Heyneke Meyer has been back in South Africa for some time. Now it is time for him to rebuild the Lions, as he did the Bulls, and make them Vodacom URC contenders.
The Lions continue to be pretenders, with plenty of talk of ambition but nothing of substance to back up the pre-season talk.
The Lions, in the first four seasons of the URC, have not managed to finish in the top eight and secure a play-off to the URC and qualification to the prestigious Investec Champions Cup. On their showing of the past four seasons, this won’t change next season unless something changes dramatically.
Which brings me to the former Bulls and Springboks coach Meyer.
He is renowned as a Mr Fixit of teams and his track record and pedigree is consistent with a coach/Director of Rugby who has always gone in and turned rubble into royalty.
It has always bemused me that rugby IP, like Meyer possesses, sits untapped within South African professional rugby, while Meyer works privately out of Mossel Bay.
Meyer’s most inspiring mentorship success story is the Bath’s EPCR Challenge Cup title-winning coach Johann van Graan, who Meyer introduced to professional rugby as a 16 year-old at the Bulls and also later as his assistant coach with the Springboks.
Meyer’s role in Van Graan’s Springbok coaching aspirations
I believe Meyer has the ability to fix the Lions and there is no counter-argument that there is nothing to fix. The Lions are broken and if those close to the Lions believe this not to be the case, then they should seriously consider what they are doing there?
When a team has not made the play-offs in four successive seasons, it is more about finding answers and solutions than asking questions. The league tables of those four seasons are the questions.
The answer is in who can fix the Lions.
HEYNEKE MEYER’S SPRINGBOK RECORD
My man would be Meyer, who in 48 Tests for the Boks, won 32 and drew two.
He won the Bulls first Super Rugby title in 2007.
A reminder of his coaching pedigree
1997 SWD Eagles (Asst. Coach)
1998–2000 SWD Eagles (Head Coach)
1999 Stormers (Forwards Coach)
1999 Emerging Springboks
1999–2001 South Africa (Springboks Forwards Coach)
2000 Bulls
2000–2001 Blue Bulls (Asst. Coach – Currie Cup)
2001 Blue Bulls (Head Coach – Vodacom Cup)
2002 Bulls
2002–2007
Blue Bulls (Head Coach – Currie Cup)2003–2004
Blue Bulls (Head Coach – Vodacom Cup)2005–2007
Bulls (Head coach – Super Rugby) 2008–2009
2012–2015
South Africa (Head Coach Springboks)
2017 Asia Pacific Dragons
2018–2019 Stade Français
2021 Director of Rugby for the Houston Sabercats of MLR.
*Meyer won World Cup bronze with the Springboks (as forwards coach) in 1999 and bronze again (as head coach) in 2015.
Other honours
South Africa (as assistant coach)
Src: keo.co.za
