Steyn sent an SMS to the coach earlier this week to withdraw from the Bok side that will play Wales in Cardiff on June 5, but work is being done behind the scenes to resolve their differences.
Article from News24 Written by Hendrik Cronjé
(A New development and update appears at the bottom of this Atricle)
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers and fullback Frans Steyn are set to hold an emergency meeting in Johannesburg on Friday in a bid to save their strained relationship.
There have been problems between coach and player for some time.
It appears as if there is little communication between the two and that is probably the biggest reason for Steyn’s decision to withdraw from the Bok side that is flying out to London on Sunday.
Steyn apparently took the decision in the interests of his team-mates as he does not want to disadvantage them.
He recently tried to contact De Villiers, but a high-ranking South African Rugby Union (SARU) official apparently refused to give him the Bok coach’s new cellphone number.
SARU alleged that it’s impossible to contact Steyn in Paris where he plays for French club Racing Metro.
Steyn, who is currently visiting a dairy farm near Bethlehem in the Free State, has a French and South African cell number, which makes it difficult for SARU.
If the differences between the parties are not addressed at Saturday’s meeting, the Bok coach may have to pick a different fullback for the Test against Wales.
Zane Kirchner (Bulls) and Joe Pietersen (Stormers) will be strong contenders, while it’s a known fact that Cheetahs fullback Hennie Daniller was asked to arrange a visa.
The 23-year-old Steyn recently struck a drop goal of over 60 metres for Racing Metro against Clermont.
A number of stakeholders, including selection convenor Peter Jooste and Steyn’s agent, Gerrie Swart, will attend the meeting in Johannesburg.
This player is i fast becoming as disruptive as Luke Watson was. If one read the comments you find a lot of unfair blame being dished out to Peter de Villiers and SARU. He was handed a lifeline by Peter de Villiers. The Frans Steyn brigade immediately joined forces behind him against the coach.
Update: Friday late afternoon, 28 May 2010:
Frans Steyn has confirmed his availability for the Springboks in their Test match against Wales in Cardiff on June 5, following a meeting with Springbok coach Peter de Villiers on Friday.
The meeting included convenor of Springbok selectors Peter Jooste and Gerrie Swart, Frans Steyn’s agent.
“We discussed our relationship over the past few months and certain concerns of Frans were addressed and resolved,” said De Villiers.
“Frans confirmed his loyalty and commitment to the Springboks and people of South Africa and I can’t wait to see him back in green and gold.”
Steyn’s future availability for the Springboks will be arranged with his club, Racing Metro.
The meeting also discussed statements and documentary evidence submitted to De Villiers.
He accepted the contents and apologised for any negative interpretations concerning the reputation and good name of Frans Steyn and Mr Swart, brought about by quotes attributed to him in the media.
The apology was accepted.
All parties now regard the matter as closed and will make no further comment on the subject.
@ Blouste:
Blouste hoe gannit?
Frans het Saru gebel opsoek na PDV. Hulle wou hom nie sy nommer gee nie. So, obviously wou PDV nie met hom praat nie. Ek sou ook ontrek het as ek FS was.
Ek ruik ‘n rot ernens. Ons ken nie die hele storie nie en ek is seker dit is net ‘n misverstand. Ek hoop so.
@ rugbybal:
Goed en jy, onder omstandighede, sien post 28
Ek dink dis “policy”
Ek kan ook vandag SARU bel en se.. ” Hallo dis Bakkies wat praat, kan ek asseblief Pieter se nommer kry ? ”
Nee wat ek se weer, hy kon by BAIE spelers, wat hy goed ken Pieter se nommer gekry het as hy regtig wou…
Ek se net die mannetjie moet bietjie aan sy “attitude” werk.
Soos ek hierbo gese het, maak nie saak watter party reg of verkeerd is nie, daar is ‘n regte en verkkerde manier om die situasie te hanteer.
