Johannesburg - Not since six years ago at the same venue when his predecessor Peter de Villiers launched a verbal assault on the media, has a Springbok coach come out swinging at his detractors and critics.
It may not have been with the same vitriol as that of De Villiers talking about dancing shows, tutus, eye gouging and black and white mechanics but it was a stern message from a man who is content in doing things his own way.
On Wednesday, Bok coach Heyneke Meyer threw a few blows of his own against those that have publicly criticised him for his team selections.
Never one to be embroiled in public confrontations, Meyer defended his selection of older players in the lead up to the World Cup but was very guarded in his response to those who questioned his lack of transformation.
“I said from the start that this Rugby Championship, with all the injuries - and this is not an excuse - we are in a lose-lose situation,” Meyer reiterated at the team announcement on Wednesday for the game against the All Blacks at Elllis Park on Saturday.
“Those impact players were all in for players who were injured. Victor (Matfield) was injured early on so Lood (de Jager), who hasn’t played for some time, he came on earlier than he should. With Marcel (Coetzee) going off, he was also injured, we had to make a change there earlier than we predicted.
“People couldn’t believe that I took Jannie off but he was actually injured. Before the game, I was always in a lose-lose situation. There is also a lot of criticism that Frans (Malherbe) doesn’t start because he was the best player (during Super Rugby) according to most of the so-called experts and that Jannie is over the wall. Then after that, I got criticised that I took (Jannie) off too early.
“The difficult thing with this is that Patrick Lambie, Cobus Reinach, Lood and even Heinrich Brüssow, they haven’t played for quite some time and you can’t wait until the World Cup to get them going. You have to put them up with 20 to 30 minutes ... you have to give those guys playing time to see where they stand. I would probably have done the same thing in the same situation,” he said.
While Meyer tried to lighten his comments with a momentary smile, he is quietly hoping this team will not only beat the All Blacks to set the wheels in motion for his grand plan in the lead up to the World Cup, but to also silence his critics.
“The difference between the experts and me is that my team gets to play and theirs doesn’t. I hope one day when I’m done with rugby, I will also be an expert. You are in a lose-lose situation. Hopefully, the experts will be happy after this game.”
When taken to task about the lack of players of colour in his match-day 23 - there are only three in the starting line-up and two on the bench, Meyer responded but didn’t answer the question.
Said Meyer: “I’ve been criticised on every single level from playing too many experienced players, to not playing young players. The only thing I want to do is to pick the best side for South Africa and the players know where they stand. We’ll have to go out there and win against the All Blacks.
“No, I don’t think you must read too much into that (the dropping of Oupa Mohoje out of the match-day 23). Most of these guys have been told beforehand who will play in which games.
“There will be a lot of changes in the next two matches. If you look now at the bench, all these guys are fresh and the only guy that has played is Adriaan Strauss. I felt that I wanted a fresh bench ... I don’t think you must read too much into who has been picked and who hasn’t been picked,” added Meyer.
The Star