Meyer wants to be part of Springboks solution

South Africa, who were beaten by Japan in their World cup opener, lost in the semi-finals to New Zealand and will play Argentina in Friday's third-place playoff.

Meyer wants to be part of Springboks solution

(Reuters)





Meyer's position will be reviewed by the South African Rugby Union in December but he made it clear he believed he is the right man to take the team forward.

“It is easy to criticise and obviously I’ve made a lot of mistakes. But I want to be part of the solution and see the youngsters come through,” Meyer told reporters.

“I will always regret I couldn’t win it (the World Cup) for my country and I will always believe in this team. I just believe they are going to get better.

"This team will be invincible if they can go forward and keep them together.”

Meyer came under intense scrutiny after the stunning loss to Japan and said the pressure of the job got to him at times.

“I think you have to be crazy and you have to love people. I’m totally crazy and I’m a total nutter,” he said with a smile.

The 48-year-old added that the protests and threat of court action over the racial make-up of his squad before the team left South Africa illustrated the unique challenges of the job.

“I do take it personally. This World Cup was really tough – people were burning jerseys before you start, people wanted to take you to court before you start,” he said.

Despite the disappointments and sleepless nights, Meyer said he was driven to keep going by the love South Africa has for the Springboks.

“We drove from Ellis Park and there was a poor beggar on crutches with only one leg and once the Springbok bus drove past, he left everything, fell on his knees and we could see we made a difference.

"This week there was a girl with cancer who wrote to us.

"Those are the things that keep you going. Sometimes you walk out and there are people waiting hours for you to get a signature and you think, ‘Why do you want my signature? I just cost the country the biggest trophy in the world.'”





(Reporting by Nick Said; Editing by Peter Rutherford)


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world