@ Scrumsaam:
As jy net gaan groot gaan as jou span die naweek wen hoef jy gelukkig glad nie te worry oor ‘n kopseer die naweek nie 😉
Rumours are dangerous… I will reserve judgment on this one, seeing as we clearly do not know the facts and / or who is angry at whom… or who is causing the rift…
What is worrying is that a rift indeed exists…
No player is bigger than the game and our coach and SARU systems should be easily accessible to players… proper communication is vital.
@ Blouste:
Wel either way as my span verloor gaan ek ook groot om die pyn en leiding minder te maak…sê mos altyd gaan groot of gaan huis toe…
Gebeur die baie nie maar ek stem saam Blouste op die een, daar is ander maniere om sake te doen, as SARU net nommers uit gedeel het so die hele SA publiek elke aand Pieter n sms gestuur het..
@ Scrumsaam:
“Gebeur die baie nie maar ek stem saam Blouste”
Jy is besig om die lig te sien… 😆
Wel as dit van Eskom afhang gaan ek nie vir lank die lig sien nie…
Ek is dors….
@ Scrumsaam:
😆
@ grootblousmile:Vermy n babelas bly dronk..
Cream Soda !!!!
The Springboks face Wales in Cardiff on 5 June in their first Test of the year. De Villiers has decided to include overseas-based players in the match 22, which sees Steyn selected at fullback in the starting line-up for the first time since the Tri-Nations clash against the All Blacks in Hamilton last year.
However, it was reported in Die Burger on Thursday that Steyn sent De Villiers an SMS earlier this week saying he does not want to play against Wales. It is also rumoured that the two have a strained relationship, which is behind Steyn’s withdrawal. De Villiers has denied these claims.
‘There has never been tension between Frans and I. The problem involves me and Frans’s agent Gerrie Swart,’ De Villiers told keo.co.za.
‘Gerrie has poisoned Frans’s mind by saying I don’t want him in the Springbok setup, which is far from the truth. It’s because of these lies that Frans does not want to play for the Boks.’
De Villiers said Swart was playing the middle man between him and Steyn in a deceitful way.
‘Two weeks ago, Gerrie sent me an e-mail saying on Frans’s behalf that he doesn’t want to play for the Boks. He also suggested some players I should replace Frans with. Who is he to tell me, the head coach, who to select?’
De Villiers said there has been poor communication between him and Steyn, but believes the truth will be revealed when the two parties meet in Johannesburg on Friday.
‘I haven’t heard from Frans since he left for Racing Metro after the Test in Hamilton last year. It is true that he sent me an SMS earlier this week, but it didn’t say he didn’t want to play for the Boks. He tried to get hold of me. We tried to call him back but we couldn’t get through to him after several attempts.
‘But I don’t think I should have to call Frans to find out if he wants to play for the Boks. I don’t call John Smit, I don’t call Victor Matfield, no player gets special treatment.
‘n Mens moet nie al die sensasionele koerantberigte glo nie, sal graag uit FS se eie mond die “bat ad de oder hand, Derm” kant van die storie wil hoor.
As dit wel egter so is, dat FS vol voorkeure is om vir die Bokke te speel, dan moet hy maar liewers wegbly. Soek nie primadonnas in die span nie … daar is klaar genoeg wp’s in die span.
Die Bokspan kan in elk geval net soveel haarkappers en haardroeërs bekostig, en met Schalla, Dewald en WO in die span, is die ‘budget’ op sy limiet ! 😀
Hier is iets wat Morne uit gelig het wat vir my nogals sin maak…
******************************************************************************************
As most will know now thanks to the article above, Frans is managed by Gerrie Swartz, his agent.
Now the deal with Metro was apparently concluded before Frans made a name for himself last year at fullback, to which he publicly commended Peter for sticking by him, supporting him and for once played him in one position.
In fact, Peter played Frans last year as an overseas based player since Frans after the Super 14, was no longer contracted to the Sharks but Metro as this site (I believe) reported.
Following 2009, and the season Frans had with the Boks he was obviously not to keen to give it all up, but since he signed a contract, he had to go, and his agent made him.
I think it is public knowledge that Frans is earning a **** lot of money in France, and I also think it is quite obvious to everyone that because of this, his agent will of course also earn quite a lot of money because of this.
