I read that Rassie is apparently going to be the Springboks new technical advisor. Now I have a number of questions about such a supposed appointment and about the premature announcement.

Firstly, how do you appoint a technical advisor before you appoint the coach? Shouldn’t the coach have a say in this? For goodness sake these two people need to work together and the coach should at least have some say in the matter.

Some even suggest the ‘new technical advisor’ is in the UK at the moment to try and convince the ‘new coach’ to take the job. I find that bizarre and doubt whether it’s true at all. It amazes me that somebody could even make such a suggestion.

Secondly, why does Rassie have such a ‘high standing’ as a technical expert? What exactly did he do when to deserve that sort of standing? Who won what with him as technical advisor?

For the last two seasons Rassie have done very little if any coaching at all. If he is such an outstanding analyst why didn’t he help the Stormers in that regard during the last two seasons. Fact is Rassie was replaced as coach by Alistair Coetzee. Fact is the Stormers started playing better rugby under Alistair and that without (as far as I know) Rassie’s expertise as a technical advisor.

Now if the Stormers did not see the need to use him as a technical advisor why the hell must the Springboks use him? If he is so great why didn’t the Stormers use him? If the Stormers did use him why wasn’t it ever mentioned in the newspapers? One would think that such a ‘great technical analyst’ (I mean he is appointed or nominated even before a decision has been made who the coach would be) would have had such an impact that the newspapers would have picked up on his effect on the team.

Thirdly, Rassie has a track record of not getting along with other coaches. He is a bit of an eccentric and was even regarded by Laurie Mains as being depressive.

He was sacked as player by Laurie Mains and that huhaa also ended his international rugby playing career. He apparently had a big fall out with Alistair (although denied by Alistair but ‘waar daars ‘n rokie is daar ‘n vuurtjie’) and way back when he coached the Cheetahs there was stories that he left for the Stormers due to him and Naka not getting along.

Rassie has never been good with the media (not as bad as PdV but certainly not outstanding). He admits this with his statement that he doesn’t think he is old and wise enough to handle the media as Springbok coach.

So here we have a person with no clear credentials as a people’s person being appointed to direct a team and coaching staff how they should play the game. Is it just me or are the key and the lock just not a good fit here?