Johannesburg – Heyneke Meyer says he is too embarrassed to look at any clips of himself shouting his mouth off in the coach’s box. But it is this image that has had South Africans talking and wondering just what it is the Springbok coach is saying – and to who.
And, is the Bok boss really such an intense man, someone who appears on the verge of having a heart attack throughout the 80-odd minutes the Boks are in action?
“I am very passionate about my job ... I love my country and I love my people and as a coach of a national team you have to be a part of the game. Soccer coaches get involved with their teams on the side of the field. I don’t want to do that, but it’s like an orchestra where I pull the strings.
“I know I can make a difference (with the things I see on the field and by getting a message down to the captain). I’ve done it before, won games by getting the right message across. I’ve got to be in control.”
Meyer has been in charge of the Boks for just seven Test matches, winning three, drawing two and losing two, but already he is under pressure to change his game-plan, pick different players and make sure he wins.
He has seen this all before, though he, too, battled initially as coach of the Blue Bulls all those years ago, but there can be no doubt he was, and perhaps still is, one of the better coaches produced in this country.
It’s been one helluva introduction to Test rugby and the Springboks for Meyer. “It’s been harsh and a lot tougher than I thought it would be,” admitted Meyer this week.
“What gets to me is that people seem to forget that Steve Hansen (the All Blacks coach) has been part of the national team for over 100 Tests and he’s working with the same group of players who won the World Cup last year.
“Robbie Deans (the Australia coach) has 65 Tests behind him ... with more or less the same group of players.
“Argentina coach Santiago Phelan has been in the job for five years ... I’ve had seven Tests.
“It would have been much easier to have coached the Boks over the last four years.
“I knew a lot of those guys, I’d coached them and they were an established side. The current team is new as so many senior men have moved on and others are injured. I thought people would understand that.
“In the last 23 Tests against New Zealand, we’ve won three and with a new, young team we nearly beat them in Dunedin. But the criticism didn’t stop.
“We haven’t beaten Australia in six matches, which includes an experienced World Cup team ... but we came close in Perth, yet we get crucified.
“I’ve only had seven matches with this group of players, that’s what’s tough.
“It doesn’t matter what you do, you get criticised. I wanted to bring Victor Matfield and Fourie du Preez back and I get told to pick younger guys.
“I do that and we struggle and I get criticised. I get told there are too many Bulls players in the team ... there are three in the 22 for the Loftus Test.
“You just can’t please everybody. The biggest pressure, though, comes from within. I so badly want to do well for the country. I’ve coached a long time and I’ve been through this and I know we’re on the right track. I am hugely grateful for the privilege to coach the Boks and I know this team will develop into something truly special. It is an honour for me to represent the Boks and people must remember I am not here for me, I was out of rugby, remember.
“I just want to serve my country as best I can.”
Unlike previous Bok coaches, who’ve generally been pretty quiet in the coach’s box, Meyer is fully involved in what’s happening on the field and pictures of him screaming into his walkie-talkie have resulted in mixed reactions from South Africans.
“I have to keep my management team next to the field informed about injuries and who should be coming off and who should be going on. From up there, I can also pick up trends in a game ... the way the opposition line up, where they may be short in defence, and so on.
“I can see exactly where we can exploit holes and I can see what we’re doing well and where we can improve during the game. So it gets frustrating trying to get these messages across to the captain.
“While it looks like I’m in control, I’m not really because only five percent of my messages get relayed in time. Most of the talking gets done during stoppages. The players, though, and Jean de Villiers will always make the calls on the field, though all I can do is point certain things out for him.”
While the Boks may not be winning as much as South Africa would like them to and perhaps they’re not playing the kind of rugby the country wants them to, Meyer is firmly of the opinion the Boks are a special team in the making.
“Six of the guys who’re playing at Loftus (tomorrow) are 21 and younger ... that’s why I say we’re on the right track.
“Add all the guys who’re injured and I know we’ll be stronger going forward. I know I can’t say we’re young the whole time, but it’s a reality. I lost 11 out of 11 in my first year at the Bulls, I had to start from scratch ... and we won most of our matches after that poor start.
“Where we are and where I am as a coach feels the same as when I started with the Bulls, so I know we’re moving in the right direction.”
Is Meyer enjoying his time as Bok boss? “Like I said, it’s a huge honour. The players have been awesome and the vibe in the camp is good and there’s plenty of enthusiasm. I know this team will be special.” – The Star