If Frans, who by all accounts from what I heard, wants to come back to SA and play for an SA team to please the Bok coach and give himself the best chance of going to next year’s World Cup, he, and his agent, will take a massive paycut.
IRB regulations however states, that if a player is selected for his national team, the club has to release him.
If Peter, from what I have heard, selects him for most tests this year including the expanded 3N, Frans will not be available for his club in France a lot of the time. This is not good for the club, as they do not get the value out of Frans as they want and the money they spent on him.
This obviously puts his future with said club in danger, and the agent’s commission too.
So the only real option here is hoping (or deliberately ensuring) Frans does not get selected for the Boks.
When I first read the article about this whole Frans issue, I thought it was a badly written article which mainly grasped at straws, i.e. the fact that people in SA Rugby not wanting to give the coach’s number to Frans but Frans effectively sms’ the coach to pull out of the test (which of course is flatly denied by the coach himself in this article above).
I then had a look who wrote the article.
Hendrik Cronje.
Now Gerrie Swartz and his partner contract quite a number of Bloem or old Grey boys including CJ, Brussow, Juan etc. Interesting to note as-well is the Gerrie, and Hendrik Cronje who writes for the Volksblad (Bloem based paper) from which this article appeared (translated into English for News24) were in fact classmates…
I reckon a good exercise will be to go back and look who wrote articles about Frans in the past from a positive or negative spin perspective…
A lot of people stand to lose a lot of things here.
Frans his place in Bok rugby and World Cup
Peter a great player
Gerrie a **** load of money…
Frans apparently made over R10-mil last year, and is not flustered too much about the bucks, but he is quite concerned about the Boks.
Now who has the most to lose? And where and to who does all these lose ends point to?
Peter is not allowed to see Frans alone (remined me of Rassie Erasmus and Frikkie not so long ago) but only with his agent, which is why I suppose he said in the article above, he wants to look both of them in the eye, and find out just who is talking kak here…
I know who I am leaning towards most.
Lets hope today’s meeting goes well, and hopefully Steyn will play next week, apart from all of his talent would also not like to see another of either the Bulls or Stormers having to make the trip across to Cardiff, or would Danniller go. A very short turn around between the final and this test, but at least a lot of the Welsh players will also be involved in the Magners final this weekend and they have a few out injured.
46@ Bullscot:
Hello Bullscot, welcome!
I trust you received the mail I sent you with confirmation of your acceptance… and the requirement to be met.
dag almal
48@ sharky_forever:
Dag Ingelsman!
Yellow sharky !!!
@ grootblousmile:
Yes got your email, thank you very much for the login details. Been reading for a while so decided to sign up at last. I find your site especially useful to access the live scores through my phone it normally gets to it quickly which is great.
@ Bullscot:
Welkom boet…
Gather you’re a BULL suporter.
die laaity kort n moerse pakslae,toe ek sy ouderdom was moes ek al met geharde misdadigers in n maks gev werk
@ Blouste:
Dankie man. Yip been a BULLS fan for ages, but unfortuantely its been far too many years since I’ve been to watch at Loftus. Are you going the Orlando on Saturday?
@ Bullscot:
Nee boet. Would have loved to though but this weekend is a bit hectic for me, will have a nice braai and watch on the telly though…
You ?
@ Blouste:
Thats a pity for you, but your plan for a braai and catch the game on TV sounds cool, I’ll miss watching cause will be at work then, also don’t have a way to get it on TV, last weekend at home had the score updates on the ‘net and the RSG commentary through the net as well, it sounded brilliant out there!
@ Bullscot:
Have you got internet at work ?
Live streaming on the net ?
Not another Bull… anyway welcome here bullscot..
@ Blouste:
Yes do have but quite a strict access policy.
@ Scrumsaam:
Thank you, what’s wrong with there being another Bull you should give it a try sometime you may enjoy your rugby far more…
59 @ Bullscot:
scrummie is verby die “point of no return”
Die Stormpoppies het al te veel verloor en hulle dink dis normaal in rugby… 😉
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