Note to Meyer: must try much harder

The Springboks’ two-month-long sojourn at the 2015 rugby World Cup in England is over and they are down but by no means out. Humiliated by Japan in their opening match, they clawed their way back, beating a strong Welsh team in a quarterfinal and losing to the eventual winners, New Zealand, in a semifinal. It is no disgrace.

They come home ranked third in the world, having fallen briefly to sixth after the match against Japan. The trouble is, the gap between the Boks and the two finalists, Australia and, particularly, New Zealand, is wider than it has been for years. It is a gap not only in the recent record of wins and losses but, more glaringly, in skills. For that the coach, Heyneke Meyer, and his staff, must take most of the blame.

“If we play South African rugby we can still win this tournament,” Meyer insisted after the Japan game. He was wrong. New Zealand play a rugby which not only matches “South African” rugby — kick and chase, rolling mauls and forward play close to the scrums — it sees it and raises it 10. We will never challenge them playing Meyer’s rugby. Under his tutelage the Bok game has, if anything regressed. Or perhaps it is fairer to say it has been left behind. Australia is vastly improved, as is Argentina.

Rumour has it that Meyer has already signed another four-year contract. That would be insane — just as it would be insane to simply drop him now.

What should happen when the SA Rugby Union (Saru) bigwigs meet in December to decide on a new contract is to take Meyer at his word that he can improve the side and to give him a oneyear extension to his contract, provided he improves the Springbok ranking by one place, to second, during that time. If he does not, he need not reapply.

If Saru is unwilling to appoint a foreigner as head coach now, another season of Meyer may convince them otherwise. An Australian, Eddie Jones, in Cape Town next season to coach the Stormers, will be tantalisingly close at hand.