back to us.
biltongbek @ 29
agree
well said
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