Polokwane is not the only (or arguably even the most) contested political terrain in South Africa. One can be certain that the naming of Jake White's successor as Springbok head coach will be every bit as full of recriminations, barbed comments, and backroom politicking as anything that happens among the ANC's National Executive Committee in the next month. White, who just published his autobiography (which is flying off the shelves at a rate faster than any book in South Africa in recent memory), providing perfect synergy for South African Rugby Union's (SARU) decision-making process, will be happy to leave behind some of the baggage that goes with the top coaching post in South African rugby. SARU has announced that the new coach will be named on January 9.
White, who spent much of his tenure under heavy fire from critics, but who left his Springbok post almost wholly vindicated, has also weighed in on his preferred replacement. If his will comes to pass, it will represent an epochal moment in South African rugby, as White would like to see Allister Coetzee become the first black Springbok coach. White believes that the front-runner is Bulls Coach Heyneke Meyer, the only white candidate on a short-list of four. the other candidates are South Africa under-21 coach Peter de Villiers and Chester Williams, 1995 World Cup-winning Springbok wing. (At the risk of self indulgence, I argued in my South Africa Year in Review, which was published yesterday, that you should “expect Allister Coetzee to gain traction as a possible White replacement.”)