Peter de Villiers plays the race card

Wednesday 9 December 2009
Published By: Ben Welch
International Rugby > South Africa

Springboks boss Peter de Villiers has suggested he had a much tougher road to the top than many rugby union managers because of the colour of his skin.

According to Sportal, the controversial coach told South African Rugby magazine that while race doesn't matter anymore when it comes to selecting who plays for the Boks, it has had an impact on his career on the touchline.

"I've had to work ten times harder than any other white coach to get to where I am today," he commented. "Why wasn't I ever offered a coaching job at Super Rugby level?"

De Villiers - whose team suffered four defeats in Europe this autumn - made the remarks in response to questions about transformation, an area in which he has received a lot of criticism recently due to the low number of non-white players in his squad.

He suggested he picks his sides based on merit and choosing people to make up the numbers will only do more harm than good.