LONDON // The South African rugby union captain John Smit has leapt to the defence of his country's under-pressure coach. Peter de Villiers has been heavily criticised for the team's performance in the Tri Nations, while his private life has also been the subject of much media speculation. But Smit said: "He has been put under a lot of pressure already and I think it's ridiculous and unfair that people are looking to get rid of him.
"He just wants to do his job and he's been put under so much scrutiny with his private life now being the focus. "As a sportsman, we accept we are in the public eye, but there are those out there who want to find something and bring you down. "It is sad to see that. I haven't been able to get through to Peter yet, his phone is off, but I have left messages and sent him texts and he has the support of the players.
"This episode [about allegations concerning his private life] would have hurt him because he is a strong family man with high morals. Let's hope it goes away very quickly and he can get back to his job." The Springboks have fared badly and are guaranteed to finish bottom of this season's Tri Nations with just two wins from six games, but Smit thinks De Villiers - who only took charge in Jan 2008 - should be given more time to shape the team. He said: "We didn't do as well as we hoped in the Tri Nations, but you need a couple of years to have a fair chance in this job. In South Africa they get right behind you until you lose two games in a row.
"People have been talking about his expansive gameplan, but he has not tried to change much really and that's what has got the respect of the players. He has told us to keep doing the things we do well. "We are still going through that transitional phase under a new coach. The players are going to get better and wins like the one against New Zealand in Dunedin (30-28) and Australia in Johannesburg (53-8) will show just what can happen when we get it right."
And despite autumn internationals against England, Scotland and Wales looking in November, Smit has set his focus on the Lions series and is already looking forward to facing the best British players next summer. He said: "The Lions series next year is the target for us. That's when we want everything to be right." @Email:akhan@thenational.ae
