Peter de Villiers sacked

THE Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) has sacked Sables coach Peter de Villiers due to unauthorised leave from work fifteen months after his high profile unveiling.

Peter de Villiers was appointed Sables coach in February last year

The former Springboks coach who described the appointment then as the “greatest day of my life” has indicated from South Africa where he is at the moment that he will challenge his employer’s decision and appeal his dismissal in a labour court.

The ZRU documents detail how de Villiers failed to return to work from a vacation last year, resulting in him being suspended and then later fired following a disciplinary hearing.

De Villiers (61) yesterday could not be drawn into commenting further about the latest development from his base in South Africa.

He said the ZRU had “expelled” him for missing work while he was at his cancer-stricken daughter’s side, also claiming that his bosses had accused him of faking the fact that his daughter was ill.

On April 10 an image of de Villiers sleeping next to his daughter Odille Monk during her chemotherapy sessions was posted on twitter by John Goliath a freelance sports journalist based in South Africa.

The criteria used by the ZRU committee for the appointment of a national coach included, among other things, having a candidate that would reside in Zimbabwe, has international experience, a proven track record to match their international experience, and is a holder of a World Rugby level pre-coaching certificate.

De Villiers who inked a two year contract in February last year had an immediate task of attempting to help Zimbabwe qualify for this year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan, which, if he had succeed, was going to be the country’s first appearance since the 1991 tournament in England where they lost all three group matches to Scotland, Ireland and Japan.

Sadly it did not happen. One win, one draw and three defeats is hardly the return Zimbabwe expected after de Villiers’ the high profile appointment and the coming on-board of several sponsors to bankroll the team’s World Cup qualification campaign.

Local mining company Zerttew Resources was unveiled as the major sponsors of the flagship national rugby side, Sables, in a landmark deal worth $1 million.
The international mining investment company, founded and headquartered in Zimbabwe with offices in Johannesburg South Africa, and Luxembourg, also took responsibility of coach, De Villiers’ wages and upkeep as well as the players’ welfare.
Portnex International, a South African commodities and energy trading company, and Zimbabwean attorney firm Titan Law, Zimoco and Croco Motors are the other sponsors, while the Sables where dressed by leading international sportswear manufacturer, Canterbury.
Under De Villiers, Zimbabwe lost to Namibia, Tunisia and Kenya, while drawing with Morocco before defeating Uganda.
The Sables’ first season under de Villiers can best be described as topsy-turvy as the South African coach began his tenure with high hopes, before facing the grim prospect of relegation from the top tier Africa Gold Cup.
While in the end the Sables failed in their bid to qualify for the World Cup which begins in Japan on September 20, it was the manner in which they rose in the face of adversity and turned despair into delight to convincingly win their last match in Uganda and secure their top tier status that had given many fans hope.
In fact, the Sables’ impressive 38 –18 victory against Uganda in Kampala can best be described as a ‘come-back-from-the-dead’ win as very few gave them a chance of emerging from the tough contest against a confident Cranes side unscathed.

The never-say-die attitude exhibited by the Sables was expected to act as a catalyst for a change as the players, coach, technical staff and the Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) look to rebuild ahead of the qualifiers for the 2023 World Cup to be hosted by France.
The disappointing campaign provided key lessons for the future among them the need for the Sables to play more competitive preparatory matches ahead of qualifying tournaments.
The fact that the Sables had to wait until their last match to deliver their best performance showed that they need to play more friendlies against strong opposition ahead of important assignments.
This was going to give the sacked coach more time to identify winning combinations and the right personnel for certain positions, while also paying particular emphasis on their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.
The tournament also taught Zimbabwe to be “better prepared” for away games to avoid a recurrence of what happened in Tunisia, where off field destructions had a negative impact on the team’s performance. The team slept on the street after complaining about the poor standard of hotel accommodation.
De Villiers coached the Springboks between 2008 and 2011. The Springboks won 30 of their 48 matches under him.  His tenure came to an end following South Africa’s quarter final exit at the 2011 Rugby World Cup as they were knocked out by Australia in a controversial game that will forever be remembered by controversial decisions made by Kiwi referee Bryce Lawrence.

De Villiers finished his four years in charge with a respectable 62 percent win percentage and went on to take charge of the University of the Western Cape rugby structures as director of rugby between 2012 and 2015.