All is not well within the Springbok team.
A source close to the team says a major rift has developed between the team’s management.
The crux of the issue appears to centre around the coaching styles of assistant coaches Dick Muir and Gary Gold, with head coach Peter de Villiers unsure which way to go. Muir wants the team to play an open, attacking brand of rugby, while Gold is backing for a more conservative approach.
The latest revelation only adds to the woes of the defending Tri Nations champions, who have endured a horror start to this year’s tournament and are all but out of the running to retain their title after back-to-back away losses to the All Blacks and a 30-13 reverse against the Wallabies at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane last Saturday.
Their confidence appears to be at an all-time low, with doubts about the form of some senior players and serious question marks over the future of embattled coach de Villiers. But despite things not being all beer and skittles, South African Rugby Union national teams manager Andy Marinos said rumours about a rift in the team management were unfounded and unwarranted.
“I’ve been with the Springboks for almost three weeks now and can categorically state there is no rift in the management team,” he said.
“In my various discussions with coach Peter de Villiers, his assistant coaches Dick Muir and Gary Gold, as well as senior team members John Smit and Victor Matfield, it’s never once come up that there are problems in the camp.
“For three weeks in a row we have not played well and made it harder for ourselves by playing with only 14 players on the field at crucial time during the games, away from home.”
De Villiers is set to meet with his employers within the next 48 hours for a report back on the disastrous tour ‘Down Under’.
Although unhappy with his foot-in-mouth comments made to the media and the team’s recent performances, SARU president Oregan Hoskins has backed the controversial coach and says his job is not at risk.

All BLACKS TACTICS REVEALED

The All Blacks have had their match strategies plastered on the front of newspapers across Australasia.
During a training session on Tuesday, a photographer took a snap which showed All Blacks coach Graham Henry holding diagrams of defensive game plans for Saturday’s Bledisloe Cup test against the Wallabies in Melbourne.
The pictures – which showed fully legible manoeuvres with scribbled notes – were printed in Melbourne’s Age and national daily The Australian.
“At the end of the day, you guys and photographers come to training and there are a few unwritten rules and the photographer has breached the trust,” said assistant coach Steve Hansen. “There’s not too much we can do about it.”
However, despite being disappointed in the photographer’s actions, Hansen was not crying over spilt milk.
“The good thing about it (is) yesterday was a defensive training day so we won’t have to change our tactics too much,” he said.
“There are a whole lot of things that are going to happen on Saturday night and I don’t think one photo is going to make too much difference.”
Wallaby assistant coach Jim Williams agreed, but dismissed claims that the photographer had breached the unwritten rule by taking the shot.
“As a team you prepare as best you can. Those issues are always going to be out there but it’s not something that we concentrate on personally,” he said.

COOPER APPEAL THROWN OUT

Quade Cooper has had his appeal over his two-week ban dismissed.
After deliberating for six-and-a-half hours, the Sanzar appeals committee decided the suspension would still apply, confirming the in-form Wallaby flyhalf will miss Saturday night's test against the All Blacks in Melbourne and the rematch in Christchurch next week.

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MORE MONEY PROBLEMS FOR BOURGOIN

French Top 14 club Bourgoin is again struggling financially.
The contracts of four players – Silver Tian, Alex Tulou, Ruaan Du Preez and Brando Va’aulu – will all be held by French rugby financial watchdog DNACG until the club can stump up with an extra EUR350,000 necessary to guarantee their salaries for the season.
But club president Gaston Maulin is downplaying the situation.
“A solution will be found and all players will be free to play by the time the season starts,” he said. “It’s just a question of finding that money sooner, but when you think of the millions we have already raised, it’s not going to be a problem now."
It’s the second time money issues have affected the club.
Earlier this month, they were “administratively relegated” from the Top 14 by the DNACG for failing to meet the financial requirements to remain in the top flight, but were given a lifeline by the French Federation for Rugby who overturned the decision

ALL BLACKS MAKE TWO CHANGES

Fatherhood has come at a price for Piri Weepu.
The Wellington halfback, who joined the All Blacks team late after welcoming a baby girl into the world last Sunday, has lost his starting spot to Jimmy Cowan for the Bledisloe Cup test against the Wallabies in Melbourne this Saturday.
Cowan for Weepu is one of two changes from the starting side which crushed South Africa 31-17 in Wellington a fortnight ago, with Joe Rokocoko – who is set to become the most-capped All Black wing – returning from injury.

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INJURY STRIKES ENGLAND PROP

England prop Matt Mullan will spend the next three months on the sidelines.
The 23-year-old Worcester bookend, who was recently named in the England Saxons elite player squad for 2010-11, will undergo surgery after dislocating his shoulder.
“We are bitterly disappointed for Matt after he was injured in what was a freak accident during training,” said Worcester coach Richard Hill.
“The injury was not to the shoulder that ruled him out towards the end of last season, and we had hoped it would not require surgical intervention.
“It is a double blow, as I had talked to Matt about the vice-captaincy, but clearly he will now miss the early part of the season which is a crucial time for the team to get up and running.”
Mullan, who made his test debut against Italy in this year’s Six Nations, is expected to be out of the game until November.

JONNY ‘F’ TO JOIN SCARLETS

Bath and former Samoan lock/loose forward Jonny Fa’amatuainu has been loaned out to Scarlets for this season.
Fa’amatuainu, who played 11 tests for his country between 2005 and 2009, has inked a year-long deal with the Nigel Davies-coached side after Bath bolstered their back-row stocks over the summer by signing Lewis Moody and Simon Taylor.
“Jonny will offer us some exciting options not only as a flair player but because of his flexibility to be able to play across the back and second row,” said Davies.

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