The appointment of Peter de Villiers, a coach who boasts the Falcons in the Currie Cup as the fulcrum of his coaching career, as the new coach of the World Cup-winning Springboks still ranks as one of sports more jaw-dropping advancements.
Let us be honest, there were a great many of us who groaned into our beers and muttered our expletives when a coach we had barely heard of took over from Jake White.
A political appointment? At international level? I still don't agree with it, although perhaps without the vehemence of Heyneke Meyer's consorts.
In fact, in the first weeks after the announcement, the pessimism was such (and this came off the record from many players, coaches and administrators) that in a in fit of black humour, I was reminded of those famous old lines from Yeats' Second Coming: "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world . . ."
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All right, enough melodrama. You get the picture! But for those of us who saw the glass as half empty, the developments with the Springboks over the last fortnight or so have been quite cheery.
While we are still unsure about De Villiers's ability to coach - yes he was the coach of the successful SA Under-21 team, but how much coaching is done with invitation teams? - we can be greatly encouraged about his desire to get the right people around him.
The willingness of first Dick Muir and then John Smit to sign up with De Villiers after having met him and heard what he has to say has got to be a good thing.
When Smit was visiting South Africa last month on injury leave from France, he was asked for an opinion on De Villiers and he answered: "I don't have one. I have never met him and don't know too much about him."
But two meetings later, one in Cape Town and one in France, Smit was converted, and in Wednesday's press release to announce Smit as the 2008 Springbok captain, there was plenty of mutual admiration expressed by both parties.
Muir was similarly impressed by De Villiers after the latter approached Muir and asked him to apply for the position of backline coach.
With Muir in charge of the backs and Smit captaining the team, it can't be all bad for the Boks surely.
Muir still has to get the job, of course, because anything can - and usually does - happen with SA Rugby. Muir is on the shortlist along with Chester Williams and Border coach Dumisani Mhani.
For SA Rugby, surely that one is a no-brainer.
The shortlist for forwards coach reportedly comprises Griquas coach Dawie Theron, Boland coach Deon Davids and Western Province assistant Gary Gold.
I can't say I can pick the winner there.
But back to the Boks and why we have much to be positive about. Of the squad that went to the World Cup, only retired Os du Randt and Bob Skinstad are not available for the Boks.
Percy Montgomery has not retired, contrary to press reports immediately after the World Cup, and De Villiers met with him last week in Perpignan to confirm his availability, on the same trip that he sounded out Smit.
In Toulon, Victor Matfield has also expressed his desire to play on for the Boks - at least until the British and Irish Lions tour here next year.
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This article was originally published on page 27 of The Mercury on February 21, 2008
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