De Villiers finally signs as coach
De Villiers finally signs as coach
From correspondents in Cape Town, South Africa
April 05, 2008
SOUTH Africa coach Peter de Villiers has finally signed his contract, after three months of wrangling over the details of his package.
Andy Marinos, manager of national teams at SA Rugby, said that De Villiers had signed a four-year deal.
Marinos said that both parties were pleased the matter had been finalised, and that SA Rugby was looking forward to a good and fruitful relationship with the Springbok coach.
De Villiers was named coach of the Rugby World Cup champions on January 9, as the successor to Jake White, but he and his agent, Rian Oberholzer, became embroiled in heated discussions with his bosses about the contract details.
There were no details about the final contract, but it is expected to run until the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand in 2011.
De Villiers, a former coach of the South Africa Under-21 side, became the Springboks' first black coach when he was appointed in January.
He was a surprise choice after most commentators predicted the job would go to Heyneke Meyer, a former coach of the Pretoria-based Bulls Super 14 franchise.
Agence France-Presse
